02 Jan Melissa McCarthy: One Size Does Not Fit All

Posted at 10:46h in Stars That Mean Business by

Melissa McCarthy might be a Hollywood star on the rise, but as a plus-size woman, she has had difficulty finding clothing she loves.

“Trying to find stuff that’s fashion-forward in my size is damn near impossible,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s either for a 98-year-old woman or a 14-year-old hooker, and there is nothing in the middle.”

McCarthy, whose turn as the tough, bulldozer-esque Megan in the 2011 film Bridesmaids brought her widespread acclaim, has found so little to her liking that she’s starting her own clothing line, in collaboration with designer Daniella Pearl. In 2011, when McCarthy couldn’t find a dress to wear to the Emmys, Pearl whipped up a “wildly comfortable” gown that McCarthy designed for herself.

Starting a fashion business isn’t a completely new direction for McCarthy. As a teenager growing up in Plainfield, Illinois, she dreamed of attending the Fashion Institute of Technology, but her parents didn’t want her going off to New York. She briefly studied clothing and textiles at Southern Illinois University, before 
dropping out to pursue stand-up comedy.

McCarthy’s new line, which has not yet been named, is expected to launch in late 2015.



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