Geri Avril at Julie Envy (5'5)

[Kaitlynn]

I really adore the campaigns of French retailer Julie Envy (www.julieenvy.com). They consistently use gorgeous, genuinely full-figured plus-size models in their ads, and they allow them to look authentically curvy in their photographs.

Vanessa Blareau was the star of the company's fall/winter campaign, but for spring/summer, I really admire their new find, a model named Geri Avril.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/articles/168-1-3.jpg

She's very cute- and very curvy, with round facial features and a shapely figure. What a challenge she must be to the anorexic look that defines "Paris fashion" to the world.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/articles/237-1-3.jpg

Of her various beautiful images, I especially like this one, showing her with a fruity drink in her hand- relaxing like a gorgeous supermodel, but a beautifully curvy one, not a waif.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/mannequin/23-1-3.jpg

In French, the name of the campaign in which she appears is Gourmandise,- which, as far as I can tell, means something similar in French to what it means in English: "Indulge (in food)," or as a noun, "Indulgence." I think it's so liberating for this company to be adopting this daring phrase as their slogan- and illustrating it with such lovely image of a voluptuous model, who embodies the idea perfectly.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/articles/159-1-3.jpg

And it gets even better. Geri's stats are given as a very womanly 48-41-47.

More exciting yet, her height is 1.66 m, or...(wait for it)...

5'5 (!).

No wonder she displays such luscious curves in her photos.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/articles/157-1-3.jpg

I really like some of the styles she models, too. They seem more youthful and sexy than most European plus-size fashion, and accentuate and emphasize curves, rather than diminishing them.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/articles/225-1-3.jpg

I love all the v-necks and ruching; and even here, this teen-ish outfit benefits from the pretty accessry of the hair clip.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/articles/229-1-3.jpg

Julie Envy may be as close to Torrid as they have in France. I'm so happy that they're using such a legitimately curvaceous model.

For those who can read French, there's also a brief profile of the model, here:

http://www.julieenvy.com/Mannequin-23.html

And let me leave off with a photo showing the model's cute facial features. It's cropped in a funny way, but you can see the soft roundness of her visage.

http://www.julieenvy.com/images/articles/255-1-3.jpg

[kirsten]

For those of us on the petite end of height chart, the news that Geri is 5'5" is terrific. Finally! I've been waiting a long time to see a model in a campaign who is closer to my height, to whom I could relate and realize, yes, this is how hip, trendy clothing can look on a normal figure.

Also, Julie Envy's clothing is definitely severaly notches above the usual clothing for plus-size women sold in Europe. Let's hope that plus-size designs are yet another area in fashion in which Paris can claim to be the trendsetter.

[HSG]

And it gets even better. Geri's stats are given as a very womanly 48-41-47.

More exciting yet, her height is 1.66 m, or...(wait for it)...

5'5 (!).

No wonder she displays such luscious curves in her photos.
It's so encouraging to see a youthful, pretty, and truly full-figured model in an international campaign. Fashion aside, American plus-size companies could <i>already</i> learn a great deal from this Parisian retailer . . . about <i>casting.</i> At her size and height, Mademoiselle Avril has the <i>ideal</i> proportions of a plus-size model, and U.S. campaigns would benefit greatly from featuring models who are similarly curvy--and gorgeous.

Visitors who possess at least a smattering of French might also enjoy reading the full-length interview with Mlle Avril, which appears at the link posted below. We hope to see more of this voluptuous model--and more models with similarly woman proportions--in the near future.<p><center><img src="http://www.judgmentofparis.com/forum/geri01.jpg"></center><p>- <a href="http://www.julieenvy.com/detailMannequin-23.html" target="_blank">Click here to read the interview with Geri Avril</a>