Similar issues here. The "girls" do not fit well into anything that is "fitted". I wear a lot of knits and I don't own any button-downs at all. Too many embarrassing experiences with buttons mis-behaving in key places.
I do have really short arms however, so I have to hem every jacket and blazer that I buy. Particularly if I get it big enough to button around the "girls".
Jeans are fitting really well right now. For the first time in a long time. My most recent weight gain (thanks to menopause) was in my stomach. I normally have a very hourglassy figure, even when heavy. Since changing my lifestyle in July, I have lost most of the "tummy weight" again. Petite jeans are perfect for my 5'4" frame. This is a huge blessing. I was getting so tired of elastic waist pants!
Oh and another peeve of mine in regards to clothing... Why is it that DH can buy jeans (which use much more fabric then mine) for $20, but when I buy jeans (same brand) they are $40???? It's not like it's that hard to sew a seam that's curved versus straight. At least not $20 worth harder. I've never understood why womens clothing is so much more expensive then mens.
I almost NEVER shop for clothes if i can't help it, even when I was 20lbs lighter nothing fit correctly.
I have very broad shoulders, a large-ish bust, a thick waist, and comparitively "slimmer" hips. I'm short with a long torso but petite clothes are just a little too short and regulars too long. my waist is very high, and "at the waist" pants come up to just inches under my bust.
button downs are a lost cause - an xl is too large everywhere but the bust - where i'm bustin' out.. ha ha ha. so im swimming and popping out at the same time, not to mention dusting the furniture with the sleeves.
It is impossible to find anything flattering. I just about live in "just below the waist" boy cut and boot cut jeans, with sweaters and non-button down tops.
I've heard of a UK brand where you can buy button downs by your bust and curve sizes, and i've heard they're reasonably priced. I know you can get button downs based on your bra size here in the US, at places like nordstroms, but i also hear they break the bank at $80-$90 per. or more.
Perhaps either guys are less fussy about form fitting, or have less areas of concern - i.e. no boobs. I too have the button-phobia - I just never wear them, due to excess (for buttons) boobage. Pants I have a different problem - I LOVE the lower rise pants you can get today, since I have a short rise but need 31"/32" inseams. If I get low rise they come to my belly button.
There *are* problems with guy stuff too - if they go for fitted clothes. DH always swims in button shirts since he is slim but has a large neck size. Mens button-downs are sized by neck.
I also found (by wearing DH's jeans unintentionally) that some men's jeans are better. I'm pear shaped generally but with the rise issue used to things gaping at the waist. Mens jeans seem to have a lower rise - plus they are less stretchy.
I think we just come in too many different shapes for well fitted clothes. Loose casual stuff is fine off the rack, but if we want something form-fitting (not necessarily tight) then it's going to need adjusting.
being a man wouldn't solve the problems.......... like robin said the women's clothes are just skinny men clothes.......... DARN THOSE DESIGNERS!! sure, they can choose different lengths, but they offer talls in women's too, the problem is the clothes are not shaped like women, especially ones who have been or are heavier and have a lot up top
before i gained all this weight, i had to buy an 8 bottom and a sixteen top, so i was buying two suits just to get one, it was awful and expensive
I buy men's clothing sometimes, though I did moreso when I was fat, because it was so damned comfortable. A lot of formal and high fashion men's button downs are sized by the neck, but most casual designers (AE, Banana Republic, Gap, A&F, Old Navy etc) just go by XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and (sometimes) XXXL. I used to fit perfectly into a men's medium (while fat... and sometimes I wore smalls, but only if they were not supposed to be fitted), but now I need XS vintage slim fit if I don't want to look like I'm awkwardly wearing my boyfriend's clothes.
Guys are definitely less fussy about clothes and all of them seem VERY baffled about women's sizes. Plus, since they don't have to worry about waist vs. hips (their waist and hips are the same size), finding pants that fit them well is easier.
karmuz, yup, you can find button down blouses at Nordstrom based on your bra size, but they DO cost an arm and a leg... see if you find any at Nordstrom RACK, instead.
karmuz, yup, you can find button down blouses at Nordstrom based on your bra size, but they DO cost an arm and a leg... see if you find any at Nordstrom RACK, instead.
WOW. I had never heard of Nordstrom RACK until now...
for good reason.. the closest one to me is on long island... 121 miles away
are the savings worth a half tank of gas? ($25)
My biggest problem is with pants. I've got ample hips and a butt so in order to have pants that fit those, I'm stuck with a wide gap at the back of my waist. I don't really like wearing a belt but sometimes I have to.
Re the boobage, until recently, I haven't owned any button-down shirts since I was a teenager and the one I just bought is cuz I liked the design and I can wear it open with a shirt underneath. Plus it's mostly black so it's slimming.
Since I've lost weight, a problem I'm having now is that my x-large sweaters are wider on me so I'm always fumbling to hide the bra strap. I bought a couple of new, similar sweaters in a lower size and they are, uh, quite boob defining. My girls aren't quite as played down as before.
It's interesting how sometimes when you wear something that's a little big for you, you think you look smaller cuz you're hiding yourself, when you might really be looking bigger because the clothes don't flatter you. Now that I'm wearing some clothes that are a little more "hugging", I'm told how I look like I'm getting smaller every day....and I've been at roughly the same weight for about 4 months now.
Pants are usually too long but I get those hemmed now, depending on the price.
Tops are hard to fit. Some of the trendy clothes are just too form fitting for me to wear. I am not that busty and I don't have a perfectly flat stomach to kind of balance it out, in fact I carry my weight in the middle.. so I still live on hoodies, long sleeve shirts and regular sweaters.
Last edited by MissGiggles; 11-25-2007 at 04:03 PM.
My major motivation is the fact that, when I am fit and healthy, I fit perfectly in Ann Taylor's size 6 and only need a little hem on some pants to make it work. Expensive but it's such a joy to shop at that weight/size! I have to try on everything but the ratio of stuff that works v. stuff I tried on is so much better! I can't wait to get back there again... now, it seems for every third shopping trip I find one item of clothing that is acceptable with some alteration (usually lowering my standards).
I've never understood why womens clothing is so much more expensive then mens.
It's because we enjoy shopping and will shell out the extra dollars. Men won't put up with that kind of crap!
My two biggest problems are finding pants that aren't miles long, and finding shirts that don't accentuate my muffin top. There's something about the styles and cheap fabrics they use nowadays that highlight every roll on my stomach! And even petite pants are often too long for me, which is ridiculous because 5'2 is not exactly munchkinland.
Did you know that most department stores offer free alterations for things like pants hems? We have both Boston Store and Macy's here... you have to browbeat the sales associates occasionally because they don't always know this but it reduces the hassle of LONG pants!
My girls aren't quite as played down as before. 
