I have been riding a homornally-induced weight roller coaster for years now. I am not huge or anything, but finding clothes that fit and flatter is one of the hardest things to do.
Why is it that clothing designers assume that if you have generous hips, your thighs must also be 2 feet across?
Second on the horizontal stripes thing. And the hideous day-glo and jewel toned colors designers insist on putting big girls into. And what makes people think that making otherwise stylishly designed business wear in bulky, nappy fabric will help anything?
Clothes are expensive, and you do get what you pay for in most cases. But it sucks a lot that just because I don’t have $100 to spend on every outfit, I have to look dumpy and frumpy.
I have been surprised while shopping stores like Fashion Bug and Cato, on occasion, but only the clearance sales. Wal-Mart even made me happy when they brought out the Levi’s stretch jeans, they fit well and are stylishly cut. It’s still a constant struggle to find attractive clothes, though.
One way I shop is at the Salvation Army and Goodwill. It’s like a treasure hunt, but the occasional awesome find together with the low low price makes it worth it.
Man, you beat me to it. I cannot believe where people shop! Fashion Bug?! Lane Bryant?! Newport News?! Dress Barn?! My goodness. I say its better to have a small amount of better quality clothing than a large amount of shoddy pieces. Believe it or not, those items look bad on you! The larger a lady is, the worse cheap clothing looks on her, in my opinion.
There used to be an Ulla Popken in a mall here, Towson Town Centre. I think they closed, though. I went in there one day because I liked the clothes in the display window. I didn’t realize they store catered to larger women until I asked one of the sales women where I could find my size.
There’s also jjill.com. They carry sizes up to a 28W.
Where do you buy your fabric - because while I probably could sew (I know how, have the machine, etc. I end up not sewing my own clothes because I’d have to overalter the pattern (spending way too much time) and then pay 3x as much for fabric, when I can just spend less time and effort buying something that doesn’t really fit, but isn’t too bad afterall. My experience w/the rayon shell top (or more likely, the trousers with a long enough inseam) is the opposite of yours - sewing it costs more and takes longer.
I could never find boots to fit my calves, until last year. Sudini had a knee high boot called the Give that pulled on and laced up the back. The laces are elastic and allow for, well, give.
I was really excited. And they are totally comfortable. I walked all over San Francisco in them totally comfortable. For the first time since I was about 14 I found a knee high boot that fit. And for me it didn’t matter if I was at my ideal weight or +30lbs, I could never find boots that fit over my calves.
My theory as to why fashions for plus-size women are so awful is that designers are convinced that women are only plus-size temporarily and will lose weight, so that they don’t need or want attractive and reasonably sized clothing. My tips are to check out wwwlandsend.com and click on their women’s section. There’s a large section of clothing from 14-24 that looks just like the misses section, just cut larger. My other tip is check out the clothing shows on QVC and Home Shopping Network. My current favority is Citiknits because the clothes are made in an easy care acrylic/spandex knit that drapes beautifully and washes easily. When you’re shopping via catalog or online, measure yourself honestly and call up if you have any questions. I love the other tips in this thread and will investigate further.
There’s a fine art to this, and I think I’ve almost perfected it. It helps that I used to work at a fabric store, but the prices I quote here are not “employee discount” prices.
When it comes to shell tops, find 60" width rayon. I don’t know what size you are, but my size varies from 14-22 ready to wear (which translates to a size or two larger in pattern sizes). I can make a shell top out of 1 1/8 yards of 60" rayon. (There are ways to squeeze more out of the yardage, and save an 1/8 of a yard or so.) Sometimes the sleeves will be a little shorter than I’d like, but I can do it. I’ve even made a shorter sleeved top out of 7/8 of a yard, more than a few times. If you can find a remnant or get rayon on sale, you can make a really nice top for less than $10. Use the same pattern over and over again (so you don’t have to add that expense to the project) and a few notions (I always stockpile these so I don’t need to buy notions for every project) and you are all set.
Now with pants, 45" width is fine. 2 5/8 yards at (if you get an inexpensive cotton, for instance) can be $6 a yard: $15.75. Add a buck or two for notions, and that’s not bad. 2 yards for pants at 60" width, and if you get the fabric for perhaps $8-$10 a yard, you can still get inexpensive pants. Same goes for skirts, etc. I have a special dress pattern (mid-calf length) that I can make from a little over 3 yards of 45" fabric (and it is flattering, too!), so at that price, I could get some nice calico on sale for $5 and make a dress for around $20. (Add a few bucks for buttons and interfacing, etc.) I have clothes made out of quilting calico that have lasted me almost a decade.
Like I said, I stick with “tried and true” patterns that I’ve tweaked to oblivion, so I know that they will fit, and I know what works. When I start a new pattern or new kind of style, the price is going to go up. You have to buy the pattern, for one thing, and you have to spend a long time seeing how it’s going to work for you. So a “system” such as mine does take a little setting up. But once you’ve gotten past that, you are all set.
yosemite, who used to sew herself a shell top almost every night, just for fun.
Lane Bryant was purchased by the company that owns Fashion Bug a few years ago. Up until then, I had no problem at all finding decent clothes there. I hate Fashion Bug. They are hell, and Lane Bryant is too. I’ve been shopping at JC Penney’s out of necessity. I also wear a lot of men’s clothes from Old Navy, although I intend to stop, as that is not at all the style I need to be wearing. Not only am I overweight, I am not as curvy as a plus-size woman is apparently supposed to be. My legs are quite slim, relatively speaking, and getting pants to fit me has always been ridiculous. Can’t sew either. I wish I could, as it would help so much.
I was getting clothes from Landsend.com but I find they’ve really gone downhill over the last year. I could not recommend them now. But your taste may vary.
I just ordered a Silhouettes skirt this week, I am looking forward to seeing how it fits. It was a totally gorgeous plaid, which is what I was looking for. But mostly I shop in the bargain basement of a big department store, because paying markup on most clothes gives me hives and I’m nowhere that I find it easy to get to fabric stores. (We just got a car though, so I will be looking for a good fabric store near Boston soon.)
The bargain basement is of course hit and miss. But I’ve found some really lovely designer label clothes at prices that don’t even make me wince terribly much, and I drag my fashion-forward husband along to have the final say on clothes, so I do end up with very nice pieces. Just takes a bit of a hunt. (He’s such a sweetie about it- hates shopping, as I do, but has an incredible eye for what will look good. It’s definitely easier to find good plus-size clothes with someone like that along for the ride.)
Lane Bryant lost my custom years ago, their service was truly shocking, let alone the clothes.
Asto, I think larger women are beautiful, intelligent, and usually with a good sense of humor, and just plain fun to be with. Most women I care for just wear larger things than average, and that’s just beautiful to me. (I’m in the larger size also!)
A couple years ago, my husband accompanied me shopping for a party dress, and he finally understood what I’ve been complaining about.
I thought Lane Bryant was better than most, because at least they made an effort at pretty, fashionable clothes, whereas the design philosophy for department store plus sizes seemed to be, “no one will want to have sex with these fat chicks, so there’s no point in making them look pretty, never mind sexy.” Everything pretty much qualified as a tent. Nothing to show off curves, or display cleavage (one of the few nice things about my chunkier body). But now LB seems to be taking stuff from Arden B and Bebe and just enlarging it, and it looks weird.
It seems like the department stores are starting to catch on a bit. I agree that Liz Claiborne’s stuff is passable, but it’s monstrously overpriced.
The other thing I hate is that the designs are almost always for a pure apple figure. My hips are 48", but my waist is only 33". When I find a pair of jeans that fit over my hips, I’m left with a waistband that would allow me to smuggle a couple large puppies at the small of my back.
I’m afraid it’s true: the only answer for this big-bootied, sway-backed, wide-hipped, small-waisted gal is to get back to sewing.
Another vote here for Lane Bryant’s bra line, yay for choices for big girls! I hate how every other manufacturer seems to think anything over a 38C must be exactly the same and wear one single type of bra. :rolleyes:
The seventies fads weren’t kind to us the first time around, I’ll be ever so happy when this particular nostalgia trip fades.
Argh, I know what you mean. I was so thrilled when I went down two or three sizes not solely for losing weight, but so that I could dress like I wanted to. Have any of you noticed that when pants get larger, they also get shorter? WTF!?! Now I can actually find pants long enough as well. This makes me happy.
What the hell IS it with fat clothes and embroidery?
I mean, really - they take a perfectly fine button-down blouse with french cuffs and embroider Mickey Fucking Mouse on the breast pocket. Is this necessary, people?
I find that the opposite is true. To get the waist to fit me, pants are always enormous in the hips, since I do not have those particular features. I always wonder whether the designers sing “Baby Got Back” to themselves while they’re thinking up these clothes.
astro I’d bet you can find something both you and your daughter will like at Coldwater Creek. And, an added bonus, they do not charge extra for plus sizes. Yup, you pay exactly the same price the petites and juniors pay for a given outfit. And most of their stuff is “classic” styling.
They don’t seem to be offering any right now, but L. L. Bean has offered them in the past, and probably will again.
I tried repeatedly to get into this site: http://www.womens-boots.com/womens-boots-for-large-calves.htm
but all that I got on Netscape, however I tried it, was a stupid 1 pixel gif, even though the site ID was one for which I have enabled a cookie. I even opened MSIE (greater devotion hath none) and pasted it in there, but I wound up at Zappo’s again. And so I gave up on it.
I did not include foreign sites, or sites for ski boots or other special-use boots. If that was an error, then please do your own googling? I did see some results for motorcycle boots, and you might just find something that works for you there. If still no luck, send me an email. I know someone with this problem, and I’ll send Diane an email asking her where she’s buying boots these days.
I found lots of links about skiing, and some other sports, and also exercise. Another thing I discovered is that women with large calves are apparently one of those categories about which some men have fantasies.
I did not go to any of those sites. :o thankyewverymuch
If you’re talking about leather boots, a cobbler/shoe repairer can open one of the boot’s seams, and put in an elastic piece that matches in color. This allows the top of the boot to fit larger calves. Women who have very muscular legs run into this problem as well, and apparently this isn’t an uncommon thing to have done to boots these days.
Well, about the only place I can find anything in my size at a halfway decent price is Sears, but everything there runs along the lines of extremely simple. Finding something trendy is difficult, especially when I keep thinking that I’m too old for Torrid, but too young for polyester pants.
Sure I want to lose weight, but it takes time, and what about in the meantime? I’m not going to be out of plus sizes for at least a year, even if I lose weight at a fairly rapid pace.
(And well, I wish I could sew more. I’ve been known to mess up basic square pillows, though.)
Actually, I can’t imagine buying clothes in a “Barn” either.
I’ve only been to Fashion Bug once. The quality of the workmanship on their clothing was appalling. Might as well go through the Dumpster behind a thrift store.
I even opened MSIE (greater devotion hath none) 