ckag

Can anyone recommend any shops that sell plus-size women's clothing in Paris?

schnauzer

Never really looked ckag, but I did notice that lots of things are only in very small sizes in Paris. Even stockings/pantyhose the largest size was medium (at Bon Marche anyway)

We noticed the Paris folk, both men and women are small, just petite. Even the grown men are not particularly tall, we noticed this riding on the train and then it became "a thing" to try and find tall people. I am sure they are there somewhere.

I was buying a rugby jumper for my 14 year old and the lady in the shop was flabergasted when I told her my son was already over 6' tall. They don't seem to breed them big over there.

But good luck anyway, if you find somewhere, then make sure you report back for others who may wish to know.

SiobhanP

There is a thread from a year or more ago about plus size stores in Paris. one was a mother daughter so it hit young and older styles. I think someone mentioned a Belgian brand that did polus sizes as well maybe it was BTilke and Maybe St Cirq could help??

MK - what is your problem...you could actually give some help. There is being a smart arse and there is rude, try to be helpful or P.O.

BTilke

Aside from MK2's snide, worthless comment, you do have limited options...the Un Jour Ailleurs chain of stores carries clothes up to a French size 52 or 54, which is..? Size 18 US? http://www.un-jour-ailleurs.com/
They have a shop on the Ave. Victor Hugo in the 16th, the ladies working there are very nice and they do keep a lot of merchandise in the back, so if you don't see something in your size, ask. Their clothes are fairly conservative, moderately priced and (for the most part), machine washable, an increasingly rare thing these days.
On the high end, there is Marina Rinaldi, which is the plus size version of Max Mara, but that's Italian. Expensive. Again, I think size 18 U.S. is about as far as their selection goes, but not sure. (Un Jour Ailleurs carries French sizes 36-52/54, Marina Rinaldi starts at about size 44 I think). It may be very hard to find something above a U.S. size 18.
The French for plus size is, in case you didn't know, Femmes Rondes.
For men, there is a shop somewhere near Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette that carries "big and tall" sizes...I remember lots of posters advertising the store for a while with the catch phrase, "le grand, c'est sexy." I think they were after the influx of Russian and other eastern Europe visitors, some big boys there.
Otherwise, the selection of plus sized clothing is much better in Germany. We have a plus sized German relative and she doesn't have any problem finding stylish clothes to wear. She usually looks great, as a matter of fact.

SiobhanP

It's tougher for men I felt to find bigger clothes in Paris. My other half is a normal 6 foot plus Irishman not tiny or huge at all and we were amazed at how tiny the mens clothes were. He wanted to get some clothes but we ended up going to the gap for him and he was happy enough with just buying casual clothes as we have no gap in the Republic.

BTilke

Yes, we seldom find things for my husband in Brussels or Paris...he wears a size 54 (Italian), so he usually shops for his better clothes in Germany (the Zegna stores there, for example, always have plenty of stuff in his size). Esp hats. We hunted in vain all over Brussels and Paris for a nice dressy hat for him. He's got a big German head, took us less than 20 minutes to find the perfect hat for him in Dusseldorf. Anyway, some of his favorite makes are German, like Van Laack.

hunnym

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I recall one of the larger department stores (Galeries Lafayette or Printemps) having plus sizes.

While I don't wear a plus size, I am a 6' tall female and was amazed that many of the pants I tried on were long enough for me (rare even in the US unless pants are unhemmed or long length). Couldn't figure out why this was the case as I didn't think the French women were particularly tall, either!

DonTopaz

For men, Capel has a few stores in Paris selling big and tall ("grandes tailles&quot clothing. In general, I have never been pleased with either the selection or the quality.

holakjs

There is dept. store called C & A, I believe where I took our 6' daughter to shop when it looked like all else was impossible. I am not positive about the name, but it is a Dutch (or Belgium) as someone mentioned above.

ckag

Thanks for the useful comments (aside from m_kingdom2 who confirmed why I was reluctant to post the question).

I didn't expect there were many places in Paris for plus-size fashion, but glad to know there are a few where a US 16 or 18 can be had.

suze

Size 52 (which was the largest womans size I saw in regular stores in Switzerland) seemed about a 16/18, as BTilke says.

SiobhanP

Here is an old post with likns to other ones that should help.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

BTilke

Remember, German sizes are more generously cut than French or Italian. A German 42 would be a French 44 and maybe even an Italian 46. So a German 52 could possibly fit an American size 20 (and with some labels, maybe even a 22). Crossing the border from France to Germany makes me feel like I've lost 10 pounds ;-)

hanl

Hunnym, I agree. I'm probably slightly taller than the average French woman, but whenever I buy trousers in France/from a French store, the legs are always way too long for me (by several inches).

I reckon it's because many French clothing stores offer hemming/adjustment services which they are always trying to sell to customers. By making the trouser legs too long, they can make lots of money on the extra hemming service.

Fortunately I'm perfectly capable of hemming my own trousers so they won't get any extra cash out of me

elaine

here are two previous threads on this, good luck

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34480843

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34469358

elaine

Siobhan, I don't think your link is workable, not enough numbers at the end

EmBee

I understand your question ckag. I am not a delicate size myself!!

I was delighted to discover a shop in rue du Bac that had VERY stylish clothes for all sizes. Many of the designs looked fabulous on larger women.

I do wish I could remember the name of the store but unfortunately it wont come to me!!!! It is past the paper shop and on the opposite side of the street to Blanc d'Ivoire. On the same
side as Bon Marche.

Sorry I cant be more specific. I hope you let us know how you got on.

Good luck!!

ckag

Thanks so much, everyone. This is really helpful and I'll be sure to report back when I return (only 6 more days of waiting!).

Worktowander

Almost off topic, but what the hey:

I, too, have suffered through trying to find stylish clothing in plus sizes. It's not easy. It, in fact, bites. But I have a recommendation for women in a similar situation when in Rome:

Having recently lost 40 pounds, I'm far from tiny, but I no longer need plus sizes. I am, however, genetically (ahem) well-endowed. Hate it. Can't find clothes that fit both top and bottom.

So I'm in Rome, searching for a replacement for the leather jacket I left in the Dublin airport a few years back. Nothing fits. Too tight on top. I went store to store, no luck.

Then, having suffered the indignity of being shown men's jackets at a leather and fur shop on Via Nationale, I walked on down the street determined to give up the search.

But I saw a plus-size store and thought I'd give it one last shot. Walked in, greeted the clerks and was met with "Only large sizes here."

Bliss. Bliss. So friendly, so nice, thinking the American tourist had walked into a shop she's TOO THIN to need.

I can't remember the name of the store, and they had no leather, but I highly recommend it for this moment alone. But I can also vouch that the clothes were very stylish. It's on Via Nationale, maybe 4-6 blocks from the Piazza della Republica, on the right if your back is to Repubblica.

Check it out when in Rome.

suze

worktowander, Great story!!!