If you’re looking for economy, Jasco’s good. But stay away from their cheapest stuff. The shirts barely cover your navel.
I found a nice pair of stone washed at Barco, but they’ll run a bit high. (Almost 50 bucks with shipping, but they’re soft and a nicw winter weight!)
I used to buy from SCRUBS, till they stopped carrying the soft touch poplin.
Hey, who says it has to be an either/or proposition? I go to malls to shop sometimes, but I also do quite a lot of catalog shopping. I wear plus sizes, and stores just normally don’t have much selection. You can get a lot wider variety from catalogs. I have a few catalogs that I order from regularly, and at first I had to send back quite a few things until I learned how their sizing system worked for me (it didn’t seem to correspond to the measurements they published, even though I was brutally honest with my own measurements.) My very favorite catalog is J. Jill, which is very expensive but has gorgeous things (women’s clothing only, in petite, misses, and plus sizes). They also have a website, which is www.jjill.com. I have also found that clothes from another catalog, Silhouettes (plus size women’s clothing) are almost always ill-fitting and cheaply-made.
I live in a medium-sized city with some good shops, but I can’t get there during the week, and often I’m nowhere near a shop at the weekend (or with someone who it would be rude to go dragging around shops), so it makes a lot of sense for me.
I’ve bought jeans and numerous other clothes, but mainly from the internet branch of shops I know already, so I know what size fits me. I’ve also bought trainers/sneakers over the internet, because there aren’t that many shops selling cool shoes (skateboard/streetwear brands like Etnies, Vans, Es, etc.), and a lot of the shops are either intimidating or really busy at weekends (wait 30 minutes for an assistant? No thanks). I’ve not had to return any shoes (although I’ve sent clothes back), but that sort of shoe is maybe easier to fit than some styles.
Boy am I late to this party! I’m the shop online queen! bluefly.com rocks! eLuxury.com has quite a bit of my money, too. bananarepublic.com is great because if I need to return the item, I can go to the store. jcrew.com, gap.com, polo.com and overstock.com (great prices on helly hansen jackets) are also regular places I shop.
I get almost all of my clothes online these days. My size is apparently pretty common, so even if I go somewhere like Fashion Bug or Lane Bryant, finding something I like in my size can be a bit of a crapshoot. If I go online, they either have my size or not, and I can buy accordingly without the hassle of driving around.
As a bonus, I don’t have to deal with a condescending sales clerk. I’ve been to some Lane Bryants where the clerks couldn’t be much larger than a size 8 or 10. It’s an interesting experience, let me tell you.
Generally speaking, I don’t buy shoes online. I’ve got wide feet, and they’re flat to boot. (No pun intended.) So I need to be fitted when I go in for shoes that are intended to last a while like running shoes or dress shoes. (The shoe store where I go has old-fashioned shoe floggers who have been doing this forever, and they keep my purchases on file so they can make suggestions. They are quite expensive, though.)
I also buy a lot of Aaron’s clothes online. Depending on the site, I can find clothes on sale from stores that I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. I also have access to stores that aren’t in my area, and from stores that don’t usually stock a lot of baby clothes in their brick-and-mortar stores. And since I know his sizes, his weight, and his height, I know what’ll fit him and what won’t.