For the women who've recently transitioned from very fat to normal or relatively thin...

Kalikel

I'm going to have to suck it up and go to a mall that has this NY & Co store.

MoiAussi93

Kalikel wrote: »

I cannot quote every post, but it want to thank EVERY SINGLE person who offered help. It's much appreciated!

Lourdesong wrote: »

I worked at a Lane Bryant about 10 years ago and the 14/16 size(s) were pointless, they only sold if an item in 18/20 ran so laughably large that a person had to size down, or when smart shoppers who didn't have to shop there got these iems on clearance marked down 70% or more!
Lane Bryant also ran large and was very forgiving in cuts and materials so the size 18 ladies were closer to a size 20 in department stores women's section. (This varies by brand as well, but generally speaking Lane Bryant and other plus size stores flatter the customer in more ways than one).
When I began losing weight I figured I would have to be at least an 18 before I could shop in the misses dept, but once I got down to a size 20 most dept stores and stand alone stores cater to that size in their misses line, the options are less, though, meaning not every style would go up to a size 20 or an xxl.
But as I've gotten smaller, more options are offered to me, i.e., more styles offered for 18's than 20's, and even more offered for 16's than 18's, and more for 14's than 16's.
I feel like a size medium and smaller or 12 and smaller is probably when I'll feel properly catered to.

I do shop at Old Navy, and I'd describe them as inconsistent. Even if you find something that works, buying up every color of that item will nevertheless vary in more ways than the color. But Old Navy is cheap and is decent when it's decent (pardon the tautology). Their jeans gape badly on me, I haven't had luck with their jeans yet, but the men's jeans fit my hubs well, so I'll buy those.
I prefer Nordy's, and they put some nice things on clearance often, you just have to get 'em before the other ishes who stalk Nordy's clearance do.
Hautelook is also something you might want to check out for good deals, if you shop online.
I like the George label at WalMart, they do a lot of jersey knits that hold up pretty well and feel soft against the skin. It stands out cuz Walmart clothing often feels scratchy to me.

Thank you so much for this. So very helpful.

When I was leaving Lane Bryant, I did find tons of things in smaller sizes on sale. Made me sad to have to stop shopping there!

I have yet to find shorts that fit my waist/hips without drooping in the butt. I don't even try, lol.

I'm not really caring that much about it fitting perfectly. I like my shorts loose, anyway. Keeps me cooler.

I just want do something I haven't been able to do in 25 years, KWIM?

If things that fit the waist droop in the butt, try shopping in the juniors section. Those sizes are designed for narrower hip/butt measurements. I recently discovered this and I am LOVING it. I was never a pear shape...not at my heaviest, and not now. So if I didn't wear pants that were tight in the waist, the butt would be droopy. Juniors sizes solves that problem...perfect fit for me in pants and skirts.

walkdmc

I started shopping in "normal" stores at size 12. My favorites: Banana Republic for work slacks, J.Crew for casual tops and sheath dresses, and LOFT for casual cute capris, cardigans and T's. Oh, and don't forget jewelry! LOFT outlet has great jewelry! Have fun. I like to shop outlets since they usually have all of those stores.

How could I forget Express jeans?! Love them!

zornig

The Limited is a good jumping off point--cheaper than Banana Republic, and they usually stock all of their styles up to size 14.

tomatoey

The Gap.

walkdmc

When I started shopping the outlets, for regular sizes, I was shocked at how much less I paid for clothes vs. shopping at Lane Bryant. I went a little crazy! Go in with a plan, OP.

dragon_girl26

I'm around the same size as OP (12-14 range), and I, too, was lost when starting to shop in the regular sections at stores...lol! I tend to find a lot of good deals at Macy's. The Style & Co line is one of my current favorites, along with INC, and they also have petite sizes if you're shorter like me! If you can hit clearance racks or sale weekends there, you can score some pretty good deals! I've found tops for $10-12 sometimes, jeans for $19, etc..
Thrift shopping, like the Goodwill and consignment shops, has been my other saving grace. For awhile it seemed like I was changing sizes monthly, and didn't want to drop a fortune on clothes that I was going to be wearing for only a short time.

callsitlikeiseeit

actual stores i like cato, ann taylor loft, old navy, gap and ny&co

but since im still in the process of losing weight, I buy nearly everything from thrift stores or ebay. i just bought jeans MAYBE a month ago and they are already too big. so thrift stores are a godsend for my budget!

azulvioleta6

MoiAussi93 wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

I cannot quote every post, but it want to thank EVERY SINGLE person who offered help. It's much appreciated!

Lourdesong wrote: »

I worked at a Lane Bryant about 10 years ago and the 14/16 size(s) were pointless, they only sold if an item in 18/20 ran so laughably large that a person had to size down, or when smart shoppers who didn't have to shop there got these iems on clearance marked down 70% or more!
Lane Bryant also ran large and was very forgiving in cuts and materials so the size 18 ladies were closer to a size 20 in department stores women's section. (This varies by brand as well, but generally speaking Lane Bryant and other plus size stores flatter the customer in more ways than one).
When I began losing weight I figured I would have to be at least an 18 before I could shop in the misses dept, but once I got down to a size 20 most dept stores and stand alone stores cater to that size in their misses line, the options are less, though, meaning not every style would go up to a size 20 or an xxl.
But as I've gotten smaller, more options are offered to me, i.e., more styles offered for 18's than 20's, and even more offered for 16's than 18's, and more for 14's than 16's.
I feel like a size medium and smaller or 12 and smaller is probably when I'll feel properly catered to.

I do shop at Old Navy, and I'd describe them as inconsistent. Even if you find something that works, buying up every color of that item will nevertheless vary in more ways than the color. But Old Navy is cheap and is decent when it's decent (pardon the tautology). Their jeans gape badly on me, I haven't had luck with their jeans yet, but the men's jeans fit my hubs well, so I'll buy those.
I prefer Nordy's, and they put some nice things on clearance often, you just have to get 'em before the other ishes who stalk Nordy's clearance do.
Hautelook is also something you might want to check out for good deals, if you shop online.
I like the George label at WalMart, they do a lot of jersey knits that hold up pretty well and feel soft against the skin. It stands out cuz Walmart clothing often feels scratchy to me.

Thank you so much for this. So very helpful.

When I was leaving Lane Bryant, I did find tons of things in smaller sizes on sale. Made me sad to have to stop shopping there!

I have yet to find shorts that fit my waist/hips without drooping in the butt. I don't even try, lol.

I'm not really caring that much about it fitting perfectly. I like my shorts loose, anyway. Keeps me cooler.

I just want do something I haven't been able to do in 25 years, KWIM?

If things that fit the waist droop in the butt, try shopping in the juniors section. Those sizes are designed for narrower hip/butt measurements. I recently discovered this and I am LOVING it. I was never a pear shape...not at my heaviest, and not now. So if I didn't wear pants that were tight in the waist, the butt would be droopy. Juniors sizes solves that problem...perfect fit for me in pants and skirts.

You don't have to be a pear to have a shapely butt...you just have to do squats! Junior's section is a good idea though.