Vent about Plus size clothing - add yours too!

[amykay9377]

As a 5'4" size 18, DD gal who's 31...

I have had great success with the jeans at Maurices!

I ahve never had success at Lane Bryant so don't show me their clothing. Target rarely has anything that I like, Walmart...ummmm (sorry), Old Navy if I can't try it on in store I'm skeptical to buy it (and their pants never fit hippy girls), and JCP doesn't carry much. So where are we suppose to shop?

You and I are very similar (though I'm DDD).

I love Maurice's, but the last time I went there I was discouraged because I was shopping for work clothes, not Clubbing clothes.

I have only window-shopped at LB. I can't fathom spending $40 on a TEE or $70 on pants. Even with sales, the pants are $50! No thanks.

Target is a joke to me. XXL stuff fits like a Medium. I find that different Walmarts cater to different clientele. We have 2 in my neighborhood - one in a busy "Everyone goes there" area, and a second in a "that side of town" area. The first one has great stuff that I buy, but the second one has lots of leggings and Junior-type stuff!

However, I have discovered that I can LIVE in East 5th, Worthington and SJB from JCP. East 5th and Worthington make great work trousers and SJB makes great fitting sweaters and jeans. No low-cut muffin top jeans (I HATE those!).

Oh, and Lilyette makes 38DDD bras that are awesome for me! At JCP for less than $20 (when on sale). My girls are perky and happy all day long!

 

[chamonix]

Exactly. I have the same problem, really we DON'T want you to see our bras!

My single largest gripe is that everything looks like it was made for a 70 year old in a lounge act. Old lady bling is NOT and never has been , in style. Please, can I just get slacks and blouses that fit me, are remotely current, and don't look like I belong in a Vegas act with Tony Bennett??

Exactly! I call it "old lady clown clothes". I'm not plus sized anymore...well, I wasn't until the holidays, not so sure again....ugh.....my goal is always to stay the size i can shop in regular stores because I am not ever dressing like an elderly clown again. (yeah, the purple, the ugly prints, the bling, always tent sized, giant armholes, neck holes, no waists for those of us who arre curvy not apples, nothing ever form fitting......everyone looks even bigger in those giant circus tent clothes.....!)

What is wrong with making stylish clothes for bigger women?!

 

[RangerPooh]

You and I are very similar (though I'm DDD).

I love Maurice's, but the last time I went there I was discouraged because I was shopping for work clothes, not Clubbing clothes.

I haven't purchased anything there in a few months due to pregnancy but I know what you mean. I find that it pays to browse every few weeks, both there and in store. When doing that I can usually piece together a few pairs of pants and shirts.

Torrid use to ahve some decent things too, but they have less "work" type clothes these days. Although I have found some nice pants there that fit really well.

 

[arminnie]

I don't know what designers are thinking. The skinny leg look is dreadful on... well, just about everyone who isn't 14 anymore.

I disagree. I DESPISE bootcut - why is making my ankles look fat supposed to make me look thinner. I got a nice pair of skinny/slim (but not skin tight legging style) jeans a few weeks ago. EVERY single time I've worn them people come up and say "Wow you've lost weight". They don't have tons of extra fabric making me look bigger.

I'm five feet tall. WHY would a petite pant need a 30" inseam? Are there really petite women (of any size) whose inseam is close to half their height?

I agree with you. I am 5' 6" and wear a petite in everything. I am so NOT petite in height so what do really petite women do?

And I don't want to pay even $10 to hem a $20 pair of jeans.

I am not plus size now (barely) - but I can remember that all of the plus size clothes looked like something Maude (Bea Arthur before the Golden Girls) would have worn.

 

[piglet50]

i agree about the blingy, clingy, silky see through fabric. i think that some should be available for the younger plus girls but please keep making some classic solids. what plus size lady wants to wear something that clings with giant flowers all over it? why can't we have a balance of styles?

 

[kaytieeldr]

Target is a joke to me. XXL stuff fits like a Medium.

Oh!!! I needed a sweater/sweatshirt/jacket on vacation a couple of weeks ago. I went to Target and tried on - or tried to try on - some xxl items. HA! I filled out a customer response card and included my phone number. No response. I guess it's time to write...

 

[maslex]

Another thing that I hate, even though a lot of you are complaining of 3/4 sleeves......is the short sleeves. Every shirt that I find that I like, have these super short, short sleeves. I mean I know I carry most of my weight in my bottom half, but sadly enough, I have big arms too and would like to hide most of it during the summer without wearing long sleeved or 3/4 sleeved shirts... I just do not like the sleeves that cut right at your armpit. WTH!!!!


And I keep hearing everyone complain about everything being purple. LOL The thing is, that's my favorite color and I can NEVER find any purple shirts. Or if I do find one, it's some hideous print. I mostly shop at Catherines.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I agree with you. I am 5' 6" and wear a petite in everything. I am so NOT petite in height so what do really petite women do?

Well, I found what are supposed to be crop jeans (and twill pants) in the Woman Within catalog. The petites have a 24 inch inseam - which means the rise is right for me, and while the length may not be quite long enough to be fashionable, they're fine for me.

And I don't want to pay even $10 to hem a $20 pair of jeans.

But if you look at them as a $30 pair of jeans...

 

[Principessa1284]

You know who I love love love?? TORRID! Has anyone ever shopped there? It's owned by hot topic and geared towards 16-30 year olds. They do have a lot of punkish type stuff, but they also have TONS of beautiful dresses and work clothes as well as both functional and sexy bras/underwear. My only gripe is their prices.. on the high side, but everything I've ever gotten there has been pretty well made and lasted a while. I usually shop there after the "current season" is ending and catch things on clearance.

But I'm with you on the skinny jeans thing! Really.. REALLY?! Do you think my big fat german sausage legs are going to look fabulous in those? Unfortunately, most of my weight is in the lower tummy/hip/thigh area. A lot of times pants would fit my hips and waist just fine but I can't pull them up past my thighs to find out! Almost all the women on my mom's side, no matter if they're skinny or chubby, have these wonderful East German weight-lifting thighs Not to mention it's IMPOSSIBLE to find boots that fit! All these cute boots are in style right now and none of them come close to fitting! Makes me so sad.

I do like the 3/4 sleeves though, because I have short stubby arms! The long sleeves always go past my fingertips! They also flatter my chubby little arms if they stop an inch or two above my wrist. If I'm too cold, I throw on a sweater! It is aggravating, though, to try and find those that fit in the arms AND around the tummy. In regular stores, the arms are always too small. In stores line land bryant the arms are always too big. Sheesh!

 

[Angelhalo]

Keeping in mind that myself I'd rather buy clothes that fit...

I have to say that altering is a LOT cheaper than you think. My MIL regularly gets her blue jeans hemmed at the tailors and it's less than ten dollars to get it done. My mother also gets her stuff altered, and her tailor will shorten a gapping waistband for about six dollars. Any simple alteration is very inexpensive.

Obviously something complicated - like getting a whole dress refitted - is pricier, but on the whole tailors are not that expensive.

It's all up to how you view your money. Less than $10 is not cheap to me, especially if I only spent $3 on my jeans. Heck, I own a sewing machine, I could hem them myself but I just want to buy clothes that fit in the first place!

 

[Angelhalo]

It's not only JC Penney that has done this, but have you noticed how the plus sized sections at stores keep getting smaller and smaller? Target actually used to have some cool stuff, now they don't have anything. Macy's is shrinking. Old Navy won't even sell their plus sized stuff in stores. Frustrating to say the least. As if bigger people don't need clothes.

Target's plus size clothes tick me off to no end! They run like 3 sizes too small!!!!!

 

[RangerPooh]

You know who I love love love?? TORRID! Has anyone ever shopped there?

I actually posted about them earlier. I've been shopping there for the last 8 years or so. Lots of fun things, but sometimes not mature enough for work. I do ahve a few items that I purchased there ages ago that have held up really well over the year

 

[Angelhalo]

But if you look at them as a $30 pair of jeans...

But I would NEVER pay $30 for a pair of jeans! LOL!

 

[almburr]

I'd really like camis that came with full bras. Shelf bras do nothing for me. Also, whoever complained about the lack of petite, there's not a lot for tall gals as well. I struggle to find pants that are long enough & most sleeves are 3/4 length on me to start with.

Where do you find full bra camis? I like to wear them but havent been able to find them.

 

[Angelhalo]

I actually posted about them earlier. I've been shopping there for the last 8 years or so. Lots of fun things, but sometimes not mature enough for work. I do ahve a few items that I purchased there ages ago that have held up really well over the year

I like Torrid's clothes when they're on the hanger, but have never found anything there that actually looked good on me. Also they have TONS of the dreaded items that need a strapless bra with them. And to top it all off, they're expensive. Our local Torrid shut down recently so maybe people had the same issues I did.

 

[Angelhalo]

Where do you find full bra camis? I like to wear them but havent been able to find them.

They have them at Lane Bryant. I used to have one but the cups were pre formed so they made my "girls" look ENORMOUS!!! I got stares everywhere I went. I mean I'm a DD but that tank top made me look like Dolly Parton or something. I had to get rid of it. LOL!

 

[Tiggeroo]

I am not sixty, give me mature but not older clothes. Even if I was sixty I wouldn't dress like my grandmother did. It really bugs me when I go into a department store that has smaller sizes on one side and plus on the other. While walking thru the lower sizes I see things that I like and I know would look good on me. They are not cut skimpy or anything and then I go to the plus side and they just leave their taste at the door. An example of this was that two years ago i wanted a sweater dress and tights, not too short. In the regular sizes there were cute, simple sweater dresses with v-necks or cowl necks, not too bulky. You go to the plus size side and they get giant pockets with buttons, high neck lines that look bad with bigger top half, not as simple or classic looking.
Another thing is the price. Why do plus sized clothes have to be so much more to get something decent. I know there is some more material but not that much more. I bet if you looked at who was willing and able to spend a bit more for something nice you'd find that plus size women are likely to spend more then a skinny girl. When you've tried fifty things on you would definitely spend more if you walked into a store that magically had all of the things you wanted and they fit you well and you felt like you could dress like everybody else. If I had money I would open a business that did this.
The avenue is coming close to this now. When they have a sale, which is often, there are very good prices. They go a bit trendy but not too girly and they have plenty of comfortable well fitting professional wear. They also often have petite, regular and tall sizes. Not often enough though. I'm 5'7" and I find that because things tend to shrink a bit if I want to wear a little heel I need talls for pants and definitely for my arms.

 

[honugirl]

Target's plus size clothes tick me off to no end! They run like 3 sizes too small!!!!!

No kidding! They used to have holiday plus size shirts and stuff, but not any more. It's like we don't even exist! WTH? As if they're ashamed of having bigger girls shop there....

I've done well at Torrid for cute tees and an occasional pair of jeans, but overall, I haven't found much other than that lately. I've lost a little weight so I'm on the verge of sizing out of their jeans, but will have to shop there for shirts for at least another year or more. Sigh. They had a wicked cute shirt on their website that I wanted, but they have been sold out in many sizes for a long, long time and I never saw it in the stores.

For a more professional look, Macy's Woman can be a decent place to look.

Lane Giant bugs me for some reason. I don't know why. I don't really like it.

 

[Tiggeroo]

They have them at Lane Bryant. I used to have one but the cups were pre formed so they made my "girls" look ENORMOUS!!! I got stares everywhere I went. I mean I'm a DD but that tank top made me look like Dolly Parton or something. I had to get rid of it. LOL!

hahaha I bought a halter top like this from LB. It's ridiculous. Every summer I bring it out because I paid alot and I like the idea of it. I try putting a sheer top over it. Nope. I look crazy.

 

[pearlieq]

A big AMEN to the aging clown/lounge singer gripe! If I wanted to look like I stepped right out of Mama's Family I could walk into Lane Bryant and be all set in 5 minutes.

Also, does everything have to be made out of that super cheap, super sheer fabric that clings to every dimple? I'd like something more robust than tissue paper to wear, thanks.

Why do all the bras have those double wide straps? I might as well just wear orthopedic shoes to bed and complete the look.