Always great to hear about a major designer coming out with a line for curvy women. And then you read the fine print and see that it’s only available “at select stores,” and most of the merchandise is online because of course it is.
The RACHEL Rachel Roy Curvy has about 45 pieces that are actually really wearable and practical for work, date night, and comfy weekend looks. But this mostly-online collaboration, only-in-special-stores routine happens too often with curve lines. Remember the Who What Wear x Target collection and how it was sold exclusively online? Still doesn’t make sense. Usually whenever retailers announce collaborations, there’s always a big party, red carpet for celebrities, and a frenzy of people fighting over what they think is Balmain, but is really H&M. Sadly, not the case with curvy line collaborations, which people still see as just a tab on a retailer’s website unworthy of taking up space on racks.
The press release says that prices range from $55-$179 and that by March, all of the pieces will be available on RachelRoy.com but somehow, they still don’t get it. Curvy women need way more options in stores just as much as they do online.
We still don’t know what pieces will be select stores, versus what will be available online so it’s all just a lovely hassle. Is it too much effort to consider that if your customer is not the size of a pencil that clothing may drape differently, fit differently around the butt and hips, and may need to actually be…tried on? Even with fit models and consultants, we find it hard to believe that none of them made a point to prioritize the clothing being in stores and all of this just proves that even when designers try to reach out to their customer base that has been begging for inclusion, they still think of designing for curvy women in a cookie cutter mentality. But if you want to look at the cute clothes and do a trial-and-error buying online, maybe see what’s in stores which will probably be one tiny section in the back, go for it girl.
“I love a shift dress–but what size do you think goes over my butt?”
All photos courtesy of rachel roy
