iChina.com

Nelly is hot. His Apple Bottom Clothing Line is even hotter. The rapper-extraordinaire, now designer, has really become quite a sensation in the world of fashion. While many celebrities have attempted to conquer the fashion market, they have not always been successful. Nelly, however, outdoes the competition. His talent lies in his amazing sense of style, and more importantly, the appreciation he has for women and their bodies. He has created an urban apparel line for real women, rather than designing the familiar cardboard-cutout clothes that supermodels look terrific in. Nelly designs for women with curves, bubble butts, wide hips, chubby thighs, basically, real women. Thus, his motto "the clothes should fit a woman, not the woman fit the clothes", is quite appropriate. Sizes in the Apple Bottom line range from 2 to 22. The launch of Apple Bottoms in 2003 began with much hype and coincided with VH1's broadcast for the "Apple Bottom Girl". Since then, Nelly and his co-partners have expanded their collection from just jeans to include the most trendy and hip styles of apparel. Alicia Keys and Vivica Fox (who are quite curvaceous) are big fans. They have the body type that Nelly envisioned would look bootylicious in his clothes. Oprah and Queen Latifah fit nicely in Apple Bottom's plus size category. Popular beyond belief is Apple Bottoms signature piece, the jeans. They're absolutely form fitting and figure flattering. The cotton and Lycra blend just molds to your shape. Although the jeans fit close, they are comfortable without being constricting. In 2004, Oprah recommended the Apple Bottom jeans on her "Favorite Things" show. An apple logo is embroidered on the rear pockets of the jeans. Nelly chose the apple symbol because of his preference for apple-shaped booties. Don't worry if you lack curves to fit into the jeans. Apple Bottoms includes footwear (with extremely high heels), accessories, and handbags; there's something from the collection for everyone. Apple Bottoms urban apparel is quite flexible and wearable. A casual outfit can be dressed up and accessorized to take you from the office to an evening out. Some of the clothes are quite sexy; low-cut tanks, mesh teddies, short skirts, and tops that expose midriffs present a hip-hop, nightclub look. Shop for toddlers and young girls too. They will look ultra chic in the adorable collection of fairy-like babydolls, dresses, jumpers, and tees. This younger line includes colorful designer outerwear like down-filled coats, cute bomber jackets, and belted snorkel coats. Very cool. Apple Bottom stores are located nationwide. Regular priced items are extremely affordable. The online store offers a lot of shopping convenience and great bargains. This is a sure sign that Nelly places his fans and customers first; making tons of money is secondary. Nelly's message to all women has always been consistent - that is to embrace who they are and be proud of their figure. Show yourself off rather than concealing your body, like women tend to do. Women, on the other hand, who don't have the stereotypical perfect body, know they can look good and fashionable too in Apple Bottoms.