Charming Shoppes' Fashion Genius Fit Solution Takes Advantage of Latest in Social Shopping Technology

BENSALEM, Pa., Feb. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the successful launch of their new fit and style technology, Fashion Genius™, Lane Bryant® and its sister brands Catherines®, Fashion Bug® and Sonsi® have further enabled the customer's shopping experience by "going social." In just minutes, women will now be able to build personalized outfits based on their Fashion Genius™ fit and style profile, share their outfit creations across their preferred social network, and vote for their favorite customer created looks. In addition, the sites will now offer customers the option to manage their account and wardrobe through a single social login of the customer's choice.

Fashion Genius™, the breakthrough fit and style technology launched last September, takes the guesswork out of shopping online, enabling plus size women to turn personalized recommendations into fully styled, head-to-toe outfits. Today, Fashion Genius™ goes one step further, taking advantage of the latest shopping technologies, including social networking across the leading social media platforms using crowd-sourcing software that allows women the ability to seamlessly utilize customer opinions to make purchasing decisions as well as integrate their favorite social networking site into their overall shopping experience.

"The only thing better than shopping is shopping with friends," says Jill Hutchison, director of e-commerce for Charming Shoppes.  "She can now build an outfit online, tap into her social networks and ask all of her friends to vote whether they'd prefer to see her in her 'Summer Brunch' or "Shades of Coral" outfit.  Fashion Genius makes it easy for her to find clothes online that both fit and flatter.  These new enhancements make it fun!"

Charming Shoppes has also introduced PayPal®, a new payment option available to its users. PayPal offers customers added convenience in making purchases through the brand's web and mobile shopping experiences as well as flexibility in managing purchases online.

About Charming Shoppes, Inc.

Charming Shoppes, Inc. operates 1,929 retail stores in 48 states under the names LANE BRYANT®, CACIQUE®, LANE BRYANT OUTLET®, FASHION BUG®, FASHION BUG PLUS® and CATHERINES PLUS SIZES®.  The Company also operates the Figi's family of brands, including the holiday food and gifts catalog Figi's® Gifts in Good Taste®, the home and gifts catalog Figi's® Gallery and its wholesale unit Figi's Business Services, and Sonsi®, an online marketplace featuring over 300 brands, one of the largest online assortments for full figured women. For more information about Charming Shoppes and its brands, please visit www.charmingshoppes.com, www.lanebryant.com, www.cacique.com, www.fashionbug.com, www.catherines.com, www.loop18.com, www.sonsi.com, www.figis.com, and www.figisgallery.com.

SOURCE Charming Shoppes, Inc.