tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post1326023930102453238..comments2024-02-08T10:40:56.376-06:00Comments on Big Fat Delicious: Fashion and Plus-size Clothing Rantvesta44http://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-7570398802829039812010-12-11T20:02:24.533-06:002010-12-11T20:02:24.533-06:00Anita - Sorry I haven't gotten back to you soo...Anita - Sorry I haven't gotten back to you sooner. I had to go out of town on Friday and just got home today.<br />Sizing is difficult, since even 2 women who are the same height and weight will wear different sizes. I'm 5' 7" (I've shrunk again) and 376 lbs - I wear a 26/28/30 in pants, depending on who made them, panties I wear a size 13 in the Just My Size high cut stretch satin (the only ones I like), bras I wear a 52H (if I can find one in that size that has support). As far as tops go, I can't wear any blouses that are made out of woven fabric and are button-front, the arms are always too tight and the shoulders are too wide, the armholes are weird too. So I usually buy stretchy cotton or polyester knit tops, with scoop necks, v-necks, sweetheart necklines, or round necks and short sleeves (I don't care much for 3/4 sleeves, and long sleeves get in my way). I like my tops longer, so on me, that's a back length of about 32", then they hit at mid-hip.<br />As for colors - that's also very individual and personal. I happen to like jewel tones - turquoise, purple, burgundy, forest green, and then black, charcoal grey, olive green, teal, royal blue, all the shades of denim blue. I like small floral prints, geometric prints, abstract prints, paisley prints in all of the colors mentioned.vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-72705483091982621672010-12-10T01:13:12.758-06:002010-12-10T01:13:12.758-06:00I am opening an affordable Woman’s Plus Size Cloth...I am opening an affordable Woman’s Plus Size Clothing and Lingerie store <br />I would like to find out more about the products in Plus Sizes XL to 6X or higher? The plus size clothing in my city only goes as high as 6X for some items but not all and the bras are not wide enough in the band with... <br /> and nothing sexy for the evenings... ;) <br />I know this might sound strange but can take full measurements so I can know what sizes I should order... especially the for the bras and panties pants and sexy night wear ;) <br />I really need to know sizes its very important... Because I want us ladies to have the perfect fit for once in our cloths and feel good about how we look too... please this would really help me I will keep an i eye on this page for the few days Just so you know I am serious about my store he is my info I know right now... I am 260LBs I kinda fit in 3X-4X jeans 46 - 48 I have a very hard time finding cloths that fit so I really want to do this right... I need actual measurements how body so I get cloths custom made... And if you have any suggestions on what you would like to see in styles and colors that would really help me out too...<br /><br />Thank you so very much for reading my post I look forward to reading yours too ASAP need sizes my BBW'sAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-81470055248120469782009-02-02T21:47:00.000-06:002009-02-02T21:47:00.000-06:00I can attest to the fact that sewing patterns, whe...I can attest to the fact that sewing patterns, when they are available in plus sizes, run much smaller than off the rack clothing. It's really annoying to make alterations to the patterns, but at least this way I can have the clothes that I want.Eema-lehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07469662545641543683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-60834092040943697202008-02-13T13:59:00.000-06:002008-02-13T13:59:00.000-06:00I have just gotten to the point where I am going t...I have just gotten to the point where I am going to have to teach myself some sewing skillz in order to be able to get tops in designs that I actually want to wear. Why is it that stores seem to think all fat women want to wear floral pattern shirts?<BR/><BR/>You're right, fabric prices are insane.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-11649400451283355832008-02-12T15:05:00.000-06:002008-02-12T15:05:00.000-06:00crystal - yeah, they are cute, but those swimsuits...crystal - yeah, they are cute, but those swimsuits don't do much good for those of us who have larger than D cup boobs (I think the largest cup I've seen in a swimsuit is DD, still no good for the H cup rack-o-doom). I'll be making my own swimsuit this year.vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-54237460881527027402008-02-12T15:00:00.000-06:002008-02-12T15:00:00.000-06:00its so nice 2 see a website for plus size women an...its so nice 2 see a website for plus size women and the womens clothes are beutiful<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://my-plus-size-swimwear.com/Delta_Burke_Swimwear.html" REL="nofollow">My Plus Size Swimwear</A>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06896170736757866747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-7990220122819684072008-02-12T10:23:00.000-06:002008-02-12T10:23:00.000-06:00Anjelica - Welcome to FA :)I know $20 for a t-shir...Anjelica - Welcome to FA :)<BR/>I know $20 for a t-shirt may seem steep, but the prices aren't set by Kate or SP, they're set by Cafe Press and what SP has added in for their profit isn't much (Kate posted about this), so I think it's pretty reasonable, compared to, say, BigDogs (they sell women's tees with sayings on them too). Add in the consideration that you're getting an FA tee that you won't find anywhere else, I think it's a very good price (hell, I just got 2 tees from Lane Bryant, on sale, for $16 each, and that's plain, no FA statement on them).vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-69059056161551309012008-02-12T06:48:00.000-06:002008-02-12T06:48:00.000-06:00Great post. I'm fairly new to the FA movement and...Great post. I'm fairly new to the FA movement and I truly can relate to this issue. There are some very good designers that cater to us women of size. But finding stores that carry them is like searching for the holy grail. Let me preface my next comment by saying that I love, love, love Shapely Prose. But I find it a bit disingenuous (sp?) that Kate's posting about clothing prices when she sells t-shirts on her site for over 20 dollars (at least the t-shirts in my size) I mean it's just a t-shirt, right? Love the rest of the site though. Peace.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-89833102015585063072008-02-11T19:29:00.000-06:002008-02-11T19:29:00.000-06:00Ms. Heathen - When I was working, I did the same t...Ms. Heathen - When I was working, I did the same thing. Shuffled the same 5 or 6 tops with different slacks all the time so it wouldn't look like I was wearing the same thing all the time. Gets old after a while, that's for sure.vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-74968523634515134932008-02-11T19:00:00.000-06:002008-02-11T19:00:00.000-06:00I can't wear anything made in the past 2 years bec...I can't wear anything made in the past 2 years because of those damn wrap fronts and empire waists. Every single one of those shirts ends up with that waist in the middle of my bustline, and wrap fronts are just "wardrobe malfunctions" in the making. I don't know why, why, why clothing manufacturers think that one style works for every woman, but IT DOESN'T.<BR/><BR/>I can fit into regular rise tall pants, and I have enough skirts to last for a decade, but I'm shuffling the same half-dozen knit tops around and hoping no one at work notices. Screw fashion, I'd be excited if I could just get clothes.Ms. Heathenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02149409248793481209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-31353481982230271192008-02-11T16:46:00.000-06:002008-02-11T16:46:00.000-06:00rose - is it the part of your arm between shoulder...rose - is it the part of your arm between shoulder and elbow? Mine is large there, and what I've done for short sleeves is split them up the center from the bottom edge and spread the pattern just enough to make them that little bit bigger (it doesn't mess with the armhole fit of the sleeve cap much, if any). For long sleeves, I've done the same, and then tapered the seam from elbow to wrist to get the fit I want (although I don't do long sleeves much anymore).vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-45555746045379140892008-02-11T16:36:00.000-06:002008-02-11T16:36:00.000-06:00I wish I didn't find sewing so darn tedious. I lea...I wish I didn't find sewing so darn tedious. I learned how as a teenager and for a while, made pretty much everything I wore. I was a bit smaller then and still fit into most of the commercial patterns easily. Also, my upper arms must have been smaller. These days, I have horrible fitting problems with upper arms, and since you can't really enlarge an upper arm without messing about with the armscye (or at least I've never figured it out), I have the worst luck with fitted sleeves. <BR/><BR/>For the curious, this is something I made relatively recently. <BR/><BR/>http://tinyurl.com/2cua6v<BR/><BR/>But honestly, when all is said and done, I'd rather spend the time knitting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-54550193792743333842008-02-11T14:40:00.000-06:002008-02-11T14:40:00.000-06:00Oooh, that's great advice, thanks!!Oooh, that's great advice, thanks!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-63845317864003631192008-02-11T14:37:00.000-06:002008-02-11T14:37:00.000-06:00Becky - One of the things that I found works reall...Becky - One of the things that I found works really well for making alterations is to go to the thrift store (any one close will work) and buy old sheets (I've picked them up for 50 cents each quite often). I then use those for practicing alterations to patterns (that's how I found out that if I have to add more than 2 inches to a pattern, it's more trouble than it's worth). You can sew the pieces cut from the old sheet together with a really long stitch on the sewing machine, try it on, see if the alterations you made work, if they don't, pin or mark where you need to add/subtract, take it apart and alter again. Lather, rinse, repeat as often as necessary (and as time allows) until you get the fit you want. Then, you can use those altered sheet pieces for your pattern when making the actual garment, since it will last a hell of a lot longer than a tissue pattern and has all of your alterations made to it (if you have to add more inches than you thought, you can cut and add as needed). This does take some practice, but it's worth it to get something you really like that fits the way you want it to.vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-80061121575516041412008-02-11T14:26:00.000-06:002008-02-11T14:26:00.000-06:00I have exactly the opposite problem of you when it...I have exactly the opposite problem of you when it comes to pant length. I have very short legs (28" inseam) and a long torso, and I have a high waist. So regular pants are of course way too long, but petites usually hit me lower than I like. I either buy pants that have the short inseam but not the petite rise, or just buy regular pants and hem them (which is of couse the advantage shorter than average women have over taller than average women... although I do hate hemming). I'm surprised you have to buy talls to fit your 32" inseam though. I thought 32" was the standard length for regular pants. I know with my 28" inseam, I usually find that petites or shorts are still too long unless I'm wearing heels, and regular pants I need to hem even with heels. <BR/><BR/>I also have your narrow shoulder + rack of doom problem. It was a problem even when I was thin (I've been blessed/cursed with an abundance of breast tissue), but moreso now that I wear plus sizes... it seems like all plus size clothes are built for very tall, broad women. I second Kate's recommendations for camis though. (I went the opposite way of Kate and invested in a couple expensive ones in neutral colours... they're lace and double as lingerie!) <BR/><BR/>My biggest fitting challenge though is that I don't have particularly wide hips, but I do have a very large, prominent ass. So a pair of pants will fit in the hips, fit in the waist, fit in the thighs, but pull really, really tight across the ass... like to the point where you can see the individual cheeks. So I'll try a size up and they will be loose in the waist, too big in the hips, big in the thighs... and still pull tighter across the ass then I'd like to see for work. Which also gives me those lines/wrinkles at the crotch... argh.<BR/><BR/>I want to start sewing my own clothes, but I'm worried about having the same problem as you with patterns. And I don't think I'm talented enough to alter them to fit properly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-80630991171013249482008-02-11T14:18:00.000-06:002008-02-11T14:18:00.000-06:00goingloopy - feel free to rant away. Clothes are o...goingloopy - feel free to rant away. Clothes are one of the ways we express ourselves to the world, and not having lots of good choices sucks big time. I know my fit problems are different than other women's fit problems, but we all have fit problems in at least one area, sometimes more. Ranting about it may not make it better, but it makes me feel better for a while........vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-50635231713718326512008-02-11T14:12:00.000-06:002008-02-11T14:12:00.000-06:00I unfortunately did not inherit my mom's sewing ta...I unfortunately did not inherit my mom's sewing talent...or I would be sewing or fixing everything lately. <BR/><BR/>I don't like empire waists, either - I'm tall, long-waisted, with smallish boobs. Empire waists make me look pregnant, mostly. (Note - I have problems with the wrap-front tops, too, because they droop over my inadequate rack.) I'm usually good with the LB average length pants. Avenue, not so much. Their averages are mostly too short and the talls are way long. <BR/><BR/>And I have shoulders like a linebacker, so my problem tends to be that shit is too tight across the shoulder/upper arm and ginormous in the boobs. This is why I don't own many blazers....they NEVER fit right. And sleeves are never long enough. <BR/><BR/>Speaking of sleeves - these manufacturers need to GET THE FUCK OVER THE PUFFY GODDAMN TODDLER SLEEVES THAT HIT RIGHT AT THE FATTEST PART OF MY FAT ARM KTHXBAI. <BR/><BR/>I really should make another stab at sewing...<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the rant, Vesta, and for letting us rant in your comments too. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-12894884740288194352008-02-11T13:59:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:59:00.000-06:00Kate - Thanks, I had never really considered camis...Kate - Thanks, I had never really considered camis as an option for under those low-cut tops/dresses. Layering in winter isn't too bad, as long as we keep the house cooler than most guests like it (DH is a walking furnace most of the time, so our temp is usually around 65 F). I'll have to check them out and see if I can find some that are really light-weight for spring and summer layering. That might give me more options for tops (I'm not really into dresses anyway, never been the girly girl type, that's why I made the pant set for my son's wedding.....lol).vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-63595340649381889032008-02-11T13:51:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:51:00.000-06:00Don't all patterns run smaller than off-the-rack s...Don't all patterns run smaller than off-the-rack stuff, 'cause they're still based on old sizing? I took a sewing class a little while ago (and dropped out), and found that I'm a 20 or possibly a 22, when I'm a 16/18 in stores.<BR/><BR/>Setting that aside... Glorious rant. On the dresses thing (and shirts as well), I have one pievce of advice: camis can be a lifesaver. I have a zillion cheap camis in different colors, which allow me to wear all sorts of tops and dresses that don't fit the Rack of Doom... And better still, they allow me to get the size that fits my shoulders properly (if it's a stretchy fabric, anyway), since it doesn't matter how much cleavage (and bra) would be exposed without the cami. <BR/><BR/>Avenue has some in 30/32 on sale for $12.99 (which is not as cheap as they should be, but not bad), and Junonia has some more expensive ones, but they'll probably last forever. Seriously, camis have opened up a whole new world of off-the-rack shirts and dresses to me. (I now own several wrap dresses, for instance, 'cause the shape is really flattering on me -- but I only have one I can wear without a cami.)Kate Hardinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06616859691620740674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-2676037168357315202008-02-11T13:50:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:50:00.000-06:00Francesca - I've visited your site, and you have s...Francesca - I've visited your site, and you have some awesome things. Unfortunately, most of them are out of my price range. I don't know the average age of your readers, but I think I'm a bit above them (I'm far from being a girl anymore.....lol).vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-87502165823063398162008-02-11T13:45:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:45:00.000-06:00Oh, please do come to visit us at the "Manolo for ...Oh, please do come to visit us at the "Manolo for the Big Girl" blog, where we LOVE helping our Big Sisters figure out where to shop! It is all "Fashion, Lifestyle, and Humor for the Big Girl." www.manolobig.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-78923167203106878682008-02-11T13:38:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:38:00.000-06:00pooklaroux - I know what you mean about sleeves be...pooklaroux - I know what you mean about sleeves being long enough. I don't usually have trouble with tops, my problem comes with coats. My current coat is a 6X, which has sleeves long enough, but I can overlap the front by about 6", I tried on a 4X and a 5X and neither had sleeves long enough, so I had to get the one that was way too big. I don't really like long sleeves on tops, I end up pushing them up to my elbows or cutting them off to short sleeves and hemming the edges. Even the sweaters I have, when I decide to wear one (not often, I get too warm in them), I push the sleeves up to my elbows and the cuffs end up all stretched out of shape.vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-55343628274865142762008-02-11T13:31:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:31:00.000-06:00I have been trying for years to improve my sewing ...I have been trying for years to improve my sewing with the object being to make my own clothes. I am only 5'6 but I have at 34" inseam. I am freakishly short waisted, and I have long arms. In order to get coats, shirts and sweatshirt hoodies that fit, I have to buy mens 2x, and then they hang like giant bags on me, but the arms are long enough. Black maternity yoga pants have been a real treat for me, and I need to learn how to make them before the trend dies out. I now have a serger so it should be possible. <BR/>I'd like to be able to go to a store, pick out an outfit and have it tailored to fit me. I think pret-a-porter has played into demeaning the normal variety of shapes of people, and the clothes you find at most stores are just vehicles for shame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-62418189855235382732008-02-11T13:29:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:29:00.000-06:00Generally, and this depends a lot on designer/manu...Generally, and this depends a <B>lot</B> on designer/manufacturer, petites are 4' 11" to 5' 3", average is 5' 3 1/2" to 5' 8", and tall is 5' 9" to 6'. Some say the upper limit on average is 5' 7 1/2", and the lower limit for tall is 5' 8". I'm 5' 7 3/4", so I round up to 5' 8". I don't consider myself all that tall, I went to school with quite a few girls who were taller than I was back then (I was 5' 9" in high school, age has made me shorter). Inseam lengths for petite, average, and tall also vary by designer/manufacturer (LB's Right Fit average are just the right length for me, their talls are about 6 inches too long, their average leggings in regular sizes are too short by about 3" {29"}, their talls are too long by 2" {34"}, go figure). There is no such thing as universal sizing across all designers/brands (I think they do this so you <B>have</B> to go into the store to try things on and have more chance of making an impulse buy in addition to what you really went in there for).vesta44https://www.blogger.com/profile/15480692717585745934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8397186280973403909.post-4217602044540529712008-02-11T13:27:00.000-06:002008-02-11T13:27:00.000-06:00Great post. I'm so with you. The times I've made...Great post. I'm so with you. The times I've made something for myself (mostly costumes) it's always been nice to be able to tweak things for a precise fit. Too much time for me to spend on the full wardrobe, though.<BR/><BR/>I'm lucky at the moment with the "trends"; the empire waists and deeper-cut necklines mostly work for me (I have a medium-sized rack of doom - and shoulders like a linebacker). My challenge is finding pants that will contain my 60" of trunk-junk-age. Gah!<BR/><BR/>And it's funny, because I need the 32" inseam as well (I'm 5'9"); I used to have to track down tall pants (or wear a lot of skirts!), but lately it seems like the averages were *at least* 32" and maybe longer. Apparently 5'9" is just *barely* average in most plus-size manufacturers' eyes?Tarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09229363929598722883noreply@blogger.com