The Hunt for Women's "Plus Size" Wool Cycling Clothing

Although I truly despise the words "plus size" when referring to a woman's size in clothing, the reality is that it is the terminology most use, so I feel obligated to succumb to that particular wording here. For over a year now, I've been in search of wool cycling clothing for women of substance, and it has been a rather futile/fruitless use of time, I must admit. I've managed to find a couple of tops that are on the fitted side by purchasing the largest misses size I could locate (an XL), but finding pants/capris/shorts of any sort seems to be impossible. While the men's sizes are generally a bit more generous with fabric, the shape is just ill-proportioned for most women's bodies. Following are a few items that have potential to possibly work, at least as layering pieces in cooler weather.

Ibex Woolies Crew (base layer) side view

Ibex Woolies Crew (base layer) front view

The shirt above is from Ibex but I purchased it on sale from REI locally. It's not necessarily intended for cycling specifically, but could be used for this purpose or even others, depending on your needs. According to their size charts, this shouldn't fit me, but oddly, it works (Note: the fabric is not being stretched out as it would appear, but is rather a base piece, intended for layering, so it is thinner than some wool items. I wanted to show how it fits as a representation for others though). In the summer months, this weight of fabric seems to work well without a need for multiple layers, and I'm sure in the winter it will be great for a base (though I've yet to wear it in cold weather). I guess this just goes to show that you do have to try everything on, because even if there's a size chart, it doesn't necessarily mean it's accurate. I would also note that the color is less pajama-y looking in real life, but I believe it's a good base piece regardless.

Ibex short sleeve Echo Sport T
This should be a looser garment, but is more fitted on me

Admittedly, these tops aren't loose on me, but I'm also not hiding my size by wearing oversized garments either, and many of these weren't intended to be loose fit articles of clothing. While I'd prefer that this was available in a larger size, for now, it will have to do. According to Ibex size charts, the bust measurement on the XL size is a range of 40.5-42.5. While my chest measurement actually falls beneath the low side of this (measuring around the rib cage, just under the bust), my bust measurement is larger than the stated size, so it was a bit confusing. I'm glad I took a chance and tried these though. I will say that they do seem to give some with wear and become a bit looser fitting, and I can wear them several times before washing without the pieces starting to smell (which never happens with any kind of workout wear I own). One of the fabulous properties of wool! It also means that you don't have to purchase tons of these if you ride daily because you can wear it multiple times before it requires laundering (wonderful news, since wool isn't inexpensive). The short sleeve wool shirt pictured above is pulled down to show its length. Again, this shirt is a very light fabric, and is fitted on my body, but I tend to prefer this when cycling for sport/distance. I don't have to worry about loose things getting caught on bike parts, so it works.

Ibex Giro short sleeve jersey from the side

Ibex Giro short sleeve jersey from the rear (Kinda cool that the Ibex logo is reflective!)

I also ordered an actual bicycle jersey to try out: the Giro short sleeve jersey. It is made of a thicker wool fabric (I'd say more of a mid-weight), and fits very similarly to the tops above. At the moment though, I'm still debating whether or not to keep this one, as I am not sure about the look/fit on my body. The photos above are for additional reference purposes, as well as showing the back side of this with the cycling pockets (which can be handy, depending on how one rides). Again, I'd love to have a bit more wiggle room in this jersey, but it is what it is.

As for pants, knickers, or shorts in wool, I haven't been brave enough to even attempt to order them, as the size charts are far off the mark for me on any of the brands like SmartWool, Ibex, Icebreaker, etc, and I carry a good deal of my weight in my legs, so they likely wouldn't work. So, what am I wearing right now when I ride? I actually have a couple of options. One choice is my active pants that I purchased from Lands End a few years ago. They're almost a close-fitting yoga capri, and have held up incredibly well. They do begin to smell though after wearing for a very short time, which isn't ideal. I also have a pair of bike shorts without a chamois that I purchased about 6 years ago, however, I don't typically wear those because I prefer to have my knees covered when I ride.

Out of frustration and curiosity, I have been in contact with multiple distributors and manufacturers of wool clothing in hopes of finding a line that will work for ladies with a bit more meat on their bodies. Most of these companies have sent me a canned response stating that they are "unaware of any company that manufactures wool cycling clothing in plus sizes at this time", to which I want to respond, "Yes, that is why I'm contacting you - to change that." I can't help but shake my head when I get this sort of response. There was some light in this process though. When contacting Ibex, they said that though they do not currently carry larger sizes for women because they are still a small company, they do have hopes of doing this down the line. While I have no way of knowing how long of a wait "down the line" is, it's nice to know that at least one company realizes there is potential for money in manufacturing sizes for larger women. If you'd like to see larger women's sizes, I would encourage you to email or call Ibex and request this, so that they realize there is a market for this line. And, if you have another manufacturer/distributor you've contacted that seems open to the idea of a women's line of wool clothing in larger sizes, please leave info in the comments or e-mail me, as I'd love to contact them as well. Has anyone else had success with getting a company to start selling or making a different type or size of clothing? I would be very curious to hear about it.