The fashion industry is on my list!

lotusfromthemud

OK, so I went shopping yesterday, celebrating reaching my goal weight.

I managed to come home with two pairs of pants. After trying on many, many, many things....I left with two pairs of pants that were two different sizes...from the same small mall retail store.

Also, if I get any smaller, I will be too small to shop at my favorite stores for pants. Now, I am small but not tiny, I literally have a "large frame"...so I'm big boned. I am 5'7" and weigh about 138. I think it is craziness that I am the smallest size that they have.

When I was bigger, I loved shopping. I could walk into LB, and know that I could buy something that fit me.

That being said, I walked into another small retail store (in my neighborhood, which is a little Paris Hilton, if you catch my drift) and was told "We don't have anything in your size" Meaning, I was too big to shop there. (and, quite frankly, I would have liked to have gotten in some cardio smacking the very rude young lady who told me this bit of information)

So, I need to be either big or skinny,skinny,skinny.....or healthy with no clothes. Or, win the lottery and hire a tailor/seamstress.

Meanwhile, men can buy pants without trying them on, because they are based on actual measurements.

:explode:

thank you, that is all.

lotusfromthemud

OK, so I went shopping yesterday, celebrating reaching my goal weight.

I managed to come home with two pairs of pants. After trying on many, many, many things....I left with two pairs of pants that were two different sizes...from the same small mall retail store.

Also, if I get any smaller, I will be too small to shop at my favorite stores for pants. Now, I am small but not tiny, I literally have a "large frame"...so I'm big boned. I am 5'7" and weigh about 138. I think it is craziness that I am the smallest size that they have.

When I was bigger, I loved shopping. I could walk into LB, and know that I could buy something that fit me.

That being said, I walked into another small retail store (in my neighborhood, which is a little Paris Hilton, if you catch my drift) and was told "We don't have anything in your size" Meaning, I was too big to shop there. (and, quite frankly, I would have liked to have gotten in some cardio smacking the very rude young lady who told me this bit of information)

So, I need to be either big or skinny,skinny,skinny.....or healthy with no clothes. Or, win the lottery and hire a tailor/seamstress.

Meanwhile, men can buy pants without trying them on, because they are based on actual measurements.

:explode:

thank you, that is all.

katiechakos

Hi Vivia! It sounds like you are in the perfectly healthy range for your height. I don't know where you live, but do you have a Nordstrom there? That store is just the best. They have lots of different departments and depending on what styles you like, etc, they seem to have something for everyone.

Good luck.

Healthier_Me

I feel your pain viviakay!!!
I would have joined you on that smack cardio:laugh:

denmother46

Viviakay,

Oh how can I relate!!

I am currently 150 ( also 5' 7"). It shows you how everyones body types are so different. At 138 I would be pretty thin ( size 8).

I just went shopping for a New Years Eve dress. I am going to Ireland and needed a cocktail dress, suitable for wearing to a fairly formal event a large estate/castle. Ha, was that fun! Not only does it need to be very packable, I didnt want black And didnt want one of those sleeveless/strapless numbers. My chest is too large, I am too old and it is going to be freezing there. It used to be that the more you spent ( or the nicer the store) the smaller the size you can wear. I remember being in Saks years ago and looking for an outfit I needed for a big meeting and the saleswoman is bringing out things in small ( no way have I EVER been small). But the designers used to make them bigger for vanity purposes - haha. No way now. Anyway, having just lost 20 pounds I was feeling very good about going shopping, until I started trying things on................the sizes are totally wacky!! Not to mention I found all the dresses to be ugly. And why is it that the stores hardly carry any dresses in their stores, but have tons online??? I went to all the major stores in my area and found nothing!!!

I had just resigned myself to going into Beverly Hills to look ( at least the stores there carry a lot of formal dresses - but the cost!!!). At the last minute I remember a little boutique near my house that I have seen, but never have gone into. I found it!!! The perfect dress - not too dressy, but dressy enough. You can roll it up in a ball and it doesnt wrinkle. It has lacey 3/4 quarter sleeves and its a silvery color. I will be able to wear it to tons of things and it cost half of what I was expecting to spend!!

I guess the moral is is that you cant give up. Keep looking and you will find the perfect store for you. And next time you should punch the snotty sales girl in the face!!! I hate when they act that way. I mean jeez they work in a clothes store for goodness sake, they arent running IBM!!

denmother46

FYI - I echo Katie regarding customer service at Nordstrom - they are always polite and helpful!! But they had ugly dresses too ( and not very many of them!). :noway:

icandoit

Do you have Gap or Express in your town?? They have great pants for all shapes.
There is nothing wrong with you, it was the clothes in the store. They were not made for real women.
Be proud what you have accomplished, and you will find the perfect pant. Call LB and see who they are sister stores with. They are now carrying paints that are sold by you measurements. They are fantastic.

When you do find the perfect pants, go back to the store (Paris Hilton) and pull a Pretty Women move on them.

Furpaws

:laugh: I remember that scene from PW every time I run into one of those "haughty" types......

"Remember me? Well, you made a big mistake, HUGE mistake....." :laugh:

diannholland1965

I am 5'7" and when I was 18-20, I weighed between 100 and 120 Lbs.
If you are all thinking that I was Tooooooo skinny you would be right.
Of course at the time I THOUGHT I was too fat.
I was not eating. Well I was eating, but chicken broth and a 1/2 a head of lettuce a day did not count then, anymore then it would today.
When I was about 22 I was over that, and was a very healthy 135 Pounds.
I went with a friend to a chain gym. And was told that I needed to lose 20 pounds.
My response was "FROM WHERE? YOU WANT ME TO REMOVE MY HEAD?"
To this day I will not go inside one of THOSE gyms.(meaning just that chain, I DO have a home gym that I go to all the time.) I do not care HOW different they are today!
I agree, it is the fault of the fshion industry, and it makes me so angry to know that they have not changed.
To the snotty sales chick. "Awwwww, I am SO sorry you are not good/smart enough to eat. and so you are rude and snippy. Do you want me to get you a saltine? You Poooooor little THING. Bless your heart!"
--Diann...

bigdane321

I feel your pain. I can't shop at casual male(big guy store) because I'm on their small size however at all other stores I'm at their large size. I'm stuck in the middle

lotusfromthemud

I mean, any entrepenuers out there?

My dream store involves the following:

I am met by a (non-snooty) salesperson at the door, who measures me and takes me to my section. It could be organized by waist to hip ratio...maybe...Lane Bryant is doing this, but I'm no longer that size. Women would buy this stuff! Maybe even take away the number sizes entirely...I could be an "semi-voluptuous on top, no hips, muscular legs, medium height" or something (maybe something shorter than that)...I don't know.

There are websites that sort of do this...but none of them ship to Canada.

Thanks for letting me know it's not just the ladies, big (or should I say medium?) Dane. I need a new store.

And, Diann....I love the "remove my head" comment. One size does not fit all, and "ideal weight charts" are crap!

jmlane1981

:laugh: I remember that scene from PW every time I run into one of those "haughty" types......

"Remember me? Well, you made a big mistake, HUGE mistake....." :laugh:

Pretty Woman is my favorite movies...that is exactly what I was thinking when she said that. :laugh:

cmriverside

I mean, any entrepenuers out there?

There are websites that sort of do this...but none of them ship to Canada.

Thanks for letting me know it's not just the ladies, big (or should I say medium?) Dane. I need a new store.

And, Diann....I love the "remove my head" comment. One size does not fit all, and "ideal weight charts" are crap!

I have had that problem FOREVER. Too big for a 12, too small for a 14-16. AND my words exactly- ::"Business Opportunity":: However, I have always found the small boutique/stores to be better (and LOVED LB, but now I'm too small).

I'm not buying any clothes right now until I reach my goal weight. I've bought two wardrobes once already and NOT doing it again.

I do watch "What Not To Wear" and they always suggest alteration. Nordstrom does FREE alteration. But you can't buy a blouse under $50, so they should!

I may start making my own clothes again - I did that before when I got frustrated with the stores. My 35' inseam is non-existent ! (37-38 in boots.....)

But...
I have an adorable size 1 friend who can't find clothes that fit her either. And she is a very fashionable girl! But she spends a lot of time at it.

Good luck V. :flowerforyou:

icandoit

BINGO!!!! This could be a great new business. The hard to fit real people. Anybody sew???

ariannedavis

I'm caught in a different catch-22. While I wear 8-10s right now, at 5'4 and 135, I can wear a 4-6 (my goal by my birthday). Problem is I am in my 20s and a college prof. If I buy things designed for my age group, I look like a student, not the prof. I have a very hourglass figure (with junk in the trunk) and can't find cute, stylish, youthful clothes that are still modest and professional. Yes, I said it, youthful and professional in the same sentece! I love Gap & Old Navy, but if I have to try on another pair of jeans that leave my backside looking like Brittany Spears in the visible thong days, I'm gonna puke! When is the fashion industry going to realize this?

I like the thought of buying pants like my husband, but how will the proportions be addressed?

Loretta_Jo

I need a slim cut and it is really hard to find jeans that really fit and wouldn’t show my crack when I sit down or bend over. So I have been running around looking like a herd of elephants had moved out of the seat of my pants for a long time. Finely I have found some jeans that really fit. I have to order them because they just don’t carry them in the store. The legs are a little wider at the bottom then I really like…but at least I have found jeans that do fit better.
They call jeans that fit at the waist “Mom Jeans” If they would just make jeans that really fit and didn’t turn me into a flasher every time I bend over they can call them anything they want to. They can call them “You Are Old And Decrepit” if they want to….I really don‘t care. Just make the things so that they would fit.
If they say skinny jeans that is an automatic low rise meaning “Yo Hinny Is A Go’na Be A Hangin Out”. I would love to be able to buy skinny jeans and be comfortable in them with out my butt showing. If I wanted people to see my butt I would be a stripper. Since I am not a stripper I like to keep it covered. The “Peek-a-Boo Booty” is something I just don’t want nor need. :mad: :explode:

cmriverside

BINGO!!!! This could be a great new business. The hard to fit real people. Anybody sew???

Thank goodness icandoit didn't notice that I said I was going to start making my clothes again. Sssshhhhh everybody.

Loretta_Jo

BINGO!!!! This could be a great new business. The hard to fit real people. Anybody sew???

Thank goodness icandoit didn't notice that I said I was going to start making my clothes again. Sssshhhhh everybody.

lol Oh come on start making your clothes again. I use to design my own clothes and my mother would make them. You should have heard her grumble :grumble: about some of the things I wanted. She asked me what it was with me and the sleeves lol. She went ahead and sewed what I had designed though. But….that was a long time ago.
I can’t use my sewing machine anymore because my cat gets on it and wants to swat at the needle while I’m sewing. If I close her out of the room she sits at the door and cries until I let her in…so I quit sewing. Now that I have lost the weight there are things I would love to have and can’t find them in the stores. I would like to be able to make the things I have floating around in my head. But I love my fur babies and want to spend time with them and them not be hurt. So the sewing machine is closed and put away.
I buy and read fashion magazines every week. I love to look at all the clothes and think about what I would have done with this or that. It keeps me entertained lol
:flowerforyou:

cmriverside

BINGO!!!! This could be a great new business. The hard to fit real people. Anybody sew???

Thank goodness icandoit didn't notice that I said I was going to start making my clothes again. Sssshhhhh everybody.

I can’t use my sewing machine anymore because my cat gets on it and wants to swat at the needle while I’m sewing. If I close her out of the room she sits at the door and cries until I let her in…so I quit sewing. Now that I have lost the weight there are things I would love to have and can’t find them in the stores. I would like to be able to make the things I have floating around in my head. But I love my fur babies and want to spend time with them and them not be hurt.:

Yes, I hear ya! I don't want to go back to work (I've been off since March!) - because I don't want my furbabies to be lonely. ( Like they even notice I'm here.) No, not true - I have three kitties, and one or the other of them is always with me. They take turns. Unless the BIG one decides it's his turn. Then it's HIS turn. puuuurrrrrr

Loretta_Jo

Yes, I hear ya! I don't want to go back to work (I've been off since March!) - because I don't want my furbabies to be lonely. ( Like they even notice I'm here.) No, not true - I have three kitties, and one or the other of them is always with me. They take turns. Unless the BIG one decides it's his turn. Then it's HIS turn. puuuurrrrrr

lol my 16 year old is always with me. If she isn’t on my lap she is close by. The other 2 hang close to me also. They are my constant companions.
They do miss us when we are away. Mine meet me at the door making noise. It's like they are asking me and just where have you been lol
:flowerforyou:

lotusfromthemud

Hey, Loretta Jo,

Try "not your daughters jeans" (actual brand name). I have one pair that I bought to wear with heals, and they fit the bill. They sit just below the waist, higher than all my other jeans and fit.

I paid top dollar for them, but they are miraculous.