My Love Affair with Topsy Curvy

I have been wanting to sit down and write this blog post forever, but it is so hard to find the words to describe my history and long standing love affair with Topsy Curvy. As a plus size person, who has spent all of their adult life above a size 24; it is hard to find clothes that you REALLY LOVE. Of course, we’re not all running around naked so there are clothes that we make do with, but a brand that we can fully embrace and fall in love with, is hard to find - but Topsy Curvy does it for me!

My First Topsy Discoveries

It is hard for me to think about to the first items I wore from Topsy because there have been many. I do remember in the early days not all of their items fitted me (they stopped at a size 24 for some pieces). What I also remember is the passion Jo showed even back then for improving things and doing better. She would always ask about the fit of items and talk to me about how she had been nagging suppliers to do bigger sizes.

Way back in 2013 I wore one of their skater dresses to my birthday night out. I remember being THRILLED that a dress in such a bright colour was available in my size. That might seem like such a small thing now but 11 years ago, neon pink dresses in sizes 24+ were near on impossible to get your hands on.

My Visit to the First Topsy Curvy

A couple of years later in 2015 I visited the first ever Topsy Curvy shop in Manchester – and right from walking through the doors I could tell that Jo WANTED this to be a plus size shopping experience like no other.

Not only was the shop packed full of colour, but there was SPACE! The dressing rooms filled with shoes to try on with your dresses and hygiene products so you could feel your best when you were trying on clothes. There was even a sturdy chair in the changing room, she really had thought of everything! You can read about my visit to the Topsy Curvy shop here

Topsy Curvy Sizes

One thing I have always liked about Topsy Curvy is their approachable nature – they know that plus size clothing size labels don’t always mean anything. Instead, they are open and honest about sizes – which is such a refreshing approach and makes clothing much more accessible.

I loved the colours of this Topsy dress but with limited sizes I didn’t think it would be for me. Jo promised that a size 20 would fit me so I went for it – and as you can see, she was right. With other retailers I’d have missed out, simply because of the size label.

It was the same in 2017 when they branched out to offer t-shirts. Again, something that was out of my comfort zone, but with reassurance it would fit just fine I gave it a try – and it paid off.

The Infamous Skater Dress

Of course, more recently saw the launch of their skater dress – and even more recently the ‘improved’ shape and their smock dress addition. They now offer bespoke hoodies, t shirts and leggings in patterns that I could have only dreamed of when I first became their customer back in 2013. It goes without saying that designing my very own Topsy Curvy skater dress was a dream come true, especially when you consider that the dress goes up to a size 36 – I always knew they’d get there as a brand that offers higher end plus sizes.

Watching the brand grow has been a pleasure, I am so glad to be able to call them friends and watch as they do even more to shake up the world of plus size fashion. It’s a love affair I can’t see ending anytime soon.

Debz - www.wannabeprincess.co.uk

Buy The "Debz" Dress here