Plus Size Shopping in the UK

The plus size woman does not have to live in the United Kingdom (UK) to have European style. In fact shopping in the UK can be a wonderful shopping experience for the plus size woman without her having to leave the comfort of her computer chair.

Three Things I Love About UK Shopping

1. Shipping costs – The cost of shipping items from UK retailers to homes in the United States (US) or Canada can be significant cheaper, ranging from $9 to free, than many shops in the US
2. Style – While there are many things similar about our tastes the style selection available is often unique and very desirable.
3. Customer Appreciation – I feel like a respected and wanted customer during my shopping experience rather than the crazy aunt the family tries to avoid.

Now, do not get me wrong, there are many US retailers that offer affordable shipping costs, excellent style and customer appreciation and I love them for it.

Where to Shop in the UK

There is an excellent selection of size and style represented by the following top three stores that offer plus size clothing.

ASOS offers straight sizes for women and men but has a plus size brand called ASOS Curve. In this line they offer plus sizes 20 to 26. At the moment they offer free standard delivery worldwide.

Evans UK offers plus size clothing exclusively for sizes 14 to 34. They have reasonable shipping costs for North America for L7.50 which is about $10.

Yours Clothing is fairly new to me but I am quickly falling in love with their style selection for plus sizes 14 to 32. The price point is a bit lower than the previous recommendations and not all the styles are as fashion forward. They ship to North America for 9 pounds ($12 US).

Three Things to Keep in Mind

While shopping in the UK there are three things you need to keep in mind while shopping.

First, a sale may not always be a sale. While shopping in the UK you have to keep in mind the exchange rate. ASOS and Yours offer the option of changing the currency to U.S. money but with Evans you will have to work out the exchange yourself. There are many online converters but I tend to use XE Currency Converter but bear in mind this is still only a guideline in price. Your credit card company may use a different exchange rate but at least it will get you in the ball park when shopping.

Secondly, for the best online deals sign up for their newsletters to get a heads up on upcoming seasonal sales so you can take advantage of shopping when their stock is high in your favorite items.

And thirdly, you need be patient when you are shopping from the UK because you are NOT going to get your purchase in three to seven days. In most cases it takes three weeks and if your town is the slightest bit secluded, maybe five. Time of year and location both affect shipping time.

Happy shopping in the UK!