Does designer clothing alienate big women?

Department store Selfridges has come under criticism this week for no longer offering plus size clothes to its shoppers.

It previously sold clothes in sizes 14 to 26, but has since dropped the Italian label Marina Rinaldi’s range from its stores.

The Daily Mail commented saying: "The decision suggests the company does not believe larger lady customers, who often struggle to find clothes in their size, are good for its image."

So anyone over size 16 will now have difficulty when scanning the rails in the 100-year-old, high-end shop.

"Half the country need[s] size 16 or bigger. It’s disgusting that Selfridges won’t sell them," said Cheryl Hughes, who runs a plus size modelling agency called Hughes Models.

Stores on the high street such as Topshop and Miss Selfridge have stocked size four clothes for several years now - which is an American size zero.

Former morning television host Fern Britton famously went from a size 22 to a size 12 thanks to a gastric band, but revealed in November that she was still reliant on anti-depressants. She said that she feels she is now an average, medium-sized woman.

What do you guys think? Are there enough designer clothing choices for women over a size 16?