Alexandra Turallo doesn’t like to shop anymore.

The Hampden woman has a fabulous sense of style, runs a tailoring business out of her home and adores textiles, color and print. Trouble is, nothing fits her. She wears a plus-size petite on bottom, a straight plus-size on top, and on the rare occasion she finds something age-appropriate in a style she likes, she ends up bringing it home, taking it apart, reconfiguring it and sewing it back together again.

“It’s just no fun,” Turallo said recently over lunch in a Bangor cafe. She was smartly dressed in a crisp peony-colored linen dress with a vibrant vintage scarf tied loosely at her neck. “I just don’t like doing it. … It’s not that the clothes aren’t big enough, it’s just that they’re not well-designed.”

Turallo, 59, is one of the 62 percent of American women who wear a size 12 or larger. According to a report by MarketResearch.com, the market for women’s plus-size clothing was estimated at $31.6 billion in 2000 – nearly a third of overall clothing sales. That number is expected to reach $47 billion in 2005.

Nationally, two-thirds of adults are considered overweight or obese, and the number of young adults (age 18-30) in Maine who are overweight has doubled in the last decade. It’s clear that the demographic is growing, but a recent survey by Kohl’s department store found that 54 percent of plus-size women were dissatisfied with the fit and fashion of available options.

“As a society, we are physically much larger than we used to be,” said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Bureau of Health. “Needing larger clothes is an outward sign of the obesity epidemic, but we don’t effectively treat it by saying we’ll put a hold on sales of plus-size clothes. People need to have clothes. They need to look good and they need to look the way they want.”

Turallo knows what she needs for her job as program coordinator at Hammond Street Senior Center in Bangor. And it isn’t dark, drab, shapeless clothing. It doesn’t feature bows, embroidery, kittens or bunnies, either. It’s tailored. Elegant in a casual way. Bright without being trendy. And it fits.

“Basically, a large-size customer wants exactly the same as what a size 6 or 8 wants,” said George Simonton, a Seventh Avenue designer and professor of fashion design at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. “She just may want it with an elastic waist or a fabric with more stretch – something comfortable.”

Simonton’s studio, which bears his name, has long designed contemporary, tailored garments for women of all sizes. He’s been in business 40 years, and business is good – especially in the 14-plus sector.

“Some designers won’t do anything over a 12,” Simonton said. “I don’t stick my nose up at large-size women.”

Neither do a growing number of couture designers and mass-market retailers, who see the benefit of serving the “women’s” portion of the apparel market. It’s now one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry, and the options are growing in Bangor, as well.

“Plus-sized fashion is in high demand,” said Alicia Mullins, a 20-year-old University of Maine student who works at Lane Bryant. “Lane Bryant has been in the Bangor Mall for a long time but we still have new people come in every day, shocked to see that we have nice, stylish clothes that come in their size. It’s incredible how relieved and happy people get when they find clothes that make them feel good about themselves.”

Several years ago, Lane Bryant store moved to bigger, more posh digs in the Bangor Mall. C&J Banks recently opened, offering casual and career coordinates at reasonable prices. Department stores such as Filene’s, J.C. Penney and Sears have plus-size sections, as do discount chains and off-price stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. Fashion Bug and Deb round out the mix.

There may be more options today, but Turallo still does the majority of her shopping online and through catalogs, because many national chains stock their inventory using formulas based on population and demographics. In a small, rural market such as Bangor, the options are more limited than those in an urban, affluent area such as Boston. And none of the local offerings fits her figure – or her style – very well.

“Everybody is supposed to be happy with this same mix of clothes,” Turallo said.

Turallo favors Coldwater Creek (www.coldwatercreek.com), which offers the same styles whether you wear a 6 or a 3X. Others swear by Silhouettes (www.silhouettes.com), Junonia (www.junonia.com) and Liz Claiborne’s Elisabeth line (www.elisabeth.com), one of the plus-size pioneers. In addition to his own line, Simonton recommends Chico’s and the offerings on QVC.

For teens and twentysomethings, the options are a bit trickier. In Augusta, Old Navy has devoted an entire portion of its shop to larger sizes. Torrid (Torrid.com), a division of Hot Topic, offers edgier, trendier items for younger women. Mullins, whom friends describe as a fashion plate, does much of her shopping at Lane Bryant and Fashion Bug.

“Other stores that have plus-sized clothes don’t have a good selection for girls in their teens and twenties,” Mullins said.

There is an upside, however. According to Mullins, retailers who sell plus-size clothing tend to skip the “ridiculous-looking” trends found in smaller sizes, such as shorts and gym pants with “hottie” emblazoned on the rear and tiered microminiskirts.

“As frustrating as it is to shop sometimes, I can at least be thankful that I’ll never be caught dead in those fashion disasters – if not for my size, then for my own fashion sense,” Mullins said.

Having a clear sense of style is important at any size, Simonton says, regardless of trends. Though we’re going through a fashion cycle that favors ultrafeminine looks with heavy embellishment and lots of beading and lace, Simonton urges women to keep the lines of their clothing “simple but not boring.” He favors soft tailoring and flattering necklines enhanced with one standout accessory.

“Whatever size they are, women should just be proud of themselves and try to enhance themselves,” Simonton said. “If you get up in the morning and look good, you can tackle the challenges of the day.”

Plus-size resources

Web forums:

Don’t Tell Me What Size I Must B: http://www.geocities.com/tenorqueen, run by Jodie Hunter, an activist from Australia, features articles, a message board and comprehensive shopping links

Reading:

“Figure it Out!: The Real Woman’s Guide to Great Style” by Geri Brin and Tish Jett (2004, Sixth&Spring Books)

“Plus Style: The Plus-Size Guide to Looking Great” by Suzan Nanfeldt (1996, Plume Books)

Figure Magazine, www.figuremagazine.com

Shopping:

Avenue, www.avenue.com

Bodacious, a Canadian store with fabulous, stylish frocks, www.bodacious.ca

C & J Banks, www.cjbanks.com

Catherines Plus Sizes, www.catherines.com

Chico’s, www.chicos.com

Coldwater Creek, www.coldwatercreek.com

Daphne, www.daphne1.com

Elisabeth, www.elisabeth.com

Fashion Bug, www.fashionbug.com

Gap (up to size 20), www.gap.com

Junonia, www.junonia.com

Just My Size, www.justmysize.com

Kiyonna, www.kiyonna.com

Kohl’s, www.kohls.com

Lane Bryant, www.lanebryant.com

Making it Big, www.makingitbigonline.com

New York & Co. (up to size 18), www.nyandcompany.com

Old Navy (up to size 26), www.oldnavy.com

Peach Berserk (A Canadian company with funky designs that can be customized in all sizes) www.peachberserk.com

QVC, www.qvc.com (for George Simonton and other designers)

Silhouettes, www.silhouettes.com

Talbots Woman, www.talbots.com

Target, www.target.com

Torrid, www.torrid.com

Women of Substance, 281 Upper Main St., Damariscotta, 563-6809