Did you know that Simply Be the plus size UK merchant has a US based website?  If you did not know that then you are probably not aware that the same company has expanded into menswear for big & tall men.

In conjunction with my trip to Full Figured Fashion Week™ I was able to get two shirts and a pair of pants as part of my wardrobe.  Disclaimer:  These items were sent to me in exchange for my opinion on them.

Before I get into the review I want to first tell you how I found out that they carried big & tall men’s clothing.  My wife receives a copy of their catalog and she asked me did I know Simply Be carried men’s clothing.  I did not.  Talk about an embarrassing moment for Mr. Plus size/big & tall blogger.

The Good

The color, print, pattern and fit on the shirts was great.  As you can see I am not one to tuck a shirt in and the size 2x was not so big on me that it looked like I was wearing a parachute.  Both shirts got me plenty of compliments and event though I am not one to take lots of photos I found myself hamming it up for the camera.

Prior to seeing this collection I had associated the Joe Brown collection with womens wear.  The white print shirt was colorful enough and not too busy which I like a lot!  The black print shirt was my favorite.  It is hard for me to find shirts with the cuff detail in my size so I was very happy to get my hands on this shirt.

The Not So Good

As much as I liked the shirts and pants I did have a few issues that in the spirit of fairness I must talk about.  It was not a mistake that I did not talk about the jeans I was sent.  The reason for this is after wearing the easy wear jeans one time the top button ripped off.  I liked the fit and the look but was not happy that the jeans are ruined.

On the white print shirt I am not sure if this is something that comes with new items but every single button was a different size and thickness which made it difficult to button. On the black shirt most of the buttons had to be re-sewn before I could wear it.  This may be new run issues but for ladies who shop for their guys or guys shopping these are things I feel you should know up front.

Final Thought

If there is one thing I would change about the menswear at SimplyBe.com is the price.  To purchase the three items would come at the cost of $188.00.  If you are a new customer making this purchase you can take advantage of a 20% off coupon making the checkout price $150.40.  In my opinion $150 for three casual items is a bit much but on the other end of the spectrum when they fix the construction issues with the garments I feel that the cost per wear of the Joe Brown line of big and tall men’s clothes will go down to pennies per wear.

About Simply Be

Welcome to Simply Be – the one-stop shopping destination for on trend fashion for real women in sizes 10-28!

Simply Be bring the thrill of main-street retail to your home, with our extensive range of shoes and boots, casual wear, beachwear and accessories inspired by runway trends that compliment and flatter your figure. All our clothes are designed to provide the best fit at the best value, and we are specialists in the area of larger size womenswear.

Simply Be is a sister company to J D Williams & Company Limited, founded in 1875 and which is the UK’s leading direct home shopping company, that operates over 20 brands, with over 2 million customers and 4,000 employees.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

Should Retailers Do A Better Job Promoting Fashion to big & tall men?  This is a question that was posed by Maddy from Plus Model Magazine not long ago.  If you take Full Figure Plus for example, I am a man who mostly reports on fashion for women.  Why is that?  As a man I tend to replace clothing.  There are very few times that I pour over catalogs and websites but for the most part I keep stuff until my clothes become stained to the point of submission or my wife steps in which ever comes first.

I feel that many big & tall men think the same which is why the posts targeting big & tall men on Full Figure Plus are rare.  One thing I do know from personal experience is that guys like me don’t shop much because our significant others do the shopping for us.  In other words on this blog if I keep the attention of the ladies I have the males in their lives by proxy. Devious grin.

On to the point first made though about retailers doing a better job promoting clothes to big & tall men.  In my time I have come across many retailers that promote big & tall men’s clothing and when it comes down to it they all have a few things in common.

Big & tall men tend to lean towards:

• t-shirts
• shorts
• jeans.

While I have all of these items in massive quantities in my closet what about the times that I want to dress up but my fashion sense does not push me in the direction of a shirt and tie?

Old Navy Men Linen-Blend Guayabera Shirts

From this stand point of view I feel that retailers and designers do a poor job of promoting fashion to big & tall men.  I think it goes beyond the fact that big & tall men don’t drool over the latest Spring and Summer collections.  We men simply think in practical instead of pretty.  This basically means for the most part while we are shopping we will ignore any advertising that does not deal with what we are looking for at the moment.

Do men actually pay attention to fashion advertising or is it a waste of time?

Over the years I have promoted at different times Westport Big & Tall, Casual Male XL, Sierra Trading Post and a few others to bring more of a spotlight to men’s big & tall men’s clothing.  Guess how many emails I have received from these three merchants in the last 6 months?  A few from Casual Male and none from the others.  I have had more correspondence with startup big & tall men’s companies most of which have folded than I have with the so-called major players.

With statistics in the report below maybe they are doing something right and do not need to promote more to big & tall menswear.

Casual Male Retail Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: “CMRG”), the largest retailer of big & tall men’s apparel and accessories, today reported operating results for the first quarter ended April 30, 2011.

First Quarter Highlights (1QFY11 vs. 1QFY10)

• Net income, which was flat with the prior year’s first quarter, was $4.2 million, or $0.09 per diluted share.
• Comparable sales increased 2.2% and total sales increased 0.9% to $95.8 million.
• Gross margin improved 100 basis points to 46.9%.

Source:

If one merchant counted for $95 million in sales from an industry that combined with plus size fashion is forcasted to have over $100 billion in sales in 2012 they are doing something right and I just can’t see it. Gentlemen and ladies what do you think?  By the way for your t-shirt and shorts men check out this review I wrote on big and tall menswear merchant Bulky Boy.

Should Retailers Do A Better Job Promoting Fashion to Big & Tall Men?

Update:  Retailers are starting to smell blood in the water and take note of big and tall mens wear

Now, as growth-hungry retailers seek new opportunities, some are targeting the 36 million obese men in the U.S. Casual Male Retail Group (CMRG), the largest U.S. big-and-tall chain, last year created a new store concept, Destination XL, which aims to offer better selection and service. Men’s Wearhouse (MW) plans to test three big-and-tall stores in August, after noticing revenue in that category grew 40 percent faster last year than sales of regular apparel. J.C. Penney (JCP) has launched The Foundry Big & Tall Supply Co., which last month opened 10 stores in Texas, Missouri, and Kansas. “We wanted to create a specialty-store experience for this guy, a very different experience than he would get in a department store,” says Foundry President Steve Lossing.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

What comes to you mind when you hear How Do You Roll?  For most in the United States it means how you do things.  When it comes to the clothes by retailer Bulky Boy not only is it how do you roll its all about the roll.

Recently I was contacted by Trevor from the company about reviewing some of the clothes.  When the clothes arrived which consisted of a T-shirt, a pair of cargo shorts, and a car air freshener the first thing that struck me was the Bulky Boy logo.  I instantly thought about the Kingpin from the Spiderman comics and knew if nothing else this would be a collection of clothes with attitude.

The Good

I loved the colors of the shirt and shorts not to mention the feel of the fabric in which the “print is discharged ink for comfort. With 6oz 100% premium cotton combined with Tough double-needle stitch in both bottom hem and sleeves and is Preshrunk”. The day that I had the outfit on it was quit warm outside which meant I really wanted to hurry up and take a photo with the beanie hat on!  As you can see from the photos the color and logo are great.  The screaming eagle logo on the front and back add a nice touch of detail.  If you look closely at the logo you will notice the number of rolls on the neck of the logo.  In a stroke of brilliance of marketing the number of rolls equals the size of the garment.

There’s no mistaking the distinctive Bulky Boy icon. He is strong and confident, completely aware and comfortable with his surroundings. Just like you.

The Not So Good

There is no such thing as perfection and this is no exception but the things that were in error in terms of ordering online are minor but still worth talking about in terms of your shopping experience.  The shirt was marked as a 2x which as you can see on the size chart is depicted as having two neck rolls.  If you look close at the shirt I have on only has one neck roll. Additionally, I requested a 2x equivalent short or a size 42 short and they were too snug.  Contacting the company resulted in another pair of shorts being sent right out with the beanie hat and a few more air fresheners.  As you can see these issues are minor but in the spirit of full disclosure I thought it was necessary to include.

My overall view of Bulky Boy is a positive one. The website is full of cool casual favorites that any big man can look comfortable and be a force to be reckoned with without having to spend a lot of money.  Thanks again to Trevor for looking me up and introducing me to the brand.  I hope that I live of the the spirit of Bulky Boy and roll just like the members of the Bulky Boy Team.

About Bulky Boy

Bulky Boy™ is all about the roll. How many ‘neck-rolls’ you got? When we created the Bulky Boy Brand, those two statements inspired us to bring this unique new apparel company to life.

In the early days, Bulky Boy wasn’t for everybody. Do you have a neck like a stack of dimes and arms and legs like buggy whips? Does that little cube of pork in a can of beans scare you? Then you’re no Bulky Boy. Do you go back for seconds on lasagna, wash it down with a few beers, then chase it with a piece or two of pie and ice cream? Do you walk down mean streets with your head up, shoulders back and jaw set? You’re a BulkyBoy.

There’s no mistaking the distinctive Bulky Boy icon. He is strong and confident, completely aware and comfortable with his surroundings. Just like you. Remember, Bulky Boy is a lot more than size.  Bulky Boy is a guy thing, no two ways about it. It’s manly, it’s gnarly, and actually, it’s just insane good fun wearing Bulky Boy. You don’t have to be an ultimate cage-fighting champion, or the hugest freaking lineman in the NFL (although our clothes will fit you, big man, and turn heads, not from fear, but from: “whoa………sweet shirt, dude”).

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

Though Full Figure Plus is about plus size fashion as a guy I can’t forget about my big and tall men.  I have worn Mighty Big Man before and would like to re-introduce MBM to you guys.  MBM is an opportunity for us guys to get out of the mode of be replacement shoppers and become somewhat regular shoppers because we have a place to go to get casual wear that is more than just a t-shirt and sweat pants.

Eric Moore, Guitar Center Drum Off Champion and drummer for Suicidal Tendencies, dropped by the new MightyBigMan Store in Georgetown to pick up some of his “favorite gear”-    MightyBigMan continues to offer fashion looks for guys like Eric who just hate shopping at traditional big and tall stores.  Look for Eric to be a key endorser of MightyBigMan in the near future!!!!  It is all he wants to wear!

What I liked about the pants is that they fit my waist and had enough length to come to just below the tops of my shoes.  As a matter of fact the jeans that I have on in the photo are MBM.  Fellas if you are looking for a quality jean for your big and tall body frame be sure to check out Doug and Mighty Big Man!

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

For the past few weeks I have been talking about shapewear and referring to both men and women in this regard.  Today I came across a new term for men – sculptwear. Most of us that know what the term sculpt means know that some marketer decided in order to attract mean to the shapewear industry something beside terms that reminded us of wearing a girdle would have to be used.

For me it was a little uncomfortable wearing my “sculptwear” but as the name suggests it did just as the name implied it sculpted my body so that my clothes appeared to fit differently.  Side Note:  All this mess with some shapers taking 10 inches off magically or some other equally as preposterous claim make my eye twitch and will not be talked about on this blog.

As I said it shifted my beer belly to smooth out the area around my belt-line to make my shirt not stick out as far and allow me to pull my pants up to wear they are supposed to be instead of under my belly.

The same can be said of shapers for ladies that it should be viewed in the same manner as the garments for men as a smoother-outer instead of a magical elixir to cure all the ailments of mankind.  Back to the guy talk.  As long as we men view shapers as something our wives and mothers wear it will be hard to get full mainstream support for wearing a garment that sucks our gut in no matter what it is called.  With that being said though men are not willing to talk about shapers we are surely buying them according to the article – Men’s Shapewear is a Retail Hit.

The good thing about the garments from SPANX® , Equmen, and Sculptees is in marketing to men they have decided against using the terms associated with women’s wear and concentrated on using terms men can identify with like sculpt, and confidence builder as well as designing the garments to look like a typical T-shirt.  While most men will still view these pieces as a girdle for men regardless as to what it is called there will be less resistance.  With prices ranging from $50-$109 men are now treading into the realm of paying big money to look a certain way which may still be to fancy for most fellas.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women

I am in the middle of looking for my wardrobe of choice to wear during Full Figured Fashion Week™ and was lucky enough to be contacted by a representative from Jacamo a big and tall menswear retailer based in the UK there were several items I could see myself wearing to fit the mood I am in these days to wear a french cuff shirt, jeans, and a pair of nice dress shoes.

Jacamo.co.uk is  menswear with a difference. It’s perfect for bigger blokes (that’s guys or fellas in the US) who are frustrated with shopping on the high street. Jacamo offers the latest looks in a variety of sizes; so bigger men don’t have to compromise on style or fit. The range has everything from shirts and t-shirts to jeans and shoes so you don’t have to trawl round – everything’s in one place!

The Jacamo size range starts at medium and goes up to 5XL, including waist sizes 34 – 54 and chest sizes 40 to 66, plus with a choice of lengths in both tops and trousers you know you’ll get the fit just right without having to spend hours at the shops!

If you like to wear big names then the Jacamo collection couldn’t be better, with a portfolio of over 30 brands, and many in sizes that are exclusive to Jacamo. Their branded range includes names like Ben Sherman, Hamnett, Ecko, Boxfresh, Fenchurch and more- so you’re sure to find a style to suit your personality!

Check out Jacamo’s menswear on undefeated world champion boxer Joe Calzaghe and see what he’s chosen from the collection. Plus you can see the Jacamo TV ad, which features the voice of TV funny man and comedian Jonny Vegas – a real bloke with a no nonsense attitude!

Jacamo.co.uk even has an interactive outfit builder, so you can see the latest looks on a real man and put different outfits together – the easy way to try before you buy with no cramped dressing rooms or pushy shop assistants! It’s definitely the best of both worlds!

I had a lot of fun playing with the interactive outfit builder and got some great ideas not only for what I am going to wear to New York but what my Spring and Summer look will be.  Sorry US fellas at this point I do not think they ship to our shores, I will find out and report back though.

Oh by the way menswear companies that want to send me samples of your clothing feel free to do so in exchange for coverage on Full Figure Plus.  P.S. Yes I know that was shameless begging but a closed mouth doesn’t get fed.

Full Figure Plus - Plus Size Fashion For Today's Active Women