South African women come in all shapes and sizes and it’s high time the fashion retailers realised this fact. I’m not sure if they’re blind or just never leave their offices, but walk the streets of South Africa and you’ll quickly realise that a huge portion of South African women are blessed with fabulous curves – in fact there should be a sign at the O.R Tambo international arrivals that reads; “Warning, curves ahead!” Yet, for some reason retailers don’t really cater for the needs of curvy ladies and instead these fabulous women are forced to squeeze their curves into clothes made for waif-like models. Until now that is! Today I’m super excited to let you know that Australian plus-size clothing brand City Chic has made its way to Joburg – finally!
The brand new store opened its doors at Sandton City about two weeks ago and ladies have been shopping up a storm ever since. What I love most about this brand is that they cater for ladies 14 and up in the most fabulous way possible. Now, before you think these clothes are just larger sizes of current fashionable items think again! Voluptuous South African women can finally shop for glamorous fashion items that are made specially with their body shape in mind. Each and every item in the store has been perfectly tailored to enhance curves and showcase them in the very best way possible. I just love that they use optical illusions in the clothes to smooth over curves, and each and every seam is placed with a specific purpose in mind.
I got the chance to visit the store last week and fell in love with everything in it. The range includes va-va-voom dresses, pretty tops, fabulous jackets, sassy swimwear and sexy underwear that is extremely fashion forward and on trend. Something that really stood out for me was the lingerie – they have an incredible range of underwear in stunning designs and sizes that are usually not catered for in South Africa. What’s more they also have a range of jeans for curvy ladies – including the specially crafted “Booty” cut jean which was designed specifically for the South Africa market. I was also impressed to see that all the clothes have a bit of stretch in them so they cling to curves in all the right ways.
Something else I found interesting is that the brand recognised that fuller figured gals have a great décolletage, cleavage and booty, and then tailored their collections to show off these assets. What’s more, the clothes are available from size 14 – 24 but the clothes in store are not labelled as such. When ladies walk into the store they are encouraged to find their City Chic size ranging from extra-small to extra-large, so there’s none of that attachment-to-the-number you see stitched into clothes in other stores.
The great news is these clothes don’t come at a premium price either; you’ll find tops and shirts priced at about R399, jeans priced at about R649, and dresses at about R600. You’ll find the City Chic store on the upper level across the way from Woolworths. Visit .
By Crystal Espin
Visit my Profile.
|