Seriously, why is attractive clothing for overweight women so hard to find?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

I think WhyNot has a point with #5. I think fat people are often singled out and noticed more - so when one of them dresses like shit everyone notices. When someone is of “normal” body shape and size, they probably blend in a little bit more and no one takes a second glance.

When I was heavier, I was still on the brink of being able to find sizes in “regular” stores, so I never had the nightmare of shopping at Lane Bryant, but my mom did. I think it’s gotten easier these days. But with my hatred of clothes shopping in general, I think it sucks for everyone. I can never find stuff I like in a size 8, so I’d imagine a size 18 and 28 are equally as mystified.

42

We must be related, because you’re talking about my mother. Even for my sister’s and my weddings, she didn’t want to spend more than $35 on her entire outfit. And she wouldn’t let us take her shopping and buy her something either.

I’m bookmarking this for the handy links upthread – thanks! One thing I see on a lot of them that’s a plus (you should excuse the pun) is that they use plus-size models. Seeing Lane Bryant clothes on thin models in the catalog doesn’t really help me see what they’ll look like on my body.

43

Lightray - If you notice, the designers on Project Runway don’t seem to know how to design for someone that isn’t a sign 0. Remember two seasons ago when one of them was assigned a model that even the lovely Tim Gunn called “zaftig”? She was maybe, possibly, a size 4. The designer (I forget now who it was) had a hard time coming up with ideas and fitting her. And they pitched fits when they had to do each other’s moms. They can’t conceptualize “real” people. They have a design in their heads. The model is nothing more than a structure to hang the design from.

StG

44

Could you explain the 12W, 14W sizing for me? I am a 14 on top due to long arms, broad shoulders and 38D bra. I have been going with “large,” which doesn’t cut it. What does the “W” signify? And where do I find that size? Store, catalog, I don’t care.

I was at Lane Bryant and they start at 14/16 and that’s too big for me too. Any advice for someone who isn’t a true Plus size?

45

This, this is exactly what I wanted to post. I am a man on the slim, muscular side, who has little experience with women of a Certain Size (choosing to use WhyNot’s nomenclature).

But I would wager good money that a very large percentage of women of a Certain Size haven’t accepted their bodies as who they are. They feel the extra weight is something temporary, not truly part of their bodies and something that will one day be gone. Buying nice clothes to fit that body requires being mentally more comfortable with who you are, and being more accepting of how long you will be in your current body size. Most women just can’t accept it.

46

I’m sorry, but I can’t really explain it, since I am on the merest cusp of understanding it myself. However the gist is that the “W” stands for Women’s (as opposed to Misses’, which is what the standard even-numbered sizes are). The sizes 12W, 14W and 16W, etc. are cut differently than 12, 14, and 16 and so forth. I used to think (when I was a mere slip of a thing at size 12-hah!) that any size above a 14 was automatically “Women’s,” but that apparently isn’t the case. I do think that Lane Bryant’s (and Avenue’s) 14/16 is actually 14W/16W, because they are bigger on me than the 14/16s from almost every other retailer I’ve tried.

The chart linked here is from the Newport News online catalog illustrates the difference in measurements for the different sizes. This is linked for information only; I do not recommend their clothing. It is, in my opinion, of mediocre quality, and is often not true to their own chart.

47

Apparently, I really can’t stop babbling. I meant to add that the chart is in no way to be considered universal; if there is an actual standard of measurement for feminine apparel it is a well kept secret. It merely illustrates that Misses’ and Women’s are cut differently.

48

I would like to add a bit more to this discussion. I’m nearly 56 and have been overweight most of my life (from jr. high on), so have a goodly amount of experience at finding clothing that fits.

When I was in Jr. High/High School, there were but two stores for overweight women (and girls!) to shop in: Lane Bryant and Roamans. I can remember going to the stores in downtown Philadelphia with my Mom–they were right next door to each other. Their “fashions” were almost all “old lady” fashions - mumus, large flower prints, polyester … gah! I think at some point that Sears and maybe even Wanamakers carried some plus size clothing, but the selection wasn’t very large. Hah, no pun intended!

There is definitely a much better selection of plus size clothing available today. I’m also tall, and have trouble finding pants that actually fit, length wise. Avenue used to be one of the few places I could get tall pants in the “extended” plus sizes, but even Woman Within (formerly Lane Bryant Catalog) carries them now, fortunately. I do have better luck ordering online or from a catalog than from a brick and mortar store; I wear a 30/32, sometimes larger, and many times the stores just don’t have much in those sizes.

I can remember hating trips to Lane Bryant when I was in high school; crying because there was so little to choose from.

49

Ican! Until the day that I get motivated enough to change myself, this is the only me that I’ve got. (Well, other than her. :smiley: )Why not be happy and treat myself right?

50

Oh my lord, I almost pooped myself laughing so hard.

51

Another mistake clothing designers (and BBWs) make is that they shy away from color. The right colors and the right fit can make a big difference; not only in how you look but how others perceive you.

My roommate was a big girl. She looked great in bright colors. I cannot recall a single time that she wore black on black. It really worked for her.

52

There really is no rhyme or reason to sizing, but generally a “W” is cut a bit more fully in the boobs & hip area.

I can wear anything from a misses 12 to a woman’s 14 - it all depends on who made it and what I had for breakfast this AM.

RE: plus size in general: it’s only in I’d say the past 5-7 years that really good stuff has been available. I remember bullet-proof polyester pants in black that turned rust red after a few washings. I remember when stirrup pants and tunic shirts were foisted upon us. Don’t forget the abomination that is the Quacker Factory (www.qvc. com - do a search and try to forgive me). Tired of clothing that is merely lackluster and made of awful fabrics? Why not give appliqued t-shirts & holiday sweaters a try? I mean while you’re trying to make fat women disappear (fashion-wise), why not de-sexualize us while you’re at it?

Also - I think a lot of plus sized women are “fashion challenged”. All the fashion magazines are geared to the “normal” (translation - size 2) sizes, and lot of larger women I know shy away from them. Me? I read “Vogue” and “WWD” like a mofo and made it work for me.

My favorite plus sized places include the aforementioned Ulla Popken - I also like some stuff from torrid.com and I buy a lot of Talbots & Jones New York. I also wish there were more stores like this - http://www.leeleesvalise.com/ - I plan on making a trip to da Brook-a-leen to visit.

VCNJ~

53

You probably know about it already, but I also recommend Fatshionista to anyone else in the thread looking for fashion advice for unapologetically fat bodies.

54

Well, the “W” is supposed to stand for “Woman”. The cut is supposed to be fuller in the hips and bust as opposed to just bigger all over.

I’ve seen as low as a 14W, but never a 12W.

I have to say that things have gotten much, muuuuuuuuuuccch better since I was in high school, when the only plus size clothes were for frumpy women in their fifties. More stores carry larger sizes - though some only go up to 18, it’s still an improvement. There are more plus size stores out there, and the offerings online make me very, very happy.

Still, the same three characteristics we all want in clothing can be devilishly difficult to find, especially for plus size women. That is: clothing that fits, clothing that is attractive, and clothing that is well made for the price.

Fit is more difficult for plus size women, because of the great variation of where we pack the pounds on. For instance, I carry most of my weight around my waist, and I have a large bust. I wear a 16 or 18 on top, but an 18 or 20 on bottom. I have the bottom of a woman half my weight (and, boy, is she ticked). Yes, regular sized women face the same issues, but it’s even worse for plus sized women, because the differences are that much larger.

There’s no guarantee that a clothing line that used to have a good fit on you will continue to. I’ve found that about every three years, I have to switch stores, clothing lines, or what have you in order to find the best fit. Also, stores like Lane Bryant and the Avenue have a frustrating habit of changing buyers or attitude or something, and their entire line of clothes changes from one milieu to another, leaving me out in the cold.

I still have a hard time convincing myself to lay out money on clothes. Part of it is my mom was no clothes horse - she was always put-together and attractive, but she had no interest in following trends. I never got used to shopping for clothes except when I really needed them (last good blouse got a spaghetti sauce stain that can’t be ignored). I never got used to buying the kind of good, solid clothes that are supposed to last you for years, because when I went shopping with my mom, I was either in the middle of a growth spurt or I was trying to diet to please her.

She did her very best, but she was so worried about my weight and health, she chose the wrong carrot - as soon as I lost weight, she would happily refit me with a new wardrobe, and until then, why didn’t we just get what I needed to get by. I never did lose weight, so I never had more clothes than what I needed to just get by.

Consequently, it’s taken me years as an adult to get comfortable buying clothes that I don’t absolutely need, especially nicer clothes. I think the most expensive piece of clothing I’ve ever bought has been less than $100. I’m the same way with shoes, though my feet are probably the one part of my body that doesn’t have extra fat on them.

I still feel terribly self-concious about shopping, even in plus-size stores, because the ghosts of middle school past haunt me. [snotty girl’s voice]God, why do you even try? You’re nothing but a fat whale.[/snotty girl’s voice] [obnoxious boy’s voice]Hey, nice outfit. For a freak show![/obnoxious boy’s voice] [teacher’s voice]If only you could lose a little weight, phouka. You have such a pretty face.[/teacher’s voice] It’s worst when I shop by myself, and on bad days, it’s enough to make me give up entirely.

Finally, clothes are now available that are well made for the money, fit, and attractive. Salespeople, for the most part, treat me like a human being. I know if I go to Nordstrom’s with a lot of money to spend, I will have something to wear that makes me feel beautiful. If I go to Nordstrom’s The Rack with three hundred dollars, I can pick up anywhere from six to ten pieces just as nice, but the selection is much more limited, and it takes me three times as long to find them. Anywhere else, and it is much more hit or miss, more frustrating, more demoralizing, and more depressing.

So, if you hear me complaining about how hard it is to find good clothes for plus-size women like myself, these days, it’s less about the actual selection available today than it is about the cumulative scars of shopping twenty to ten years ago. In the last four years, I’ve probably purchased twice as many clothes as I did in the previous twelve years.

55

Another good one is:

56

THIS!! who can figure out what the sizes mean after 18? Am I a w now? or maybe 1x, or what? very mysterious to me, sometimes I just give up and buy the stretchy thing.

57

They’re age categories as well as size categories. THEORETICALLY, a junior’s size (and they are odd numbers) is for a teenage girl, with slimmer hips and a smaller bust. A misses’ size is for an adult woman with “average” bust and hip measurements. She’s taller than a junior, and her bust and hips are bigger around than a junior. A women’s size is for a shorter, stouter figure, and the bustline is lower than in a misses. Petite does not mean small, it means shorter than average (usually 5’3" or shorter). Thus, a women size 14 top would have the bust dart placed lower than in a misses top of the same design, and the bust would be larger. The same top in a junior size would not allow as much room in the bust. Petite versions of the same tops would be somewhat shorter overall. Petite versions of pants not only have a shorter leg, but a shorter rise as well. Tall versions (not that I would know from personal experience) are longer in all dimensions, body and limbs and rise.

As I noted, this is all theoretical. In practice, the manufacturers cut the garments however the hell they want and then the poor retail clerks are left with dressing rooms full of tried on clothes (and nothing fit after all), because a woman can’t just pick up a pair of 13 junior petite jeans and expect it to fit like a glove, unless the manufacturer is really consistent about cutting and sewing garments.

58

Some of those clothes at Zaftique are really gorgeous, but they’re made of polyester or a cotton-poly blend. I think I just realized why I dress so sloppily: because I want to wear all cotton.
I haven’t looked at all the links you guys provided. Other than Lands End, which I already use, are any of those links for stores that are heavy on cotton clothing?

59

Gala, thank you for asking the same question I was going to ask. Rayon is the devil’s fabric.

60

Why?

Zaftique rocks! I’ve bought waaaay too many clothes from them. I’ve never had a problem.