Where Do You Shop For Clothes? « Back to Group Discussions

[trekkingirl]

I realized the other day that I had really let myself go this past year. I need to shop for some clothes but hate it when nothing fits right. Where do you like to shop for clothes. Oh and not maternity, I'm not pregnant.

[scowgirl]

I like Old Navy (only online, sadly), Torrid, occasionally JCPenney. Kohl's is useless and Target's plus section is so small anymore that I rarely bother.

There is a blog called Young Fat and Fabulous, and a LiveJournal community called Fatshionista (I mean, there are plenty of other places to look too, just these are a couple that my fashion-clueless self stumbled upon ) that have tons of other sources for plus-size clothing, and photos of outfits, things like that. Two places I've considered ordering from but haven't got around to it yet are eShakti.com and Asos Curve. Stuff that's a little more "fashion-forward" than I would normally buy. I think there are a lot of great sources out there online if I were to put some time into finding them.

[Shinyredstar]

I also like Old Navy and Torrid. If I have a little extra to spend on myself or if I'm looking for something special I also like to look around at http://madisonplus.com/ It's also pretty easy to find some good sale items from there, too.

[bootsvalentine]

I tend to get basics (especially jeans- I like their Divine Denim) at Avenue because I think the "new" Lane Bryant as of a few years ago is waaay too expensive and the quality of the clothes hasn't improved. You can still occasionally get good gold dot clearance, though. Avenue is not perfect but I also supplement heavily with Old Navy, occasionally Target, occasionally Just My Size tops from Walmart. Even the Lane Bryant Outlet (which is more for the catalog than the store) is expensive these days, but I have gotten some good pieces that have lasted there, namely my awesome drawstring work pants, don't think they have those anymore. 

Oh and Fashion Bug is very hit or miss but occasionally you can find good stuff there. I like their leggings and active tops.

[AmandaTN]

Probably my entire wardrobe comes from mainly Old Navy (EVERY pair of pants/jeans I own), with a small bit from Avenue and Target. I'm on the larger side of the average plus-size clothing range; it's hard to find stuff that fits comfortably.

[doularebekah]

In NZ I shop at Kmart quite a bit, which seems to be really similar to Target. I've ordered from ASOS and really loved my purchased, so this encouraged me to shop more online and since then I've ordered from Evans and Dorothy Perkins who both have really great ranges. I've had a few friends buy from eShatki and they really loved their dresses, they were super cute! I'm not sure if they ship internationally, but City Chic is good for going out type clothes, just a bit more pricey. 

[doularebekah]

Oh! Forever 21 has good plus size stuff, too and some of their stores carry it as well as online from what I can remember. 

[trekkingirl]

I really like forever 21 styles. When I had lost 70lbs after having DS I went in there and tried on a blouse in the biggest size they had and it wouldn't even go over my rib cage! Some great suggestions here. I'm so glad I asked. Now if I could just come up with some shopping money.

[southernfriedkarma]

Just in case anyone doesn't get the emails - Motherhood is having a buy one get one free sale on their clearance items.  Lots of plus size things included!

[trekkingirl]

I tried a motherhood nursing bra on the other day. 38E and I couldn't squeeze my boobs into it. Everywhere else I wear 38D. WTF!!!!!!!!!!!

[eleuthia]

My favorite place to shop for dresses and underwear is Ross. I don't remember what size they go up to since I'm usually just searching for my size (16-18). I've gotten some really good deals there, especially on undies. They do have a plus size section for tops/pants/jeans too. If you have one nearby, I encourage braving the chaos and searching through the racks. They also have nice housewares. 

[bootsvalentine]

Usually Ross goes up to a 3x. Some of it fits, some of it doesn't, as a size 26.

I don't think the deals on the plus size stuff were that impressive at the Mothering sale. I got stuff cheaper on in-store clearance.

[scowgirl]

I wish I could stand to go into Motherhood. All the salespeople around here are total vampires. I am torn between feeling bad for them that they apparently have to work for commission and use a really aggessive "script" and tactics for their jobs, and wishing they would just leave me alone. I have some underwear to return (don't worry, I only tried it on over my clothes ) and have been putting it off because I just dread going in there. I can already predict the skeptical response and hard sell (I decided to just say "screw it" and buy cheap granny panties in a larger size, b/c I wasn't that impressed with the fit or "tummy room" in the Motherhood ones, and I'm sure they're going to try to guilt me into just buying a bigger size. Which is an option, but why would I do that when these seem to be shaped exactly the same as normal underwear that's half the price?)

I went into Destination Maternity with a misses' size friend who is also pregnant, and she wasn't happy with the fit of any of the Motherhood pants. The thighs were too tight and after trying several pairs in different styles, she got fed up and just bought a couple of shirts. Salesperson shook her head and told her "I wish I had seen the pants on so I could have helped you" and told her she probably just needed a bigger size, or that maybe the Pea in a Pod brand would have worked better. a) Those are, like, junior-sized, so I doubt the thigh size would have been an improvement, and b) Lemme pay $70 or $80 for a pair of MATERNITY PANTS. No thanks.

I will say I'm glad Motherhood has plus in their retail stores. I thought I was going to have to mail order all of my maternity clothes. I will probably do that to avoid the sales tactics if I need anything else, but at least I had the opportunity to try some things on and get a feel for the fit.

[trekkingirl]

The Motherhood in my area closed down after getting robbed at gunpoint! Maybe it was a fed up shopper? I mean really, who robs a maternity store full of pregnant women?

[Ninetales]

I don't really buy clothes anymore.  When I worked at Target I'd buy things here and there.  I've been wearing the same Lane Bryant jeans for something like five years now.  We just lost an Old Navy, and I don't know if the other one exists but I never went there.  I never really loved the quality of stuff I bought there when I was smaller anyway.  I wish we had a Torrid.  Most of my tops are either something random I see at Walmart or Target, or men's XXL tees from Hot Topic.

[bootsvalentine]

I wish Motherhood had some more empire style shirts and ones with ruched sides, I just like that look. They seem to have a lot of banded bottom shirts which aren't going to show a very preggers look, also I got one and the amount of fabric hanging down on the 3x is ridiculous, I will be using it later in pregnancy, not soon.

Any other ideas? I think JCPenny's plus maternity is a little small for me.

I might just look online at Avenue/Jessica London to see if I can find stretchy empire tops.

[butterfly_mommy]

It's funny how Motherhood shirts are. I have some long sleeve cotton shirts in 2X and they fit perfectly not too tight and a perfect length (till I washed them ..grrr) and then I also got a empire waist shirt in a 2X and it has a lot of material in the front it is really too big but it is a pretty flowy shirt and I got it online so I am keeping it and wearing it but a 1X prob would have been better. 

We are really limited in Canada to plus size maternity shops. target is supposed to be coming here so maybe they will carry some plus size maternity wear.

[scowgirl]

Sadly Target doesn't really carry plus-size maternity wear in the States. They have an XXL, but the brand they carry is shaped weird for my body and the arms are usually too small. I just find it seems to run skimpier (except the belly area, of course) than other Target XXLs in non-maternity brands. However, I think I heard some people here say they've had luck with it, so it might just be a body shape issue.

[butterfly_mommy]

Oh that is too bad I was hoping they would. Sigh. 

[scowgirl]

Actually, now that I think about it, maybe there are some Targets that carry plus maternity? I think they carry it on their website. Maybe it's just because I am dealing with small town types of Target stores.