Shopping for plus size clothing

I don't enjoy clothes shopping. I know what I like and I know what flatters me. This isn't what I find in the shops.

I am a size 18 but size 18 clothes don't usually fit properly which isn't so surprising, there are many different shapes of us out there! I find that tops are often too short and don't cover my generous tum, if they do they could do double duty as the family tent or will be something my grandmother would wear. I've also noticed that plus size women aren't supposed to have breasts, just one big blob that includes the stomach. This is why I regularly buy a 20 or even 22 so that I can adjust the fitting to be just a little more flattering.

My biggest bugbear is the lack of clothes available. As an 18 I am able to walk into most shops and find my size. But of the clothes that would actually suit my shape they are usually nowhere to be seen, just a rail of 10's and 12's with an occasional 16 (strangely the 14's don't often seem to be on show either). I understand that this is because it costs more to make the larger sizes so the result is that there are fewer available on the shop floor. I realise that some stores are better than others but this is certainly true for the cheaper end of the market where my budget currently dictates that I go.
I have come to accept this over the years but I spent yesterday shopping with my mother who is a petite size 10. She walked away from the experience shocked by how little choice I had and possibly with a little more understanding about why I choose to wear what I do.

I did, however, manage to pick up a few items. A couple of compromise tops all of which need adjusting to provide a better fitted bust and one strapless sack that looks a lot like this one from Primark . With my more generous though shorter figure it has a very different look to that of the model but it is definitely comfortable to wear in this current heat - the whole reason I went shopping in the first place. Just don't expect to see me to wearing it away from home!

Wardrobe review: black skirt

Here's another of my favourites, a drapey, floaty black skirt. The panels are sewn diagonally on the bias and it is just lovely and flirty to wear. Unfortunately as I'm short it hits me mid calf again. This skirt is so lovely that I've worn it regardless of it's less than flattering length but I've always intended to do something with it.

 

And that something was to simply cut it off at the waist. A stretch of elastic later and I have a more flattering knee length skirt which still swishes beautifully.

 

Previous posts:

Wardrobe review

Wardrobe review: blue skirt

 



Wardrobe review: blue skirt

 

I love this skirt. I like how it drapes and the strange diagonal shift in stripes on it. Unfortunately this skirt doesn't love me. The length of it hits me on the fattest part on my calves, every time I've worn it I've felt very matronly. I don't want to make it shorter as it won't suit this style so I've had to go longer instead.

 

Finding the correct fabric was never going to be an option so instead I dived into my ribbon stash and found a length of fat lace. Cutting this in half along it's length gave me enough to go all the way around the bottom of the skirt.

 

 

Having done this I have to ask, will I actually wear this? I think that I will. The frill adds just enough length and silliness to remove this from the matron category. Success!

 

Previous post: Wardrobe review

Wardrobe review



Sunday was cold. I knew that I ought to get out into the garden but I just couldn't face being cold. So, casting my mind around for a job that wasn't too taxing my eyes fell upon my wardrobe. This was something I had been putting off for a while but a perfect task for now.

pink top with new straps

What I wear daily is a pretty boring uniform dictated by living in a cold house. I could turn the heating on more often but since moving here we have had surprisingly few sniffles and I'm sure that this is partially down to not using central heating all the time. The result is that I tend to live in jeans, several jersey tops and a fleece. Not a great look but warm.

 

How would I like to dress? I think that this is really a post for another day but I would like to wear skirts more often and I really ought to find another option to my boring fleeces, they really don't flatter anybody. But with no money to invest in my wardrobe I have to make the best of what I have.

 

What do I have? On the plus side everything in my wardrobe fits me. I do have clothes put away in a suitcase that would fit if I lost a stone or two but as I haven't they don't really count for now. I pulled out everything that I don't wear regularly to assess why and considered how to improve them, stuck a post it note on with the details and moved on to the next item. By the time I finished I had a small pile of clothing to work on. There was only one item to donate to the charity shop so I count this as a success.

 

New buttons on my cardi

Whilst most pieces required the sewing machine I was able to pull out two items that were quick and simple jobs. The first is a pink summer top that has had very little wear, partially due to temperature but mainly because it had silly skinny straps that usually only look good on young girls. It also conveniently had a waist tie that was completely superfluous - one of those that you loosely tie at the back and just looks a bit silly whilst fabric bunches above and below. It took only a moment to cut these off and sew them onto the top as new straps. I did consider sewing in some snaps for holding bra straps but I decided to hold off for now and see how much wear it gets.

The second was a charity shop find blue wool cardigan that has a lovely shape when worn. The only problem was that it had some nasty brass buttons down the front. I have been intending to change these for years but somehow never got around to it. Now I have. It's good to have a useable, flattering top to wear.

Eventually I would like my wardrobe to be full of clothing that I can layer with rather than rely on my fleeces. That time will come but for now I will stay warm.

Crochet hat

Hand spun crochet hat

What to do with all those odd lengths of yarn? Make a hat!

My son complained that he didn't have a decent hat. I had made one for my youngest, myself but not him and it wasn't fair. Feeling a bit dubious about this I allowed him to choose some yarn from my stash - he chose a short length of mixed green that looked a bit like camouflage. So I started a hat but, not too surprisingly there wasn't enough green so, using black to separate the colours I went onto red. Then I went on to blue. He wasn't amused.

I now have a lovely warm hand spun & crocheted beanie to keep me warm in the cold. My son still has no hat but being the loving mother that I am I will allow him to borrow one of mine. But only if he can keep the look of distaste off his face :-)

Update
6 months later he loves this hat. I cannot believe the amount of use that this has had, it is very satisfying!

Little blue socks.

Completed socks

Another completed project! These are some hand knitted socks that I have made from a bag of pure wool found in a local charity shop. The soles have a double thickness of thread though I didn't bother weaving in all the ends. These are really comfortable and I love them.

When they were first completed I was worried that they would be too big. However a quick wash and felt soon shrank them back to size - and also dealt with those loose ends.  As you can see in the photo I've not bothered blocking them, life's too short when they're only going to end up on my feet.

There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.

My youngest attempting a snow angel

Yesterday I came across a quote that I really like:

There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.

What a true statement! I often let the weather dictate what I can or can't do and I really shouldn't let it happen so often especially as it also impacts on my two little (or not so little!) trouble makers.

Thankfully we do have much of the wet weather and cold gear that we need but it does tend to get jumbled up in a hamper and each time we head out I have to go hunting for gloves. Better organisation is clearly required but how? Something to ponder on but for now I'm going to make a start by clearing out all of the extra pieces we have lying around.