Fashion and size

[Seshat]

They should sell more now-a-days fashion for us bigger people.

Most modern fashions aren't cut to look right on curvey people, especially curvey women. The hourglass shape looks at its best in a princess line cut, or at least a piece that's been darted to show off our waist. The 'pear' shape (the most common shape for women) looks best in pants and skirts that have been darted to show the waist, but can usually wear modern tops.

For my husband, we buy his tops to suit his shoulders and neck, and then whip out the sewing machine and resew the side seams to suit his shape. (Inverted triangle, for those who care.) His pants are okay off the rack, as long as we can get pants that are long enough.


The good bit is that you can make the body of the garment to suit your shape, then change the necklines, collars, sleeves and trim to suit current fashion. Non-sewers will (generally) perceive it as current fashion, and sewers are probably doing it themselves. However, the ease with which you can make garments that suit anyone and are still fashionable is the reason I get so annoyed at the clothing industry.

[Rapscallion]

Let's get down to it - should someone wearing a pink camo miniskirt ensemble in 2XL face ridicule?

Rapscallion

[Seshat]

Let's get down to it - should someone wearing a pink camo miniskirt ensemble in 2XL face ridicule?

Rapscallion

Yes - for the pink camo.

[Boozy]

A pink camo miniskirt ensemble is (supposedly) considered "sexy".

A size 2XL body is considered "unsexy" by our cultural standards.

Put sexy clothing on an unsexy body and you have a classic funny. These are things you wouldn't expect to see together. Humour is that delightful surprise you get when two opposites come together.

With that said, I don't particularly find it funny. I like my humour a little more sophisticated. I just find it sort of sad.

Anyone who laughs in the face of a large person wearing this kind of outfit is a rude boor.

The flip side is that anyone wearing this outfit in size 2XL is going to have to realize that people will laugh behind their backs. If they don't realize that, they need a crash course in reality.

[Seshat]

The flip side is that anyone wearing this outfit in size 2XL is going to have to realize that people will laugh behind their backs. If they don't realize that, they need a crash course in reality.

The sad thing is that 2XL is a natural healthy body size. It's very rare - right on the thin end of the bell curve - but for a large-boned, very muscular person it's quite possible.

The problem is that there are also people whose natural healthy body size is M, who take 2XL because of excess adipose tissue. I just wish more of society would focus on healthiness, not absolute size.

[NightAngel]

I don't care how skinny you are- Pink Camo is stupid and ugly.

Now, I've seen the pic of this particular ensemble and if it WASN'T camo- say basic black- it would completely and utterly depend on the woman wearing it. I've seen some women wear outfits like that and thought they looked nice and other's not so much.

Everybody's body is different/unique. Some people can pull off an outfit- some can't.
I'm a size 4 and I can tell you that they are some "fashions" that I absolutely cannot pull off because of my body stucture. If I tried I'd look like an idiot and I know it. Some people seem to have on their rose colored glasses when they look in the mirror though.

On that note I will say that I was just given a regular colored (green) camo miniskirt with skulls and airbourne patches on it. The style looks okay on me but I'm just not so sure about the rest... maybe if I reversed time and could be 16 again? LOL
I'll probably wear it to the beach over my swimsuit.

[Luna]

I think people should wear whatever makes them happy. I can't say I won't laugh at the white trash stalker customer at music store hell if I ever saw him again though. He came into the store with a dirty white cut off right below his nipples t-shirt, and his hairy belly said JELLY BELLY tattooed on it in huge Gothic lettering.

No, I am not kidding.

I am 4"11". Petite clothing starts at 5'4" and under. What the hell do I do with the other 5 inches of fabric. Some things just look terrible hemmed. *Le sigh*
I am also very curvy. even at my best weight, I was 125 lbs and 3% body fat. I was hardcore lean, mean muscle and could bench press my now hubby. At the time, the doctor I was seeing told me that I was obese and should be no more than 90-100 lbs. I asked him if he wanted to arm wrestle me. He declined after he saw my arm muscles. Fucking idiot.

Yes, I've gained 50 lbs since then, but I'm still only a size 14/16. It's really hard to find sexy or just plain nice clothes for larger sizes. They're all cut with low v-neck lines (which on a short person goes down to my belly button!) and made to look like I'm wearing a cape with a neck hole. If you want well-made real people clothes, it'll cost you a fortune.

We should start a revolution!

[Seshat]

I am also very curvy. even at my best weight, I was 125 lbs and 3% body fat. I was hardcore lean, mean muscle and could bench press my now hubby. At the time, the doctor I was seeing told me that I was obese and should be no more than 90-100 lbs. I asked him if he wanted to arm wrestle me. He declined after he saw my arm muscles. Fucking idiot.

YES!!! You must be seeing the same doctor(s) I see all the bloody time!

[McDreidel09]

Clothes are extremely hard for me to find. I wear between size 11 and 10 in pants. I have broad shoulders, so medium shirts are just at the beltline, but large shirts are too baggy. I have a flat upperstomach, but have a small pooch on my lower belly. I also have arm muscles. I'm also 5'9", so length in pants suck because girls around my age are usually much shorter.

So I just wear size 11 pants and medium sized shirts. I feel better about my body since losing weight, so why not dress with confidence, along with comfort? It doesn't look that bad on me and I don't feel squished in my clothes.

[freeatlast]

I am 5'3" and overweight. My problem is that I don't have curves. My waist and hips are about the same size. Most plus size pants go way out at the hips, so if I buy pants that fit my waist they stick way out around my hips. So every pair of pants I buy have to be shortened and tailored at the hips. Economically, it sucks because my alterations person charges $10 a pair to shorten and alter pants. Her price is really reasonable compared to many other alteration shops, but it still adds $10 to the price of every pair of pants I buy. It's just that they assume that every woman who wears larger sized pants has big hips. Under all the fat, I am really small boned and my hips are very narrow.

[AdminAssistant]

I wear...a 16-18, depending on the store. So, I'm in that strange inbetween place, where I can buy some stuff at 'regular' stores (like Gap and Old Navy) and some stuff that's 'plus-sized' (Lane Bryant). It's really hard to find flattering stuff, because I have a bit of a gut, but I don't have OMGHUGE boobs. Therefore, a lot of 1X tops are rather, um, saggy in places. Not pretty at all. Maurice's now offers plus-sizes, and since those are targeted toward younger shoppers, I have decent luck finding clothes there. They've actually got some pretty cute stuff that does look good on curvy ladies. Which I like because Lane Bryant..well...sometimes, it's just...EW.

Back to the point, I say where whatever you want. As long as all the proper bits are covered, who cares? If someone is wearing something tacky, I may mentally comment - but that could easily be a very thin person wearing a miniskirt and Uggs. And I would never say anything to them. That's just rude.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I'm 5ft 9in, and an hourglass shape; ie, DD boobs and huge hips. I often have to go a size up from what I really am in order to find a dress that hangs well on me and fits my bust and hips. I tend to buy from a variety of different shops; high street, specialist, charity shops. I often buy gothic style clothes; they seem to be fitted better than high street clothes for some reason.

As far as I'm concerned, showing loads of flesh looks tacky on anyone, big or small. It's possible to look sexy without looking trashy. And male or female, showing off a huge gut is not a good look; neither is showing off a builder's cleavage, male or female; thin or fat. The trick is to wear clothes that flatter you; not just wear what's in fashion. You could be wearing top to toe fashion and still look awful; it's style that counts. A fat girl in leggings and vest might look awful; the same girl wearing a long, flowing shirt over well cut jeans looks good.

[IDrinkaRum]

I'm 5'3" and I weigh 270 pounds. I wear a 3X or a 22/24. I buy my pants at Wal-Mart. I only buy pants/jeans that have an elastic waist. I wear a petite size pants. J. C. Penney's has a nice brand of pants (Donkenney) that are good pants with an elastic waist and look professional that I would wear them to my administrative assistant jobs.

The reason for the elastic waist for pants is because no matter how fat (or skinny) I am, I this annoying problem: my waist is smaller than my hips. I have bought 2 pairs of denim skorts. I bought them in size 24 (no elastic waist, but they fit), the only problem is that because they fit over my hips (and butt) they are too big in my waist (and subsequently, I have to buy a belt because the waist falls down).

I hate being fat (Lane Bryant has granny looking clothing, and Torrid has the hip-for-the-non-mothers crowd). *le sigh*

[iradney]

I personally think that men shouldn't wear speedos, regardless of their body type! Board shorts look so much nicer.

Even before I gained all my weight, I would struggle to find clothes. Having broad hips and long legs doesn't help much - if it's long enough, the waist is HUGE. If the waist is right, the legs are too short

[Norton]

I'm 5' 10", and weigh 275 lbs. However, I carry my weight well. I'm built rather like the models for Torrid.

Torrid has the hip-for-the-non-mothers crowd

I'm not sure I understand that. Do you mean the clothing is inappropriate for mothers, or that it's not flattering? I personally see no problem with a mother dressing goth-y (though Torrid seems to have more "generic" clothing in stock than "hip" clothing now).

I hate bra shopping. Most of the bras in my size come in three colors: white, black, and beige. They usually look like something my grandma would wear.
Also, these ugly things are usually two or three times the price of bras in small sizes.

I have the same problem as IDrinkaRum and Iradney with pants. If I buy pants to comfortably fit my hips, they're too big for my waist and keep slipping down. Almost all of my pants are too short for me (including the ones I've bought from Torrid - which I would expect to actually be tailored for big girls). I finally found a nice long pair on eBay, but I still have to wear a belt.

By the way, I won't always wear a belt, because frankly I hate them. So, people probably see a lot of my lower back, since I'm often hiking my pants up. Also when I sit, my shirt tends to go up while the pants go down. I've never had someone complain about seeing my back fat, stretchmarks, or trampstamp. If someone does decide to complain or make fun of me, they'll be met with an apathetic shrug.

If the way I look offends you, then stop looking at me.

I used to be very self-conscious about my size. I wore long pants or skirts in the hottest weather, and never showed my arms above my elbows. Never went swimming without a long heavy T-shirt and knee-length shorts. At some point, I just stopped caring what people thought of me and decided to be comfortable.