Skinny girls only it seems (Kookai)

Member Name: TigerTiger

Product:	Kookai
Date:	13/07/00 (1653 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great fabrics and up to date styles, good choice

Disadvantages: pricey, only for size 12 and under really.

Kookai I would describe as being at the higher end of the high street, very similar to the likes of Oasis, Jane Norman and Warehouse.

Kookai actually started in France in 1983 when 3 friends got together and decided to start a clothing chain that explored an unmet niche in the market, "knitwear for teenagers".They wanted to use the most colourful, affordable and original shapes whilst preserving the quality of their goods.Their target market really being girls in the 15-25 age bracket. Obviously as it turns out this was a very lucrative and successful niche as today Kookai has over 100 shops across the world, from Europe to America to Asia.

I first started to notice Kookai about 10 years ago, although it has to be said that they are few and far between in the UK anyway. Well let's just say you cannot guarentee there will be one on every high street. Indeed more often you will find a Kookai Concession in a House of Fraser store.

So,why should we want one on every high street? As far as I am concerned Kookai has a certain edge over many other similar stores in terms of the lovely materials and unusual patterns in their clothing ranges and that is what draws me back every time. For example in dresses you can find the latest trends with a few added details and extras that make it worth the extra price than Topshop's version for example. I have bought a couple of back dresses with little details on which have actually remained timeless and have been worn time and time again, with little wear and tear.

Dresses, skirts and little tops remain my favourite items from Kookai. I have actually had BIG problems with their trousers. Every time that I try ona pair I think how lovely they are. However, I wear them once, wash them and that is it. Kookai trousers, if washable and not in need of a dry clean as many are do not wash well...be warned.

Of late the bags and accessories that Kookai have produced have been l
ovely too, again with little differences and details.


HOWEVER, here goes my big rant and problem with Kookai. I am a size 10/12, which is stated to be below average in our society today. yet sometimes I find that the clothes cut a little bit small, basically these clothes are cut with smaller women in mind. The very styles emphasize this as well. I guess I am lucky that I can wear Kookai clothes,but I think in this day and age it is bad that a lot of girls cannot and miss out on such potentially good ranges. I feel that Morgan is very similar in this respect too, both feature skimpy, often lycra based clothing that a lot of people just cannot wear. Often the 14 in the range is a 12 in most other stores, a 12 a 10 etc (that is when you can figure out their sizing of 1,2,3 etc!!).


Kookai also have their own website at www.kookai.co.uk, where you can check out all their latest collections. Hopefully I shall be doing a review of this site very soon (watch this space). It also tells you where you can find your local store, as well as keeping you up to date on all the latest looks in the world of fashion.

For me Kookai is a great store with nice clothes, especially if you want something with a bit of detail on. I also like the nice bags that they give away when you spend so much money. Kookai is a great place, but alas for skinny girls only. Obviously the girls in France they designed the clothes for are of different proportions than the average UK women/girl.

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