I had a year and half to form an intimate relationship with Penningtons having worked both as an Assistant Manager and Manager. And while I may not like every piece of fashion they put out, their clothing lines do supply a huge market that has been lacking for decades.

Shortly before I left Penningtons, its holder (Reitmans) bought another major plus size fashion provider Addition-Elle which carries an upscale type of plus size fashion with more a career edge (I actually worked with this brand for a couple years before switching sides).

This morning I received a flier advertising one of their younger lines, MXM, recently seen in Lou Lou magazine. On the back page in tiny print I saw the line "Now shop online". Penningtons has had an online presence featuring their fashions for a few years but to be able to shop online at this major Canadian brand is a huge milestone for them.

When I visited the website the first thing that stood out was the free shipping (limited time) for orders within Canada. Their standard shipping is under $10 and yes they do deliver to the U. S for a reasonable $8.99 - $11.99.

Penntingtons has their own loyalty card, the PC Club Advantage. The membership is free of course and with every $500 (before taxes) customers are rewarded a $25 reward certificate. Another advantage for customers is they get 10% off during the week of their birthday.

The website is clean and streamlined without excess. Actually, this is one of the best things about the site -- it isn't busy; the way a lot of the clothing sites seem to be going. The clothing categories are easy to find and consist of: tops, pants, skirts, jackets, dresses, social separates/sets, denim, active, sleepwear, lingerie, outerwear, shorts/skorts, swimwear. Each of the main categories has further sub-categories to reduce your browsing time if you are looking for a specific style or cut (petite, regular, tall).

The unfortunate thing so far is the lack of models. The fashions are draped on lifeless mannequins and doesn't help the shopper know how it will look on a body, let alone their own body.

Not only can you shop the regular Penningtons line but if you scroll down you will find links to shop their MXM division and Addition-Elle. The MXM site features some photos of plus size model Crystal Renn and is a little flashier while the Addition-Elle site is somewhere in between. And the coolest feature is you can shop from all three brands in one shopping cart.

Overall, I'm thrilled to have the Penningtons family online and available to a bigger market. The more options we all have the happier we'll be. Happy shopping curvy chics!

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