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Random shopping, or lack thereof

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

So yesterday I was able to get off work early. First stop was the camera store that was having a garage sale. I debated some lens, they were open box, but only 10% Off retail. I got one filter.
Then had lunch with former forum member Amy. It was nice to catch up
I have a baby shower today and got two books.
I then wandered around downtown. Stumbled upon a couple getting their wedding photos. I eventually went to Nordstrom and the Rack. I looked around for some sort of cute top, jewelry, or something different to wear to baby shower today. I realize it’s in between seasons. Summer stuff is pretty much gone & fall is only just starting to trickle in.
Again I was stymied by the fact that what I like, well it doesn’t really exist in my size. I should say I’ve also looked online.
I even looked at fancy t-shirts in the men’s section
I’ve been wearing my Good American jean shorts pretty much all the time.
Warning body talk now:
Also I think I need to do a massive purge of the 80% of my closet that doesn’t fit. I’m not losing weight and admittedly not trying right now due to a myriad of issues. I don’t know when or if it’ll happen.
I grudgingly accept my current size. But still very much irked at fashion retail. Even Refinery29 which has a section called 67 Percent, addressing the fact that that 67% of US woman wear above a 14. But still they fall short, a recent post of new trends in jeans, I knew most of the brands and wear they stop. The equivalent story for the 67 Percent was pretty much boring in my mind & or styles that have been out for a while, basically not new.
More and more I’m dropping out of fashion.

ETA photo of wedding & random bus stop man fashion

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Shopping

29 replies

Latest reply was from binkle

Canada

Don't give up! There are stylish clothes out there to fit you now but you just haven't found them yet. It's beyond frustrating to try a myriad of clothes in a cramped dressing room room and to come home with nothing. Get thee to a stylist, such as Angie, and allow her to listen to your wardrobe needs. She will pinpoint your strengths and lead you to comfortable fashion. I believe Nordstrom offers this service at no cost or obligation. Give it a try.

kkards

Veteran

Annagybe...sometimes in life you just need to let go of something and shift your time and focus somewhere else. This feels like that time for you and fashion. Hopefully in a few years if you’re interested in rekindling your fashion passion the market will have caught up with you.

rachylou

Veteran

I can’t ever imagine you not being stylish, that’s something you have inherently in spades and is independent of fashion and designers... so, to be honest, I don’t know that I totally understand your interest in fashion in the first place... ahem!

Or put it another way, I’m interested as well, but don’t think fashion has been that interesting for a decade at least. I kinda like it here on YLF because it’s about eking out some style from what’s really available...

UmmLila (Lisa)

Veteran

You're always going to have style. I'm coveting your shorts, btw. But you know the season to season and even year to year trends at the mainstream level have so little originality these days anyway. I was just flipping through the latest issue of Bazaar and it feels like 80s redux -- Laura Ashley prairie dresses, Steven Sprouse neons.

Anonymous

The whole sizing issue is still so disheartening, as is the dearth of lovely clothes designed for intelligent and mature women at prices the average person can afford. I'm less and less interested in mall fashion by the season. Give me thoughtful makers with a story to tell.

Anonymous

What Lisa P said.

Style Fan

Veteran

Lisa P said it very well.

unfrumped

Veteran

I hear you.
Not expert on culling for you, but if you value more current and high fashion items then yes, it seems less likely that saving things will be what you will wear some time in the future. If you had s pretty large wardrobe begire yhen tge poor response of retailers to size needs make it very hard to have lots of variety on hand at any one time.
Running a very lean and agile wardrobe
with lots of repeats, but of the best things you can find, may work.
I still wonder if with your style and fashion savvy there are more ways to combine some extraordinarily basic bottoms and tops with items that are truly extraordinary but less fit- sensitive, like shoes and jewelry. And re- imagining item purposes— perhaps ghd anything- goes era helps that, so can wear track pants with fab shoes, etc. I think you may already be doing that to some extent of course.

bj1111

Veteran

I don’t know whether to support your “dropping out of fashion” or to encourage you to take heart and that eventually the offering will get better.

Selfishly, the latter because I have missed your insightful posts which are hard to maintain if the fashion available is not interesting to you because you don’t find your size represented.

That said, it is a unique kind of frustration to want to participate in fashion and feel sized out. Take a break, focus on your photography, your dad, opera, hiking and the million other things that make you such an interesting person.

cindysmith

Veteran

What Lisa P said.
I'm kind of there with you, my weight gain doesn't seem to be going away, and it does make it hard to shop. It's like manufacturers don't have any clue what women's bodies actually LOOK like, because the clothes are small, or they're cut weird,
It takes a lot of searching to find things that fit AND that I actually like. Between the difficulty shopping and the health issues I'm dealing with, it's hard to be interested in looking cute, at a time when I need to look presentable because I'm job hunting

(((hugs)))

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

A few weeks ago I mentioned seeing a woman downtown wearing a green floral midi, and of course the wheels in my brain started spinning.
Finds are working for Mango
Like this:
https://shop.mango.com/us/wome.....#038;s=nue
It'd look awesome with slouchy tall suede boots, which I have. But Mango doesn't make it for the Violeta size line.
The fancypants Barneys catalog I got a while back had bit on Zebra prints.
https://shop.mango.com/us/wome.....35725.html
Yup and nothing like it in larger sizes
Similar story for H&M, cool stuff for straight sizes, but plus size is a yawn fest.
People say don't shop fast fashion, and ideally I wouldn't. But at least ASOS is trying a bit, unlike *cough cough* Net-a-porter.

The mixed print dress is pretty cool, but the zebra belt would drive me crazy because the print isn't two-sided and when it flips overs, ugh.

DESIGN Curve sweater in vertical rainbow stripe

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DESIGN Curve mixed print trophy dress

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Anonymous

Dont drop out of fashion, rethink it Im on the lower end of the size range, but more and more im turning to tailoring to get the fit i want. I don't buy expensive things, but will change hemlines, take in seams, remove sleeves etc if i like the fabric enough. I literally have an ON blouse at the tailor right now! You may have things in your closet worth altering now or find something in a shop thats worth a tweak.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

suntiger, you can't tailor up.

Anonymous

True, usually they dont add any extra seam-age anywhere, and you may not have anything right now that would work to tweak. But from what's available in shops, you can customize sometimes. Think of it as reshaping the clothes, as opposed to taking in. Also, check Etsy. Ive seen a lot of non basic things that work on a range of bodies.
And, 3D printing is coming along
That is a great dress btw, reminds me of a kente cloth! Cant hurt to write to them and ask if they'd extend the size range.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

suntiger. I really don't want to be rude, but seriously ?!?!
3D printing is basically plastic, which may work for accessories but not full blown clothes last I checked. Also it's still in it's infancy, so that doesn't help now.
I've messaged many many smaller designers about extending their size range. 90% of the time I get some crap about one pair of jeans that has extended sizing, and it's something super basic like skinnies. or that they're a small company and can't do, but will look into in the future.... Heck I even saw a really cool travel dress on Kickstarter, so she hasn't even expanded beyond a prototype. Her spiel was about making it for all woman, practical, who had real lives, blah blah blah. Her sizing I think went from 00 to maybe a 12. Yeah she also said something about the future, next round BS.
Etsy has some things, but still pretty limited, and now a huge chunk of the shops are not in the US, so it takes time, lots of time. You can send all the correct measurements and it still isn't right, I know because it's happened to me.
So yeah I do look.

Anonymous

I wasnt trying to start a row at all. I had no idea you had done all that, and it does sound frustrating! Im glad youre advocating though. I think designers should have/be willing to produce things for the people that want to wear them.
I didn't mean now with the 3d printing, i mean hopefully in the not that distant future!
If it makes you feel better I'm sized out of shoes (aa in front 6a heels), no insert in the world makes transitional shoes fit me...

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Can you achieve your look through haircut , shoes, scarves , jewelry, hats, bags, etc.? Texture, studs, metallics, etc?

Anonymous

Seam allowance is the correct terminology , suntiger. And I’m sure Anna is looking to have a conversation rather than looking for far-fetched “ solutions” . Musing , as it were .

Sal

Veteran

Anna - that really sucks - it sounds like you have considered a few options so I am not sure where else to suggest. Timing might be part of it - I still remember trying to shop in the US and Canada in August and finding it really hard.

Off chance...

https://nz.kowtowclothing.com/

I have two pieces by this label - - I could help with measurements if needed. I have two in the building block range and the quality is good for the knits and I may even duplicate a tee (I rarely rarely duplicate).

Might not be your thing and shipping might be a pain but just an idea.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Sal, they have some nice stuff, unfortunately their sizes don't work either.

Vildy

Veteran

In the olden days, like when my mother was growing up, women used dressmakers. A lot of older style books talk about finding an expensive or couture garment you like and taking a picture of it to the dressmaker to copy it. I apologize for not knowing what your situation is now but I think I remember that you used to buy expensive clothing. Wouldn't it work to find some clothing that excites you but you are sized out of and find a dressmaker/tailor to make one for you?

Jane

Veteran

I’m not quite sure what to suggest but I do find that when I’m just wanting to give something else a go, a trip to Cos can inspire me. The shapes, fabrics and somehow the kind of level headed Scandinavian design.

binkle

Veteran

I'll share a few suggestions that I am familiar with. At my largest (250, 5'10") I was in 18-20W. Now, just on the high end of "missy" (thanks cancer!) I can feel your heartbreak over this. When I see a brand sizing their XL as "12" (or even "10") I just have to laugh (or otherwise I'd cry). I guess my money is just not green enough for them.

You may well be aware of these already:
Lafayette 148 - though it looks like they have ditched Plus, and now go up to straight 18. Still, great quality and generous fit.
Poetry - kind of Eileen Fisher-esque with lots of square shapes and linen, but they have silks and wools, long skirts, velvet. Up to 18 and very generously sized. Jeans and tees too. If you can stand linen, their heavier weights are very nice.
Marina Rinaldi - now sells online! I would have absolutely KILLED if they sold online in my bigger days. They use their own sizing system, so check out their chart for your US equivalent. Goes up to US 24 (they call it "33"). Stuff sells quickly. I thought this dress was not too bad. https://us.marinarinaldi.com/p.....tilo-black
Neiman Marcus (online) - varies, sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Ulla Popken - I used to get their catalog in the early 2000's, thought they disappeared, but still online. Not remarkable but got some good work clothes.
Avenue and Woman Within - rather meh fashionwise, but you never know what you can find. Don't know what Lane Bryant is doing now.

I feel that there was a really grand selection back in the 1990's and early 2000's. Jones New York, Dana Buchman, Ellen Tracy had really fantastic larger sizes, some styles in true Plus. Magnins in SF had a great large department, Macy's used to even have stand-alone Plus stores in a couple of malls. Nordstroms plus section was very good too, the saleslady I worked with was a real genius. Seems like so much plus fashion is now bizarre Betty Page pin-up peek-a-boo crap or cheesy materials.

Vildy

Veteran

I have always liked the Marina Rinaldi stuff as being very grown up looking. Not my size nor budget but inspirational to me. Their Puglisi (sp) line has some interesting coats.

If you like the current trend of menswear jackets, have you thought of actual menswear? Bonus, comes in tall. I think I remember that you're tall. I've been wearing men's linen walk shorts and loving it. Much better made.

Inge

(website)

I'm in the same boat, Anna, and share your frustration. Also nodding vigorously at what Lisa wrote: "The whole sizing issue is still so disheartening, as is the dearth of lovely clothes designed for intelligent and mature women at prices the average person can afford."

I don't have many suggestions right now, but if COS sizing works for you, then they are always worth keeping an eye on.

And I just saw some pieces at Rachel Roy that might have potential (not for the baby shower perhaps, but in general:-):

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....02d1f06000

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....060007a1%2

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....702d1f0600

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....69702d1f06

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....d1f060007a

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....0007a1%2C5

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....02d1f06000

https://www.rachelroy.com/prod.....New+Stripe

Vildy

Veteran

wow INGE I can see Anna in this stuff!

Inge

(website)

Vildy - I soooo want her to find some good stuff!-)

Vildy

Veteran

If you ever need a third career, INGE, you'd be raking it in the way you can find people what they desperately want/need.

binkle

Veteran

Two more ideas -
Mimu Maxi- their XL is 18-20. Variety of basic, asymmetrical, some bodycon, some oversize shapes in solids. Created by two Orthodox Jewish women who wanted coverage but not dowdiness. I haven't tried it yet but their tube skirts and white tops look nice.
Palmer Harding - available on The Modist and Matches. They don't have extended sizes, but their cotton shirting and jackets are designed to be oversized - kind of modern menswear inspiration. I have an oversize shirt (and it is WAY oversize so could be very forgiving depending what size you are at right now), and a voluminous black raincoat with very neat details. Unfortunately their bottoms are not oversized - I don't think I can do a UK 16 (US 12 I think).

And some Gap stuff goes up to 20 online - I am enjoying their girlfriend chinos this summer - a basic shape. Add a good top, roll up the cuffs, and my big Nike techno sneaker boots, plus accessories, etc, they make a versatile base. They seem to be quite generously sized also (and they have Talls). At 170 5'7" I can do a 12 without sucking in my tummy.