Any decent shopping tips? - Page 2 - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Sarah Ann · 02-13-2006, 07:29 AM

Hi Friskipixie

peacock 2 · 02-13-2006, 11:56 AM

What? Etam gone? Damn. I used to love going to the one in Ilford but only got down there to visit a nearby friend. However, there is now a Monsoon there instead. Yay!

kykaree · 02-13-2006, 01:17 PM

The dastardly Philip Green, he of the Arcadia group who own BHS, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, Evans, Burtons etc, bought it, shut it down (as it competed with Evans) and the only bit of the business he retained was the Tammy brand (for teenage girls) which he merged into the BHS stores.

But we love Monsoon, even if it is on the expensive side, the clothes are gorgeous and they go up to a 22, in a few lines.

dawnie89 · 02-14-2006, 03:46 AM

Oh Monsoon clothes are beeyootiful but a tad out of my price range. Maybe when I get into a smaller size that I can maintain I'll invest in a few pieces. Evans is ok for shoes but its not cheap and the clothes are mainly sooo frumpy. None of my local stores carry the Seven range, are they still doing that? I hate Philip Green, my local Etam has been replaced by a Topshop of all things, Miss Selfridge has also opened in Topshop's old premises. Great if you're 14 and size 8!

Sarah Ann · 02-14-2006, 05:49 AM

I hate shopping for clothes. I hated it when I was thin and I hate it even more now I'm larger. In particular I hate changing rooms and getting changed. I particularly hate it that, because I live in the middle of nowhere, my husband has to take me to buy clothes. Shopping (for anything except car or home electricals) are the only times that he and I get close to arguing - and shopping for clothes is the absolute worst. The pressure to chose quickly makes me flustered and I always end up with something unsuitable or which doesn't fit properly which sits in the back of my wardrobe until I sell it on eBay.

So nowadays I buy almost everything off the net unless I know EXACTLY what I want and know exactly where I can get it - or unless I can think of a clothes shop which is next to a Halfords.

kykaree · 02-14-2006, 06:55 AM

I love shopping for clothes, even when I was a size 26!!! It is sooooo much easier in England than Australia. And I for one actually adore Evans. Now that I don't *have* to shop there, I find myself buying the odd thing there, especially now that I can fit into an Evans 16!!!

It definitely helps shopping in big Evans, the one in Manchester has such fab stuff compared to the one in Bury, for example. Life is easier now that I fit into Wallis, Dorothy Perkins and Principles oh and the normal bits of M & S.

I give DH a £20 note and stick him in the nearest pub when I go shopping. he is fine if I am focussed and know exactly what I want. but if I am browsing or looking for a whole outfit, he's done for!!!

Heva2015 · 02-22-2006, 03:02 PM

Hi
I definately love ebay, you can pick up loads of good stuff that people who are losing weight want rid of. Maybe we should have a but on here where we can sell our old clothes, make a bit of cash, or us northern chicks should have clothing parties where we can bring all the stuff we have slimmed out of and swap around, get new outfits. I also love torrid.com. It is a US site but shipping is not too expensive and with the exchange rate you can get some cool stuff and reasonable prices, if you keep going back to the site every few weeks they do 50% off clearance which is when I get all my stuff!
I'm quite lucky with shopping because my bf loves it...in fact I usually get bored before he does!!! Plus, don't tell anyone, but we wear the same size in jeans, he is quite hippy so women's jeans fit him better so I just get him to buy them!!! Oh if only his mates at the pub knew!!! He is also 6'4" but we have the same inside leg.

dawnie89 · 02-27-2006, 04:27 PM

Thanks for the tips everyone, I'll keep looking. Went to Evans in Halifax the other day, quite a good sale on but I was gutted at the trousers I bought. Tried them on in the shop & could only just do them up. Wore em for work today, spent 8 hours hitching them up & took them off without undoing them when I got in - stretch cord is baaaad!

impossible princess · 02-27-2006, 07:13 PM

what about primark I don't know what sizes they go up to but they are surprisingly generous. i'm a size down in primark on what I am everywhere else and its good quality for what you pay and they do office wear.

kykaree · 02-28-2006, 07:11 AM

Primark only go up to a size 18. I think they may have done larger sizes in the past, but the Manchester store certainly only goes to 18. I have found their sizes quite tight, perhaps as they scale up, they get less generous. They do have great clothes though!

impossible princess · 02-28-2006, 02:14 PM

they do 20s here but maybe they are 18-20 because everything I like is always in that size and it drives me crazy its an orange sticker anyway

kykaree · 02-28-2006, 04:53 PM

I went today and saw 20s but only in a couple of things. I couldn't see anything I liked. It's all summer stuff everywhere, short sleeves etc. Ah well, will just have to stick with the charity shops for a while yet!!! I can't wait to shop in Australia!!!

impossible princess · 02-28-2006, 05:03 PM

I love charity shops a couple of weeks ago I needed new jeans. The cheapest nice fashionable ones I could find in the high street were new look at £26. I then went to about 10 charity shops it always takes a bit of shopping but it pays off I got a pair of levis really nice dark blue ones with zip pockets for £4.50 and a pair of next jeans which look unworn black with fading for £3.50 and a pair of next cropped jeans for £3.

I think they would all have been at least £30 new. I just don't understand why people charity shop them instead of selling them on ebay.