An open letter to Addition Elle
Hello, Addition Elle.
I have never written to you before. Actually, I've never written this kind of letter before, to any company. I have some things I feel I need to say. Unfortunately, I'm not good at being brief, so settle in.
I remember being in Addition Elle in my early teens, in the early to mid 00's. I wasn't a plus sized gal yet, but my older sister was, so I would go in with her on occasion when we were shopping together. I wasn't a fan of my sister's wardrobe in those days, but it wasn't until I actually entered plus-sized clothing stores that I realized why:
There were no fashionable clothes in her size.
(This was the case with essentially ALL plus-sized retailers at the time.) For casual "younger" clothes, it seemed that all that was offered were blocky tee-shirts (either plain, or with garish prints), and blocky jeans in solid, dark washes. There was the MXM line, but at the time it was... grisly. I remember a lot of shiny polyester, bedazzled jeans, and lace-up everything. I was horrified.
So, you can imagine my dismay when I breached the +14 sizes in my late teens. For a long time I continued wearing too-tight XL's from non plus-sized stores, until one day in my early twenties a concerned aunt practically dragged me by the ear into one of your stores. Imagine my delight when, lo and behold, there were CUTE clothes for sale! It seemed Addition Elle was paving the way for retailers to make fashionable clothes for bigger girls! It did wonders for my self esteem to be wearing clothes that fit and flattered my curves, as well as my personal style.
I was instantly a loyal customer. Anytime I went shopping, you could find me in one of your outlets, twirling with delight amongst the racks of trendy garments. I sang your praises constantly; I convinced other curvy girls to start wearing clothes that fit, and to start with Addition Elle! "Check them out!" I would rave, "they actually make CUTE plus-sized clothing!" It was fantastic to not have to drape my body in shapeless lumps of cloth, or wear styles only fit for a practical 50 year old going for lunch with the girls.
And some other retailers were following suit! Online shopping became a new experience as suddenly "Plus" and "Curvy" lines were cropping up left and right. I was so excited that curvy women were no longer excluded from fashion, nor did we all have to wear the same fat girl uniform. There were options! Different styles! Yet even with the other retailers that were now available, the majority of my wardrobe continued to be supplied by, you guessed it, Addition Elle.
Last year, however, I didn't really shop at all. I was, as they say, "broke AF". I barely found myself near a mall, and I didn't seem to be doing any online window shopping, either. So I'm not entirely sure exactly when in that time frame things changed - but changed, they have.
When I finally found myself once again inside an Addition Elle again a few months ago, I was utterly confounded. To put it bluntly, the clothes were ugly. Besides a couple of dresses, I didn't see a single thing I wanted to try on. And I was reminded of my disappointment of over a decade ago, when I noticed that many tee-shirts I initially liked, had laced-up sections on them. While that has made a *slight* come-back of late, the way Addition Elle is doing it is just... wrong. Many of your clothes seem over-embellished rather than tasteful.
In fact, every trend you've been attempting is just off somehow. It's like that girl whose clothes are all sewn by her out-of-touch mom who thinks she is re-creating all the latest styles. It bears a resemblance... but it's not cute.
For instance, take your current selection of capris, shorts, and, *shudder* skorts. They seem to all bear a vague resemblance to the classic "Mom Jean". High waisted denim can be done right, as you have demonstrated in the past. But it can also be done very wrong, as you are, unfortunately, currently demonstrating. Even the washes and fading is dated. The distressed denims look forced. And why, oh WHY, do I have multiple skort options, but not a single pair of short shorts to choose from?!
It takes me back to the days when plus-sized retailers seemed to subliminally (but not subtly) tell big girls to not let anyone see their fat, for fear of offending onlookers with unsightly jiggly bits. That is an unacceptable message to be sending. People can dress their bodies any way they damn well please. I am genuinely upset about this matter in particular, since Addition Elle was the first retailer to show me that I didn't have to dress in so-called "flattering" clothes (aka "hide your fat, it's gross" clothes); rather, that I could dress how I wanted, that I absolutely could wear the latest trend - here, we'll make it in your size! It made me feel great to feel accepted by and included in the world of fashion. I didn't have to feel jealous of the variety of styles offered in "regular" sizes, because I could get them in my size, too.
Now, it seems those days are over. Addition Elle has stopped making fashionable clothes. Instead, you seem to be making versions of them. "Flattering" versions, "size-appropriate" versions. Which all seem to be synonyms for "unfashionable" versions. I know if I were to wear any of them, I would be uncomfortable; I would feel like I was dressing like a fat girl - instead of just like a girl.
I hate that I don't like shopping at your store anymore. It's like you're taking back everything you helped teach me about being comfortable in my own skin.
So, for now, you've lost my business, as well as my recommendation. I don't know what changes your company needs to make internally, but it's obvious that change is needed. I really do hope you make them - I hope I haven't permanently lost my favorite store.
Share This Article
