just wondering if you can go in a clothing store and find things that fit properly. I'm lucky in that other than the need to lose weight and go down some sizes things fit pretty good. Does your body physics require specialty shops or special fittings (disclaimer: no harm intended by this question. I'm truly sorry if the question is perceived in any other way then a totally benign and informative manner )
Thankfully I can buy off the rack. The shoes were findable when I first started, but can be found almost everywhere now that I have dropped a size there. I didn't discover that tell I went boot and shoe shopping last week.
Mariah.
When I first started looking at women's wear I worried that my height, shoulder width and arm length would make it difficult to find things, but that turned out to be unfounded. It really, really helps to be as thin as you can manage. I'm 5'10 1/2" and weigh 127 lbs, so I can wear a size 10 any day and with many things prefer an 8. Nicole Kidman and Claudia Schiffer are my height, so I figure that's not an issue. In S-M-L sizes I only buy mediums if the fit can be a bit loose. Smalls are usually tightish, but the right items look right that way.
I'm long waisted, so I have to shop a bit carefully with some tops, but so do a lot of women. I've rarely tried anything on that I couldn't wear because of my shoulder width.
The great thing about women's wear is that with the great variety of looks possible you can find a way to deal with any figure issue. All women have have to shop to minimize their flaws and emphasize their assets.
My only issue is that I'm a size 10-12 on bottom and 12-14 on top. I can't quite pull off some dress styles, so I do better with separates.
I can now wear dress clothes :D (pants and fitted tops). I actually look good looking like a grown up, finding clothes is both hard to find something I like but fun and also easier in that getting something that fits is a lot easier.
Before I would live in jeans and tops because anything else, would require me to go and have everything all adjusted. Otherwise I would literally look like the 3yr old who has tried on their father's clothes.
The only problem I have is shoes I'm right on the cusp of what you can buy in store (UK 8.5-9). So I have to look early or I can miss out as there is only a few made in that size for each style
Off the rack for me too... Im... a 7/8 size, and a 9 1/2 (really 10) shoes/boot.. so I have not had a lot of trouble finding right sizes.. esp in Old Navy.. Have not been to Ross yet, but may drop in later today to just look. WalMart, Sears, Penny's, Kohl's, Macy's.. all just price-based whether I shop there or not.. like some of the others here, I'm more of a tomboy... jeans, and tees kinda girl, or soccer mom.. so style's easy for me. Now that I am actually accepted at church, I may find nice skirts, or dresses to wear there, shoes too (more shopping therapy!) Otherwise, jeans and tees, esp here in the desert, it's still pretty warm, in the 80's mostly.. 70's next month, 50's/60's in January.. then it begins to warm again.. fine with me... and once I go back to flying East Coast trips, wearing jeans with legging/tights to keep warm outside, should still be easy. Sweaters too... eh, so.. finding "normally sized" clothing, I dont think, will be a serious hunt.
Nope ! I shop at normal stores & find my sizes very easily (Girls - small, medium) . I'm glad I can even find my shoes at a regular girls store without having to go anywhere (Girls - 9 - 9.5) (Mens - 8 )
I buy off the rack and I even try stuff on in the store. Top I'm 10-12 but that's going to change with HRT I guess. Bottom size 8 fits well. Dresses size 10-12. Shoes size 9 women's.
I can buy off the rack, although I'm about a size 14 or 16 depending on style, so sometimes I'm in "straight sizes" and sometimes in full-figured sizes. It took me some experimentation to figure out what works for me and flatters my figure, but I'm proportioned more or less as well as anyone is for off the rack clothes. (Which isn't all that well. ;) Cis women complain about it constantly, too.) My torso is a little long and my boobs a little bigger than designers expect, but again, most typical clothes don't fit many women perfectly.
Shoe size is 9.5, which is easy enough to find.
I buy off the rack as well... Maybe my biggest issue is that I'm a small but some small clothes look a bit short on me and medium just looks baggy... And shoes I'm not that blessed... Most stores in my country sell up to a women's 9, I'm a 10 :icon_cry2: so close hahaha
I'm all off the rack, unless I've got a big event coming up, then I'll get and get fitted for it.
I'm lucky, I'm a 8 to 10 in Australian sizing.
The only thing I seem to have trouble with are bras, I can buy a 10B and be swimming it in, a 8B is far too tight, 8C I swim, 10A I swim, so I need to go and get fitted and try on and on and on.
Off the rack at Goodwill also Kohls has great sale racks.
I can buy directly off the rack. But since I have a very special style mixed with street clothing and other, I rarely buy clothes in stores since I am picky of how it should look. 80% of my wardrobe has been ordered from expensive online stores.
I can buy off the rack, but I don't know how good I actually look. Shoes I can only find at Payless (size 13 women's US). I wear a 12 on bottom and a 16-20 top, depending on brand, cloth, style, etc. thanks to my shoulders and belly.
I usually buy off the rack, L-XL fits mostly I am losing weight but, I still need to lose a fair bit more. When I was really thin I would wear size 9, now I have a pair of pants that is a 15 and still tight on my legs. Jrs don't seem to fit as well as women's or misses sizes now though after HRT.
I have been really considering getting some patterns and trying my hand at making my own clothes again I did it a bit in the past, I am not amazing at sewing but following a pattern is something I can certainly do.
Edit: I am usually a size 11 for shoes, I really wish I was a 10 it would open up so many more styles to me.
Off the rack. For the longest time I thought I was ->-bleeped-<- out of luck finding anything. Not that I'm amazon or anything but with long legs( 8 waist 34 long) and long arms I was very discouraged. Shop shop shop you'll find that store. Shoes are still pain in the ass but between online and at the Clark's store today there is still hope.
Had the biggest confidence booster today from the lady who did the fill in on my nails, she said she like the style I was wearing, not over the top not too flashy simple! Love denim and supply flowy shirts and skirts. Abercrombie as well very comfortable.
"Do you have this blouse in 3x? ...No? OK thanks."
"I don't see any size 11 shoes...where do you...? Oh, you don't carry 11's? Do you know who might have...you don't? OK thanks."
"Do you have this dress in a longer size? This one only reaches to mid-thigh...oh, just that length? OK thanks."
Then I go home, and browse WW or Main and Monroe etc.
I used to get worried when I started putting on weight because I would go up in clothing sizes rapidly but my body shape was still skinny looking. At size 16 I am still able to find l stores that have fitting clothes but they are mostly older person stores. As for shoes.. that depends on the shoe. Sometimes its a 10 and at other times 11.
Although I'm a bit pudgy, I fit in juniors' XL.
I'm an off the rack girl..
However, a Chanel pantsuit I can wear off the rack, the Dior ones require some tailoring.. Spent an entertaining afternoon learning that..
Off the rack for me as well. I do need to hem my pants sometimes unless I buy petites. But that isn't so bad since most stores have a small section of petite pants.
Edit: for shoes I am a size 8 so no issues finding shoes either. And I can steal my SOs shoes because lucky us we are the same size.
Cloths off the rack, shoes in speciality stores.
Off the rack for everything but shoes (US 13-13.5) I'm not even close to full time though so mostly I do shop online. I'm very tall and thin so when I first started the worry with most items was that the pants legs or sleeves wouldn't be long enough. Strangely however women's clothes fit me better and tend to have longer sleeves and pants legs. Meanwhile for guy clothes I have to buy something huge and sail away in it or shop at the big and tall store.
I'm pretty bummed about the shoes. If I want anything cute it's in the $80+ range. Otherwise it's all boring stuff or outlandish stuff.
Off the rack. I don't always find the shoes I want in my size (US 9.5, UK 7, EUR 41 - seriously, what's up with all the standards?), but I generally find something that I like.
I'm 5'5 so women's petite is the first time in my life that jeans fit. I'm a size 11 woman's but I think my feet have shrunk a bit. I shop at Target , so I can find what I need, I need to loose weight , so I can shop for some really nice dresses, Target does have great clearance sales though.
Quote from: stephaniec on November 04, 2014, 12:19:51 PM. I shop at Target , so I can find what I need, I need to loose weight , so I can shop for some really nice dresses, Target does have great clearance sales though.
Target is fine for a lot of things, but I gave up buying clothes there after getting too many low quality items there. I find even the stuff at Wal-Mart better than Target's.
I've discovered Kohl's. The clearance racks are heaven. Lots of gems there.
I can almost always get pants to fit, (in fact most women's pants fit me better than men's pants ever did,) but finding shirts that fit is a royal pain in the butt. I have a very large upper body, but I also have a slim waist, so a lot of shirts that I find are either too loose in the stomach, or too tight across the chest and arms. It's pretty frustrating being a slim-figured size 16 with wide shoulders and a thick chest. It's REALLY hard to find clothes that fit that kind of body shape.
Off the rack, usually the clearance one. Just have to be sure to try everything on due to vanity sizing.
Quote from: ImagineKate on November 05, 2014, 09:19:46 AM
I've discovered Kohl's. The clearance racks are heaven. Lots of gems there.
Kohl's is awesome! Too bad I don't really have one I can get too around here.... In one of the malls around, there is as Vanity Fair Outlet that I love. Lee jeans and tops for, like, 5-10 bucks!
There's one right by my kids school so I pop in quick before I pick them up. I'm going there right now in fact.
Quote from: ImagineKate on November 05, 2014, 09:19:46 AM
I've discovered Kohl's. The clearance racks are heaven. Lots of gems there.
Omg until Kohl's I had so much trouble finding tops. I wear size 8 in pants. And for some reason shorts are size 10-12. Tried target but they don't have anything that was big enough. So many cute tops at Kohl's. LOVE THAT PLACE!!
Off the rack, thought I would have issues but I'm not even a large, medium or 10/12 for most things and 10/10.5 for shoes. I mostly shop at outlets, winners, marshals, etc.
Off the rack, size 4-6, shoes are 9 to 9 1/2 in women's.
Quote from: Jaime R D on November 05, 2014, 10:45:22 AM
Off the rack, usually the clearance one. Just have to be sure to try everything on due to vanity sizing.
Yes clearance is the only rack I can afford!! Kohls has great deals on their racks!! I love Old Navy, and their clearance racks are also good. JC Penney has nice stuff.....they just closed our store here though :(
Trying on cloths is a must!! I literally have NOT tried on about 5 things in my life.....and wouldn't you know 4-5 didn't fit UGH!! Sometimes I am familiar with a stores sizing so I can get away from not using the dressing room.....I just did that at Old Navy....there small tops always fit me perfect, so I just grab and buy!! :)
Vanity sizing is ridiculous!! I find it happens mostly in the jr's for which I shop in quite often. My favorite pair of cropped jeans came from Aeropostale....I was with my children and seen them on the shelf...once I picked them up I noticed it was a size 0 I looked for a 3 but they didn't have any....as a joke I tried on the 0's....they fit perfect WTF no way!!! That, my girls is vanity sizing!! Though its not as bad as some stores, since a 0 isn't too far from a 3 which I usually wear. Though I have been moving up to a misses 4....Ugh!!
I'm 5' 9", and a 36B, size 10. I try on things about half the time, mostly when I don't my dress I have on is kind of a hassle to take off and put on again. I've been living for three years now, and I haven't figured out yet that I should wear something I can take off and put on easily so I can try things on much easier. But I love shopping for clothes and jewelry. Cheap jewelry, unfortunately, but jewelry nevertheless. I'm also a shoe nut, but from my former alcoholic consumption and breaking my back so badly, I have neuropathy and out of my eight pairs of shoes I can only wear three comfortably. At least they're my favorites!!!
When I was working, I had business suits tailored since I have wider shoulders and larger bust line.... and my butt doesn't match. So I wear a size 8 jean and wear an XL or L top. I love the "new" hip hugger designs. Since I don't have that hourglass figure, those fit me great. Most men don't get past the breasts (which are very normal for someone my size) so I figure it doesn't matter much.
Surprisingly even with my height of 6'7" and a size 16, I can find things off the rack. The hardest items to find are pants (sometimes Lane Bryant will have Longs in the stores) and winter coats. (Long Tall Sally is the only place I can find them long enough.) Tops are usually fine, but I have to watch the lengths on some styles. Shoes I can find locally (size 13W) at a store nearby that goes up to 13W.
Target is the worst place to find anything and surprisingly I've been able to find things at Wal-Mart. Old-Navy is hit or miss and varies from style to style.