Let’s talk about you and me!
Clothes suck!!!
Ok, they don’t really suck but I have a love/hate relationship
with clothing. I would love to be that girl that gets excited over
fashion, but it has never offered me anything but heartache. During the
annual back-to-school clothing trip that my mom and I would make every year my
only options could be found in the woman's section of Sears and JcPenneys.
Having to buy clothes that were meant for a group 30-40 years
older then you when you’re a child doesn’t really build a sense of confidence
in the fashion department. Shoulder pads
look so amazing on a thirteen year old! *eyeroll* I mean I probably bought and
wore the same sweaters as my friends’ grandmas at some point. Hell, I even had to resort to wearing a boy’s
basketball uniform because I didn’t fit into the girls (to be fair I think they
were from the 1970’s and they really didn’t fit anyone properly).
There’s no feeling quite like having your coach pull you aside and
tell you that they don’t have anything to fit you but they might be able to
find something from the guy’s team. I
was mortified, but I learned to adjust and more forward. Plus guys clothes are super comfortable!
In the state that I live in, being over-weight and large makes it
difficult in the best of times to find something off the rack that is
cute/stylish/age-appropriate/decently made.
I’ve lived in different states and big cities where it was easier, but
here the only options come from Wal-Mart, Target, and TJ Maxx.
Wal-Mart is a complete hit or miss. Who are their buyers? Is it really too much to ask for something in
a plus size that appeals to someone under the age of 40? According to their racks, you are overweight only
if you are a business woman and/or church-going Amish. OH and you LOVE LOVE LOVE horizontal
stripes.
Target *shakes head* sees woman’s/plus size as pregnant…nothing
more, nothing less. The last time I was
in their store there was not a single rack of clothes in a size larger then a
size 10. According to what they sell, if
I want to buy pants from them my only options are pregnancy pants…that can be
found in the very back corner of the
store.
My dear, dear, dear TJ Maxx-I love you! You try so hard and succeed more often than other
stores, but do you a horrible job in making any woman larger then a 12 feel
like a valued customer. Having one row
of clothes 18-28 doesn’t offer much of a selection especially consider the
other 100 racks taking up space.
Like I said, I have a love/hate relationship with clothes. I really do want a good relationship with
clothes and fashion, but that becomes pretty difficult when it doesn’t want me
back. I feel as though I’m desperate to
love something that doesn’t value me or my body. I mentioned on Monday I mentioned that when I
lose a certain amount of weight I want to reward myself with a bit of clothes
shopping. Maybe if I’m a smaller size I’ll
be more accepted in the department stores.
For now, I’ll stick to shopping in the men’s department where the
clothes are comfy. I’ll also keep hoping
someone somewhere will finally see there is a need demand for plus-size
clothing for the under 40 in stores like Wal-Mart and Target.
Does your area have a DEB? Some of their clothes I find to be a little too young or hoochiemama for me at the ripe old age of 25, but I often find really cute dresses, jeans that fit wonderfully, and nice shirts there, and they aren't too expensive (especially not compared to Torrid or Lane Bryant or Avenue). I've also had some luck at Burlington Coat Factory (as a size 20, I don't know what size you are, but the larger sizes do seem to be harder to find) including my most beloved and favorite pair of jeggings that my old roommate borrowed without permission and broke the zipper because her hips were bigger than mine. If you have a Torrid around, they have great clothes too, but are on the pricey side. You could shop online from them, too, but if you're like me, I NEED to try things on before buying them to make sure they fit the way I think they will. Something super cute on the hanger may look like a potato sack on me, and vice versa. I'm honestly a clothes horse, though. My apartment has two closets that are about 2'6" wide each, with a 7 foot wide wall nook between them (WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?) So I bought a closetmaid system meant for 5-8' wide closets, and put that up in the wall nook. And THOSE bars are full. One closet now holds my jackets and some out of season or too small clothing that's waiting to be pulled into the rotation, the other I put up shelves for shoes. And I have clothes still in storage, as well. I love my clothes mostly. And I do a LOT of clearance rack shopping, especially when DEB does a clearance sale where all the clearance prices are an extra percentage off (like 40%). I've gotten shirts that were on clearance for $7 and I paid around $4 for.
ReplyDeleteAgain, though, I don't know what size you wear, but it is harder and harder the higher the size. I've been pretty lucky as a size 20, especially IN my 20s, because I've had Lane Bryant, DEB, Fashion Bug, and Torrid around. Being that size at 14 was rough, because I had to shop at Lane Bryant and I just felt like my clothes were frumpy. I think all department stores though assume that the larger you are, the older you are. I'd advise looking for stores that have a "plus juniors" department like DEB, which isn't really "Juniors" but more of a "Young women with a fun sense of style" with some juniors stuff thrown in. Torrid if you don't mind the prices (and I LOVE LOVE LOVE their jeans - the curvy skinnies I have were my most worn pair) has some GORGEOUS clothing and it's all high quality. Their line is usually a little more grown up than DEB, but still young and fun and funky, just in a classy way. Both DEB and Torrid have online shopping, so if you don't need to try things on in store, they're both a solid bet for plus sizes. Torrid carries up to a 30/32 in tops and 28 in bottoms, and DEB carries up to a 24, I believe.
PS I'm pretty sure I was denied drum major in high school because they only had 6 drum major uniforms, and not one of them would fit me. So instead of ordering a larger one for me, they'd rather just have denied me the position.
ReplyDeleteI also have had that whole love hate relationship with clothes. I started looking like a Mennonite because I made my own dress and it was easy to pretend I wasn't "that fat" as you know...but as I realized I just didn't want to look so frumpy any more I started searching! Ouch!!! I started out with the biggest sizes I could fine and HATED everything about pants!!! If I found a bit 32 I could fit but hardly breathe.....Well I started loseing and felt pretty good about getting to that 28. One because I could breathe and two because when I try on clothes it seems to HIGHLY motovate me to do better with my eating....It took awhile and down to 26 then 24. I hit a stand still here for way to long but after the Juice fast (Fat Sick & Nearly Dead that can be found on line) I lost more and arrived at 247. All together from my heaviest weight 322 I had lost 75 lbs. Now I flux between 247 and 241. However a resent trip to shop and I am ready to start working on this again. There are way more clothes available in 18s and 20s! where I am at now..but oh so many more cute ones in 16's and lower! I am going to get there!!!! WE Will!!!! and as always I can see how God has used it all in my life change my heart and mind for the better..and glory to God..my body too! :-)
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