What do you have a hard time buying? - YouLookFab Forum

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What do you have a hard time buying?

Kyle

Veteran

Of course, many of us don’t love shopping for bathing suits, but my biggest challenges are actually jeans and handbags, and I honestly dread shopping for them both. With jeans, there are so many fit and style variables that have to be just right for them to really work. Plus, thee are so many options! And with handbags, I seem to be ultra picky about size, style, color, length, material, number of pockets or zippers, visible logos and the like...that it feels like I’m searching for a needle in a haystack. In fact, I recently bought an inexpensive placeholder bag to use while I shop for a high quality wardrobe workhorse crossbody bag because I’m not willing to compromise on this important item for the long term. What are your biggest shopping challenges?

Shopping

30 replies

Latest reply was from Barbara Diane

Anonymous

Shoes. I have wide feet and refuse to wear heels. Finding stylish shoes in wide width with minimal heels is challenging. I eventually give up and end up settling on a few very boring styles.

rachylou

Veteran

Pants! Getting them to hang nicely through the leg without the waist being too wide. Think I need custom made.

Kathie

Veteran

Trousers, which is why I own so few. And tailored jackets, which are almost always gaping through the bust and middle of my back, if they fit through the shoulders. The one good thing is that tailored jackets that fit me tend to be on sale, probably since they fit so few other people:).

ETA- also boots, because my calves are wide relative to my ankles. Three years of looking, and I still don’t have any.

Aquamarine

Veteran

Definitely shoes....I’ve always had problems with shoes (narrow heels, low volume) but now I have more issues than ever before. I recently triplicated (!) two pairs of shoes that worked for me this past year, because I would cry if they wore out and I had to start over (sandals and casual shoes).

Nice to see you post again, Kyle. You always had such elegant outfits.

Toban

Veteran

Tops! If I size to fit my chest, there's way too much material at the waist that it's not flattering. Plus a short torso, so I definitely need petite sizes in tops. Always a struggle.

JAileen

Veteran

Pants are so hard to fit.

njw

Shoes and pants. Need shoes that are in Wide with removable insole, good arch support, etc and that really limits options to Munro and very few others. I struggle with pants because I do not like how I look in them, wear a 16 or 18.

Bennett

Veteran

Ugh, handbags for sure! They all seem like THE ONE until I put them to actual use and the flaws jump out at me. My main problem is I don't want gold hardware, and it seems that 90% of the nicer quality handbags have gold metal on them.
I love and own plenty of cute little clutches, since they generally don't sport hardware. And they only need to be the size of a pocket, and look cute on the bar!

Gail

Veteran

Shoes and knee high boots. I have narrow heels, skinny ankles and narrows calves. When I find boots I never let them go, if they go out of style I hang on to them until they come in style again lol. This means that I end up with a lot of them but they aren't necessarily all in style at the same time haha.

Cardiff girl

Veteran

Dresses I find really difficult.Too short,waist in the wrong place,doesn’t suit me etc..

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Lately I just don't want to get anywhere near fitting rooms in b&m stores, so anything I'd have to pick up there.

LaPed

Veteran

Shoes. I rarely like the way shoes look; there's always some design element that bothers me. And when I do find a pair I like, it rarely fits.

Joyce B

Veteran

Jackets. They are hard to fit right.

Roberta

Veteran

Bras for sure. I'm not a particularly odd size at 38DDD, but finding something that doesn't have lace or those side bars that poke me, or is smooth but still has some structure . . . And they stop making certain styles after a year! And they can't be altered! When I find a bra I like I buy it in every color, and then go on eBay looking for duplicates. I am that person photographing the tag in the lingerie department. Not to mention they are expensive and are worn every single day, from when I get up to when I go to bed.

Don't get me started on underpants.

Becky

Veteran

Shoes, because I wear extra-wide and need lots of cushioning and low heels, yet don't want to wear "grandma" shoes. Pants/jeans also are a challenge due to a smaller waist/larger hip and thigh. I will say in recent years contoured waists (significantly higher rise in the back) has made the fit better.

Anonymous

Loungewear. I think mostly because I feel so ordinary in it.
I really haven’t got my stride in this department.

Sal

Veteran

Shorts and good quality trousers.

Shorts I find terribly unflattering......and trouser fit is a challenge on me (waist, butt, thighs and length).

K.M.

Veteran

Shoes, because over the years my feet decided they each wanted to be a different size. One foot has a bunion and is not only wider but also LONGER than the other. I suppose it must all have to do with the joints and how they expand but why would it get longer????

Usually I either buy shoes that are a bit large and stuff the left foot with insoles, or my right foot suffers a little bit if it's tolerable. In one case I actually bought two pairs of the same shoe in different sizes, because the left foot kept falling off and the right one was unbearably tight.

Also jackets and blazers. The right fit on my torso is often too short in the sleeves. I think I have long arms for my size.

Gigi

Veteran

Coats and jackets. I have very narrow shoulders and am short, so I need petite sizing if the coat is going to fit right. And manufacturers seem to like to make coats on the large side, so I end up being swamped. I'd love some interesting coats, but all that seems to fit is pretty classic and boring.

Knee-high boots are so hard as to be near impossible. I have 12" calves and need a short shaft (below 15"), and I have only two pairs (one of which was taken in by a cobbler, with so-so results). But I keep looking! Every now and then I will find a pair that fits, but lately the ones that fit haven't been completely my style, so I passed.

Shorts are also tough. They tend to be too big through the crotch and not big enough through the seat, which causes very unflattering wadding in front.

celia

Veteran

Depends what you mean about hard time.
Hard time because of fit / body issues: bottoms(shorts should deserve a special place in hell IMHO ;o) )
Hard time because I am picky and look for the perfect one: shoes
Hard time because I don't want to spend money on it:gear
Hard time because it's boring: underwear

Anonymous

Pants in general but trousers are the most difficult to fit. I hate having to gat undressed to try them on and to go out to find a mirror where I can see the back view. The jeans with high waists are almost as hard to fit. Swimsuits too.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I like Celia’s distinctions. For me, it’s hard to fit knee high boots. Or any kind of low vamp shoe without a strap. Pants can be challenging too. Handbags are also tough to find and I have done exactly what you describe in the past. Like Bennett, I don’t want gold hardware, which vastly limits my options. I find it annoying to spend money or shopping energy on PJs. And other basics are a bore to shop for, although once I find it, I like a good bra.

Cee

Veteran

Usually blazers that fit me in all the right places !

Style Fan

Veteran

Footwear. I have a lot of problems with my feet. If I don't wear boots or shoes with the right support and cushioning my feet will ache for days. I have figured out a few brands (read expensive but boring) that work for me.
On the positive side, my feet look fine and are an easy fit (size 8 or 8.5, medium width).

cindysmith

Veteran

Pants first, shoes second.
I need a longer inseam, but not a longer rise.
Shoes often feel comfortable in store, but not so much when I get them home.

I hate shopping for either of them anymore

Canada

I'm with Roberta. Bras. I. Hate. Wearing. One. Nordstrom, Soma, boutiques have all measured me but, alas, I feel it's not the bras, it's my dislike for any widget around my chest. I have a drawer full of expensive barely used bras I hook on when I wear a white blouse or some other piece of clothing for a special event. But at 36DD I can't revert to my 1960's bra less, flat chested silhouette. Sports bras, camisoles, worn out non wired strips of fabric, I have to wear something. In the deep winter months I can hide my bra less torso with layers. Anyone else struggle with bras?

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I like Celia and Suz’s thoughts.

My feet are the hardest part of my body to dress. Fabulous looking shoes for an urban walking lifestyle that go the distance and look pretty. Not sneakers. Difficult! Sandals that are narrow enough - almost impossible. That said I enjoy shopping for shoes and am eventually very satisfied.

I can’t stand shopping, wearing, and spending money on any type of gear.

kkards

Veteran

dresses...finding the right silhouette for me is a challenge, then finding the right fit on top of that!
bra's...because its hard to the right size, hard for me to judge if it fits, and then, at least for me, you don't really know if you got "a good" one, until you've actually worn it for a day....

DonnaF

Veteran

Footwear by far. In addition to being hard to fit, my right foot hurts even unshod. Shoes that used to be fine no longer are. I've given up on tall boots because small ankles and short muscular calves on top of foot comfort make for impossible requirements. Luckily, my California climate is really too warm to actually need tall boots.

I have also given up on dress pants. Pancake butt means they never hang right in back although spandex helps a lot. Any weight fluctuation also shows up in the fit my slacks. I can live without dress pants or at least buying any more than the ones I've owned for several years.

Blazers. They never seem to hang quite right through the shoulders and bust and tend to wrinkle a bit. Again, I've stopped buying them because I wouldn't even wear the ones I had because they felt too formal and classic for my style. I've taken to buying other types of toppers.

If I really wanted skinny jeans, they for sure would be a source of frustration due to my huge calf size. But I really don't want to show off my leg shape from chubby thighs to ankles, so slim straights and wider are just fine with me.

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