(With apologies to The Cure. And also anyone else who doesn’t approve of that term. But oh well.)

Hey all my ladies with the curves, have you guys been to Featherston Street lately? Petone used to be the best place for plus-size shopping, but now town is totally Curve-ville.

• There’s Zebrano’s designer range (their “casual” store on Johnson Street is just around the corner), where you can fork out $400 for a Moss singlet, and be happy that Trelise Cooper’s plus-size range only goes up to a 20, because god forbid the real fattys should have at it. But seriously, they do have some lovely lovely things, and an amazing selection of ball dresses. But you’re going to pay through the nose there – expect nothing under $200 unless you hit their sales racks, which are past season and leftover stock and in extremely limited ranges of sizes.
• There’s Platform Clothing which I didn’t go into today, whose clothes have always seemed a little bit boxy to me, but perhaps there’s something in there for you. These dresses look very cute. But again, not cheap.
• Then there’s The Carpenter’s Daughter which is full of a riot of amazing jewel colours and textures. I lusted so so much for a frock coat in pink velvet, but at $550 I had to step away and instead tried on a huge selection of dresses in purples and greens and peacocks. Oh it was a glorious experience. And an expensive one. And if you come to my birthday drinks on Friday at Hawthorn Lounge, you’ll get to see the results. It’s totally what Joan Would Do.
• It’s not on Featherston Street, but Farmers on Lambton Quay has a good range of plus-size clothes as well. They have a “designer” range, which means they have stuff for like $100 an item, which is kind of wrong in my opinion, but their Wild Child range can be pretty good and under $50 and is also 30% off right now.
• And finally, although it’s not even a real place but rather the internets, I have to brag about how I finally found a dress that has SLEEVES! And POCKETS! And actually COMES DOWN TO MY KNEES! Oh it’s so exciting – so check out the_curvy_chick on trademe or her online store Sheer Curves - which actually had the dress I bought for $20 cheaper. And while we’re recommending online places, I’ve heard very good things about Bella Chic, although I have yet to purchase anything from there yet, but like Sheer Curves, they stock Igigi dresses and you might get a better deal than direct purchase because of changing exchange rates, etc.  

So let’s rock on with our frocks on, yes?