Considered, also, hiring a seamstress? I got a formal wedding tunic and pants sewn for $50 (plus buying the material for a size 16 knee-length long-sleeved top and pants, not cheap) and it fit like a dream. I can sew simple skirts and such, but I can’t even fit my own tops, much less sew them.
I do okay on “cut out and hem the vest” thingies, which I adore for fun, but that’s the limit of my clothing sewing. Don’t be afraid to pay someone to do something more complex than you want to handle. You’re worth it.
There are no women’s pants to fit me in my sector of the planet, since my inseam is 34". “Tall” jeans stop a few inches short of my ankles. My mom asked a clerk for jeans long enough for me; she gave her an irritated look and said, “Thirty four? That’s impossible.”
If you don’t comply with the manufacturer’s specifications, you do not exist.
So I wear only men’s jeans and my life is much less stressful since I’ve given up the impossible quest for clothes that fit. I simply choose the length, plus a waist size a couple of inches larger than my own so that my hips will fit. I have to wear a belt, but it feels so good to have long-enough pants. Why, oh why, can’t women’s jeans be sold by waist and length, too? Throw in a measurement for hip size and every woman could wear decent jeans.
Unfortunately, nursing uniforms don’t work this way; I can’t wear men’s scrubs because the front is extremely poochy, as if all male medical personnel are exquisitely well-endowed. My scrub pants are perpetually way too short. The only pair I have that fits is one my mom gave me: she bought two pairs of the same scrub pants, cut six inches off the legs of one pair and sewed them onto the bottoms of the other pair. A pretty costly way to obtain pants, but now I nurse in my own home so I can wear whatever I want and the scrubs are in my closet.
Next up: The SDMB women’s clothing swap. Box up the size 16+ clothes you’re sick of, and send 'em to another rubenesque straight dope beauty.
I can’t shop in the women’s section because they size the arms and chest all weird for me. Note to clothing gurus: not every slightly-overweight person has DD-cup tits.
I have a fun one along the same lines facing me soon. I have a formal wedding to attend in October. I was ummm…a larger size to begin with. By the time the wedding rolls around I will be two weeks away from delivering. I couldn’t find things to wear to these events before, what on earth makes me think I am going to find nice, big pregnant clothes?! I think I will just get my doctor to write a note confining me to bedrest for that weekend. It has to be easier than trying to find something to wear.
See, this is the kind of event that calls out for a sari. Sari seems to be a true onsize fits all garment. All you need is the sari, blouse and petticoat. The petticoat has a draw string so could be made to fit now and then. The blouse may prove more difficult. Definitely get assistance putting it on though.
At the risk of being labeled a ‘homophobe’ (which I’m not!), I would like to point out that most women’s clothing is designed by gay men who do not find women attractive. They prefer women who look like men and design accordingly: no hips, no breasts, no curves at all. Look at your average run-way model: much taller than average and much thinner than average. Those are the body-types that are being designed for by the male designers. There are a few women designers but they are in a distinct minority. And, none of those styles for flat, hipless models translate well into a size 10 much less a size 20. Put a curvy, busty woman in a tube dress with a slit up the side and see what you get! Yuk!!
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it seems to me scrubs should be very easy to make yourself. No tailoring, no fly, just nice straight seams.
Ooh, yes. Shopping for jeans is a nightmare. I have long legs but I’m very short waisted, so jeans with legs that are long enough (and a butt that’s big enough) tend to come up to my armpits. And I really don’t want to look like Steve Urkel in jeans. I recently found a pair of men’s jeans (Gap) that fit! Woo!
Another huge peeve of mine, when clothing shopping, is poor customer service. The worst that happens to me is being ignored by the staff when I’m not dressed up. But a much worse thing happened to my aunt, who’s fairly heavy. She was shopping for a gift for her daughter, who’s very petite. A clerk in some petite clothing store actually came up to her and said “We don’t have anything in your size.” Riiiiiight. Even discounting the possibility that someone could be (gasp!) shopping for a gift, those stores usually sell jewelry and scarves and other stuff that anyone can wear. My aunt never returned there.
Hell, I’m not even overweight and I have trouble finding ANY “juniors” clothes that fit me. I wear between 7 and 12 depending on the brand and whether or not I want it to be loose or not. It’s very, very hard for me to find nice pants/jeans larger than a 6. All the shirts I like are ridiculously tight even when I get a large (though I’m not sure if that’s because they want everyone to be a stick, or because they want everyone to look like a complete slut). Gee, I’m really fucking sorry for being NORMAL. I sure deserve to be punished like this for not being anorexic. I like to pretend it’s all because the normal clothes have been bought and nobody ever restocks, but after taking a quick look around my school, I seriously doubt it.
OK, go ahead and hate me if you want - I can actually women’s jeans without getting crotch-bound or having them slide off my hips, and get most of my clothes off the rack.
My problem is SHOES!!!
GodDAMN doesn’t anyone understand that some women DO have WIDE FEET? I wear a D width, sometimes an E depending on style. I go through HELL, just absolute HELL trying to buy shoes!
With athletic shoes I often just buy boy’s shoes - so much easier, except for the store clerks who seem to take this as an affront to their sexual orientation or something. For casual wear I can sometimes find boy’s shoes that don’t look too masculine. I have been told numerous times by anxious store clerks that there is some mysterious difference between male feet and female feet that will cause me some sort of horrible permanent damage if I continue this practice, but the only effect I’ve noticed is a lack of bunions, callouses, hammertoes, and the other ugly foot shit that happens to so many women I know.
BUT - ever try to buy formal women’s shoes in a wide width? I’ve been told the store in the next state has them. I’ve been told they don’t exist. I was even told once to “have surgery to correct the abnormal width of your feet”. My mother had to keep me from “correcting” the abnormal narrowness between the clerk’s ears on that one.
I even tried going to a store in Chicago that catered to transvestites, figuring there, at least, I’d find formal shoes in a wide width. And they do have them. In a size far, far to big for my foot. (weep, sob, sob, sniffle) What I need, apparently, is a store that caters to transvestites aged 12-15 in order to obtain the proper shoe size. And they don’t exist.
Does ANYONE know where the FUCK I can by some low heels, something not to dressy to wear with formal business attire? I don’t give a damn about color, I’ll wear anything that fits and change my wardrobe to match.
Broomstick my love, we are soul sisters. I have big wide Barney Rubble feet. BUT! I have narrow heels. Which means that so-called “wide-width” shoes do not fit me–they slip right off the back of my heel.
I am sure you have discovered by now that European shoes (not Italian; the other countries) actually make women’s shoes that are based on the human foot instead of some joker’s idea about size. I swear by Eccos; have also heard good things about Dansko and Mephistos and Clarks. HOWEVER–they all seem to be of the ugly variety. Dressy? No. Heels? Uh-uh. Sexy? Ha! Actually, I did once find a snazzy pair of Eccos called “flamencos” and indeed one could dance in these and look cool. They were somewhat dressy. However, they don’t fit my high arches well. Sigh.
For those of you who may be considering wearing saris, here’s a page with diagrams and instructions on how to drape one. Be warned, though, it’s more complicated than it looks! I grew up watching my mom drape hers, and I still can’t figure the damn things out. I would most definitely suggest trying it out and practicing before the event or wherever you plan on wearing the sari to.
Happy draping! (I always think it’s cool when I see non-Indian women wearing saris, even though Indian women of an older generation (like my mom) seem a bit affronted. Don’t mind them. Enjoy. )
I have a pair of black flats from Ecco. No heels, and they’re not especially sexy, but they certainly go with a nice dress and they’re comfortable as all get-out. Unfortunately they don’t fit right any more, because my feet changed during my last pregnancy and I need a size 41 now, not a 40. Too bad, because they were in terrific shape.
But hey, if you happen to wear a US size 9 medium, let me know…
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