Here's something I have learned in recent months that I never expected: to anyone who has trouble finding clothes that fit them off the rack, consider scrubs. Most of the brands I've found come in an extended range of lengths and sizes (XXS-4X and petite/reg/tall for most brands) and the pants, especially, could work for a wide range of casual and smart casual looks. And if you have a scrubs store near you, you may not even need to buy online - the one I visited had the full range of sizes and lengths in store. Scrubs aren't just plain cotton anymore; a lot are made out of the same fabric as activewear.
Ok, speech over Dunno if anyone else will find this helpful, maybe a lurker or two, but I thought I'd throw up a quick review of some of the scrubs I've tried so far. As a career changer who hasn't worked in healthcare before, it's been a learning experience as to what will fit and be practical all day while still looking halfway decent. I'm still just wearing them a couple days a week for clinical labs but after I graduate, fingers crossed, I'll have a job where I wear them every day.
Scrubstar is Walmart’s scrubs brand so a good option if you need something quick and/or can’t spend a lot. They have a “professional” line which seems to be made out of stretch wovens and is a bit more expensive, but they were out of my sizes in the store I visited. The Scrubstar core essentials were the ones I tried (each piece $12.96). In my size in ceil blue (XL) they had the women’s drawstring pant, which is elastic in the back waist, drawstring only in the front, hip pockets and a patch pocket on the right thigh. Weirdly the inseam on these is longer than the unisex ones I got in navy. The corresponding top had lost its original tags and had been retagged in store, and I can’t find that model on their website either – it’s got a yoke neckline and two pockets. The fabric colors are slightly different, so I’m going to try to find better matches for each of the pieces in the future. In navy I picked a v-neck top in navy in a L, which is a bit snugger than the other tops I tried but still comfortable, which leads me to think I need a size down in tops as compared to bottoms. And I had to go for the unisex drawstring pant in L to get a match, which actually turns out to be a better fit than the women’s on me, with less extra fabric in the leg. Only downside of that is that it only has a drawstring, with no elastic in the waistband. The weight of the fabric of all the Scrubstar pieces is lighter than the Wonderwink, so I’m thinking it’ll be good for warmer months but a bit too thin right now.
(Naked links since YLF doesn't do Finds with Walmart)
Ceil blue top, no link
Ceil blue pants https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scr...../849953229
Indigo top https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scr.....-Hem/52839
Indigo pants https://www.walmart.com/ip/Scr.....e/51140806
Wonderwink Origins, hunter green (Amazon) – XL tall Tango pants, XL Bravo top. Fabric is a poly/cotton woven, no stretch. Pants have a full drawstring plus some elastic in the back half, belt loops, two back patch pockets, an interior mesh pocket on the left side, two front pockets at the waist plus two patch cargo pockets, one big and one small, on the right thigh. Top has a mitered v-neck, short sleeves, and two sets of pockets – right side has a mesh pocket, then a big pocket, then a divided pocket with a bungee loop; left side has pen loops made from twill tape inside a big pocket. Initial thoughts: pretty color and I love the feel of the fabric, substantial but not too heavy. Pants are a bit long in the rise and I wish the elastic in the waistband was wider. I wish there was a bungee loop higher up on the top.
Wonderwink Origins, royal blue (Amazon) – XL tall Victor pants, L Charlie top. Same fabric as the hunter green; top has an overlapping v-neck with contrast trim. The fit of the L is better on me, snugger, but still allows me to move. Same pockets as the other top. The pants are smaller than the other cut through the thighs, but I like the waistband better – elastic only in the back half, with a drawstring in the front, and the holes are on the inside so you can hide the drawstring if you want. Pockets in the pants are the same.
Overall I like the fabric and construction of the Wonderwink, but the fit of the pieces/sizes I chose isn’t awesome on me. I’ll keep trying as they have several other cuts, and I want to try Scrubstar’s premium line as well as higher-end brands like Figs and Jaanuu. I'm not hurrying to buy any more, though, until I know if I have any color/style requirements for my future job.
