Addition-Elle Grand Opening Event

The Invite

Sit a spell, and let me tell you the story of my involvement in the Grand Opening party for Addition-Elle, one of the preeminent, if not THE preeminent Canadian plus-size clothing retailers.
A few weeks ago, I got this invite in the mail. As a member of Addition-Elle's loyalty program, my initial thought was that it was a blanket mailing to their list, and I paid little attention to it. Then, one day, I realised that it was sent to my Curvouture email. I hadn't signed up for their loyalty program with my Curvouture email. My superior powers of deduction led me to the conclusion that somehow, Addition-Elle had found our little blog, and had invited us specifically. Liz, sadly, lives in Vancouver, and so could not attend, but I did, and I had a great time!
I mean, there was shopping for clothes, with cocktails, and h'ors doeuvres... being served by male models. I fail to see a downside anywhere here.
I was a little... star-struck, shall we say, as this was my first "event" but it was really a lovely time.
The store looked great, with a slick modern decor, and the clothes were fantastic.

Gotta love a goodie bag!

I mentioned in my bio for Curvouture, that Liz and I used to both work at the Addition-Elle location in Guildford Mall, in Surrey, BC, what seems like eons ago. At the time, there were really no other places to buy clothes for the well-padded figure. And, if we are being perfectly honest, the clothes available at Addition-Elle, were, shall we say, for lack of a better term, matronly. Yes, I said it.

I think that low-rise jeans were just coming into their own, and they were nowhere to be found for the curvy girl, not even at Addition-Elle.

To borrow a phrase from a often-quoted ad campaign for a terrible product that will kill you... You've Come A Long Way Baby! Addition-Elle has become the perfect middle ground in terms of fashion. It's not the "throw-away" fashion of Forever21, but they do have a huge selection of pieces that are trendy, au courant, and of the now. The palettes that we saw last night for Spring were right on trend. Coral, mint, cool blues, lemon yellow, and graphic black & white. They even had me rethinking my aversion for large floral patterns (another huge trend this Spring)! It has taken me some time to come back to Addition-Elle, but I am very glad that I have! I would say that 50% of the store is marketed toward a somewhat younger demographic, but they have not abandoned their older, established client base. Basically, Addition-Elle has awesome shit for everyone. The only reason that I don't shop at Addition-Elle more, is their price-point... I have two young kids in daycare, so that doesn't leave me with a lot for my clothing budget so, I often do shop at less-expensive retailers, but that being said, you can TOTALLY tell the difference in the product. Addition-Elle might be a bit spendier, but you are really getting what you pay for. The quality is there in the weight and feel of the fabrics.

Ashley Graham. My celebrity meet-up!

So, ASIDE from the great shopping that was to be had there I was also able to meet the absolutely stunning Ashley Graham, who is pretty much the face of Addition-Elle. Obviously, she's gorgeous in print, she's a model, but seriously, her photographs must require no photoshopping, because the woman glows. Just sayin'. I'm really not one for flattery or false compliments. Bitch is gorgeous. I only hate her a little bit... but honestly, she was really nice and personable too. Let me take a pic like a fangirl, and let me in on a little scoop. Ashley is collaborating with Addition-Elle on her own line! It sounded like its going to be right up my alley, so I am really looking forward to seeing what her line will offer.

Karyn from killerkurves.ca, and me, giving bad face...
not sure why I look confused.

And if that was not enough! I also got to meet Karyn from Killer Kurves, who, not to sound too gushy or anything, was kind of an inspiration for me to start my own blog. She was one of the first curvy-girl fashion blogs that I came across when I started scoping out this little section of the interwebs! And its only just over a year old! I can only hope that Curvouture can one day reach the success that she has!

It was sort of the highlight of my week! If I absolutely HAD to pick out a negative, I would say that the line-up for the changing room and cash was pretty long. But, logistically, they had their shit together. It was a well-oiled machine. There was just a LOT of people there. So I will go out on a limb and say that it was a successful event...

Anyway, I've blathered on enough. I would be remiss if I didn't thank Addition-Elle for inviting me to attend last nights event. I was gifted a fantastic goodie bag with some AE nailpolishes (which I will likely use in my next manicure post, so I'll review the polish for you), as well as a very generous giftcard, which I cannot wait to use!

Groovy modern decor, even in the change rooms!

On-trend colour palette! Coral and mint are back!

Clothing racks as far as the eye could see!

Seems like blue will figure prominently as well.
Good. I can make use of my cobalt polish

The night's purchase. A lovely sheer accordian pleated blouse, with a fitted banded hem.

  

I wasn't kidding when I said the servers were all male models. Couldn't help myself...

My ensemble for the evening. I stressed a bit over it, trust. I knew there were going to
be fabulously dressed ladies there... had to try and compete!

Outfit breakdown:

Top: Addition-Elle (2 years old, perhaps)

Jeans: Torrid (Stilettos)

Shoes: Frederick's of Hollywood (a few seasons ago)

Necklace, bracelet, clutch: Target