Hey Lovely Ladies!
For years it has been my dream to be able to find cute, sexy, funky clothes that properly fit me and have lots of style! I have received many emails from those of you who are also frustrated with the selection of fashions for the plus sized girl.
I am extremely excited to announce that I will soon be working on my own line of clothing for those of us with more meat on our bones and I need your help! Tell me what you are looking for. Tell me your frustrations with what is currently offered on the market today. How do you want your clothes to fit? Which styles work for you and which don’t? What fabrics do you love? Which prints and colors do you look for in your sexy wear? What are the prices you pay for your current sexy wear? Tell me about the labels. Do you like or dislike the standard sizes of 1X 2X 3X? Do you prefer Queen size or Plus size, or is there another term that you feel better describes your body? Tell me what makes you feel sexy and confident!
I will be designing CLUB WEAR which will include dresses, skirts and tops. The LINGERIE line will of course feature lingerie, and POOLSIDE will include bikinis & one pieces.
All the pieces will be high quality, colorful and designed to make you feel great! Most importantly, I want you to love the clothing! We are in the very, very early stages of this, so any and all input you can share with me would be beyond great and much appreciated!
PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR THOUGHTS AT APRILFLORESLINGERIE@GMAIL.COM.
That is amazing! Congratulations!
Listen, if you made an A line knee length jean skirt in a dark denim I will love you forever. A line and circle skirts in general always make me feel super sexy and they are SO hard to find. I appreciate that some plus size gals can totally rock the pencil skirt, but I really can’t and most plus size sections are now ONLY stocking pencils. Blah!
I love natural fabrics. I hate those weird itchy blends. Dresses are wonderful. Especially when they are tight on the bust and float away from my tummy. I also like these knee length or right above the knee. When dresses are shorter than that I feel very nervous all day and I’m constantly checking the back to my sure I don’t accidentally show my bum.
I don’t wear pants so I have no opinion there. I know few women who don’t completely love cardigans.
I also love all things feminine. Ruffles, lace, florals, etc…
I’m pasty so I also adore saturated colors. Esp pinks, reds, purples, and yellows.
Okay, I’ll stop rambling now. I like a lot of things.
sizing- doesn’t matter 1 or 1x personally don’t matter to me but don’t forget about 4x or 26-28 sizing. Real club wear I feel is a big need, and not the stripper like clothes they have available on some clothing sites(they are fun for play but not to wear to a trendy club)Torrid makes “some” cute clothes but often the material beads after the first wash and my opinion not really worth the price if it’s going to do that.
and not all of us are plus size and 5’11 and we bbw got some boobies too. I always wind up returning some lingerie because the cup size must have been made for c cup bbw and not the ddd’s I have. I could work with a dd at least lol.
any color, sexy cuts, more flattering cuts and not to many crazy prints.
What I’d REALLY love to see are more clothes for shorter curvy women. I love short skirts, but it’s hard to find something that hits me right… a skirt that’s a mini on a 5’9″ woman tends to look like office wear on someone who’s 5’2″ or 3″, even if we wear the same size. It’s even harder with dresses, particularly if you’re also busty. And as another poster said, fitted through the bust and sleeves is what I like. Bright colors are fun, but I feel sexiest in dark neutrals with interesting shapes and details.
I’m not a woman, obviously, so I can’t offer any advice, but I just wanted to say that this is a great idea! Good luck with it!
i want clothing that doesn’t cause additional bulges that i don’t ALREADY have. also, i’m a biggish girl but my waist is still kinda small, it seams that in order for my chest and arms to fit into a top, my waist gets lost completely, hiding my feminine curves. same for bottoms so i resort to a lot of spandex bottoms, so i can have a waist.
april, i look for clothes that are well made. this is esp hard to find in plus lingerie, not to mention clothes. also why is the crotch of plus size pants always so fucking long? it just makes me look weird. maybe im just really short-waisted. i would love for someone to design very 50s looking lingerie and swimsuits that were well made and were flattering. i dont like how sometimes plus lingerie or tank tops are too wide up top, but fit me in the hip area. or the arm holes in tank tops will be huge. im smaller on top than on bottom cuz i have a big ass and hips.i hate the too big in the waist but too small in the thighs problem with pants. i would love some really cute donna reed 50s dresses, but ones that showcase cleavage! i love polka dots and plaid and bright colors, leopard print, sequins, metallics. i would also like to see skinny leg jeans for big girls like me and leggings in a rainbow of colors. i could go on all day about my desires for cute well made plus lingerie. thongs that really fit for instance! bras that are cute in sizes larger than 36! stockings, garter belts, those cute see-thru skirts, im gonna stop or i’ll go on all nite. ive been thinking about this all my life because ive never been satisfied with plus clothes for some reason or another. if you need any other feedback let me know! id be glad to help!
I used to work in the fashion industry up to about 6 years ago, and I always thought something like that was a FABULOUS idea! I was so taken aback a few years ago when I was trying to shop for clothes and realized how little is available for plus sized girls – why can’t we have stuff as sexy or stylish as anyone else if we’re willing to pay for it? I was sick to death of looking at babydoll tops, and God save me from crap, cheap fabrics. I had the money to spend but couldn’t find anything that really made me look or feel good and that sucked. When it comes to lingerie, I’d kill for babydoll +panty sets that are cut a little longer to flatter my tummy and with more bust detailing. Oh, and cut for boobs, too. I’m an F cup and there are so few options out there for girls with bigger cup sizes.
This is a wonderful idea, and I’m sure you’re going to make a zillion dollars on this clothing line! Things I’d like to see:
Natural fibers enhanced with a bit of lycra
Beautiful, quality lace
Hot pink
Thongs that have coverage in the front
Natural fibers
Balconette-style bras
Genuine leather boots with wide calves and stable heels
Natural fibers
And did I mention natural fibers? 🙂
The market is there. Plus size women understand that we have to pay extra for quality garments, so please don’t skimp on the quality of the materials. Think Agent Provocateur for zaftig ladies. I would happily pay $100 for a well-made bra and panty set in beautiful silk and hand-made lace that will contain and enhance my 42Ds.
Great idea, and congrats, April!
First of all, I want to echo what’s beem said previously, regarding tops with more space for larget breasts and wider arms, natural fabrics, wide-calf boots, a-line skirts, and tops cut longer to cover the abdomen.
I’m fine with 1x etc. sizing, but I’d like to see more structured or dramamtic pieces, a la Jiil Sander and Oscar de la Renta. Please offer more 3/4 length sleeves for those of us who don’t like cap sleeves. Please offer natural fabrics, because polyester doesn’t breathe well when dancing.
Please allow for large arms with narrow shoulders, high butts and belly rolls. Please have more flattering necklines for bustier women, so no halters! Kidding… Sort of. Please offer more colors than pink and black; please offer layerable but breatheable outerwear. Maybe some cute sparkly ppieces with rhinestones, sequins, and such? Please include pockets! And some flirty, diaphanous pieces, maybe in a flattering bias-cut.
I’ll add more as I think of them.
I LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU !!!!! ..
I have been thinking about a way to ask where you get the clothing that you wear yourself because I think you have great style … and because of that I think that anything you make will work out great !! ..
Just one thing … please ensure that it is on website or at a store that will ship to Canada … there are big girls here too that would love to look hot and sexy in an “April Original” when we go out ..
Good Luck !!! …
I lovelovelove the suggestions above but I have to raise my voice for the big-girls-with-little-boobies club. Surely I’m not the only one out here?
I wear a size 18/20 to fit my butt/tummy/thighs but my girls are only a B cup. I find all kinds of sexy C/D/DD bras at most mall stores, but nothing in a big around but smaller cup bra. I would pay extra for a sexy bra and panty set in my size.
That’s it. That’s all. Good luck with the line!
Interesting site, but much advertisments on him. Shall read as subscription, rss.
Yes! I love You! My wife will be very happy for this!!!
e sei proprio bellissima! 🙂 (yes, it’s italian)
I am so insanely excited about this, I’ve been thinking about it since you announced it last night and here’s what I’ve got:
– Bright colors
– Things that go well with bright red lipstick.
– Please remember that some fat women don’t have huge boobage. It always makes me sad to put something on and have it be baggy in the boob area because I’m “only” a D cup.
– Skirts/dresses that are cut to deal with the fact that some of us (read: me) have a whole lot of ass. I do not enjoy skirts and dresses that wind up drastically shorter in the back than in the front.
– call the sizes whatever you want, so long as they fit, I’ll be happy
– fabrics that don’t make you feel seriously disgusting after dancing for a while
– clothes that are well made and don’t just up and fall apart
– dresses that are structured so they don’t cling to my stomach and make me feel uncomfortable
but mostly, colors and patterns and awesome.
I’m so excited, and so sure you’ll do well at this.
I was just googling around about this when I stumbled on your blog post. I’m simply dropping by to say that I definitely liked reading this post, it’s really well written. Are you going to blog more about this? It seems like there is more fodder here for future posts.
Hi! Love the blog and you! You’re my little bit of naughty in an otherwise straight laced day! About the clothes, the sizing has always been an issue for me. I much prefer the way men’s clothing is sized. Waist size, leg length, neck size, arm length. I like longgish tops. I hate when things ride up and the belly shows when it’s not supposed to. Another issue I have is with summer dresses. Even in large sizes, there is not enough fabric on top for any decent coverage. I’ll try on a 16-18 and there is side boob, cleavage, under boob all over the place. Some cute dresses clearly outline where the bust should be with beading or trim and on me, the trim is never under the bust where it should be, it is always in the middle of the boob which looks horrible and sloppy. I have always felt that clothes should work, like they have a job to do. Subtle tricks to draw the eye, fabric folds cleverly to hide the bad areas, fabric drapes or collects to cover problem spots. And can you build in an underwire bra on sexy tops? Nothing ruins the sexy look like bra straps or a huge full strapless bra.
have clothes that fit a wide variety of body shapes
I have quite a bit of junk in the trunk and a narrow waist – so if clothes fit my hips thy gape in the back
and darts! I have boobs that I owuld like to show off, but tents don’t do them justice!
oh and THANKS!!!
Don’t forget your super-sized sisters. I’m a 30/32, and finding lingerie is next to impossible. If you sell it, I, and my men friends, will thank you!
I personally could care less whether the clothes are labeled as “plus size” or “queen size”, or how the sizes are stated (1 vs. 1x vs. 14/16, etc). What I’d love to see is some cute stuff in NATURAL (or mostly natural) FIBERS. When one has a need for clubwear or bedroom attire, one intends to get a bit sweaty, no? Let’s not exacerbate the situation with tons and tons of polyester! And regardless of what we’re talking about, lace, fringe, mesh, etc. can all be very, very cute. Plastic “gems” the size of the end of my thumb (or any size really. Or rhinestones and sequins when one is not performing with the Rockettes, etc.), however, almost always look tacky and trashy, and cheapen the look of the garment as a whole. I, for one, won’t even buy clothes that include tacky stuff like that unless it’s something on the clearance rack that I can un-embellish without ruining the garment. Also, most of the larger ladies I know despise strapless bras, so please don’t go the Torrid route and make 50% of your shirts and dresses tube tops. Either that, or include a built-in bra! (Somewhat) on the topic of bras, how about possibly offering different cuts of the same shirt for different bra sizes? Not for each individual bra size, of course, but maybe B-C, D-DD, etc. I’m a DD, and I get pretty frustrated by junior plus size shirts/dresses being too small for my chest, and regular “women’s” plus size clothing being quite large on my chest. I know that might be a pain to offer, but it would be amazing if it could happen. Also, if you decide to offer pants/shorts at any point along the way, or structured skirts, for that matter, please consider the waist-hip ratio. I’m more of an “apple” shape, and get seriously annoyed when I can’t find pants because I don’t have the 36 inch waist to go with my 52 inch hips, yaknow? I think it’s very important to make your line a true plus size line by starting at 14/16 and going through at least 30/32. I’m a 22 myself, but I know plenty of larger women who are quite sexy, and like to dress that way! The only other thing I could really ask for is a very clear size chart with accurate measurements. I’m more than willing to measure myself, but it’s a bit of a pain when, say, my chest measurement puts me in a 22, my waist measurement puts me in a 24, and my hips put me in an 18. Purely hypothetical, but I’ve avoided ordering from some companies because I don’t know which measurement to go with. Some info on the fit of the garments would be amazing. Also, for the swim stuff, I’d love bikini that ISN’T a halter top and a one-piece that doesn’t remind me of grandma! Please keep us long-torsoed girls in mind!
All bitching aside, I can’t wait to see the line!
RE Lingerie:
I have long wished for plus size versions of Agent Provacateur and Kiki de Montparnasse. I don’t mind paying for expensive lingerie so long as it has exquisite detailing, is good quality, and comes in luxe fabrics. PLEASE make something like this! I would definitely buy it all!
http://www.agentprovocateur.com/
http://www.kikidm.com
I want a chemise that has a supportive top (sized like a bra) with pretty fabric that flows down below. It does me no good to wear a sexy nightgown if the girls are going to sag and fly all over the place. Good luck!
What a fantastic idea! I would definitely buy your clothes.
Well, first of all, I HATE looking like I am wearing a tent. Why do people think that bigger girls have to wear everything so loose? Hide these curves? No way.
I like cotton, structured clothing. I hate super clingy-cheap-satin crap that lane bryant has.
For lingerie, support is a must! Loads of support for my boobies!
I agree with the above comments that there needs to be more options for big short girls. As a mexican woman, I know a lot of us are curvy and short (I am 5’2″, 190 lbs)
For swimsuits and bikinis, you definitely cannot go wrong with halter retro looks. They are flattering on almost every shape, and are so stylish.
Sizing doesn’t matter much to me, as long as the measurements are consistent and true to size in every garment. Including the garment measurements, by size, is a great idea and always results in me ordering more stuff, and returning less.
I agree with other ladies that natural fabrics and quality construction are lacking in current club wear and lingerie. I would pay more for both but you could offer clothes in synthetics, but charge less. That way everyone’s happy.
I would love you forever if you did retro-y lingerie (but not girdles please…they weren’t sexy then and they’re not now). Interesting, unusual pieces that felt special and creative. I’m not a fan of babydolls, but that’s just me. A mix of long and short gowns would be cool.
My biggest issue is finding skirts and pants that work with my big butt and smaller waist. Pants gap in the back (rise is too short) and skirts are too short in the back. Girl, no one wants to wear a skirt that’s shorter in the back. Please make skirts that are longer in the back than the front. These skirts would look pleasantly asymmetrical on flat-bottomed girls and even-ish on those of us with serious booty. I dream about slinky stretchy dresses to dance in. They’re just impossible to find, b/c my hips are 13 inches bigger than my waist and 10 inches bigger than my boobs. Also, I know petite girls have trouble, but please don’t forget those of us with long legs! I’m only 5’7 and have a lot of trouble finding skirts and pants that are long enough (below the knee for skirts). It’s much easier to hem pants than it is to invent fabric that isn’t there. Please err on the side of longer bottoms, b/c they’ll work for more people.
I can’t wait to buy your stuff!
Two words with regard to lingerie: forgiving fabrics!! I really strive for a streamlined appearance (ie: not having shit cutting into me in weird places and making unnatural lines and bulges). Retro-styled at reasonable prices would be cool, too, since a lot of the plus-sized retro stuff I’ve seen is pretty exorbitant.
This is a great idea — what I want are lingerie pieces up through the super size range. I’m a six-foot tall size 26 and it sucks to be cut out of some plus size clothing stories, and I know it’s even worse for women at size 30. One big thing: if you have a big butt, a mini skirt that’s the right length in the front is halfway up your ass in the back…that’s not good! Making a miniskirt that fit ALL AROUND for girls with big butts would be awesome.
I also want hot bedroom corsets — not tacky gross ones, but things in trendy prints or nice fabrics.
I’m willing to pay more for quality. Right now it feels like many plus size lingerie places are selling crappy quality for the price you could get really nice skinny-girl stuff at. If you changed that, I’d be grateful forever.
For me it’s all about sixing and breathability! I cannot go to a club and dance for four hours in 100% polyester! The result is nasty. Give me a cotton/lycra blend if you can, but the poly’s suck!
I’m a 28-30 and so I have a very hard time finding things that fit in most stores/web sites. Other than that? The sky is the limit! Although I am more goth leaning.
Thanks for writing, I truly enjoyed your newest post. I think you should post more frequently, you evidently have talent for blogging!
its called torrid you bitter stop stealing peoples ideas
I find that most plus size clothing is made for women who are tall and busty. I am neither. i have/ a-ish/ b-iss sized boobs and I’m about five two. I have the worst trouble finding clothes. Petite’s are often too tall and I’ll find a dress but it will slip around my boobs instead of staying where they are supposedto be. I also have a barrel ribcage(my grandma was an opera singer) so combined with my sized boobs….so blah. it would be very nice if you made bra’s with my kind of figure in mind.
Any way I range anywhere from a 24 to 32, (I know I’m weird) though the majority seems to be 28. Despite all these little odities I am pretty curvy though. Perhaps along with the actual size inside that size, as like a sub size, perhaps you could make the chest sizable too?
How about Goddess size…i have trouble imagining any goddess skinny.
Sorry if i rambled too much…I’m really tired.
I have bitched for years that the clothing industry cannot POSsibly have any Plus Size people designing clothes. And there are too many examples of this backing me up.
Sexy BBW ladies want to draw attention to themselves…..but with style and class.
What I have to say is more of a ‘please dont’….then ‘this is what I like’
The horrible colors and over busy patterns I keep seeing dismay me. ‘Fat Girl Green’ (a godawful lime hue) seems to be predominant along with other almost neon/fluorescent colors. These colors are all to often ‘shouting’ to draw the eye….in an unflattering way.
The shirts that come with the boob area depicted in a precut shape (so to speak)….good in principle but unflattering overall.
T-shirts & baby dolls with tiny short sleeves……bad idea.
Why do they make SO many pants straight legged and with HUGE openings at the bottoms? Like…since our hips are larger our ankles must be ginormous?
Skirts are fantastic items…..but has anyone noticed that the fabric at the back (around the ass) is working double time & once it’s on rises up higher then the front?
As a clubber….I agree with the masses that natural breathable fabrics are best.
Linen & cotton can be flattering, as well as longer shirt length.
Empire waists, 3/4 sleeves and clever waistline camouflage always is appreciated.
As for Torrid……I haven’t been impressed.
Lane Bryant has consistently put out better product….shame they couldn’t go more club/gothy.
Keep up the good work.
Red
Good article, Thanks. my name Philip.
Good article, Thanks. Thanks.
It’s so annoying to see all the little “teeny” or “tween” cute girls clothes, and then your like “Oh thats SO cute!” but they won’t fit YOU! I would love some kick ass rocker t’s for plus sized women, such as BLONDIE, or KISS things like that. As well as some HOT rockabilly wear from your line! I can REALLY see you with this kind of line D! Your spunky and fun, so the rockabilly look such as cute dresses with netting underneath and 40’s style with cherries and fun things like that would be great to be able to buy from your line! =)