Where do you shop for clothes?

xyrius

I've been putting on a lot of weight lately.  I used to be 200 lbs, lost 60 pounds, and now I'm creeping back up - and my work clothes just do not fit lately.

I really hate shopping, especially for tops, because nothing fits me properly (I carry most of my weight around my stomach - people ask me if I'm pregnant).

Where do you find flattering clothes?  And what styles of tops look most flattering on you?  I've tried so many things, and it either looks maternity or like I'm wearing a tent (to fit over my stomach).

Any help/advice would be appreciated.  Especially since I'm not planning on losing any of this until after Xmas -- I want some comfy/nice clothes now.

mancila60

I mostly stick with Cato or Lane Bryant. Every now and then I can find stuff at JcPenny. We don't really have many plus size stores here and I can never get my size right when buying online. I try to make do with what I can find.

LDYGTR13

I carry all of my weight in my gut region too =( I always found Target and Old Navy helpful. I dont have a "plus size" frame, like I have skinny legs and arms and zero butt, I just have a gut! Is that how you are?

rmontpas

In BC where I live, we have a store called Pennington's, I like their stuff.  I live in a small town.  I pretty much have to travel to shop or order online so I'm not much help.  There is nice stuff out there though for reasonable prices if you look hard enough!

xyrius

I have a big butt and thighs too LDY.   But yeah, my frame isn't "plus-size" so what ends up happening is my weight piles on in wierd places - if it were all evened out I'd be much happier with my body.

I've tried Old Navy before, but truthfully haven't found much.  What styles of top do you look for?

And you know what else I hate about having a big belly - is when you sit down, how the lip of your waist (pants) rolls down.  I can't wear pants without belt loops because of this, because when I stand up I always have to flip it back up - which looks bad.

xyrius

Rmont - I'm Canadian too!   

We have a penningtons, I've been there a few times - I think I'll have to try again.  The prices are a bit steep but I think it may be worth it.

entropicbeauty

My suggestion was going to be old navy...I mostly buy from them because they're cheap and I get everything online so it's convenient (gotta love their return policy!)

Torrid might be another option, I used to buy from them a couple years back but when their prices went up and the quality remained the same I kind of said forget it.

xyrius

Awesome - thanks ladies!!  Any suggestions on what type/style of shirts to buy?

mancila60

How dressy are your clothes supposed to be?

I would suggest some sweaters since it's cold outside. Nothing clingy just comfy to wear. Maybe something fitted under the ladies and then flowy after that. You could always try button down shirts but I know most don't like those. I'm not a big fan but they can work sometimes.

anna.oskar

I shop at Kohl's.  They have a really decent variety and most of the cute clothes come in plus sizes as opposed to some stores whose plus sizes look like a shapeless muumuu.  The Daisy Fuentes line has a great shape that emphasizes the good and minimizes the less than good.

xyrius

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_shop-clothes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:ecac4226-3241-4abe-b618-74d806ddd4a4Post:c0906b21-afe1-44b2-adc5-3d03fbe68b93">Re: Where do you shop for clothes?</a>:
[QUOTE]I shop at Kohl's.  They have a really decent variety and most of the cute clothes come in plus sizes as opposed to <strong>some stores whose plus sizes look like a</strong> <strong>shapeless muumuu</strong>.  The Daisy Fuentes line has a great shape that emphasizes the good and minimizes the less than good.
Posted by anna.oskar[/QUOTE]

That's my biggest problem.  Especially with button down blouses, that I buy at Reitmans for example.

Thanks for the sweater suggestion.  I really wanted to do cardigans, but they seem to cling to every bad area, and if not buttoned up they make me look prego because my belly is sticking out.

I work in an office, and I'm a general manager/finance officer.  I probably should dress up more than I do now - but usually nice shirt/blouse and dress pants, sometimes blazers.

Blazers look the most flattering on me, but I want some other options - I don't want to wear a blazer every day.

eta: and I'm totally eating a box of chocolates that my coworker bought me for Xmas, lol

becka717

I'm more of a pear shape.  I think Old Navy pants might work for you because they always seem large in the waist to me.  I get most of my work pants from JCPenney.I think for shirts you could maybe do cowl neck tops or anything else with a little detail around the neckline.  I think apple shapes are suposed to avoid empire wasisted items or anything else that is fitted right below the bust but loose below that.

specialk84

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_shop-clothes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:ecac4226-3241-4abe-b618-74d806ddd4a4Post:90986337-bd48-4785-a7a6-851f500e7301">Re: Where do you shop for clothes?</a>:
[QUOTE]I carry all of my weight in my gut region too =( I always found Target and Old Navy helpful. <strong>I dont have a "plus size" frame, like I have skinny legs and arms and zero butt, I just have a gut! Is that how you are?</strong>
Posted by LDYGTR13[/QUOTE]

<div>That's me, too. I also don't have any hips, so I always feel like my pants are falling down.</div><div>
</div><div>Xy, I get most of my clothes from Lands' End. They have tall and plus size clothes that look like normal clothes, not a shapeless sack. For tops, I tend to go with slightly fitted wool sweaters. They cling enough to the right places and kind of skim over my belly. </div><div>
</div><div>For regular tops and such, I have a bunch I like from Dress Barn (such a stupid name). There's one in particular that looks fabulous on me: short sleeves with a v-neck and pintucks on the placket. It's fitted around the boobs, but flares out after that. </div><div>
</div><div>Empire waist tops make me look like I'm about to give birth to triplets.</div>

xyrius

Perfect, thank you --- can't wait to go shopping.

Really, I wish I could sew because I would make my own clothes.

rmontpas

Where in Canada do you live xyrius?
I have been trying to do some shopping online lately because of the lack of shops around where I live but it is sometimes hard to get things shipped to Canada.  It is really frustrating when you spend all that time looking and then you fall in love with something and can't get it.

roxiems75

I shop a lot at catherine's I dont know if they are in Canada or not.  I have most of my weight in my mid section.  I do not wear button down shirts.  I wear sweaters and anything that is a pull over.  i do wear blazers.  I like catherine's selection of business and buisness casual clothing.  I like a fuller cut shirt on myself so nothing that is tight in anyway.  Most of catherines clothing is a full cut so they fit me better.  I love their right fit pants.  since my legs are not heavy and my mid section is these pants fit my mid section and dont look like i am wearing bags on my legs.  I hope this helps. 

mancila60

Catherine's has very nice dress clothes or dressy work clothes. I shop ther for dresses mostly and every now and then for other things. I would suggest Catherine's for anything dressy.

xyrius

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_shop-clothes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:ecac4226-3241-4abe-b618-74d806ddd4a4Post:7133ed5a-8402-458e-b6d0-26ace2074a81">Re: Where do you shop for clothes?</a>:
[QUOTE]Goodwill.
Posted by LingerLonger1[/QUOTE]

I've found some tops at Value Village - which is similar, but usually don't have the patience.

xyrius

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_plus-sized_shop-clothes?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:973cdc6f-961e-4fb0-a628-bef2bb559697Discussion:ecac4226-3241-4abe-b618-74d806ddd4a4Post:bb4eca64-0899-46e7-b672-7280532d03e8">Re: Where do you shop for clothes?</a>:
[QUOTE]Where in Canada do you live xyrius? I have been trying to do some shopping online lately because of the lack of shops around where I live but it is sometimes hard to get things shipped to Canada.  It is really frustrating when you spend all that time looking and then you fall in love with something and can't get it.
Posted by rmontpas[/QUOTE]

ottawa ontario area

Yes - I have the exact same problem, but I'm looking into a potential solution.  There are some companies in the states that will charge you to act as your shipping/receiving address when you buy things there, and then ship them up here in Canada.  Might end up being expensive for shipping, but with the exchange rates being what they are, and selection being better in the states, I might try it. 

Or just hop over the border, I'm not too far.

mandctaft

I shop online mostly. Torrid.com, Womanwithin.com, and oldnavy.com. I hate going shopping at stores because the same coat that costs $80 in the store I can get on sale online.

sweetredhead

I bought most of my work clothes at Maurices. I love their clothes because they are younger than what I find at department stores. I also shop lane Bryant, fashion bug, old navy, and torrid. For tops I wear tons of cardigans ( I have a scary number of them). But I pair them with all kinds of shirts to extend my wardrobe. As for what style I would say tailored is better than flowy if you are small in the chest and bigger in the hips.

b4siren

Try Kohls for pants, their trendier junior department carries really flattering stretchy pants, and their womens plus is great too. I also carry most of my weight in my gut and have no hips, and skinny legs. But their jeans would fit you because they are stretch. Angels are really cute as well as hydraulic. The pockets on the butt are lower and closer together so you don't end up with the Mom butt look. I am very large in the chest so I always have problems finding shirts. Target has some great stuff for us busty gals, and shopping online, alloy.com carries almost everything in extended sizes and is reasonably priced, unlike torrid. They have shorter and longer inseams too which is nice. It is nice to hear that I am not the only person as sometimes it feels who experiences heartaches and headaches trying to find something flattering and suitable to wear. One more thing, you can sometimes find really nice stuff at T.J. Maxx or Marshalls if you have anything like that there. Good Luck! 

LGM22

I found several nice cowl nexk sweaters at Khols, both in their womens and in the misses (or however they name their sections.)  They do Khols cash around this time and have great post Xmas sales.  I got about 400 dollars worth of stuff for 150 right before Thanksgiving.

I like to layer (I'm in Seattle, the weather changes moods a lot) so I found a few cardigans and pull overs.  They also had some nice tops on the clearance rack.

bruna29

I really like to shop at Avenue (in stores and online), and I like to look around JcPenney and see if anything's on sale. I also like to shop at Maurices (idk if that's just a MI store), but they have a website and sell pretty good plus-sized stuff on there.

katiebaka

I mostly shop at Kohl's, or occasionally Lane Bryant. They have cuter stuff, IMO.

I'm a HUGE fan of cardigans -- I know you said they don't fit right but what if you wore a cardigan and scarf? That's pretty much my go-to outfit.

If you're looking for work clothes, how do you feel about skirts/dresses? I have a bit of a gut, but I wear dresses or pencil skirts nearly every day because dress pants just don't fit me right. I usually go for A-line dresses.

tabby24802000

Fashion bug is the only place i buy clothes form and you can get lots of coupons and great deals there

timsflower81

I get most of my work clothes (business casual workplace) from Macy's.  I also buy some fun stuff from Torrid.  I used to shop at Lane Bryant, but wow they got pricey and quality is down - also a lot of their stuff all looks the same to me.  I also started buying online from Eloquii (plus size division of the Limited).   

ksulliva135

if youre looking for something a little more fun and quirky, forever21 has a plus line (as well as regular sizes). I shop torrid mostly, but try to stick to their clearance. Old navy is fairly decent as well... i am definately plus size but i fit in there xxl size in store. or you can shop plus online as well.

you should go for something that is fitted around the ladies and shoulders, then loose and flowy down. Tunics and leggings would probably look lovely on you. (if youre concerned about the tummy, some stores sell shapewear jeggings/leggings)

SSaltzman87

I shop at Lane Bryant, Old Navy and Maurice's. My second job is at Lane Bryant, so I take advantage of my discount, lol.

Old Navy & Lane Bryant jeans fit me pretty well and occasionally I'm able to find killer tops at Maurice's. 

MandiNewMommy

have you tried torrid?