I'm an awkward size. I'm curvy, I'm very short and I have a high waist. For many years Evans was my go-to shop for jeans, as I knew they'd always have my size and my leg length in a variety of styles and colours. Maybe you could get cheaper elsewhere, but it was worth it for the quality and the fit. I was last in Evans about two months ago, merely browsing, but I had noticed that the store seemed to be less well stocked than usual, with a slightly higher proportion of 'bleh' items. The jeans section had always been a big feature of the shop though, so after deciding to treat myself to my first pair of skinny fit jeans (previously being a straight legger) I was pretty confident I'd be sorted swiftly.
Boy, was I disappointed. They've moved the boots and shoes downstairs, taking up a large corner that no longer has clothes. The rest of the ground floor was mumsy anoraks and 'mother of the bride lounge wear' and some accessories. Oh, and the sales rail, which I couldn't even face. Upstairs was more of the same, with the addition of Evans' laughable attempt at workwear (and providing stylish plus size tailoring is a market they really should be cornering). Black trousers (x 12 varieties), white shirts ( x 10 varieties). If you're a plus sized waitress, you're sorted. Hoping to find the once glorious jeans display upstairs, I was heartbroken to find just one tiny corner jammed with bootcuts or straight legs in only two lengths and two colours. My only 'skinny fit' options were the hideous jeggings in toddler colours, or the slightly less hideous navy jeggings that were exactly the same material, but had a button and a zip, and therefore £15 extra. I tried them on. They weren't even that skinny.
On leaving, I couldn't help but notice how shapeless all of the tops and dresses were. Evans is still good for catering for the larger sizes, but for those of us on the cusp of 'standard' retail, they seem to forget that we might still have bits we want to show off. A few years ago Evans really seemed to be updating themselves, with ranges by Beth Ditto and a few collections definitely aimed at the younger market. The high street choice in plus size clothes has always been ropey, but when supposedly specialist retailers like Evans take such a huge backward step (and when you're considering buying jeans from Primark) then you know things have gone terribly wrong. read more