clothes for the curvy woman?

eos

Registered User
Hello everyone.

This site has beem fantastic and answered so many of my questions!

I am moving to HK (from Yorkshire) in August with hubby and 1yr old daughter. I was wondering how easy it is to buy clothes for the more generously proportioned woman in HK shops. (UK size 20) Is it difficult to get big bras and shoes? Should I stock up in the UK before boarding the plane? (or will I have to resort to the 'belly belt' as advertised on this very page?)

All help gratefully received... eos
 
You might find bigger sized bras and clothes in HK but you will have to REALLY hunt for them and you will be disappointed with the range. I would advise you to stock up on your fav bras as well as shoes,and bring all your clothes before coming to HK
If you do a search in the geoexpat.com forums you are bound to find loads of threads asking the same question and most responses I've seen are "shop and stock up when you go home for holidays"
 
You can always pop over to Shenzhen and have some clothes made. Quite inexpensive... and the tailors can usually work from a photo or copy clothing that you bring to them.
 
As Bets say you can get your clothes made in SZ Cheaply but underwear i would stock up as they tend to be cheaper and more stylish in UK
 
Even before the birth of my daughter I struggled to find clothes that I like in my size now at size 14-16 its a complete nightmare. Yes you can go to SZ and have things made but this is quite time consuming and you need a visa to get there. Visa costs for British passport holders are higher that for most other passport holders. If you do go, get a recommendation for a tailor first as some of them aren't that good.

If your shoe size is over a UK size 6 or you have wide feet, forget about it. The range of shoes available is very limited. You are better off getting shoes in the UK and buying sandal type footwear here.

If you have a large bust HK underwear is not for you. My advice for you is to buy it all in the UK where you can get the size style and colours you like. Underwear styles in Hong Kong seem quite dated when compared to the UK be warned. Flesh coloured belly huggers with no lycra are standard for even the most painfully thin.

If you have children you will probly find that the UK has a lot of shops that sell good quality reasonably priced clothinng. Not so in HK even Stanley Market which expats rave on about is outrageous when compareed to the UK equivalent.
 
stocking up

Thank-you everyone for all the advice. Looks like I'll be spending the few weeks before we leave the UK shopping and shipping shoes!! (and all other clothing items) Well, I'm off to Marks and Sparks to stock up on underwear. See you in HK!! (I'll be the one loaded down with packing crates)
EOS
 
Hi eos,

I've lived in HK for almost 14 years and my size has mostly been about a UK 16 (except when I was pregnant, and it was bigger).

For shoes, if you wear 38 or less you should be fine. I've never had problems finding shoes that fit in HK. If you're show size if over 40, then you might have a bit of difficulty finding pretty ones.

Usually the larger sizes at Marks and Spencer in Hong Kong are about 18, but I think I may have seen 20. At other shops, I've rarely seen above a UK 16.

However, if you have plenty of patience and persistence, you can get very nice and very *reasonably* priced large size clothes in Fa Yuen Gai, at the various overstock outlets.

T-shirts and nighties, absolutely no problem. I've also bought nice dresses of good quality for HK$ 100 (less than 10 GBP). Finding "casual smart" clothes is a bit harder.

Also, are there many UK clothes catalog sellers? In the USA, Landsend & LL Bean are quite popular and they send things to HK.

Underwear and bras - I buy back in my homeland when I visit.
 
UK catalogues deliver to HK?

Hi loupou,

There is a Marks and spencers in HK? I can probably squeeze into a few items then!! (although it seems a pity to travel halfway around the globe only to end up shopping at good old M and S)
Good question about catalogues... does anyone know if UK clothing catalogues deliver to HK - or baby catalogues for that matter??

eos
 
M&S in Hong Kong - there are plenty of them. Out where I live the nearest one is in Diamond Hill (rather small one) & Kowloon Bay and a bigger one at Festival Walk. I think there's at least one in Central as well.

There's also lots of Mothercare shops, if you like their baby stuff.

I went to Fa Yuen street a couple of weeks ago and bought some trousers and skirts. The skirt is a bit too big for me, but it was nice and didn't come smaller (it was about an 18 in UK size).

There's also a fair amount of outlet shops in Sham Shui Po.
 
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