What started as an opportunity for Carlie Roberts to clean out her closet (and maybe get a little cash to update her wardrobe) has turned into a major shopping event for plus-sized women throughout the region.
Roberts still can’t quite believe that Consign Your Curves has grown over six years to become Canada’s largest plus-size consignment sale and indeed, a brand of its own.
“Little did I know it would turn into what it has,” said Roberts, brainchild and organizer of the event, that takes place this year on May 5 at the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre in Guelph. “We started with 13 racks; this year there will be 57. People now line up an hour before the doors open, especially if they have their eye on something. And the racks sold out months ago.”
It can be hard for curvy women to find clothes that both fit and are fashionable, said Roberts as she complained there are only two plus-sized stores in Guelph and they don’t necessarily suit her taste.
So she often shops online – something many women hesitate to do unless they get a chance to try on some clothes first.
“This event brings diversity,” she said. “Sometimes the discovery of new brands gives the courage to shop online.”
Consigners come from all over the province and include such celebrities as fashion designer Jessica Biffi, and singer, radio host and plus-size model Meredith Shaw.
Biffi, who grew up in Guelph, was a contestant on the reality TV show Fashion Runway and has since released her own line of clothing for plus-sized women. She is a fashion blogger and is known as a fashion influencer for curvy women.
She said she met Roberts at a consignment store in Toronto and realized they were both from Guelph. Roberts invited her to the first consignment sale and Biffi thought it would be a great opportunity “to alleviate my closet from the shopaholic in me,” she said.
“I donate clothes but it’s nice to recover some of the cost. The first one was a success and I’ve come ever since. Plus I love the opportunity to talk to people, to tell them the history of a piece, how it fits, so they know what they are getting.”
Biffi said there is a range of clothing styles at the sale – office wear, casual, formal and designer – and her booth is one of the sought-after ones.
“I kind of curate my wardrobe, finding ways to give new life to my clothes. So to sell them – I like the idea that it’s not over for those clothes.”
Shaw said she was amazed by the atmosphere at Consign Your Curves.
“It’s a very special experience,” she said over the phone. “(The sale) creates a real sisterhood and that’s what I’m all about. Going to talk to my sister fashionistas.”
Shaw recently signed a modelling contract with an agency in New York City modelling lingerie and bathing suits. She is also a frequent guest on the Marilyn Denis TV show putting together outfits to flatter different figure types.
“I’m proud of where I am right now. When I get in a bathing suit, I think I look cute. I don’t have that barrier any more,” she said. “It’s hard and I get that. But the more we see curvy women out there, women who are proud of their curves, maybe we can just stop worrying about our weight.”
Roberts said she is asked all the time to bring Consign Your Curves to other cities, “and I would like to say yes,” she said. “There is such a desire and a need for this. But this is still just a hobby for me. That’s why I love it’s happening in my city.”
If you go:
When: May 5, noon to 4 p.m.
Where: Evergreen Seniors Community Centre, 683 Woolwich St., Guelph
What: Consign Your Curves, consignment clothing sale for plus-size women
Cost: No admission but sales are cash only. There is an ATM machine in the plaza across the street
For more information about the event and some of the consigners, visit Consign Your Curves Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ConsignYourCurves.
