Can I vent about clothing???

[C.Ann]

Sure, C.Ann, join the club!

Keenercam, thanks! I appreciate it. I still have a long way to go and I suspect I'm going to be having this clothing fight the whole way.

I haven't heard of a lot of these stores people are mentioning, but I think I know where there's a Christopher and Banks. I'll have to check that out.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I was griping about the shipping... but you know with me having to run to all these different towns at about $10 a pop in gas, I could probably go ahead and pay for shipping for ordering and returns if need be.

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Have you checked Amazon.com to see if there is any clothing available there that would qualify for free shipping?

And how about Overstock.com - don't they have $2.99 shipping - regardless of the size of the order?

Good luck!

 

[SereneOne]

I hate it when "everything" for a plus size woman seems to have horizontal stripes! Hello! We are plus size.


I found great blouses at Avenue, I have been happy with their clothing and just started ordering items from them.

 

[bumbershoot]

I swear, if I had piles of money, I would hire a tailor or two to custom make my clothes so they actually fit my body for a change.

It might not be as expensive as you think. There might be a seamstress in your area that would help you out.

When I was in chiro school, one of our teachers (who had a chiro practice part time) had her clothes made by a seamstress. Found a dress style that worked for her while she was working with people (a modified wrap style full length but not a true wrap that would open up, with full but loose sleeves, give in the shoulders) and had a ton of them made in various prints. They were great dresses, and she never said that it cost a ton.

To add to your grip, I just bought 2 pair of capris and 3 pairs of shorts, all the SAME brand, same "style", same cut but In went to wear one of the capris and they are too small. Everything else fits perfect. The tags are all right, have the same size, etc.

That happened to me when I wasn't plus-sized but was buying a lot of clothes. It was odd.

 

[Cindyluwho]

Target has these really nice scoop neck, 1/3 length sleeve tops. The sleeves come to just above the elbow. The top is long also, which helps cover.....the hips

I'm closing in on 50 and don't like the way my upper arms (ahem) hang, so I know the feeling of wanting to cover them up!

 

[dolphinrescuegirl]

I have a problem finding shorts. They are either so short they barely cover my bum or way to long. It is quite annoying!

 

[Ember]

Try eBay. My mum was a very large lady, now she's losing weight (down 46 pounds! GO MUM!). She found eBay to be a huge help in clothes. She'll spend $50 and wind up with tons of clothes. She's done two rounds of buying so far to keep pace with her weight loss without spending a lot.

Also, to the poster with pants frustrations - go with the slightly larger size and have them tailored. I do this with almost all my pants. It will cost about $10 - $15.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I definitely feel your pain. I am petite (4'10") and clothes size shopping is a nightmare. I'm not plus sized but I am at the upper end of a spectrum. In the town I go to school, no stores even have petite departments! I'm stuck with Wal Mart which sells pants in "short" lengths, but I still have to roll the cuffs.

And never be a petite woman with a larger chest. Button down blouses are a nightmare! They will fit everywhere but the bust area and I have to go two or sometimes even three sizes larger so that they don't gap. The kicker is I don't think my chest is even that large, we're talking a C cup at the most.

A lot of stores that do have petite sections are very limited and it looks like stuff my grandmother would wear! I can't count the number of times I have had been told to go the children's section. Even when you can find something, most of them only look good on stick thin girls because apparently petite women do not come in larger sizes. And when I do find pants they're normally still several inches too long.

Okay, I feel better now. Thanks!

ETA: And don't even think about capris, they are hobbit pants and normally look ridiculous. Although there have been times when I have bought capris from the regular section and worn them like normal pants, they're that long on me!

 

[Christine]

I
And never be a petite woman with a larger chest. Button down blouses are a nightmare! They will fit everywhere but the bust area and I have to go two or sometimes even three sizes larger so that they don't gap. The kicker is I don't think my chest is even that large, we're talking a C cup at the most.

I have a big problem with this and I am a 36B-C (depending on brand). All my button up blouses gap in this area or they won't even button. I am not large in that area. But I am broad shouldered so that might be the issue. If I found a blouse that fits across the bust area, it is way too wide in the torso/rib area.

 

[MushyMushy]

While we're talking bra sizes, I went to a Hanes outlet and asked for a fitting. She fitted me at a much larger bra size than I've been wearing, but I thought, what the heck I'll give it a try.

All the bras she kept bringing me were huge! I was drowning in the cups (and I'm not small). I kept telling her they were a couple of sizes too big, but she insisted it was just a matter of finding the right style. She absolutely refused to bring me the smaller size I've been wearing, so I walked out with nothing.

 

[Angelhalo]

I'm giving you a HUGE Amen! I despise cap sleeves and what is with this whole Tunic thing? As if plus sized don't get asked the dreaded "When are you due?" question enough! Now we have to wear maternity clothes??? I hate how the bigger the size gets the longer the shirt gets. I don't want a shirt that comes down over my entire butt. It just makes it look even bigger!

Everything at Target runs small so I end up having to buy sizes that are just ridiculous to make them fit. I just stopped shopping there because I refused to buy things 3 sizes too big just to make them fit.

And why can't I find a decent pair of jeans that will fit a woman with smaller waist but some junk in the trunk? And don't even get me started on the idiots who think that grown women want to want boot-cut jeans (like I need my legs to look fatter).

I am plus size and ONLY wear boot cut jeans! Straight leg makes my legs look fatter. Boot cut makes me look leaner. Especially if they are form fitting without being too tight. My beef with jeans is why are they soooooo low rise??? Hello? I do NOT need my belly gaping out over the top of my jeans! Why can't I just get some jeans that come up past my pubic bone please???? Just below the belly button would be just fine thank you very much.

My problem with Lane Bryant (besides their ridiculous prices) are that they seem to assume that all the women who shop there are tall. I am only 5'2" so all their tops hang off my shoulders.

I had a CJ Banks when I lived in FL and they were ok although could sometimes be old ladyish. Which is probably my number one biggest complaint with plus size clothes. Just because weren't a size 2 doesn't mean we're all 80 years old!

I never buy anything off the internet unless it is super cheap like from Ebay because I don't want to take the risk of it not fitting and having to send it back.

 

[Angelhalo]

While we're talking bra sizes, I went to a Hanes outlet and asked for a fitting. She fitted me at a much larger bra size than I've been wearing, but I thought, what the heck I'll give it a try.

All the bras she kept bringing me were huge! I was drowning in the cups (and I'm not small). I kept telling her they were a couple of sizes too big, but she insisted it was just a matter of finding the right style. She absolutely refused to bring me the smaller size I've been wearing, so I walked out with nothing.

I HATE the new molded cup bra trend. I am already a 38DD! I do NOT need to make them look even bigger! My biggest issue is finding something non grannyish that will support them for more than a week without giving up the ghost.

And don't even get me started on pointy breast bras!

 

[Castlebound]

I have a big problem with this and I am a 36B-C (depending on brand). All my button up blouses gap in this area or they won't even button. I am not large in that area. But I am broad shouldered so that might be the issue. If I found a blouse that fits across the bust area, it is way too wide in the torso/rib area.

I also have that problem, and I hate it! While my waist is several inches away from an 18 inch waist, I do have one. I've gotten to the point that I wear a matching cami under my button up shirts so that I can wear a shirt that fits everywhere but my bust. If I get shirts big enough to fit my bust they look frumpy because they are big everywhere else.

 

[C.Ann]

I definitely feel your pain. I am petite (4'10") and clothes size shopping is a nightmare. I'm not plus sized but I am at the upper end of a spectrum. In the town I go to school, no stores even have petite departments! I'm stuck with Wal Mart which sells pants in "short" lengths, but I still have to roll the cuffs.

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My problem is the opposite - very, very long - very, very skinny legs.. The petite sizes aren't "huge" on me, but they're waaaay to short!

 

[SharpMomOfTwo]

The Gap and Target both have the "Boyfriend T" right now. Its sleves aren't short, and its a long shirt. Doesn't look great on me - I need shirts that stop at my belt buckle, but its still a good shirt.

 

[Barb]

I work at Christopher and Banks and shop at C.J. Banks, our women's store.They do have some tees that have a longer short sleeve. They also have some really cute tops right now. You can order on-line and the good thing is that you can return anything you get on-line at the store.

We are hearing the same complaints from all our customers this season. They hate the styles and they hate the cap sleeves. Some one needs to rethink this years trends for sure!

 

[alexandria674]

I hate when I buy two pairs of jeans from the same company in the same size and one is smaller then the other! What's up with that? I am with you on the sleeve issue, I feel self conscious about my arms and it is really hard to find a shirt with normal short sleeves, I usually have to buy a cardigan to cover my arms in basic colors.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Here's my plus sized gripe. Long sleeves -- just because I'm fat DOES NOT mean I have the arms of a monkey! Why is it that I ALWAYS need to roll my sleeves up once or twice? And why is it that when I buy three-quarter sleeve shirts they come to my wrist? BTW, I'm 5'5". It's not like I'm short.

And my biggest plus sized gripe: WHAT THE HECK IS WITH THE BATHING SUIT TOPS? Why are they so short? I always buy skirtinis because they're easier to go to the bathroom but the tops always rest ABOVE my belly instead of below my belly. I don't want a bathing suit top that stops just above my belly button.

Why are my work pants a 20, but my jeans are a 22 and tight? It stinks!

 

[SpecialK]

Bottom line is, I think these stores need to hire buyers that actually wear the products they are choosing. When I worked in retail, all the buyers were reed thin.

 

[Serena]

I've got all the same complaints. Even when I was 125, I had a small waist and a not so small behind. I never found clothes to fit. Button up shirts always gap on me, so either I wear it layered or not at all.
Now that I'm plus sized it's a nightmare. I'm not 18, I'm not tall, I'm not into all those sparkles either. Don't give me strips or those ugly prints. I hate buying clothes.

I've often thought about what I could do to change it. Become my own company, a buyer, something to give women an option. so women could have clothes to fit.

And it's not just us. My oldest in her teen years was tall and gorgeous, still is, but she had a behind, it's genetic, and muscular arms, she is not one of those rail thin girls. She couldn't find anything at all for her either. And she wasn't plus sized.
My mom was barely 5 ft, and had no butt. She always bought her jeans at the boys section at a Levy's store nearby. I'm not sure who these manufacturers are getting their idea of what women are shaped like. I don't get it.

 

[RitaZ.]

To add to your grip, I just bought 2 pair of capris and 3 pairs of shorts, all the SAME brand, same "style", same cut but In went to wear one of the capris and they are too small. Everything else fits perfect. The tags are all right, have the same size, etc.

That is my biggest frustration with clothes.

Last year, I went shopping and tried on a pair of jeans in my size that fit perfectly. So, I decided to buy two, but I didn't try on the second pair. Big mistake! I figured that since they were both the same size and brand, they would fit the same way. Well, not so. I had to take back that pair because it was too big and tried on the next smaller size. Still too big. As my frustration grew, I compared the waist of both jeans. One was much bigger that the other. Remember, they were supposed to be the same size.

I told my mom about this. Many years ago, she worked in clothing factories; when clothes were still made in the US. She said that the wrong size labels were sewn on garments, by mistake or simply because it was the only label left, on a regular basis. Also, the sewing varied from seamstress to seamstress. Some would take in a little more, some a little less.

Sooooooooooo... Now I have to try on every single garment to make sure it's the right fit.