Growing up in Canada, the options for plus size clothing was always limited. Even for the majority of my adult life my friends and I were limited to boxy, masculine styles that were designed to camouflage everything. Over the last ten years the number of options has increased tenfold. Thanks mainly to customer feedback (and the increased competition and accessibility that the internet provides).

If you are plus size and visiting the Toronto area then you must make a point of stopping into Voluptuous Clothing, a plus size clothing retailer offering designs with a unique trendy style. This fairly young company was started in 2001 by former plus size model Angela Samuels and the company's main mission is to recreate "runway fashions" that are still affordable to the average plus size fashionista. Voluptuous Clothing carries dressy and casual tops, jeans, dress pants, skirts and dresses in sizes 14 to 24. Their styles mainly target the under forty crowd.

Currently, Voluptuous Clothing has five walk-in locations in Toronto: Vaughan Mills, Dufferin Mall, Scarborough Town Centre, Bramalea City Centre, and Square One Mississauga. There have been plans for a few years for further expansion and I remain optimistic that they will soon have walk-ins nationally.

At the moment their website (which has a slow-to-start flash introduction that makes multitasking a must) has an online catalogue featuring genuine plus size models. The clothing is a mixture of bright colors and interesting cuts. There are no price points listed and currently there is no option to buy online which is incredibly disappointing. There is no email but there is an address, phone and fax contact information so if you are interested in online shopping with Voluptuous Clothing I highly suggest letting them know.

Visit the Voluptuous Clothing online catalogue.