Ever wonder why Hollywood’s curvy queens still struggle to snag a custom gown while sample sizes fly off racks?
Enter Kelly Augustine, the mastermind behind Gabourey Sidibe’s show-stopping red carpet moments. This stylist isn’t just pulling clothes — she’s dismantling an industry that treats size 14 like a dirty word. Augustine flat-out refuses to “shrink bodies” to fit designer whims. Instead, she’s demanding houses like Valentino and Schiaparelli step up or sit down.
“Fashion has always had a plus-size problem,” Augustine told Bossip, serving truth tea with zero chaser. “They want our money but not our measurements.” Her client roster reads like a who’s who of talent: Sidibe, Danielle Brooks, Niecy Nash-Betts. Every fitting becomes a negotiation, every premiere a political statement.
Fans are eating it up. Twitter exploded when Sidibe hit the Emmys in that custom Christian Siriano number — structured shoulders, cinched waist, zero apologies. “Finally, a stylist who gets it!” wrote one user. Another added: “Kelly Augustine is doing the Lord’s work. Designers take notes.” Even Siriano himself shouted her out, calling the collaboration “a masterclass in fit.”
But let’s be real — this shouldn’t be revolutionary. It’s 2024. The average American woman wears a size 16-18. Yet sample sales still cap at size 8. Augustine’s work exposes the laziness: brands would rather exclude millions than adjust a pattern.
What do you think? A) Kelly Augustine is single-handedly changing the game B) Designers should’ve done this decades ago without being pushed