The Plus Size Thread - All are welcome!

[Luxx]

^It would really depend on the girl Crakk. Some plus sized girls might have a waist around that size and others might. Men's clothing is always sort of odd fitting on women unless they don't have hips / boobs but thats just my opinion - I feel like men's clothes don't alot for those uniquely feminine elements.

Something thats been bothering me for awhile - and I probably posted about this before but bear with me. Is the lack of plus sized clothes that reflect my personality. I'm wondering if anyone has found a way around this sort of thing. I really want to upgrade my wardrobe. I don't just want nice clothes I want something that says something about me. As it stands there is a sort of generic quality to my clothing. At least in my opinion - this is a personal issue so maybe anyone who isn't me wouldn't even notice.

Even in the nicer plus sized stores things tend to skew towards being sort of conservative / classic in nature. Which is great but its just not me. I love the kind of really sharp chic things Carine Roitfeld and her daughter wear and there is in all honesty no equivalent for that. masquerade, mentioned earlier that plus sized girls are discouraged from taking risks and I really feel that is true.

Goodness gracious I sound like such a whiner or more logically I feel like I am. Maybe I should channel these frustrations into a blog post or something but I'm still not quite sure how I feel about things. There is this sort of pressure not to steer far away from a very sort of classic look for plus sized girls. Perhaps someone can articulate this better than I can.

[Antigone]

^True. I noticed that too. And another thing - plus-sized clothes have a certain body frame in mind. The plus-size pear. So I can't shop in most plus-sized stores because the clothes would just look ridiculous on me, as I have flat b**bies, thick waist, and flat butt.

[Crakk]

Originally Posted by Luxx

^It would really depend on the girl Crakk. Some plus sized girls might have a waist around that size and others might. Men's clothing is always sort of odd fitting on women unless they don't have hips / boobs but thats just my opinion - I feel like men's clothes don't alot for those uniquely feminine elements.

Totally understood.

[xmodel citizen]

It's also hard to compare men and women because we have completely different shapes and proportions. So if a man and woman have the same waist sizes, the woman is pretty much guaranteed to have larger hips than the man.

[classic1908]

Originally Posted by 3RingCircus

Surely if one can't fit a regular 10 then a size 12 is the answer, not creating 10W. Now THAT is vanity sizing!

It may be, but those are European brands and I suspect that there's not the same neuroses about size that some have in America.

[classic1908]

Originally Posted by Antigone

^True. I noticed that too. And another thing - plus-sized clothes have a certain body frame in mind. The plus-size pear. So I can't shop in most plus-sized stores because the clothes would just look ridiculous on me, as I have flat b**bies, thick waist, and flat butt.

I have pear characteristics although I've gotten more hourglassy (up top) as I got into my 40s. So some of the suit-based bridge/better purveyors work better for me.
I do agree that diamonds/apples (or type F per Kendall Farr) seem to get the short end of the stick.

[Iphygenia]

I do agree that diamonds/apples (or type F per Kendall Farr) seem to get the short end of the stick.

This is indeed true,but what is truer to me is that most of the time curvy girls get it really bad. I don't know about US,but the places I've been living (aka Italy and paris ) they don't have much for YOUNG curvy girls,most of the stuff is clothes that not even my grandmother would wear,shapeless,out of fashion,grey and black colored tunics..really horrible. That's one of the reasons that motivated me to lose weight....can you believe i'm size 48 ( US 14 ) and I couldn't find a decent fitting pair of jeans since summer? there are all law waist because that's what's on style here now,and I look horrendous with a low waist....
how is the situation where you like? Any good clothes for the curvt girls as well? Just curios

[frk-frost]

I definitely think it's a problem with colours and patterns available in larger sizes. Either it dark colours and very classic designs - or it's clown-like and not very trendy. I also have problems finding outfits that suit me on top without making me look bigger - I don't understand why that's so hard to find because there seems to be many, many women with that bodytype

[LaurieAnn]

Originally Posted by fashionista-ta

^ Jones New York often has a fashion-friendly color palette ...

PS LaurieAnn, sounds like some great finds on sale

Classic1908, thanks for letting me know about Jones New York doing a petite-plus line. The Macy's closest to me has JNY in every line except petite-plus so I'll have to travel to the Bay Area to look for it there. And yes, they do have a good color palatte every season.

You know I have to really chuckle at myself over finding the skirt and jacket on sale. That just never happens to me. I always fall for the one item that's just come in and not yet on sale. I guess the fact that this is a slower than expected retail season worked in my favor. The way I look at it, the money I saved on the purchase should just about cover the cost of tailoring to make the items fit better. (Though I'm wearing the skirt already about twice a week.)

[masquerade]

Originally Posted by Luxx

^It would really depend on the girl Crakk. Some plus sized girls might have a waist around that size and others might. Men's clothing is always sort of odd fitting on women unless they don't have hips / boobs but thats just my opinion - I feel like men's clothes don't alot for those uniquely feminine elements.

Something thats been bothering me for awhile - and I probably posted about this before but bear with me. Is the lack of plus sized clothes that reflect my personality. I'm wondering if anyone has found a way around this sort of thing. I really want to upgrade my wardrobe. I don't just want nice clothes I want something that says something about me. As it stands there is a sort of generic quality to my clothing. At least in my opinion - this is a personal issue so maybe anyone who isn't me wouldn't even notice.

Even in the nicer plus sized stores things tend to skew towards being sort of conservative / classic in nature. Which is great but its just not me. I love the kind of really sharp chic things Carine Roitfeld and her daughter wear and there is in all honesty no equivalent for that. masquerade, mentioned earlier that plus sized girls are discouraged from taking risks and I really feel that is true.

Goodness gracious I sound like such a whiner or more logically I feel like I am. Maybe I should channel these frustrations into a blog post or something but I'm still not quite sure how I feel about things. There is this sort of pressure not to steer far away from a very sort of classic look for plus sized girls. Perhaps someone can articulate this better than I can.

to say i agree with you would be somewhat redundant

you know whats funny, i find the nice plus size stuff is more conservative than the less expensive stuff. I can find something younger and more fun at Target than at Nordstrom in the plus section. And since target runs large and their regular sizing goes up to 18 and XXL, I don't have to exclusively shop in their plus section which is more limited. I got to Nordstrom or Bloomingdales and their plus section is Michael by Michael Kors and stuff like that. Its entirely lovely but its not, as classic1908 mentioned, contemporary. Since I'm smaller on top than on bottom and can wear a large or x-large in traditional brands, I try to show my personality on top and just try and find a flattering, nice fitting pant or skirt on the bottom.

In February, I am going to London for a semester. I hope to not spend too much money in general there, but I was just wondering how the plus there compares to here in the US. Is it the same? Is there more options? Less?

[classic1908]

Originally Posted by Iphygenia

This is indeed true,but what is truer to me is that most of the time curvy girls get it really bad. I don't know about US,but the places I've been living (aka Italy and paris ) they don't have much for YOUNG curvy girls,most of the stuff is clothes that not even my grandmother would wear,shapeless,out of fashion,grey and black colored tunics..really horrible. That's one of the reasons that motivated me to lose weight....can you believe i'm size 48 ( US 14 ) and I couldn't find a decent fitting pair of jeans since summer? there are all law waist because that's what's on style here now,and I look horrendous with a low waist....
how is the situation where you like? Any good clothes for the curvt girls as well? Just curios

Iphygenia, I'm more of a conservative dresser than some who post here regularly. I'm also in my 40s and am an "inbetweenie" (can wear either the top sizes in misses or the smallest size in women's), so I do decently.

I'm in Southern California, so I have access to a lot of places...but I still get at the offerings. For instance, I like sheath dresses in natural fabrics and have the toughest time finding them. Earlier this decade, I think, pickings were more fruitful. Several designers had plus-size bridge lines (Versace, Valentino, Givenchy, Oscar de la Renta) but those are now out of business. Many went out of business around the time Mode magazine, which I think was the definitive plus glossy, folded. Grace and Figure don't measure up.

Some of the younger regulars will have a different perspective. That's the beauty of this thread.

[xmodel citizen]

^^ Oh I so agree! Also, I know people bitch about Old Navy's quality, but they go up to XXL and 20 and I've never noticed anything bad about the quality. Unless you're doing something heavy duty in your clothes, most pieces will hold up.

[frk-frost]

Originally Posted by classic1908

Many went out of business around the time Mode magazine, which I think was the definitive plus glossy, folded. Grace and Figure don't measure up.

I loved Mode - I was so annoyed when it folded

[LaurieAnn]

Originally Posted by frk-frost

I loved Mode - I was so annoyed when it folded

I completely agree with you. Figure magazine is really more of an advertisment vehicle for Lane Bryant/Fashion Bug/Catherine's which are all owned by the same company I think.

Also, as far as plus-size clothing not having the breadth of styles available for many more women to dress for their own individual personalities I totally concur there too. I never paid much attention to accessories before I became plus size, but now I use shoes, bags, scarves, jewelry, etc. to highlight my personalilty with the clothing often acting as more of a canvas for my look. I also take better care of my hair, skin and make-up than before as being well groomed sends a message to others that I care about myself and am not one to be overlooked because of my size.

[Iphygenia]

I also take better care of my hair, skin and make-up than before as being well groomed sends a message to others that I care about myself and am not one to be overlooked because of my size.

this is indeed very true. I find that people tend to think you do not take care of yourself/your body if you're 'fat' and I find that for most curvy girls is just not that way. i personally take a lot of care of my body ( plus my mom is a beautician ) I just find it harder to say no to some comfort food,combine that with the fact i'm a good cook and here's you've got a plus size,but i indeed care about myself,maybe more than those girl who starves themselves to supposed 'perfection'

Iphygenia, I'm more of a conservative dresser than some who post here regularly. I'm also in my 40s and am an "inbetweenie" (can wear either the top sizes in misses or the smallest size in women's), so I do decently.

I understand your point classic1908,but still what I find here in italy is just carelessness about plus sizes,like they ( as in stores ) thought 'well,you're a fat person,you just aim to cover your body' well,it's not like that. I found it very saddening when i was 16 and i just wanted to dress like every other girl,now that i'm 27 and lost most of the weight i'm happier,but i think it's very bad for young girls,everyone has the right to feel stylish despite their body