Looking Good, Feeling Great - RANT: Sleeveless Tops in Plus Sizes

Grr.. What makes me crazy is that I can rarely find anything nice looking in the plus or XL sizes that have long sleeves. Especially dresses! I don't know about other 'pluses', but one of my areas that I LOATHE are my batwing arms.. They must ALWAYS be covered.

I can ALMOST understand it on the non-plus sizes, but for the plus-size stores to be carrying a majority of sleeveless things, I just don't understand. :o Same with skirts, hard to find LONG skirts, especially ones that don't look totally FRUMP. :(

Oh yeah, and they also seem big on cleavage. Lane Bryant seems to cater to a 'hoochie' crowd at times.. Personally, I don't want to 'let it all hang out'.

G,day LittleMissMotivation, I hear you loud and clear my tuck shop lady arms are a sore point with me and when you see a top that you like but the sleeves are to short it is the pits. I prefer a 3/4 sleeve or a long one anyday and if you are lucky enough to find one they are just not in the right age group I,m 50 but I don,t want to look like my Mum, as far as cleavage goes I,m not that well endowered anyway but I usually wear a light camisole underneath if the top is to low. I guess all we can do is rant until someone in the fashion industry see,s things our way.

JULS

I find though that when I can find things with sleeves they are too long. I'm a little bit too tall for petites but in normal plus sizes long sleeves generally fall to cover the palms of my hands. I find 3/4s sleeves better.

Kitty

I hear you sister! I know some of us chunky-funky girls have arms that look descent in sleeveless, or are proportional to the rest of their body...I am not one of them...my upper arms and inner thighs look like I am hiding christmas hams under my skin. LOL wonderful image I know.

I do a lot of layering. I have come to like sleeveless sweaters and tops IF I am going to wear a jacket, blouse, sweater over them. If not, I have been picking up 3/4 length sleeve T's when I find them on sale. I buy them a size or two smaller and wear them underneath. EVERYTHING seems to have a low neckline right now - definitely not appropriate for work (I work for a school district). Like Kitty, I have to shorten the sleeves on every long sleeve top/jacket/sweater I buy.

I love 3/4 sleeves. They generally go to my wrists lol. I have never been much of a sleeveless kind of girl even when I was thin. I burn to badly. Like to at least keep my shoulders covered even when it is very hot and I go sleeveless. Baseball shirts are wonderful as far as I am concerned lol. Most everything seems to be cut way to low. Not all woman want to show everything off. What I have under my shirt is for my husband to see not the world to see. I have a real hard time finding pretty clothes that don't show to much of my chest.

Well think about it...you've got one side of ladies arguing that bigger is better and if you've got it, you might as well flaunt it, and then you got the other side of ladies that prefer the puritian look. What's a fashion company to do? LOL....

Seriously though, I have been noticing that there seems to be a fashion craze over 70's colors and style again, which I'm not thrilled about. I think plus size stores really do not know their potential, and if I had the moola, I start one up in a heartbeat....:)

I didn't like the 70's stuff in the 70's lol thank heavens I was a child. Things started to get a bit better in the late 70's and early 80's. Things were more tailored and didn't go clear down to the belly button so all the chest hung out. Then they got worse again lol. My daughter loves tye dyed, " Mom you had such great stuff to wear when you were a kid, " " Child I would have died before I ever dressed in that stuff, lol. "

I love 3/4 sleeves, I have to agree 100% on the sleeveless issue, I HATE MY UPPER ARMS!!!! I DONT DO SHORTS EITHER, I have really FAT THIGHS :(

I hear you! I have ALWAYS hated my arms--even when I was pole thin. They've never looked proportional and no matter what size you are, every store seems to only carry sleeveless dresses and sleeveless shirts in the summer. I don't have a problem showing my cleavage, but I don't think there are very many women over the age of 30 who want to/can pull off sleeveless. Plus, it doesn't really look professional for teaching. I buy up short sleeve, button up shirts whenever I can find them.

^^ I'm with you on that one -- my whole thin life I could never quite get the super toned arms I always desired and now, as a heavy person, my arms are quite out of control. I also wind up buying sleeveless and finding a cover up top to go with it... which is harder with fancier clothes -- then I usually get a wrap and do the tie thing with it (you know -- wrap forward, under, tie at the back) to cover the arms so I can actually move around while staying covered.

I too hate my arms. :( Unfortunately, I have to wear a bridesmaid dress next year so I have no choice. :(

By the way, those Lane Bryant tops that are cut low are meant to be worn with their tank tops & camis -- not alone.

I don't usually wear sleeveless in public but I like them for around the house in the summer. I could actually deal with some of the sleeveless tops if they didn't all assume that I need an arm hole big enough to go around my waist. They all gap and then I feel as though everything is hanging out the sides. I want it tight around my armpit.

I'm so happy I found this topic. I was stating how embarassed I was for the women on the Biggest Loser with their bat wings. I'm sure it was a producer thing but I just winced at the arms. I will never, never, ever, ever wear sleeveless. For my sake and everyone elses' too. Bathing suits are even worse. Why would they make suits with the back cut to almost your behind in plus sizes. Its just not right! I own tons of suits because I teach Water Exercise for at least one session a year and I only wear skirtinis.

I am so glad you voiced an opinion on this. I thought I was the only one! So many garments in the plus size section of stores have sleeveless or very short sleeved tops. Hello! A plus size woman does not want to show her arms!!!! I never buy anything shorter than long elbow or 3/4 length. The fashion industry needs to get a clue!

This is the problem I have. My arms are big (with stretch marks too) and I do not want them on display. Even some of the short sleeved dresses and shirts show too much of my arms.:^:

zinke
I go thru the same thing. Started wearing sports bras over my bras so you couldn't see thru the truck holes. I like them for at home when it is real hot.

Wearing sports bras would probably solve my problem. Except that when I am at home I rarely have a bra on at all. :o LOL

zink
I wear a 40 D bra. It should be against the law to wear that size and go without lol and dangerous.

I like my arms, even when they were fatter. i like wearing layers so I need sleeveless tops to get a clean line under blazers and cardigans. I personally, hate high neck shirts since I have large breasts. When coupled with a high neck (other than turtlenecks, which I super heart) my breasts seem even larger and my head seems tiny.

But then I don't really notice other people's flaws, since I'm too worried about my own. :)

Sharky, I have to agree with the high neck tops, I wear a lot of turtle necks through winter but other than that, NO THANKS! I have to wear something over a turtleneck though, or I feel that my breasts seem REAL low..lol I am short torso so there isnt much space between my neck and waist...

Shy, I am a 36/38DD and NEVER go without a Bra if there is a SLIGHT chance that someone other than hubby will see me

Still
Around the house when no one is here is ok but if I thought someone would see me I put clothes on lol.

If anyone is going to see me I have a bra on. But at home with just DH and the kids they are just a swinging. Or rather flapping. Breastfeeding twins did a number on them. They were a 40C-D and now they are a 40 barely B. Oh, to be thin and get a lift.

zink
I guess I was one of the lucky ones. I breastfed both of my kids and it didn't seem to effect my breast at all. I have always made sure I kept good ( had a woman that made them for me until she retired this year ) bras on. That may have helped. I have already told the hubby when I have been at my goal for a year. I want a breast job done. Nothing drastic, want them made the same size lol and put where they go. He said fine with him if that is what I want. We now have our breast lift fund jar started. Those are surgery's cost a lot of money lol. I have found since I have gone from a 42 d to a 40 d they seem to be going back to where they should be all on their own. Guess will have to wait until I am done losing weight and maintaining my goal for a year to see how bad they still are.

I was just thinking of that earlier, whilst rummaging through my closet- my solution usually is layering, however sometimes that makes me look even bulkier everywhere else than I actually am. I do so HATE my upper arms with a burning passion, and as I can see here so do many other plus sized women, so why the makers of plus-sized clothing think that having sleeveless everything is beyond me.. :dizzy:

I'm a 38C/D and I never go with out a bra, even sleep in them.

I usually where sports bras when I feel bigger, and yeah I wear layered clothing for the best look. I'll wear a tank and throw a jacket over it, either a hoodie or a denim jacket or a dressier one for going out.

I had on short sleeves last night and one look at my arms and chest I went ewww, so I threw on a long sleeve dressy shirt and leather jacket. We went to red lobster, I ordered steamed fish, and am going to the gym today.