A few thoughts after accompanying a friend on a clothes shopping run.

[randomness]

• Doing a search for "plus size clothing" "store locator" can get you a quick list of chain stores to try, although some of them may be a little far away.


• Just because Ashley Stewart bills itself "for the plus-size urban woman" doesn't mean you shouldn't be willing to go to Roxbury or Mattapan to check it out.


• Torrid has its own sizes for tops, but not for many other items.


• Going to Lane Bryant last can often help your budget.


• It's not that your body is the wrong shape, it's that the clothes are cut wrong for it.


• Weekdays out of shopping season are an excellent time to go clothes shopping.

There's probably more but it's all that occurs to me just now. As always, this was fun.

Edit: This is probably also a good place to add a link to Lee Lee's Valise, though it was also a bit far for this particular expedition.

Comments

[cerridwynn.livejournal.com]

One store that might not come up in your search for plus sized clothing is Cold Water Creek. Though it can be a bit pricy, I love their stuff. And I love, love, love that store for putting their large sizes right there amidst all the other sizes, not segregated in a corner in the back. You see a shirt you like, in a cut that might work? There it is, in sizes ranging from 2 to 2x.

(Contrast this to the Macy's in Burlington, where the plus sizes are tucked away in a corner on the third floor, hidden behind the housewares and the children's section. Talk about making you feel like a second class citizen...)

[donnad.livejournal.com]

Oh I hate shopping for plus sizes at Macy's. It's always tucked away in a back corner away from everything else. The Macy's near me, put it upstairs in the corner furthest from the escalator. Away from all the other womend clothing behind the children's section.
The only store that's worse in JC Penney, they have somethng like four racks of plus size clothing in the MATERNITY section.

Oh and never try to buy plus size at Target, their 2X wouldn't fit a size 10.

[cerridwynn.livejournal.com]

Yeah? I've had some luck at Target in the past, though I'll agree it's very hit and miss. I think the problem is often that their styles are meant to fit tight -- which, while fine on a size 8, is not going to look so good on most women shopping in plus sizes (though i suppose that does depend. It won't look good on me, at least!).

I've never tried JC Penney -- thanks for the warning. I used to be a fan of Kohl's -- they have a pretty extensive plus size section right in the middle of the store! But lately I've found their stuff is looking pretty cheap...

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I don't know what's up with Kohl's. bedfull_o_books and I went in there not too long ago and it was quite the unexpected fail.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

The problem with a tight fit is it results in a very small amount of tolerance for different body shapes. If the garment has been designed for a shape even slightly different from yours, it's not going to work.

When it works, it can work very well. When it doesn't, it just fails.

[sarakate.livejournal.com]

My problem with Target is their lack of consistency. I bought some knit skirts there last summer, and since I wear a 10 or 12, I bought a size L. One of them fits great! The other two make me uncharacteristically grateful for my big boo-tay, since it's the only thing preventing an embarrassing degree of slippage. I've definitely learned to try on every piece of clothing from them, even if it's the same as one I've already tried on but a different color.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's really inconsistent. I really expect clothing sizes to stay the same if all you change is the color! I don't think that's very much to ask.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

On this trip we were very directed so we didn't even bother with department stores.

I often find--depending on the shop in question--that the shop assistants in the specialized plus sized stores are nicer to interact with.