Clothing for Big Folks: Canada (FAQ)
Stef Jones
Posted-By: auto-faq 3.3 beta (Perl 5.004)
Archive-name: fat-acceptance-faq/clothing/canada
Posting-Frequency: monthly to *.answers, bi-weekly to
soc.support.fat-acceptance and alt.support.big-folks
Canada
FAQ about Clothing for Big Folks:
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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Recent changes:
12/97
Added Ample Opportunities.
Removed Far & Wide, Simply Grand, Amplesize Park.
Updated And Everything Nice, You*nique, Suzanne Bell Fashions
1/98
Added Canada WYDE (newsletter with clothing resources)
3/98
Updated Cotton Ginny Plus, Reitmans, and Au Coton. Added Enell,
Fairweather and Walmart.
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SECTION A: FAQ about clothing for big folks in Canada
A1) Where can I find clothing for women?
Part 1) Clothing catalogs for women
Part 2) Retail clothing for women
Part 3) 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 for women
Above Average Lingerie Ltd.
121 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver, BC, Canada V7M 2E7
Phone: (604) 988-0445
Contact: Debbie Dickie or Dawn Neubauer
Bras, lingerie, etc.
Ample Opportunities
British Columbia
Disseminates information and resources to and about women of
size in Canada. Paper based directory of stores and resources
for large women in Canada to be published in Feb 1998.
Big, Bold, and Beautiful
Mail Order Catalogue
1263 Bay St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 2C1
Phone: (800) 668-4673, (416) 923-4673, (416) 923-9486
Connected with Big, Bold, and Beautiful listed below.
Bigger and Better Fashions Ltd.
Suite 220, 1550 Upper James St., Unit 9
Hamilton, ON Canada L5B 2R8
Phone: (800) 697-9777
Fax: (800) 420-7824
"I received a 20 page catalogue in the mail which offered boots
in wide calf sizes (as well as a variety of dress and casual
clothes, coats, lingerie, etc). I've never ordered from these
guys, so can't give a definitive reference. Boots offered were
from 16.5 inches to 24 inch calfs."
Canada WYDE -- The Canadian Association for Size Acceptance
PO Box 511-99 Dalhousie St.
Toronto, Ontario M5B 2N2
Phone: (416) 861-0217
Web site: http://www.interlo
g.com/~cdawyde/
Non-profit charity. Not a catalog, but has clothing resources
and is working on a directory of clothing, shoes, and services.
See also the listing in the Organizations FAQ.
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/s
portsbra.html
Sports bras to 50DDD/52DD. $49. They look very sturdy and
supportive. Front closure, back support, wide straps.
Love Your Peaches Clothing Co.
5421 11 St. NE, #109
Calgary, AB T2E-6M4
Canada
Phone: 888-274-7499
Fax: 403-730-0885
Email: jan...@lypeaches.com
Web site: www.lypeaches.com
Love Your Peaches Clothing Co. is a mail order and online
catalog featuring upscale sexy clothing for plus size women
sizes 1x - 6x. Emphasis is placed on natural fibers such as
silk, linen and cotton.
Nadia Plus
101A-1124 Lonsdale Ave N
Vancouver, BC, Canada V7L 3J5
Catalogue $2
Plus Figure Models
1263 Bay St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada MDR 2C1
Phone: (416) 961-9464, (416) 961-6709
Size It Up
101, 5621 - 11 St. N.E.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Phone: 403-730-8466
Fax: 403-730-8465
They have ready-made clothing, but most of their clothes are
custom-made. They specialize in clothing for large and
special-needs folks. They have a stock set of patterns, but
they'll copy anything you take in to them, or they'll work from
a drawing. However, they don't do complicated tailoring (e.g.,
men's suits). Catalog available. It's reported that the owner
and her sewer both smoke in the shop.
Suzannes 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
Contact: Suzanne Bell
Active wear and casual clothing in large and super sizes.
Free mailing list.
A1) Part 2) Retail clothing for women
AC Plus
AC Plus stores (associated with Au Coton) are reported closed
due to low sales. If you wish to express an opinion about this,
the telephone number of the head office number in Montreal is
188-282-6866.
A.E. & Co. Sport
Affiliated with Addition-Elle (below). Can be found in most
large malls. Casual, young clothing, like jeans, T-shirts,
sweats, etc. in wonderful colors.
Addition-Elle
Found in malls across Canada. Dressy and casual clothes, some
lingerie. Reasonably priced.
...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
Antels
Found in malls across Canada. A subsidiary of Dalmy's. Currently
in receivership; no word on whether they will reopen. Expensive,
dressy clothes: evening dresses, suits, skirts, blouses and
dress pants. Some casual clothes.
The Bay
Chain.
Better Half Fashions
Two locations:
312 - 2nd Avenue North
Saskatoon, Sask., Canada S7K 2B9
Phone: (306) 382-5908, (306) 382-6014
FAX: (306) 382-6069
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4610 Albert Street
Regina, SK, Canada S4S 6B4
Phone: (306) 586-8166
Fax: (306) 586-9288
Owner: Ellen Skorski
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.
Big, Bold & Beautiful
1263 Bay St.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M0R 2C1
Phone: (800) 668-4673, (416) 923-4673, (416) 923-9486
Affiliated with mail order catalog of the same name, listed
above. Regular clothing and bridal boutique that carries
clothing for the entire bridal party, including evening gowns,
sizes 14-30+. You can call ahead for an appointment at the
bridal boutique. One person complained that they were not prompt
or helpful about refunds on returned merchandise. Another person
said she was disappointed with the quality of the clothes they
manufacture (the Jackie, Jackie label), but the other clothes
they sell are high-quality.
Cotton Ginny Plus
40 Samor Rd.
Toronto, Ontario, M6A 9Z9
Found in malls across Canada. Some B.C. stores closed but there
are still stores in Richmond Centre Mall in Richmond, BC, and
Pacific Centre, Vancouver. It is doing well in Ontario and Nova
Scotia. 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. They no longer offer lingerie.
Reasonably priced. The only complaint I have about CG is that
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.
Fairweather
Some of the stores in the Toronto and suburb areas have large
size clothing. Not too bad but a lot of 100 % polyester stuff.
Reasonable prices.
Full Figure Fashions
2105 NE Edmonton Tr.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2E 3M4
Phone: (403) 203-1343
Heidi's Oversize Plus
Update Dec 97: Temporarily out of business due to illness.
Laura II (or Laura Plus)
Found in malls across Canada.
Sizes 14-24
Liz Porter
Found in malls across Canada. Currently in receivership with no
word about whether they'll reopen.
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.
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 Plus-Size Superstore
Vancouver BC
Found in malls across Canada.
Dressy and business clothes, somewhat frumpy and somewhat
expensive.
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.
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
Chain store. Carries Cherie brand pantyhose sizes 1x to 5x in a
range of colours.
Sears
Department and catalog store. They sell some large-size clothes.
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.
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.
Walmart
Has recently come to Halifax 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.
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.
A1) Part 3) 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.
Big, Bold, and Beautiful sells large-size wedding dresses in their
retail store. (I don't know about their catalog.)
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
Hamilton, Ontario
Stock moves quickly. Clothing is generally hip, staff is
helpful. Not especially cheap.
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.
Lorini Shoes
Boots up to size 13W and 22" calves. Prices start at $119.
Update Jan 97: The Stanley Street, Montreal, location is no
longer in business, but they supposedly have another store in
Ottawa.
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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.
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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 following FAQs can be found at:
http://www.bayarea.net/~stef/Fatfaqs/
soc.support.fat-acceptance newsgroup FAQ
alt.support.big-folks newsgroup FAQ
Size-acceptance
Clothing for Big Folks in Canada
Clothing for Big Folks in the U.S.
Organizations for Big Folks
Publications for Big Folks
Resources for dealing with the Physical Aspects of Being Fat
Other Resources for Big Folks
The following FAQs can be found at:
http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/users/sharon.curtis/BF/SSFA/faqs.html
Big Folks and Health
Big Folks and Fitness
Big Folks and Sports
Research on Big Folks
Clothing for Big Folks in the U.K. and Europe
The maternity FAQ can be found at:
http://www.vireday.com/~rvireday/plus/Plus_Size_Maternity_and_Nursing_FAQ.html
You can also find (sometimes slightly older versions of) the above FAQs
(except the maternity FAQ) at the following locations:
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/fat-acceptance-faq/
http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/fat-acceptance-faq/
http://www.cs.ruu.nl/wais/html/na-dir/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.
Stef Jones (st...@bayarea.net) 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)
Eleanor Brown (ebr...@mac.cc.macalstr.edu)
Also, lots and lots of other people (too many to credit) contributed
information that appears herein, some via email and some on s.s.f-a
and a.s.b-f. Thanks to them all.
Suggestions for additions/improvements are always welcome.
Send suggestions to Stef Jones
(st...@bayarea.net)
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Copyright 1995, 1996 by Stef Jones (st...@bayarea.net)
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.
