And there you have our limited shopping resources- Lane Bryant, Old Navy for affordables and Nordstrom or Macy’s/Neiman Marcus for splurges. Did you know that at Old Navy you can only buy the plus sized line on line and if it doesn’t fit you have to wait to exchange it by mail?

There aren’t a lot of tips out there for plus sized women because the fashion industry and the media don’t talk about us. It’s as though if they were to give us “tips” they would be condoning our fatness which isn’t acceptable. There are a whole host of body positive sites that talk about this and about great places to shop or get bargains. AND the best part is they aren’t slipping diet ads in as a not so subtle message that who we are is not okay.

With that said, I have at least 5 of these items you listed. And also, I didn’t mean to rant but I have a lot of feelings on this matter.

I just receieved the Talbots Christmas catalog this week. I was surprised at how much of it I actually liked, since Talbots can be stuffy, and they do carry Plus-Sizes for many of their pieces.

I have also had good luck shopping online at Jessica London and Chadwicks. I also like CJ Banks for staples like tshirts, and casual pants. It took me a long time to even walk into the store since so many of their clothes are ummm…embellished, for lack of a better term (think sequined holiday sweaters) but they carry both tall and extra tall plus sizes, which is great.

Also, JC Penney has a good selection of plus-sizes items. I have had good luck finding more trendy things there that I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on.

If I am looking for a really good quality suit, I will look to Jones of New York or Ellen Tracy.

Sorry for the novel here. I just know that there are a lot of other woman like me, who are plus-sized, but still love to shop, love clothes and refuse to wear a mumu.

Sarah, I have to say, your round up of plus sized items, at a wide variety of price points was great. I really appreciate it and now I am just looking for a way to justify that red dress from Neimans. That is gorgeous.

Yep, pretty much anything plus-sized from Old Navy, JJill etc. has be ordered online. Let us not even go into a discussion about size 11 shoes.

you know, I have found some nice stuff at Torrid and Avenue…Avenue even carries Seven jeans.

My two go too favorites are Ulla Popkin and JJill, both of which carry plus sizes. I’m of the school that would rather by a few quality pieces for more money than to have to replace my wardrobe yearly. Old Navy has terrible quality and now that you can’t try on their stuff, they lost me as a customer, even for their cheap beaters.

Right now I’m wearing a pair of Ulla Popkin jeans from 2003 that are in perfect condition. You wouldn’t find that in Lane Bryant stuff.

Sarah- Not joking about the on line bullshit at Old Navy. It’s more than just the wait time for exchange that bugs me; it’s the feeling of not being “good enough” for them to carry that line of clothing in their stores. It’s like if you get to be too fat, you aren’t allowed to be seen in public at their stores. I cry bullshit to that!

Others have mentioned good options for plus sized clothes and the limitations of finding classic, non-bedazzled pieces. I’m with AmandaL- I am 5′3″ and should basically marry tailor to save me from all the alterations I need for clothes that are too long.

I used to be plus size, and I always think I looked my best whenever I wore really structured apparel. The blousy stuff made me look pregnant or sloppy. I used to have decent luck at Avenue. Some of their tops were well made and slightly more fitted. I also love Dillards woman (Just bypass the elastic pants, they have some other nicer things).

Another question: Where do you go for petites plus sizes? I am looking for stuff for my mom, and usually I just buy outfits and get them tailored.

And two rant-y points: Why is it that mens clothes run in a spectrum of sizes, but women’s clothes come in a special section of the store and it is always near maternity? It’s insulting! Second rant: At Saks Fifth Ave (the one in NYC), they have a whole floor dedicated to Plus sizes. What is it called? Salon Z. Where is it? The top floor of Saks. When you get there, all of the trendy music that they play in the other sections stops, as does the ratio of people to help you wade your way through the designers. The rest of the store looks like a space age shopping experience, and Salon Z is reminiscent of K-Mart. I went there once, and never went back.

What also irks me is that very often stores think that just because we’re plus size, we want dress down to the floor or clothes made from inferior materials and structure. I’ve 5′41/2″, but I’ve got short legs. Ok, so I have to buy petite pants. Now, used to be I could do that and not have to hem them. But have they decided that petite short has grown 2 inches in height???? Suddenly the PS is still 2 inches too long. Someone mentioned Jessica London and other catagogues. WHY do they not have plus size models wearing their clothes? I want to see what it looks like on someone like me, not some size 4.

THANK YOU for this post. I ordered two of the Old Navy items. Please, God let them fit, I don’t want the humiliation of being turned away in the store if they don’t fit.

Just a suggestion - a lot of us taller/bigger girls also have big feet (Size 10-12 on up). What would you thin about doing a post on larger-sized foot apparel? I pretty much buy all of mine online through Nordstroms because going to Dillards or Nine West and having to say, “just show me what you do have in an 11,” and picking shoes that way sort of sucks.

Yeah, I occasionally buy stuff from Roaman’s (a lot of their stuff is hideous, although I suppose someone must be buying it, but they have wide and wide-calf shoes and boots, and some other decent cheap stuff), and NONE of the models are even remotely plus-size. So aggravating.

Land’s End can also be a decent place to get quality plus-size stuff, although it’s aggravating that mostly you have to shop by mail.

Check out http://www.prettypear.com and http://www.fatshionista.com for sites that focus only on plus-size fa(t)shion.

for ladies with thin calves or for those on the plus side, check out DUO Boots
http://www.duoboots.com

they make boots specifically based on your calf measurements - so the fit is great. They have stores in the UK and Amsterdam and international online shopping/shipping. Perhaps there is something similar in the US?

I had some wedge boots made by Duo and I am really happy with them. They arrived in one week!

Old Navy used to carry the plus size line in the stores, but since they don’t want people to know that they make clothes for us chubby girls, they stopped carrying plus sizes in the stores. I doubt that they will be changing that anytime soon.

The H&M in Toronto has plus sizes, no idea about the US.

I’m another one of the plus-sized petites out there, and it is so hard to find shirts that are not hanging to my knees or pants that are a foot too long. I’ve had good luck with jeans from Target. My favorite thing is to hit the big department stores whenever I’m near a city, because that’s where I find the nice stuff. For example, I shopped it up at the Macy’s in SF when I was at BlogHer, and found two dresses that have clothed me for every special occasion since July.

Shopping online is probably the WORST way for plus-size women to shop, so it’s funny/sad that so many stores move that department to website only. As you said, the body shapes are always different and trying clothes on is essential. Yet it costs money to ship it back.

That Neiman Marcus dress is so cute, though! If only I could afford it… http://www.apparelncs.com/rd_p?p=186122&t=9518&a=23960-workitmom&gift=23960