Clothing for Big Folks: Canada (FAQ)
Stef Jones
Archive-name: fat-acceptance-faq/clothing/canada
Posting-Frequency: monthly to *.answers, bi-weekly to
soc.support.fat-acceptance.moderated,
soc.support.fat-acceptance and alt.support.big-folks
Canada
FAQ about Clothing for Big Folks in Canada
This document contains information about clothing for fat people in
Canada. If you don't find what you're looking for here, try one of the
related FAQs (see question B1 for a complete list).
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Updated May 01
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Contents
SECTION A: FAQ about clothing for big folks in Canada
A1) Where can I find clothing for women?
Part 1) Clothing catalogs and retail stores for women
Part 2) Wedding dresses
A2) Where can I find clothing for men?
A3) Where can I find shoes?
A4) Where can I find sewing/knitting patterns?
SECTION B: Information about this FAQ
B1) Are there other related FAQs?
B2) Posting information
B3) Contributors
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SECTION A: FAQ about clothing for big folks in Canada
A1) Where can I find clothing for women?
A1) Part 1) Clothing catalogs /retail stores for women
Above Average Lingerie Ltd.
115 E. 1st Street
North Vancouver, BC
V7L 1B2
Phone: (604) 988-0445
URL: http://www.bc-biz.com/aboveaverage/
Contact: Debbie Dickie or Dawn Neubauer
Bras, lingerie, etc.
Addition-Elle
Found in malls across Canada. Dressy and casual clothes, some
lingerie. Reported reasonably priced, but one person wrote,
"they are far too costly for the quality and almost never stock
dresses in cotton, rayon, silk or tencel."
A.E. & Co. Sport
Affiliated with Addition-Elle (above). Can be found in most
large malls. Casual, young clothing, like jeans, T-shirts,
sweats, etc. in wonderful colors.
...And Everything Nice: Fashions for the Fully Figured Woman
567 Main St., Mahone Bay
Nova Scotia, Canada B0J 2E0
Phone: (902) 624-8463
FAX: (902) 624-9089 (Canada), (508) 867-8861 (U.S.)
Contact: Dell Lombardelli.
The store is open from March to December
The Bay
Chain.
Better Half Fashions
312 - 2nd Avenue North
Saskatoon, Sask., Canada S7K 2B9
Phone: (306) 382-5908
Fax: (306) 382-6069
Web site: http://www.betterhalf.com
Owner: Ellen Skorski
Carries sizes 18 - 40w. "The clothing is attractive and the
prices seem very reasonable. They use real plus size ladies."
Big and Beautiful Fashions Ltd.
13034 NW 82nd St.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5E 2T5
Phone: (403) 475-6429
Fax: (403) 473-9464
Coordinates, day and evening dresses, jackets and coats. Sizes
18-24 and 46-52. Lingerie and undergarments. Bras 38D to 46H.
Bodacious Consignment (14+)
Lorna Ketler & Barb Wilkins
225 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC V5T 1W4
Phone: (604) 874-2811
Web: www.bodacious.ca
Casual and career wear, lingerie & accessories. Fun, funky and
sexy clothing in sizes 14-28 featuring local Vancouver designers
(LAVA and Good & Plenty designs). Low to medium priced "We
provide a warm, friendly, one-on-one shopping experience in a
boutique-like atmosphere."
Coldwater Creek
Phone: 800-510-2808 (Canada) 800-510-2808 (US)
Web site:http://www.coldwater-creek.com>
Casual, elegant, comfortable clothing. Most clothing to 3X. Also
jewelry, shoes (neither in large sizes), housewares. They do not
use large models.
Cotton Ginny Plus
40 Samor Rd.
Toronto, Ontario, M6A 9Z9
Found in malls across Canada. All cotton clothes, casual:
everything from shorts and T-shirts to dresses, jeans and
jackets. Good tights that last a long time and are opaque
enough. Reasonably priced. They do not manufacture all of their
items in all sizes (sometimes they will stop the sizing at plus
large, instead of plus extra-large, which is the equivalent of
about a 26 or 28). Use the address to get on their mailing list.
Country Originals
111 Brantford St.
Spruce Grove
Alberta, Canada T7X 1B5
Phone: (403)962.1844
Fax :(403)962.6662
Email: cowg...@telusplanet.net
Web site: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/cowgirls/
Western wedding gowns from a Canadian manufacturer in all sizes.
Enell Inc.
P.O. Box 808
317 Second St.
Havre, Montana, USA 59501
Phone from Canada: (800) 633-2443
Email: 7en...@3rivers.net
Web site: www.gomontana.com/sportsbra.html
Sports bras to 50DDD/52DD. $49. They look very sturdy and
supportive. Front closure, back support, wide straps.
Full Figure Fashions
2105 NE Edmonton Tr.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2E 3M4
Phone: (403) 203-1343
Imogene's
379 Dundas St.
Woodstock, ON
Phone: 519-537-6244
Sizes to 8x.
Kaliyana Artwear
4107 St-Denis Street
Montréal (Quebec)
phone: (514) 844.0633
and
Sussex Drive
Ottawa (Ontario)
phone: (613) 562.3676
fax: (613) 236.8683
"Very chic and somewhat unconventional, boho clothing shop ...
Lovely batik garments, the type you would see media and arty
women wearing. It isn't cheap but a reasonable price for the
quality. They say they run from 8-22, but many garments would
fit larger or smaller women." Oct 99
Laura II (or Laura Plus)
Found in malls across Canada.
Sizes 14-24
Love Your Peaches Clothing Co.
See the U.S. Clothing FAQ Part 2
Lingerie Elegance
Web site: http://www.pluslingerie.com
Design and manufacture tasteful lingerie in sizes Large through
5X. Located in Canada, but do business mainly in the US. Sell
via mail order catalogue, online catalogue and some wholesale.
Mark's Work Warehouse
Chain.
Mixed reviews. Apparently different stores have different
selections of large-size clothing. Women's clothing seems to go
up to about size 20. Some stores have pants up to size 60, and
others stop at 48. Some of their men's pants seem to be cut
weird for men, and weirder for women. Some of their clothing may
run small. They also have belts, T-shirts, cotton casual shirts.
They may be able to order things in larger sizes for you.
Mahvish Design
Vancouver
Nargus Khabazha and Margurite E. Lam
Phone 604-986-3807
Fax 604-980-4437
Plus sized fashion design, pattern, grading and alteration. The
prices are quite good. Good fabrics and quality work. Call for
current address.
Nadia Plus
101A-1124 Lonsdale Ave N
Vancouver, BC, Canada V7L 3J5
Catalogue $2
Nova Scotia Quilts (Halls Harbour Handcrafts and Quilt Studio)
ja...@novascotiaquilts.com
http://www.novascotiaquilts.com
One of a kind quilts and hand knitted sweaters, originally
designed to any size. (Web site under construction.) Jan 00
Peaches Plus
152 St. Andrew St. W
Fergus, Ontario, Canada N1M 1N5
Phone: 519-787-0101
Sizes 16 to 52. Business clothes, dressy stuff, and smart casual
clothes. Reasonable prices.
Penningtons Wearhouse (Formerly Penningtons Plus-Size Superstore)
Vancouver, Richmond BC, Victoria, Toronto
Found in malls across Canada.
Dressy, business, and casual clothing; lingerie, bathing suits,
etc. Somewhat expensive. Pennington's have been reported as
opening more stores lately. Their sales people are reported to
be friendly and their clothes have become trendier. They also
have a selection of lingerie and accessories. "We could not
believe the change!!! They had *great* stuff...in every style,
up to size 32 and reasonably priced!!!" (Jun 00)
Plus Figure Models
1263 Bay St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada MDR 2C1
Phone: (416) 961-9464, (416) 961-6709
Pretty Plus
Nicole St Jacques (Owner/Designer)
Phone/fax: (705) 692-0688
Email: in...@prettyplus.net
Web: http://www.prettyplus.net
Carries Bromani line of jeans and casual pants, sizes 18-34
(38-54). Plus size models on web site. No secure online
ordering.
PSS Plus Sizes, Plus Savings
Found in malls in BC. Subsidiary of Field's department stores.
Inexpensive casual clothes.
Reitmans
Some of its mall locations carry sizes 14-24. The clothing is
reasonably priced.
Ritsi Plus
Westmount (Montreal), Quebec
Upmarket store. Beautiful clothes and sometimes you can get some
good deals. They usually have the clothes that are featured in
MODE magazine.
Rubenesque
1751 Avenue Road
Toronto
Phone: 416-787-8893
Women's clothing, mostly consignment, from the basic t-shirt to
formal wear. All consignment clothes must be freshly laundered,
less then 3 years old and in fantastic condition!! We also carry
purses, shoes, scarves and fashion accessories.
SAAN
Web site: http://www.SAAN.CA
Chain store. Carries Cherie brand pantyhose sizes 1x to 5x in a
range of colours. Also carry Ladies Plus size clothing.
Sears
Department and catalog store. They sell some large-size clothes.
Suzanne Bell's Fashions, sizes 16-60.
5794 Victoria Drive
Vancouver, BC, Canada V5P 3W7
Phone: (604) 324-7394, (800) 668-1887 (inside Canada only)
Fax: (604) 325-7772
Web: http://www.suzannebellsfashions.com
Contact: Suzanne Bell
Active wear and casual clothing in large and super sizes. Sizes
16-60; specialize in supersizes. Manufactures extensive line
called Suzanne Bell Collection up to size 60. Carry many large
size lines from the USA and Canada. Oct 99
Toni Plus
Mall store in Toronto area, possibly other areas as well.
Wonderful store that carries designer career and casual wear,
sizes 14-24. A lot of clothing that they carry is by an
excellent Canadian designer, Brian Bailey.
Trenchco
28 Oxford Cresent
Mount Pearl, NF Canada A1N 2X7
Phone: 877-747-0911
Email: tren...@inet.ca
Web: http://www.inet.ca/trenchco/
These people sell custom trenchcoats, made to the measurements
you send them. They've developed some really cool-looking
patterns based on the movie "The Matrix" for ankle-length
trenchcoats, and the prices are quite reasonable for custom
stuff. Looks like they've got patterns from "The Raven" and
"Blade Runner" too. -- 1/01
Under and Above Inc
2nd Floor, 779 Bank Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1S 3V5
Phone: (613) 230-3611
Fax: (613) 230-8848
Contact: Lucie Goyette, Proprietor
Undergarments, lingerie, nightwear, and hosiery. Very nice. They
do alterations.
Undyworld
Winnipeg
Phone: 888-303-UNDY
Web site: http://www.undyworld.mb.ca
Mail order, Telephone orders, and on-line sales. Line of
underwear called E2U (Ergonimically Engineered Underwear) in a
variety of styles and colours to fit men up to waist size 56,
also custom sizes. Unique design helps prevent binding, wedging
and chafing. Low price guarantee.
Walmart
Has recently come to Halifax, BC, and perhaps elsewhere. Plus-size
jeans at Walmart are reported to come in larger sizes, and each
size is sized larger, than at Kmart or Zellers. "They do have a
few nice things in their plus section but a lot of the stuff is
ugly."
Weekend Edition Plus
Mall store in Ontario and BC.
Sports clothes -- pants, tops.
Winners
Chain of 'designer discount' places. Their stock turns over
really quickly so it can be a bit "iffy" as to finding a
particular piece, but their prices are great!
YOU*NIQUE
As of Dec 1997:
RR#3, Emily Township
Lot 2 Concession 14
Lindsay, ON, K9V 4R3 Canada
Phone: (705) 793-3566, (800) 663-9102
Fax: (705) 793 3565
khe...@ptbo.igs.net
One person reported they do not sell clothing.
Zellers
Plus-size lingerie section. Somewhat tacky.
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A1) Part 2) Wedding dresses
You can probably buy a wedding dress in a regular bridal store. Many
stores carry large sizes, and almost all stores can order them. But
stores may have only a limited selection of sizes in stock for you to
try on, so you may have to use your imagination to figure out how the
dress would look on you. Sometimes putting your arms through the dress
and holding it in front of you will give you an idea.
It's common for women of all sizes to need the dress tailored once it
arrives. If the dress is too small, they can split the side seam of the
bodice and sew in a few inches of extra fabric. This is hardly
noticeable, even when you are looking for it. They may be able to use
lace trim that matches the rest of the dress to make it even less
obvious.
Almost all bridesmaids' dresses go to at least size 24, and some go
larger. Many bridesmaids' dresses are formal and can be ordered in white
or off-white, so they may work as a wedding dress.
Many advertisers in bridal magazines list the sizes they make. The
bridal book _Bridal Bargains_ by Denise and Alan Fields also lists the
sizes that various manufacturers make.
The U.S. Clothing FAQ includes a list of some manufacturers who make
large-size wedding dresses. I'm not sure how much of it applies to
Canada, but you may want to check it out.
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A2) Where can I find clothing for men?
George Richards
Chain.
Gilbert's Big & Tall
King Street
Hamilton, Ontario
Phone: 800-563-5265
Web: http://www.bigtallx-tall.com
"Stock moves quickly. Clothing is generally hip, staff is
helpful. Not especially cheap." Family business for 47 years.
Clothes manufactured in North America. Provides tailoring. Work
wear, lounge wear, casual, formal. To sizes 78'' inch waist and
chest, Shirts to 24'' Neck and 40'' sleeve lengths. 01/01
Kornblum's
Downtown, Owen Sound, Ontario
All sizes of shoes, accessories, and clothing, tuxedos, work
pants, and western wear. Free same-day alterations on purchases.
Mail order. Reasonable prices. Custom orders/custom work.
M. H. Grover
4741 Wellington Street
Montreal, Quebec, Canada H4G-1X2
514-769-3771
Mansour's Mens Wear
Catalogue and retail.
27 Church St.
Amherst, NS, Canada B4H 3A7
Phone: (800) 929-3992, (902) 667-8577
Email: nstn...@fox.nstn.ca
Web site: http://fox.nstn.ca/~nstn4704/store/index.html
Men's dress, casual, and workwear. Sizes up to 70 waist, and
sometime larger.
Mark's Work Warehouse
Chain.
Mixed reviews. Apparently different stores have different
selections of large-size clothing. Women's clothing seems to go
up to about size 20. Some stores have pants up to size 60, and
others stop at 48. Some of their men's pants seem to be cut
weird for men, and weirder for women. Some of their clothing may
run small. They also have belts, T-shirts, cotton casual shirts.
They may be able to order things in larger sizes for you.
Moore's Mens Clothing Stores
Chain.
Good service, reasonable prices, alterations.
Mr. Big & Tall
Chain.
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A3) Where can I find shoes?
Lori-Alexander
7999 Boul. Les Galeries D'Anjou
Anjou, Quebec, Canada H1M 1W9
Phone: (800) 648-4735
Fax: (514) 355-5407
Catalog $2.
Boots up to size 13W with calves up to 24". Prices start at $125
for full-length leather boots. Nov 99: mail to above address
returned. Does anyone know if this company is still in business?
Payless
This U.S. company has expanded into Canada and has opened a
number of locations, including stores in Toronto and Victoria.
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A4) Where can I find sewing/knitting patterns?
Big Knits
ISBN: 0-7126-5097-0
Trafalgar Square Publishing
North Pomfret, VT 05053.
This book by Dawn French and Sylvie Soudan, and the companion
volume _Great Big Knits_ contains knitting patterns for
large-size women. Patterns range from very simple, classic
designs, to very complex intarsias. They use large-size models.
bras
The rec.crafts.textiles.sewing newsgroup has a fantastic FAQ
about underwire and regular bras. If you're interested in making
your own bras and lingerie, check it out:
http://www.funhouse.com/babs/FAQ.html
The Busy Woman's Fitting Book
Nancy Zieman and Robbie Fanning
ISBN: 0-932086-10-1, $9.95
Nancy's Notions/Open Chain Publishing
Provides instructions on how to alter patterns to fit you.
dressmaker's dummies
Dressmaker's dummies are available in plus sizes. Your local
fabric shop may carry them or can order them.
Excellence in sewing: Lingerie Secrets
Jan Bones, designer/owner
PH: 204-453-2462
Fax 204-237-0544
Email: jbo...@home.com
Lingerie patterns (panties, camisole/nightie, night shirt, slip,
boxers, wrap/robe). Lingerie sewing videos (panties,
camisole/nightie). Each pattern includes a range of sizes,
fitting bust sizes 32"-53" and hip sizes 35"-55". Patterns are
$9 and videos are $18. Email for free catalogue with
illustrations of the designs. Ship anywhere.
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SECTION B: Information about this FAQ
B1) Are there other related FAQs?
There is some overlap in the topics covered by the FAQs. If you don't
find what you're looking for here, try the other FAQs.
The latest version of the following FAQs can be found at:
http://www.cat-and-dragon.com/~stef/Fatfaqs/
alt.support.big-folks newsgroup FAQ
soc.support.fat-acceptance newsgroup FAQ
soc.support.fat-acceptance.moderated newsgroup FAQ
Clothing for Big Folks in Canada
Clothing for Big Folks in the U.S. (parts 1 and 2)
Organizations for Big Folks
Online Resources for Big Folks
Other Resources for Big Folks
Publications for Big Folks
Resources for Dealing With the Physical Aspects of Being Fat
Size-acceptance
The following FAQs can be found at:
http://www.sover.net/~astarte/fa/faqs.html
Big Folks and Fitness
Big Folks and Health
Big Folks and Sports
Research on Big Folks
The latest versions of following FAQs can be found at the following
locations:
Clothing for Big Folks in the U.K. at
http://www.thegrapevine.co.uk/Avalanche/FAQ-UK.htm
Clothing for Big Folks in Europe at
http://www.thegrapevine.co.uk/Avalanche/FAQ-Europe.htm
Plus-Size Pregnancy Website at
http://www.teleport.com/~rvireday/plus/
You can also find (sometimes slightly older versions of) the above FAQs
(except the plus-size pregnancy FAQs) at the following locations:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/fat-acceptance-faq/
(Note: The big-folks FAQ is listed separately at these locations.)
You can also get FAQs from rtfm.mit.edu via anonymous FTP or via the mail
archive server. For information about the mail server, send email to
mail-...@rtfm.mit.edu
with the word "help" (without the quotes) in the body of the message.
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B2) Posting information
This document is posted bi-weekly to alt.support.big-folks,
soc.support.fat-acceptance, and soc.support.fat-acceptance.moderated.
Stef Maruch (st...@cat-and-dragon.com) maintains this FAQ.
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B3) Contributors
These are the people who contributed significant chunks to the FAQ:
Sasha Wood (Sasha...@cs.cmu.edu)
Largesse (7577...@compuserve.com)
Bernadette Bosky (b...@panix.com)
Suggestions for additions/improvements are always welcome.
Send suggestions to Stef Maruch
(st...@cat-and-dragon.com)
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Copyright 1995-1999 by Stef Maruch (st...@cat-and-dragon.com)
Permission is granted to copy and redistribute this article in its
entirety for non-commercial, educational use only, provided that this
copyright notice is not removed or altered. No portion of this work may
be sold, either by itself or as part of a larger work, without the
express written permission of the author. This restriction covers all
publication media, including electronic media.