Well, yeah, I guess I am, but I’m still mad as heck. I spent the weekend trying to find a pretty outfit to wear to a friend’s wedding, and I just got madder and madder the more I looked. See, I’m 30 or so pounds overweight. Just enough so that I have to shop in the “Big and Beautiful” sections of department stores. Well, you know what they have for selection in those departments? SWEET F.A. If there are 60 different types of blouses, skirts, and dresses in the “normal” section, there are 10 items to choose from in the “fat lady” section. And this is the really fun part; the larger items are FREAKIN’ UGLY!!! The smaller clothes have fun, pretty colours, and fun, pretty styles. The larger items come in blue, black, grey, or white (or the odd dark plum, if the buyers were feeling wacky that day). They look as if they were all made for Italian grandmothers from the Old Country.
The styles are unfashionable. The cut of these clothes is ridiculous; just because a woman needs a larger size doesn’t mean she wants to wear a bag with holes cut into it. Needing a larger size doesn’t mean that your legs and arms just grew 24 inches longer. Who is the model for these clothes, anyway? A fat-assed gorilla?
And, the real kicker, these clothes cost significantly more than the smaller sizes. Because not only do you get the embarrassment of having to shop in this department, but you get to pay more for it (because, after all, more material is used in making these clothes. Wouldn’t want to cut into our 500% profit margin and keep them the same price, now would we?)
Bah. A pox on all women’s clothes manufacturers, the people who buy them for department stores, and the department stores for buying this crap.
You know, I’ve thought of that, but the price of fabric is unreal.
::granny voice on:: I remember way back when when you could make clothes for much cheaper than you could buy them.::granny voice off::
Also, I’m not much of a sewer. I’m competent, but that’s about it. Nothing fancy for me.
I used to get all my clothes from Lands’ End (sweaters and blouses) and J. Peterman (suits and skirts), till Peterman went outta business . . . Now I am getting frantic, as I am ballooning from one size into the next-largest, and I CANNOT AFFORD to outgrow my Peterman wardrobe!!
Ever since Altman’s, Bonwit’s and Wanamaker’s went out of business, there’s been no place to get good, sensible, attractive clothing for over-30 women.
If you have time to buy something online, you might check out Coldwater Creek. They have a lot of things that would be attractive in larger sizes and they also provide ideas for accessories.
This little dark heartless part of me that I didn’t think existed just whispered the following phrase in my ear, “Why don’t you just lose weight?”
Yup… that was my first thought… G-d that sounds ridiculous… I’m sorry.
Let me tell you this tho’… with the right kind of lighting/make-up/and focus I can make that sack with holes look like an evening gown. What I’m suggesting is this: “If you’re not exactly proficient at sewing, buy something and add to it.”
I feel ya tho’… you have any idea how hard it is to find 28-38 slacks? I guess there’s a reason it’s Big “AND” Tall, and not Big “OR” Tall.
Featherlou, I feel your pain. I don’t sew at all, and am also a “lavish” body-type. As a result, I do 90% of my shopping via catalog (or webpage). Best places I’ve found are:
Just My Size (catalog AND webpage)
Lane Bryant (catalog – webpage in the works)
Roamans (catalog – webpage in the works)
All three have nice looking clothes at reasonable prices. Check them out.
Have you tried Lane Bryant? A lot of my friends shop there, and they always seem to get nice things.
As for more formal wear, I often see large sized gowns at vintage clothing stores. When shopping secondhand you often have better luck if you are an unusual size (either a bit bigger or a bit smaller than average), as there will be fewer people snatching up all the good clothes in your size.
(The sarcastic part of me whispered in my ear when I read this "Gee, I never thought of that. Only maybe 23, 23 1/2 hours of every day.)
I’ve decided to go the other route - I’m trying to learn to accept myself the way I am, instead of spending another 35 years disappointed and unhappy with myself because of 30 pounds of fatty tissue. I know it’s completely avant garde, but I figured it was worth a try.
And featherlou, I’m just like you, in that I’m happy with my body. It has taken me a good long time to come to terms with it, but I like me. Damn it. And judging from some of the comments I get from men, they like it too, so to hell with anyone that doesn’t agree with me.
(Thus endeth the Alberta-love-me-or-piss-off rant.)
I’m a teenager…you know how hard is it to find really interesting clothes for a size 12?
And Simetra, darling, believe me–I can’t get much smaller than this without resorting to unhealthy means.
Nobody seems to make jeans right. I don’t know, I must be wrongly proportioned or something. If I get a size to fit my waist, it’s too tight in the hips; if it fits my hips, it’s too big in the waist and they become hip-huggers by default.
I think that’s why I basically stick to long skirts and A-line short skirts now.
I was watching a Jann Arden interview, and she often says that she was told as a musician that she’s thirty pounds away from superstardom (for those of you not familiar with Jann, she’s an absolutely beautiful, extremely talented Canadian singer/songwriter). She said that her mom came up with the best come-back for this; “Just tell them you don’t want to gain any more weight, dear.” (Jann is also very, very funny.)
(Simetra, yup, I realized you meant no offense. I thought I would just take the opportunity to mention to people who don’t already know it that overweight people are very aware of dieting. Verrrrry aware.)
Oh, oh, I forgot the flipside of this rant - my fiance goes shopping for clothes, and buys the size he needs RIGHT OFF THE FRIGGIN’ RACK AND THEY FIT!! Without even trying them on! So I know it can be done - just not for women!
Amen to that! Whenever I find jeans that fit, I buy about 5 pairs of that kind and wear them until they fall apart, just to minimize the number of times I go shopping for jeans.
I mean, honestly, pants manufacturers recognize that men come with different leg lengths and waist sizes. Why can’t we get jeans like that, but also with a hip measurement.
Hmm, some reader is going to read this and make bonzo bucks off my idea.
Well, I’ll add another vote for Lane Bryant. They are reasonable and have always had lovely clothes. I shop there if I want to buy something for my mom, and am often pissed they don’t sell clothes in smaller sizes (depending on the brand, I fit into anything from an 8 to a 12). I love their jewelry and will always go in to take a look.
I second a vote for Roaman’s as well, because they sell everything from size 4 to 24. I had a friend who was trying to dress bridesmaids, and I recommended their catalog to her. She literally had 5 bridesmaids in that range, and you know how hard it is to find that range of sizes. The larger woman in her wedding party would have to have had a dress custom-made at the typical bridal salon and that would have cost her extra, which was not only totally unfair but a burden on that particular person, since she was the youngest and least able to pay a higher price.
I really don’t understand what the big deal is about selling a larger variety of sizes. One of my favorite stores is actually split into two - Dress Barn and Dress Barn Woman. One sells sizes 6-16, the other is 18-24. In the town I just moved from, the two stores were next to each other and I always saw Dress Barn Woman’s window first. They NEVER had the same things in both stores - why? And I think the salesladies bought a lot of the cutest larger stuff before anyone else had a chance!
I found affordable fabrics by shopping at sari shops. It is one of the many reasons I enjoy living in a major metropolitan area. In Chicago, Devon Street, i don’t know about elsewhere. Never buy cloth in a chain fabric store that is not on sale. They are usually priced so that they can be on sale for 30% off and still be profitable. Sales can be great though. This summer I stumbled onto a sale at JoAnns called fabric bonanza and got 72 yards of cloth at a buck a yard–nice stuff too like crepe suiting and good jerseys.
I found that sears occasionally has something wearable. Also specialty shops like lane bryant and the modern woman ( whatever name they have now). Not all the time, but sometimes. I buy clothing no more than twice a year as a rule and then buy anything in stock that is attractive and comfortable. Some times I go and there is nothing to buy and so I wait a season. Sometimes I buy quite a bit. Junonia online has active wear that is comfortable and attractive.
Clothes for larger sizes are more expensive not because of the extra fabric, but simply because the stores can get away with charging more. If amount of cloth figured into clothing price, my swimsuits would not have cost $70 and the broomstick skirt I have with a 6 yard hem would not have cost $5.
I have heard assholes claim that having attractive clothing for large women is immoral because it encourages an unhealthy lifestyle. I hope these people suffer. Preferably something involving boils in delicate places and clothing that chafes.
