Curvy gals & stores just for them
Tuesday, February 13th, 2007Full-figured women have a hard time finding really nice clothing in this city. Though the newspapers and television keep telling us that so many people are overweight and are getting larger, the fashion stores are hardly keeping up with the trend. Two of the stores below, though, have gone through renovations in the last two months to make them bigger – so at least they realize what is happening and are responding to it.
I scour the city looking for all kinds of stores and I am still surprised that it is hard to find ones dedicated to the plus size woman (or the plus size man, for that matter). We have a couple of well known chain stores, Additionelle and Pennington’s, but when you want to go up a notch and find really classy stuff, designer names or more exclusive lines, you have to search all around the town.
So I’ve done your foraging for the moment and come up with a few that perhaps you didn’t know about. When you are looking for special sizing, you have to forget about bargains and just bite the bullet and pay the price to find fashionable clothes that fit.
Oppen’s, 4828 St. Laurent Blvd. at Villeneuve Ave. Phone: 514-844-9159. Hours: Tuesday to Friday 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Women with larger needs (sizes 14-24) are lucky when they shop here, for they get personal service with wardrobe coordination. You can expect to be offered lots of mix and match possibilities in washable fabrics, and even jewelry and purses to finish off the look. Well known labels such as Jones NY, Linda Lundstrom, Simon Chang, Conrad C, Conrad C Petite, Spanner, slinky knits and their own Beverly shirts are here. You will enjoy the newly updated facility with more room for fashions, including coats.
Jeannine Julien, 1330 Beaubien St. East at De Lanaudiere St. Phone: 514-277-2779 or 800-361-2779. Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is the ultimate one-stop shopping for the full-figured woman’s needs in undergarments and day wear (Lucia, Doris Streich, Eugen Klein, Rabe, in sizes 16 to 30). The beautifully appointed premises are full of feminine nightgowns, bathing suits (18 to 30), teddies, slips, body suits, pj’s, merry widows, corselets, bras (to 56I) and panties (10X). Full breasted women love the Prima Donna line of bras from Belgium. They are pricey but very lacy and gorgeous and cover the gamut from size 32 to 46 right up to an H cup. The gracious owner knows just how to find the right fit for this special woman.
Boutique Claudia, 150 Ste. Catherine St. West at Jeanne Mance St. in Complexe Desjardins. Phone: 514-282-0476. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Right in the heart of downtown, here’s a spot for full-figured ladies (8 to 20), full-figured petites (8 to18) and some things for regular petites too. The shop has been around for thirty years, and is now in a bigger store with more to choose from. Service has kept everyone coming back all these years, as well as their lines of well-known brand names like Conrad C, Lucien Danois, Apropos, Vex, Hilary Radley, Jones NY and Novelti.
Claire France, 7275 Sherbrooke St. East at Autoroute 25 in Place Versailles. Phone: 514-355-3374. Hours: Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You might not see this small chain of stores in your mall, so I thought you might not know about them. Women searching out sportswear, casual clothing and coats in sizes 12 to 24 will be happy to find them here in labels such as: Juste pour moi, Loes, Magnifica and their own Claire France. Other locations: Les Galeries d’Anjou, Place Desjardins, Carrefour Angrignon, Centre Boulevard, Place Bourassa.