Margaret Cho performs her standup-show, Notorious C.H.O. in Los Angeles, CA. Courtesy of MargaretCho.com

Nothing Funny about Cho's New Line

By Karen K. Sakai

Korean-American comedienne, Margaret Cho. Courtesy of MargaretCho.com

This famed, comedic diva has openly shared just about everything from her sex-life to her passion for human rights activism, to her weight becoming a problem in the entertainment industry. While is she is most known for her limitless dedication to assert her opinions, Margaret Cho hits us with a new one and brings America a fashion line that doesn't use size to classify the woman as some kind of second class citizen and separates her into a different world. Margaret declares, "High Class Cho is about bringing beauty and the art of fashion to everybody."

Talk about your revolutionary line! The HCC collection exposes a contemporary, cosmopolitan alternative to the body that was forced to hide behind figureless garbage bags of dark colors, because society deemed as "fat." The High Class Cho line instead springs women into bright vibrant pinks, reds and fuchsias, while still offering the safe classic black "Breakfast at Tiffany's" chic and vivacious floral print.

HCC Lace Top and Skirt Outfit. Courtesy of HighClassCho.com

HCC brings youthful style, with fashion savvy principles that flatter the body in every way. With the collection of blouses, skirts and dresses, the true style of this collection of blouses, skirts and dresses is defined by the custom lines of the flared, knee length skirt, square necklines and slits that accentuate curves.

Revolutionary, co-creating designer, Ava Stander states, "High Class Cho is reminiscent of the glamorous fashions of the Ô40s, where screen sirens of every shape filled each frame with infinite possibility, mystery and desire." This philosophy is also made apparent by the clothes collection coming in four sizes: "Audrey" (size 10-12), "Lana (size 12-14), "Marilyn" (size 14-16) and "Anita" (size 16-18).

It's a return to the classic beauty of vintage flair, revamped and updated for the modern woman, and accompanied by a lustrous ensemble of satins, chiffons, and lace. HCC says good-bye to that plus-sized get-up that is reminiscent of habitual robes that historically labeled full-figured fashion as frump. It gives the women a fresh alternative to most plus-sized lines that are similar to what she mind find in her mother's closet.

HCC Blouse and Skirt Outfit. Courtesy of HighClassCho.com

The price also fits reasonably well for a designer label, running between $45 to $150, most likely due to the fact that the sharp duo see the clothing line as more of a political statement, then as a way to make money. "We would like to point the spotlight back in to the faces of the mainstream media that is creating impossible standards of thinness for women. These unrealistic yardsticks seemed to appear at the same time women were gaining unprecedented power in the work place; as if it was known that women consumed with dieting and glamour would be less likely to take jobs away from men. Very quickly women previously not considered overweight were considered fat and the ideal woman went from Marilyn Monroe to Twiggy and Kate Moss. We would like to move the weight standards for women up a bit and bring back the styles of the 1940's that loved women and their curves instead of hiding and distorting them; back to the time when sexy was Lana Turner, Anita Eckberg, and Mae West, and Miss America weighed 150 pounds," says Cho. Most pieces are also practical as well as affordable, such as the High Class Cho Skirt of Shame/Pride, which is a reversible skirt that like the rest of the collection can be either dressed-up or worn casually during the day.

"I wanted to make clothes to remember what it feels like to put something on that fits, that feels so good, that you don't want to take it off, that in your imagination, when you see yourself happy and lovely, and never think once that there might be a bulge here or there you have to hide, but you will be free to move, eat, love. Beauty is a choice. Choose yourself. Choose to be beautiful." Ð Cho.

For High Class Cho product information or to place an order visit: highclasscho.com.

For more information on Margaret Cho visit margaretcho.com.

November 21, 2003