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“I HAVE nothing to wear,” is a well-worn phrase uttered by many frustrated women every day. But for a huge number of ladies, this statement isn’t just a throwaway line — it’s painfully accurate.

A staggering 85 per cent of Australian women say they have left a clothing store feeling ashamed about their body, according to online retailer Fame & Partners. 98 per cent of women size 16 or over say they find it hard to find clothing that fits and flatters their body shape.

The average Australian woman is 162cm tall and weighs 71kg, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the average dress size is 14-16. Most Australian clothing stores stop at size 16, if they stock it at all.

Liz Black is a US fashion blogger and self-described plus size advocate who wants to change this. She’s in Australia to launch her new plus-size formal clothing range, X collection, and is calling on retailers to stock bigger sizes.

“I went to Pitt Street Mall [in Sydney] and I didn’t see any plus size stores,” Ms Black told news.com.au. “Every store I went into they didn’t really have a large size range.

“I bought some nice necklaces and trinkets but I didn’t bother trying any clothes on, because I knew they wouldn’t fit. I saw some beautiful pieces but I couldn’t buy anything,” she said.

“It’s so disappointing,” Ms Black said. “It makes you feel like you’re being excluded.

“I love fashion. It’s an art form. Clothing is so transformational and it can do so much for your confidence.

“But when you go into a shop and see these beautiful things and you want to buy them it kind of breaks your heart and you feel like you’re being ostracised.”

Sadly, Liz’s experience isn’t unique.

Tash*, a 34-year-old Sydney woman, was browsing in a popular local chain store with a friend recently. Tash says she’s a size 16-18 and her friend is a size 10.

“The sales girl stared at me with this look on her face like, ‘Honey, we don’t stock things for you here’

“I was so uncomfortable that I stepped outside. It made me feel pretty bad. It’s not like I was going to buy anything but I’m allowed to look!” she said.

Tash says she mainly shops online and avoids most stores.

“I’ve just stopped going. No one wants to go into a clothing store and feel ashamed.

“You ask for help from the assistant and they give you think something that looks like a sack.

“A lot of plus size clothes are designed for more mature women. It’s a lot easier to buy shoes and handbags than clothes!”

Ms Black says if she does find clothing in her size, it’s usually frumpy or “matronly”.

“Retailers just make everything bigger and it becomes shapeless and unflattering. They don’t adapt the clothing to be more flattering for bigger figures.”

She says the struggle to find a nice evening gown inspired her to create her collection of formal wear, which features ten dresses and an on-trend crop top-skirt combo.

“Plus-size evening wear doesn’t even exist in most places and the options you have are so dowdy you end up looking like the grandmother of the bride.

“It’s very disappointing. Nothing makes someone feel worse about your body. You think, ‘How could I possibly look beautiful in this?’

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