I’m a fan of thrift stores and ebay and making my own. I don’t often buy new clothes for myself unless my diet has made all of the old ones too big. I buy my underwear and bras at Wal-mart and K-mart, generally.
Eclipse, Suzy Shier, Dynamite and occasionally Garage.
Target, Wal-Mart. For dresses I generally try Marshall’s or Dress Barn first, hoping they have a sale.
Cato, Target, WalMart, occasionally Old Navy or Kohl’s. And I like to catalog shop from Brylane Catalog Outlet (an outlet for Roaman’s, Jessica London, and Lane Bryant).
Cato is probably my favorite, because they have very affordable plus size clothes that don’t look like something my Grandmother would wear.
For me and my girls I like Nordstrom Rack, Sierra Trading Post, TJ Maxx , Gap and Kohl’s.
My kids are approaching the tween years and are becoming brand conscious I fear this means a trip to the mega mall is in my immediate future. I just cannot go into those clothing stores with strobe lights and pulsating loud music, shopping is torture enough but to have to put up with such an assault on my senses as well, Its too much!
For undies/socks/t-shirts: Wal-Mart or K-Mart
Everything else: Kohl’s. It’s the only place I’ve ever found where most things not only fit me, but actually look decent on me.
For jeans, it’s Vickie’s Dirty-Nasty-Slatternly-Whorish Little Secret. Same with simple long-sleeve t-shirts, Henleys and tanks.
For dresses and suits, usually Petite Sophisticate or one of the other petite specialists (though PS has gotten rather matronly as of late. I hate that).
Sweaters…wherever I can get ones I like. Marshall Field’s or Nordstrom, if the budget allows.
My three main sources of clothes: The Hospice Attic Thrift Store, Goodwill, and hand-me-downs from my mother and a lady at work who’s about my size. My wardrobe is actually a lot nicer than you might think from reading that!
If I were going to buy some brand-new clothes, I’d probably start with Target, then Goody’s, then the department stores in the mall, then the boutiques in the mall. Of course, I wouldn’t find anything…
Fashion Bug and Land’s End. Both online. I also wear a lot of t-shirts, which I buy online from random sources – band websites, etc. I have a fair amount of free t-shirts, too, from volunteer activities. I hardly ever wear socks, but when I need them I go to Target. Undies are from Jockey (also online).
Dresses and formal wear cause me a great deal of heartburn: things for women my size are either impossible to find, or are “mother of the bride” styles. I don’t see why I should have to dress like a 60-year-old just because I’m fat. Trust me, being fat hurts my appearance enough as it is. 
So far, my best formal outfit is the short-sleeved black top and floor-length black skirt that I got from David’s Bridal almost 4 years ago.
I hate clothes shopping.
Marshalls
TJMaxx
eBay
Talbots
Ann Taylor Loft
Banana Republic
New York & Company
VCNJ~
Mostly Saks, occasionally Neiman Marcus.
But I get my underwear from Target. I love their knit boxers.
I’ll second this! NY&Co is where I get most of my work clothes, plus some of my casual stuff, too. I have a real problem finding pants that are the correct length. I hate spending a lot of money on a pair of pants only to have to hem them, too. Their prices are pretty good too.
I like Ann Taylor Loft as well, and Banana Republic Petites. BP petite pants fit me perfectly.
I always look in Target, but it’s hit or miss. Their junior’s stuff is usually too uber-trendy and young for me, but a lot of their misses clothes are too simple. I only ever buy shirts their anyway. Their pants, both juniors & misses, are far too long, plus they are cut too straight for me. Sad, b/c they’re cheap.
Old Navy for t-shirts & really casual stuff.
Old Navy
Target
The Gap
Banana Republic
J Crew
Nordstrom
Neiman Marcus Last Call
I mostly by pretty basic clothes. My shoes, however, a whole 'nother story…
Holt Renfrew
Pur
Leo
Primitive
Arnold Churgin
Soul Flower
and a whole bunch of other small, trendy botiques that no outside of Calgary has heard of.
I do have a few pieces from Banana Republic, and a few things that I ordered online from J-Crew and Anthropologie, and when I was in LA I bought a dress and blouse at BeBe.
I’m a bit of a label whore.
A significant amount of my clothing comes from the clearance/sale racks at Walmart, K-mart, Shop-Ko, Dollar General, etc. Does this make me a hopeless dork? I have a few classier or more expensive things that I’ve acquired various places or been given as gifts, but in general I can’t see a big difference in quality.
So, what I’ve always wanted to ask is, what’s wrong with buying cheap clothes at discount stores? Is more expensive clothing, bought at higher end department or clothing-only stores, really that much better? (i.e. better-looking, or better-lasting, or better-feeling)
There’s nothing wrong with buying cheap clothes at discount prices.
No one will accuse you of being a fashionista, but as long as your ass is covered, you’re doing ok in my book.
(FWIW - yes, higher end clothing is that much better - it’s better designed, better made, more attention is paid to fit, fabric, etc etc - however, if you’re not into that sort of thing or you don’t need to ‘dress’ for work, then it doesn’t really make much of a difference).
Most of my clothes are from the Gap and Express Men. I also have a smattering of clothes bought on sale from Banana Republic. Almost all the t-shirts in my daily rotation are from Threadless.
BTW–I’m looking for a cheap PVC or pleather jacket. Men’s, XL size, under $20, which is possible online/on sale.
Any leads that you folks know of?
Caveat: I am a married male, therefore most of my clothing is bought by my wife.
Having stated that, when I buy, I usually go to:
[ul]
[li]Nordstrom: shoes[/li][li]Shirts: wherever…Nordstrom Rack, Marshal Fields, TJ Maxx[/li][li]Delicates: Kohl’s, anywhere…the sock guy at a flea market[/li][li]Suits: Brooks Brothers[/li][li]Jeans: Gap. they just fit well![/li][/ul]
When my wife buys…who knows?
-Cem
Steve and Barry’s? It’s a store that sells everything for <$10. It’s in malls, too.
Try online.
-Cem