(update #32) what kind of clothes fit & flatter a person with..

[DrSally]

I think drapey blouses that are fitted on top and have some sort of banding and then flow outward a little? Layer a cardy over that, and that can slim you out. Also, a long necklace or scarf makes the line more vertical.

[goldenpig]

Hey ms. pacman,
I'm sorry your Anthro trip didn't work out! Big hugs. I know how disappointing it is to walk out of a store empty handed. Anthro is very hit or miss, there's very few things there that actually work on me even at my size, so I totally sympathize. If you still want stuff from there, you can always order the size 14 online.

It sounds like you might be on the cusp of regular vs. plus size right now. Have you tried some of the plus size stores like Lane Bryant? Don't be offended, I'm sure it's just temporary. But I looked and it seems like they have some nice stuff! Like these:
Sheer Animal Print Drape neck top

Shadow Floral Sleeveless Blouse

Ponte Knit Basket Weave dress


I would still try to go to Nordstrom's if I were you...call and ask for an appointment with a personal shopper. Also if you just go in, oftentimes the staff are really nice and will help pick stuff out for you even if you don't have an appointment.
Here's some links to some fall trends for plus size:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/fall-plu...?origin=topnav
Nordstrom Rack is also online:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/rack?ori...category-links
Nordstrom has free shipping and returns so you can order online.

And one last thought...even though you are a bigger size right now and aren't going to stay that way forever, doesn't mean you don't deserve some nice clothes. Try to buy a few nicer pieces on sale. You can always consign them once they get too big and use the money toward buying new clothes as you shrink. It will do wonders for your self-esteem to dress nicely no matter what size you are. JMHO. Good luck with the shopping and chin up! You are totally gorgeous already...the right clothes are out there waiting for you!

[Katigre]

Ok so I went to anthropologie for the first time this afternoon..inspired by the other thread. Well it was a major fail...I wanted to run out of there in tears. not sure if it will work for me, at least right now..or maybe I don't know how to find the right stuff? Dh was with me and so I didn't have that much time to look around..

First off, it seemed like most of the clothes in the store were only in small sizes... only went up to size 10 or 12. I tried on this gorgeous promising looking dark green skirt in a 12 and it was waaaay too tight on the waist. As a person who spent the past 10 years (prekids) as a size 4, you can imagine this is extremely depressing. Pretty much everything else I tried was the same story.

I tried on the red trench coat in the biggest size they had (10)..waaaay too small...I'd prolly need a 14. And then again, I'm hesitant to spend that much money on something that I hope will no longer fit in a few years. If it was only 1 or 2 sizes bigger than normal I'd totally go for it, but we are taking five sizes here.

The ONE thing I tried on that actually fit and looked decent on me was that purple cape thingy. I guess the dark color and how it just drapes and doesn't cling at all and it totally hides my figure which is great. But I didn't get it bc it don't know how often I'd get to use it...it doesn't get that cold here...I'd use it maybe 2 mos out of the year. Plus my dh didn't like it and kept saying it looked odd to him (but that doesn't mean much...he is colorblind and has no fashion sense whatsoever). I don't know.

So, I don't know. I'm expecting a huge stash from Boden next week, and I have a feeling I will be sending it all back, if the sizing runs similar to anthro...

Argh. Are there any clothing brands that make stuff that is not so tight-fitting around the waist? At this point I am considering just giving up and hiring a tailor...it seems like nothing I try on will ever fit bc of my huge waistline.

I am a size 2/4 and Anthro clothes don't work well for me (and I have to buy a larger size in their store - I'm more like a 6/8). Don't let their clothes get you down.

Your body shape means that you will need tailoring on your clothing for it to be the best fit. Most women need this unless they're a perfectly balanced hourglass or rectangle stick figure.

Here are some articles I found that help:
http://christina-gregoire.suite101.c...40--50-a229306
http://helenkrasner.suite101.com/how...d-dress-a81019
http://www.look-fabulous.com/body-sh...ped-women.html

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanks everyone!

re: plus sizes, i wish that would solve the problem. i wish i could just order a larger size and be done with it. but that never works... e.g. a 12 may be too small around the waist but will be too big in the hips, legs, butt. so a size 14 will fit, but it will be even more loose in other areas, so it doesn't look right.

i agree that at this stage, i'd probably have to get clothes tailored or something. however, that really sounds time-consuming and pricey at this point.

anyway, after spending a lot of time on this (shopping IRL and online) and always coming out feeling very depressed and disappointed, i think i want to instead start focusing on trying to lose some weight and getting in shape (i've worked out exactly *once* since DD was born..i hope to change that!!). i will be revisiting this thread once i lose about 15 lbs (hopefully by the end of the year) . I will have the same problem finding clothes (i had this problem 30 lbs and 2 kids ago) but i think at that point at least it will be more manageable and it will be at least *somewhat* enjoyable to go clothes-shopping.

thanks again everyone!!

[brgnmom]

ms. pacman, just wanted to send hugs - I've btdt and have returned my share of nwt clothing that I realized in better lighting did not fit me as well as I had hoped. I only kept one anthro item (a top) from my recent purchases. I'm not making any major purchases until I know that I'm at a stable weight.

I also wanted to add a gentle reminder to please not be so hard on yourself - you just had another baby earlier in the year, and you went through your pregnancies in a shorter time frame. The postpartum weight will come off eventually.

[MoJo]

Thanks for the links, Katigre! I never thought of myself as an apple, since I don't have big breasts and am fairly tall, but everything else does fit . . . very broad shoulders, had stomach issues even before kids, great legs (although I'm confused because most of what I read said apples should hide their great legs.)

Between my issues and my girls' issues, I'm thinking I need to take up sewing!

[Katigre]

thanks everyone!

re: plus sizes, i wish that would solve the problem. i wish i could just order a larger size and be done with it. but that never works... e.g. a 12 may be too small around the waist but will be too big in the hips, legs, butt. so a size 14 will fit, but it will be even more loose in other areas, so it doesn't look right.

i agree that at this stage, i'd probably have to get clothes tailored or something. however, that really sounds time-consuming and pricey at this point.

You might be surprised at how inexpensive tailoring can be. I typically have my pants tailored to fit and many stores do it for free or low cost. Dry cleaners also tailor clothes, and you can often find older women (retired) who love to sew who will pin/tailor for you. Approximate cost is cheap - I'm talking $10 or less per item.

I would really encourage you to buy a few (just a handful!) of items that fit your widest part well (say 5 shirts, 2 layering pieces, and 2 bottoms) and have them tailored to fit the rest of you. When you lose the weight then you can give them away. But the difference in self-esteem in having clothes that fit well right now is huge (at least for me). You are worth it and can look beautiful/sexy at your current weight.

[Katigre]

Another thought that I had (comes from this book - so much good info! http://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Look-O...7862043&sr=8-1) is using shapewear. I think that if you had one or two nice pieces from spanx or maidenform, that would probably help with the fit of the clothing b/c it would smooth everything out.