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Feeling left out - curvy girls unite

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Is it just me or does it seem like a lot of labels are designed for straighter or more angular body types? I thought once I dropped a few pounds I'd have an easier time fitting into a wider variety of brands. But it just isn't so!
I've seen a few posts here recently about how this store and that store are better for straighter figures, and this style and that style are better for straighter figures.
So curvies, I'm wondering, what brands or stores are working for you?
I realize that even within brands, items will fit different body types, but I'm wondering if you've noticed a brand that's generally friendly to curvy body types.
I've had some success with BCBG. How about you?

Shopping

33 replies

Latest reply was from Sarah

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

I have nothing to contribute yet, since I'm taking curvy to a ridiculous level at the moment, but I'm definitely going to be watching this thread like a hawk!
I do recall from my skinnier days that gap worked well... Sorry that's not so inventive!
Angie has repeatedly said that David Kahn jeans are ideal for curvy ladies...

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

My dear sweet Sarah, don't feel left out! You always find fabulous stuff and look great!!! I do not want to diminish the importance of your feelings so please don’t get me wrong. I FULLY appreciate how hard items are to fit.

As someone who shops for a living with every single body type, height and size imaginable, I actually feel that there is plenty of beautiful merchandise in America for curvier gals who are regular height - in fact, there is a larger assortment for curvier gals than for straighter gals. There seems to be lots of stuff for straighter gals for a certain age group (teens and lasses in their 20’s), but not all that much for lasses in my age bracket and older. I’d say the bigger retail gaps are in petites and talls, especially petites because most of America is petite (average height is a little over 5ft 3), and this is not reflected in the national retail assortment.

Anyway, I guess I’ll be in the minority with my point of view.

Steph

Veteran

I agree that BCBG is good for curvy women--particularly large-chested women. Lately I have been having great luck with Nanette Lepore. I have always done well with her skirts, but used to find her tops were not cut for larger-chested women, but I recently purchased two tops and tried on three dresses that looked good.

I adore a brand called Pink Tartan, but I haven't been able to find it as easily this year as I have in the past--I only see it at Bloomingdales anymore. I own a number of dresses, tops and skirts from them and they not only fit a curvy figure, they really seem to be constructed to take the best advantage of one.

Generally, as an entire store, I find that White House Black Market and Anthropologie (sorry, Angie!) clothing looks good on curvier women.

I find Theory interesting. Sometimes I think it is cut generously in the chest, but more typically I find their tops small. However, I think that their bottoms look good on a curvy figure.

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Fun fact about Pink Tartan: did you know its head designer and founder, Kimberley Newport-Mimran, is married to the original founder of Club Monaco? Joe Mimran is also the brains behind Joe Fresh Style, for other canuks out there.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Fun fact indeed, Michelle!

Wow, Steph! I’d have said the exact opposite for Theory and Pink Tartan. Those cuts are great on straighter figures. Perhaps it depends on the item and one can’t generalize?

But I totally agree with Anthropolgie, WHBM, Nanette Lepore and BCBG. I’d add AT, ATL, Talbots, GAP, Boden, Liz Claiborne, Jones NY, Tahari, Eddie Bower, Caslon, Classiques Entier, INC, Ralph Lauren and DKNY. Will come up with more tomorrow. I’m off to watch a movie.

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

How's this for confused- I don't even know if I'd consider my figure curvy anymore! LOL

Maya

Veteran

I feel like I am just the wrong kind of curvy sometimes. NO ONE, absolutely no one (except Carissa, bless her heart) makes clothes for a (very) curvy UPPER half. I have sort of just accepted it. Most women just aren't as curvy on top as I am, so who can blame retailers for not making clothes to fit us? But certainly SOME women are, so I would think there would at least be some specialty brands or a niche market for us. Even so, I doubt they would make clothes to suit my fashion persona, since the big-of-bust tend to like very tailored, modern classic styles. Thank goodness I like to wear volume.

Oh, I left out Bravissmo...but again...not very "me" and a bit of an ordeal to buy it all from the UK...

Steph, just how curvy are you on top, if you don't mind my asking? Not that I can possibly afford BCBG or NL but maybe someday it would be worth a shot.

As for my bottom half, I guess we all have complaints. I'm lucky that I am pretty average, neither super curvy nor very straight, so I rarely have a problem with things being too tight or loose in the waist if they fit in the hip. But I have major issues with rise length, so pants are still not easy for me by any stretch.

What annoys me is that all these trends and fashion-forward styles seem to be for the tall and thin. I mean, how many times do you read about a new trend, only to find that little disclaimer somewhere that says only runway models can pull it off? Why does no one make trendy, fashion forward looks for curvy women?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Maya, Sarah, Michelle & Steph, read this:

http://www.google.com/hostedne.....wD9ABCDTO0

Tell me what you think.

marianna

Veteran

I think curvy is an interesting word in regards to body shape. I think often times it is associated with being overweight, but I'm overweight and not curvy at all.

In regards to the article Angie posted... I relate to the model in some ways. I've been a lot thinner in my life, obsessed about weight, counting every calorie and carb, exercising for hours and so on. I've also been a lot heavier (I was 260 lbs at age 15) and I have been completely out of control with food. Currently I'm sort of floating through a grey area where I have learned to accept my body for what it is and I'm sort of okay with who I am. I'm not necessarily happy about my current shape, but I am okay with it. It's a freeing feeling. I have also realized that I will never be thin -- it's not in my genetic make-up and I'm okay with that.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Marianna, it comes through loud and clear that you are comfortable in your own body. That’s no easy feat for ANY woman of any size. Very stylish.

Maya

Veteran

Hmmmm

Well at the risk of sounding negative, I always feel that there are some "token" curvies out there in the fashion and celebrity world, like Kate Winslet or Christine Hendricks. Yet, when others gain or lose 5 pounds, they get skewered. How do you account for that?

Also, while Crystal Renn is indeed very curvy, she is the "right" kind of curvy: well padded in the chest and hips, with a teeny tiny waist. For some, dare I say most women...that shape is as unrealistic as being a wisp thin supermodel.

However, I cut runway models slack. At any size, it's just easier to make clothes for a straighter figure. It's just practical to me. Now, I don't think they need to be waif thin in order to be straight, but I do think there needs to be some consistency between them, in which case, only one body can be represented no matter what body that is. As women, we can't be SO sensitive that we take this personally, and all get a complex when our body type isn't represented. I would like to see HEALTHIER models, but I don't really see it as being a statement about beauty.

Umm...I'm actually not sure how any of this relates to our current discussion, but that is my reaction. I was curious to see what clothes she gets to model as a "plus size," but most of the pictures I saw were more along the lines of a pinup model. Kind of disappointing.

marianna

Veteran

Angie,

It's probably all an act. I'm super insecure inside but no one wants to see that.

I'm also in a great relationship and I think that has helped me SO much. My boyfriend has never mentioned my weight. EVER. I'm very thankful for that.

Vani

Veteran

Thanks for posting that story Angie! She is so gorgeous is looking so healthy and fantastic now. And it is encouraging to see that the fashion industry heavyweights are taking her seriously.

Hmmm...I haven't really shopped a lot of different stores but I do find AT/ATL, Gap, ON, DKNY, sometimes INC work well for me (curvy top and bottom ). I really do have to drive out to Anthropologie one of there days. Does NL retail at Nordies?

I don't know about it being an act but I do agree with Maya that it is a wee bit disappointing that I did not find much variety in the looks that she has modeled at her current size.

Either ways, that is part of what we are here for, right? To try new looks, figure out what works best for our body and get creative with what we see on the runway. None of what is modeled is ready to wear off the runway anyways.

marianna

Veteran

Maya, I think you're right about the "token" curvies. If a woman isn't curvy in the right places, the media portrays her as a lazy fat slob. Think about the untraditional curvy women in the media -- none of them are discussed in a positive light.

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Chewy, I am in the same position as you: I don't know if I qualify as curvy anymore either! It used to be that I could *only* wear the curvy style of bottoms at AT, ATL, Gap, etc, but now both the straighter signature and the curvy's work for me.

As for stores, I have found curvy styles in almost every one I try: BR has the Jackson fit, AT had the Margo (now called something else), Gap's Long and Leans were perfection for my most curvy self, etc.

malcontent

I'm very curvy at any weight. There have been points where my waist was 16 inches smaller than my bust and 14 inches smaller than my hips. The less I weigh, the lower my waist to hip and waist to bust ratios are. I have a .7 WHR now but before I had a child it was about .65. At my slimmest, my waist was a size 2 and my bust was a size 14. So, yeah, I tend to feel that most clothing lines are cut for straight figures.

There are a few exceptions, thankfully. Bravissimo sells dresses and blouses for busty but small-waisted women. Bratique Helene does too, though I haven't tried them yet. Rebecca & Drew manufacturing also offer tops and dresses for slim, full-busted women. PZI and Little in the Middle specialize in jeans for women with full hips and small waists. Most of Trashy Diva's dresses are cut with a small waistline and generous room for the bust and hips. EShakti will customize their dresses and blouses for a $10 charge.

I also look for silhouettes that flatter my body type. Tailored clothes suit me, especially anything darted and constructed with shape around the bust and waist. I look for V-neck tops and dresses and wrap dresses. Adding a belt over a dress defines my natural waist and makes me look curvy instead of hefty.

I think the reason clothes aren't designed for curvy women is because the hourglass is the least common body type. Only 8% of women qualify as hourglass by the standard of having bust and hips of similar size and a waist at least 10 inches smaller.

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Wow, I'm glad this took off like it did!
I thought once I lost my weight (60 pounds and counting, STILL) that I'd lose the bulk of my curves, but I did not.
I agree with Marianna that the word "Curvy" is not always defined the same. I am curvy, but not a plus size. I will be curvy no matter what size I end up at. I feel like I'm in a minority, but maybe I'm not.
When I was plus size, all of the clothes fit my curves.
I don't hate my body, and I think I have beautiful features like the rest of us, it just frustrates me that the looks I gravitate towards don't work on me.
I loved the article Angie, and I think it's great that she's found her healthy. I want to be healthy and strong, and continue to pursue that every day. Stick thin and waif like isn't healthy for ME, so I don't pursue that. I have big muscles nestled under my remaining fat which certainly complicates things. My upper arms are thick, my chest big, and my thighs haven't gotten any smaller, although they have changed shape.
I've tried on hundreds of items in the past month or so, and have fallen short so many times. My favorite store JCrew has nothing for me in the way of trousers, jeans, or tops right now. Button downs don't fit my chest, pull over tops stop at my hips and bunch at the waist (if I size up they gap at the chest), and the trousers and jeans that fit my thighs need about two sizes worth taken in at the waist. I can alter clothes, and I will and do, but it just doesn't seem like it should be this difficult.
All of the AT dresses I tried on didn't work on my hips, and most of the blouses didn't work for my chest.
I hate being negative and difficult, but goodness I've cried my fare share of tears over this because sometimes it just seems more trouble than it's worth.
Speaking of crying, I cried tears of joy when I tried on a pair of Gaps new Curvy fit jeans. Wow, does that designer deserve a prize! The jeans work WITH my curves, not against them. And they are available in sizes 2 up. Imagine, smaller women with curves!
And BCBG trousers work great on me, as do some of the dresses. Some of the tops don't work because of my chest size, though.
I guess I'm like Maya too, a lot of the stores that cater to curves aren't my style. I'm not a teenager, but I'm still young and wish that more stores and labels catered to younger, curvy but not plus size women.
There, I feel better.

anne

Veteran

I have to admit I am not very curvy, especially compared to some of you.

I'm something like 33/34 - 28 - 37. Before I had kids my waist was around 26.

Some skirts I had then that I didn't bother to take the waist in fit much better now!

So I would tend to agree that straighter figures are better catered for.

(On the other hand, being long waisted and small busted, but with a prominent rib cage, makes fitting into woven tops a bit difficult)

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Right off the top, hugs to you, Sarah. I knkow how it feels to cry out of frustration on issues like this. But you are to be commended for dropping so much weight, and judging from the comments from the other YLF ladies, you're a knockout!
Interesting article Angie. I applaud Crystal for taking charge of her health and career like that; it must have taken real courage, particularly in that ineustry. But I have to laugh at the notion that size 12 = plus size. Every store I want to shop at carries a size 12; true plus-sizers usually have a more limited selection.

Laura

(website)

Veteran

Sarah, you are taking me back to my high school days when I envied the girls who could wear men's 501s and look great. That was the "in" thing to wear and I never could. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me!!

You do a great job of finding items that suit you. I think it's as much a matter of discerning and rejecting what won't work as much as what will. Even if you find 1 out of 10 things in a store that will flatter you, it's a victory. If JCrew doesn't fit this season, something else will, you know?

After a year on YLF, I'm finding out that I'm really a dress girl and my hair is best cropped short. And I don't want to be anything else. I'll be in a pixie cut and dresses until the day I die. I wish I knew that in high school when I was trying to cram my hips into men's 501s

rute

Veteran

Ladies, I'm loving all your comments on this subject..
Shopping can be complicated and frustating when nothing fits!
I'm a size 8 but I consider myself VERY CURVY and that is great, we are women after all...
It's very difficult to find clothes that fit perfectly, especially in the chest (how I understand your Sarbear!!), I'm practical.. I choose a bigger size and go to a taylor to fit the waist!

Vani

Veteran

Sarah, you remind me of my pre YLF days when I had little focus when I went shopping. I would end up trying all of them moment trends and feel absolutely lousy. It had gotten to the point where every shopping expedition ended in tears and a fight with DH who is always very blunt with his opinions. I hated going shopping and always turned to the familiar colors in forgiving cuts. Explains all the similar looking brown and black tops in my closet. I still feel a wee bit lousy at times when things don't fit but my mindset has changed considerably. To the extent where I am comfortable with the fact that not all looks I am drawn to will even look half as good on me.

Interesting situation: I have 2 coworkers who have been best friends since childhood. A is a very angular size 0 rectangle/inverted triangle and B, a very soft, curvy size 10/12 hourglass. Each one wishes they had the body of the other. A can wear whatever she wants but does not like her barely A cup chest and tiny bottom in tops & dresses; and has to actually workout to retain muscle mass (she can EAT and not gain a pound) and not lose weight. B loves her DDD bust but wishes her belly were as flat as A's so she could wear skinny jeans.

I guess what I'm trying to say is every figure is unique and has its challenges. I guess we just have to find the balance that works for us and make peace with it. Or, we could all re-locate to India and get all our clothes made from scratch by my family tailor!!!

Kristen

(website)

Veteran

Sarah, I think the important thing to remember is that your body is changing, so many of your favorite styles and brands may not fit like they used to. When I lost my weight, I assumed that the fat would kind of fall off my body evenly, so I would still look like myself only thinner. But that didn't really happen: I'm still curvy (I think) at my waist and hips, but my butt is a different shape, my chest became more proportional for my frame, and my thighs are much leaner than I thought they would be. Someone this week actually complimented me on my long swan neck and jawline-- I was flabbergasted! I always thought I had a short neck and squat Polish features...

Anyway, like you, I have no idea anymore what will fit me correctly. Shirts I think will button up nicely have big gaps, zippers I think will make me cry zip up in a jiffy, the gap at the small of my back is gone no matter what cut of pants I try. I have to bring so many things into the dressing room I am embarrassed! And most of them turn out not to be right at all, which is so frustrating.

But I think of it as a learning experience; it's not really the designers' fault these things don't fit me. I just haven't learned how to gauge what might fit while it's still on the hanger!

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

Ironically, a size 12 model is considered a plus size model, when plus size clothing generally starts at 14 or 16. There was some interesting media attention to another size 12 model recently- she has been in Glamour. Here's one of the articles about it:
http://thevibe.socialvibe.com/.....-12-model/

Sarah

(website)

Veteran

Rute, I'm also a size 8 yet very curvy. I realize a tailor will probably be my best option. I'm having a hard time justifying that just yet though. All the more reason to continue pressing on to my goal. I will have an easier time having these tailored or paying more for things that fit better once I'm at my goal weight.
Until then!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I hope you are feeling the solidarity, Sarah.

I think it's safe to say that we, as women, wherever we are and whatever our size or age, will complain about how clothes don’t fit! Myself included :0)

Patience

Veteran

I enjoyed that article but think it rather sad that a size 12 makes a plus size model as well. They're still technically promoting "thin" to that group. Sigh.

Sarah, ditto on what everyone says about you doing a fantastic job of finding great things. Every time we go shopping, you look great in everything you try. And I suspect that the majority of women often feel shopping frustration no matter what their body type is. Don't forget that that's the job of consumerism to keep you trying and always wanting more.

medusa

Veteran

This thread is very interesting. Thanks for all the insightful comments.

Maya

Veteran

Khris, I read somewhere that "petite" models start at 5'5, which is obviously not petite. The modeling world seems to have no basis in reality on any level.

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