This is more a plea for help- well, that's a bit exaggerated- than a what do you think of this skirt kind of NAS post.

Have you been here?

Background-I was really excited for NAS. Overexcited? Maybe.

My local store stopped carrying my sizes, and a specific SA was assigned to bring in clothes for us larger ladies. Last year I felt bad I ordered so many purchases online that took so long to get to me that by the time I returned them the prices had gone back up, and no one else could get them at the sale price. (Watching the NAS posts here, I realize I shouldn't have let that bother me). I was told the stylist could get them for me faster, and I wouldn't have to pay for and then return everything. So this year I set up an appt. with the stylist. I had wanted to set up an appt. to preselect but she scheduled one during the sale. I walked in there with a list in my online shopping bag of what I was interested in. She had pulled a lot of clothes for me to try on, and then order, without getting more than my size from me. We never got to actually looking at my list.

I felt a lot of pressure to purchase/send but said that I wanted to pay for everything once things came in so I could use my triple points. She was hesitant to put it all on her business store card, but eventually did.

I got home a little shell shocked and feeling very unsure of myself. Part of it may be that I had
1. Gone and shopped/peeked the night before
2. Looked online from 12-2am
3. Got to the store at 10:30 and purchased in accessories and shoes, and gone and placed a phone order at Talbots, all before my appointment.
4. Did one thing right-stopped and had a real lunch.

Now, she found things I wasn't looking for that looked good on me. I am still pondering whether I should purchase them, even though she has already ordered them for me. She said they are year round, but I don't think that they are. Neither is something I was looking for. One is a memorable dress, when I wasn't looking for a dress, or if I wanted one, I wanted one I could change up, wear with leggings, etc. It is also a bit much for me, but I'm trying to decide if that is just my fear of standing out, which I am pondering getting over. The second was a jacket that probably isn't that versatile. I may take them both home and try them on with my other clothes. A third is a coat, but I was looking for one in a bright color, and it is dark, almost black. And then I purchased a purse, knowing that I might return it, to go with the dark coat.

To fill in some of what I remembered I was looking for-skirts, leggings, she went through clothes on her ipad, which I couldn't really see when she was paging through, so I have no list or idea of the costs of what she is ordering for me to try on. And I have a list of what I am more interested in trying that I sent to her, but she gave me the wrong phone number so I just resent it to her. And some of the items were in stock, then out, and then instead of me ordering them when they came back in I texted her so she would get the credit, but to the wrong number, and now they are out of stock again.

Basically, I felt shell shocked for a few days afterward. Some of the problems I couldn't figure out immediately, as I felt a bit like I was on a railroad train speeding ahead. I realized that what she had pulled for me was not what I needed or was looking for, and that I was only getting to pick from among what she had picked, not from everything. I had lost my plan completely. And I became more concerned about the fact that she had spent 90 minutes with me and I owed her my purchases than making sure I got to try on the clothing I wanted.

I should add that she was very nice and we laughed and had fun.

Oh, and I forgot to add, I feel bad because I am losing weight, and it is possible that no matter what clothing I purchase, they will be too big by the time the weather changes, and I will return them.

Should I just order myself next year? Should I drive an hour to a store that carries my size? It seems like some of the items were in a store one hour in one direction, and others in a store one hour if a different direction.
Or should I get very specific about what I am looking for, and then pre-select with the SA?

And what about how clothes you weren't considering look good in person? I saw a coat in the regular department that is also in woman's that I didn't consider until I saw it.
Awwwwk!