Big Girls’ Blouse (Evans)

Member Name: Shazzy

Product:	Evans
Date:	06/08/01 (1325 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Outlets in most major towns, Offer styles up to size 32

Disadvantages: Quality isn't always what you might expect

It took a long time before the fashion industry gradually warmed to the idea that those of us who are over size 16 weren’t necessarily happy to walk around looking like something from a saucy 60’s postcard sporting floral, polyester tent dresses.

A reasonable variety of shops these days do clothes for the larger lady, having seen Evans lead the way and flourish by serving this particular market, but where most still stop at size 24, Evans carries a wide range of styles that go right up to size 32!

The styles aren’t all ‘mumsy’ either. There’s the Seven range which follows the trends of today and is aimed at younger plus-sized women. The East Coast range is styled around the larger ladys need for casual wear (jeans, combats, simple t-shirts etc) and Essence, which offers the more timeless, classic styles that include smart business suits and glamorous eveningwear.

The lingerie section is pricey, but those who need a cup size 46FF (or anything equally unusual) are used to paying through the nose for their bras so they probably find Evans lingerie to be reasonably priced in comparison. However, the quality of the bras doesn’t always match the price and sometimes the sizing seems somewhat erratic. A friend of mine recently bought a bra in size 40b and gave it to her 36c daughter, so if you’re thinking of buying an Evans bra, do try it on first.

Being as I’m a size 18, I don’t need to rely on Evans or other plus-sized clothing specialists as a decent amount of shops do cater for my size these days, BUT…. the shoe department has been a blessing! I have size 10 feet and as a teenager back in the 70’s, I found myself having to wear men’s shoes as there were only a few shops that catered for those with larger than average feet, all of which were in London, and all of which were ridiculously priced. My parents couldn’t afford more than the occasional pair o
f ladies speciality sized shoes for me so men’s shoes it was. Perhaps that wouldn’t have been quite as bad today, but unisex wasn’t the thing back then and my footwear was a constant source of embarrassment for me. Not so today. Evans offers a range up to size 11 with styles that cover most needs from trainers through to smart business shoes and glam evening shoes. After all those years of wanting to hide my feet, I now have a fair sized shoe collection and know that should I need a new pair, I’ll be able to find an Evans outlet in most major shopping centres in the country.

The shops are generally well laid out, although I have noticed that some are on the small side and therefore larger ladies might well find it difficult to manoeuvre between the rails, especially during the sales when there seem to be more rails than usual. Luckily they have taken body mass into consideration when building changing rooms as these are usually reasonably sized for the clientele one would expect to find here.

I can remember browsing in Evans years ago and thinking how ridiculous it seemed that the shop assistant couldn’t have been more than a size 14. Not so these days. Assistants always seem to be plus-sized ladies themselves and I’ve often found myself admiring their choice of clothing and thinking how smart and attractive they look. I’m sure that those plus-sized ladies who still believe that they can’t possibly look attractive would find that a glance at the assistants will help them to understand that big girls CAN and often DO look good.

I’ve sometimes heard ladies who are sized 26 and over complaining that there aren’t enough styles available at Evans. But I do think we have to remember that only a small percentage of women are in need of these sizes and I can’t see how it could be cost effective to offer an even larger range of styles. They would surely have to offer less garments in
each style and size to be able to sell the same amount as they do today so the chances of them having the particular style you’d want in stock would be lower. Personally I think they’ve done a pretty decent job of balancing the styles available.

The quality of clothing varies a good deal, as does price. I have clothes bought from Evans that have been worn regularly for several years and are still going strong, but I’ve also bought a few things that have started to look tatty relatively quickly. Generally I’ve found the Essence range to be the better quality.

The website is something of a disappointment. I personally don’t find it easy to navigate as there are too many [more] links to click. Rather like browsing the pages of a print catalogue but with a lot more waiting.

If you enjoy a bargain, then the Evans sales are really worth visiting. The clothes are usually marked down to rock-bottom levels and if you go for the more classic styles, they won’t be outdated next year either. I recently bought a pair of black trouser that were marked down from £25 to £7, a purple and pink top marked down from £18 to £6 and a pair of purple sandals marked down from £30 to £5. A complete outfit for £18 and just in time for my holiday too! Can’t complain at that.

All in all I’d say that Evans does offer the larger lady a choice of styles to suit most occasions, and although some of the Seven range can seem to follow the trends that would be more suited to slimmer women, there are lots of choices that are flattering to us cuddly types, even though I have to admit that my bum still looks big :-)


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