Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by The Purple Tiger Boutique
Metairie’s Best Kept Boutique Secret :: The Purple Tiger Boutique
There was once a time when my wardrobe was the envy of my circle of girlfriends. I was
single and gainfully employed with money to burn – and I bought a new outfit for practically every social outing I attended. But sometime between then and getting married and having 3 babies in as many years, my wardrobe became pretty… blah. My body after kids and since hitting 40 has definitely been a challenge to dress.
Is it too much to ask for my clothing to be age-appropriate but still be fun, to be stylish but not too trendy, and, above all else, be comfortable enough to wear while momming?
No, actually, it isn’t too much to ask – I just needed to find The Purple Tiger Boutique! The Purple Tiger Boutique (PTB) is not your average clothing store – it is a fabulous collection of the most carefully curated pieces for your wardrobe and your home, many of them locally made. But the most unique thing about PTB is that it is truly size inclusive, offering sizes S-3XL in every single style they bring in.
The brick-and-mortar shop at 3250 Severn Avenue in Metairie near La Madeleine has been open since the summer of 2022, but the online shop is where PTB originated years prior. Nearly a decade ago, owner Megan Armstrong took on a part-time role as a representative for a clothing company and began to discover her love for retail fashion beyond it being a hobby. She eventually left a career in Clinical Psychology to focus on her clothing business because she knew it would afford her more flexibility with her children and her involvement with their activities. When she realized that curating her own boutique experience would give her the opportunity to offer a broader range of what her customers wanted, The Purple Tiger Boutique was born.
The Purple Tiger Boutique is Truly Size-Inclusive
Megan prides herself in sourcing pieces that feel as great as they look – and that they look great on all body types! Her team is comprised of women of various builds and sizes, and she loves to show them off as her models. It’s a great way for women of any size to visualize what they’d look like wearing that top, dress, or pair of pants. (Speaking of dresses, some of them even have built-in shorts… WITH POCKETS! PTB is giving the people what they want!)
Megan understood that women of all sizes want to love what they wear, but she saw that traditional boutique sizing was missing the mark with a lot of women. Even if a shop offered larger sizes, they often relegated them to a separate section of the store. She knew that she could revolutionize the boutique shopping experience by including sizes that are often overlooked AND displaying the complete range of sizes together by style. That’s why every gorgeously organized rack at The Purple Tiger contains all sizes of each item – the entire store is designed to cater to any customer.
The Purple Tiger Boutique is Your Headquarters for All Things Local
Walking into the store, you’ll notice it has a very New Orleans feel to it. The boutique is filled with merchandise highlighting our local sports teams, holidays, and events. Right now, the focus is on Spring and their beautifully styled windows and entryway spotlight
Easter pastels and St. Patrick’s Day green. There’s even a display dedicated entirely to crawfish! I definitely snagged this adorable crawfish headband. There are even racks of adorably packaged unique snacks! From headbands and jewelry to custom blends of face glitter and over a dozen styles of shoes (many in sizes up to 11!), The Purple Tiger literally has you covered from head to toe for every season… even swimsuit season!
Megan, who had no prior experience in business ownership or formal social media training, works hard to establish relationships with other local business owners and vendors. Besides offering their products, The Purple Tiger Boutique often teams up with these local businesses to host community workshops, events, and pop-ups. In fact, my very first visit to the boutique was shortly before Christmas when a headpiece pop-up was there. And I can’t wait until their next sunglass decorating event!
The Purple Tiger Boutique Offers a “Feel Great” Shopping Experience
Shopping at PTB is always a fun experience because Megan and her team members are so helpful without being at all pushy. They take time to understand what you’re looking for and to help you find something you absolutely love. I am not a huge fan of dresses because I’m self-conscious about my legs. Her stylist Amanda heard my concerns and went to the back to pull out a dress that hadn’t even hit the floor yet because she just had a feeling I might like it. And I LOVED it! It was definitely a little out of my comfort zone, but pulling back the dressing room curtain, I was met with such genuine enthusiasm that I decided it was worth making the leap.
Along with that dress and the crawfish headband I mentioned earlier, I left the boutique that day with 3 fun, flirty tops that I absolutely love, 2 pairs of earrings (that are now waitlisted, but there are plenty of others), and a precious little Louisiana-themed Easter book for my kiddos. But more than that, I left feeling excited to start exploring this new, evolving style of mine. Seems like maybe my best-dressed days aren’t *all* in my past after all.
Just placed an order! Thanks for the rec!