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Old 04-04-2007, 08:43 AM   #61  
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Small rant ... I can't afford this yoyo thing! I started collecting newer more fashionable clothing ... after Christmas maybe ... and some of it's too big. I finally got the vest and blouse I wanted and now the jacket looks sloppy.

I may have to strike up a closer acquaintance with Liz the alterations lady. Anybody use a tailor much?


Oh Fran ... I thought pants were supposed to hang just a 1/4 of an inch or so off the ground. Carolyn's tip should work with flats.
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Old 04-04-2007, 08:56 AM   #62  
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Susan, I looked long and hard and finally found a seamstress who's proved to be priceless. My problem is that I'm 5'4" so am right in between petite and regular sizes. I need a regular in pants to fit me right in the rise but the legs are usually miles too long. And regular jackets and sweaters are about 1 1/2" too long in the sleeves.

The woman I found is awesome! She can take up sleeves with fancy stitching and buttonholes and replicate them so they look exactly the same. She took apart a sweater and took the sleeves up at the shoulders so there wouldn't be a hem on the sleeve end. She's taken in pants and reset the waistbands and done a hundred other things I couldn't dream of doing with my limited sewing skills.

I think it's well worth checking to see if you can find someone like that (I asked around for recommendations). You'll be amazed at the difference a well-tailored pair of pants can make!

Speaking of pants, here's a hint from What Not To Wear: have the side pockets sewn shut and removed. The last thing most of us need is emphasis on the hips, right? Which is what a gaping pocket is. It's an amazing change. Now I look for pants without pockets and I really like side zips with no waistbands and no pockets.
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Old 04-04-2007, 12:01 PM   #63  
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I finally got fitted last night for the proper fitting bras. It wasn't nearly as embarassing as I thought it would be. Found that a 36C with a full cup fits perfect and I don't fall out the front. Very comfy indeed and looks great with my clothes on. I'm so happy that I finally bought the bullet and had it done. It's kind of strange to be 47 yrs. old and not know what size and type of bra to get. LOL. This is the first time in my life that I've actually tried on several bras before buying any. The sales lady was friendly and very helpful.
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Old 04-04-2007, 02:16 PM   #64  
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Meg - I'm with you on the pants issue. I'm also 5'4" but I need petite pants for the rise and end up with the length juuussst long enough. I cannot as a rule put my pants in the dryer. Jeans are better than dress pants for some reason. (And don't get me started on the difference between short and peitite - some manufacturer's don't get it - or the fact that people who are short may be larger than size 14! )
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Old 04-04-2007, 04:44 PM   #65  
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Pat and Meg, I am totally with you! I'm also 5'4". In some stores a regular is a perfect fit, in others it's several inches too long. In some "petite" or "short" is perfect, in others it only comes to my ankles. The worst is when the regular is 2 inches too long and the short is 2 inches too short! I thought 5'4" was supposed to be average height for american women!

Pat, that bugs me too (about "petite" meaning "skinny" when it doesn't). What really gets me is that a size six regular is a size eight petite. ??? Who thought that up? Short people often have the same size waists and hips as tall people do, we just have shorter legs! And there are plenty of short, overweight people out there too. If they would just size women's jeans like men's (but maybe do waist-hip-inseam measurements) everything would work out so well.
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Old 04-04-2007, 04:49 PM   #66  
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Yay! Short people unite!

Although, honestly, at least we can hem. I really feel sorry for tall women because they are pretty much out of luck. My sister is 5'11" and can't find any pants or jackets that fit.

You're right about sensible sizing! But I doubt that will ever happen - instead we're going to have vanity sizing gone insane so that we're all in negative sizes.
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Old 04-05-2007, 02:15 PM   #67  
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Quote:
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we're going to have vanity sizing gone insane so that we're all in negative sizes.
Boy, do I find that true. I tried on a size 2 skirt at Ann Taylor's Loft that was too big. I'm not sure the size 0 would have fit either. And I'm just not that small.
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Old 04-05-2007, 02:30 PM   #68  
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Carolyn, I know what you mean! I'm taller than you and am by no definition small ... I'm muscular and kinda stumpy. Trust me, you'd never look at me and think 'small'. But I was trying on some Ralph Lauren pants yesterday in a 4 and they were too big! The waist was about an inch too large and the butt was droopy (and I have plenty of butt, thankyouverymuch ). What the heck? As far as I know, size 4 is as small as Ralph Lauren sizes go ... so what's a genuinely small person like you supposed to do??

I seriously believe that manufacturers are trying to re-do sizes so that there aren't any more plus sizes. No woman wants to be plus-sized (I sure hated it) so if they can figure out a way to make everyone fit into a regular size, they'll sell more clothes. If you're a plus size in Brand A but a regular size in Brand B, which one will you buy? It's a no-brainer!

I don't think there used to be size 2's and 0's (and isn't there a 00 now in some stores?) They've had to create new sizes because they're bumping up all the old sizes and making them bigger. It's insanity and I swear a little person like you, Carolyn, is going to end up as a negative number in another year or two.
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Old 04-05-2007, 03:31 PM   #69  
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I completely agree. I'm just not that small. It astounds me that size 4's fit me. I'm a little taller than you ladies, and I'm NOT tiny. I'm wearing size 6 levi's today that my son bought me and they are Way too big. I have one pair of size 2's from American Eagle. ME, a size 2, truly I don't think so. No matter what the label says, I consider myself a perfectly "normal" size 8. That is what I wore before at this same weight.

My son's best friends GF wears a 00. She is 5'9 and 115 lbs. She has always been very naturally slender. I guess if she lost a few lbs. she'd need to shop in the little girls' dept. Truthfully, I'd rather be my current size forever than to be a OO.

I hope we never do get to negative sizing. I have a hard enough time now trying to know what clothes to buy. LOL. It's really strange but I don't notice the vanity sizing so much with shirts. I still buy mostly medium-large shirts. The larges are a little loose through the stomach but the mediums are usually snugger through the chest area. Is there vanity sizing in shirts too?

An older sales lady at Dillard's was helping me shop for a swimsuit the other night. She looked me over and said "You probably need a 10-12 in the top and a 4 or 5 on the bottom". I was astounded. She guessed it perfectly. She let me pick the top from the women's swimsuits and the solid colored bottom from the jr.'s dept. This is the first time I've ever had to do this. Of course, among my many medical conditions my DH laughingly says I also have Noassatall. LOL

Just wanted you ladies to know the bra's that I bought that have the "full-coverage" front that fit perfect on me were called Playtex Secrets at JC Penney's. I love them. Not as granny-looking as my old Playtex 18 hr. Cross your heart bra's.

Last edited by lilybelle; 04-05-2007 at 03:51 PM.
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Old 04-05-2007, 10:29 PM   #70  
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Goofy, ain't it? I'm now on the hunt for xxsmall scrubs. I bought two sets in xsmall today because I NEED them. I'm having a hard time getting my head around the notion of having to alter scrubs.
I started working in a nursing home on my 16th birthday and I'm sure my first uni's were size 8. And I certainly was NOT 130lbs.


.... and yes they both need to be shortened.

Last edited by srmb60; 04-05-2007 at 10:29 PM. Reason: to add a quip
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Old 04-05-2007, 11:24 PM   #71  
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Quote:
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Speaking of pants, here's a hint from What Not To Wear: have the side pockets sewn shut and removed. The last thing most of us need is emphasis on the hips, right? Which is what a gaping pocket is. It's an amazing change. Now I look for pants without pockets and I really like side zips with no waistbands and no pockets.
Wow, Meg I bet you're right, but I don't know if I can give up pockets! I am lost with pants without pockets -- no place to put my office keys when I'm running around, or stick that tampon when I need to slip into the ladies room. I no longer carry a big purse so sometimes those pants pockets are handy.
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Old 04-06-2007, 01:41 PM   #72  
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I'm with you Wyllenn, pockets are necessary for those things esp at work, I also like a lip balm in mine. I've found that Meg is right though, and my dressier pants have no pockets. And at work the heat varies so much I often wear a "branded" (with the library name) fleece vest which has nice pockets. I too no longer carry a heavy purse. In fact if I didn't wear contacts and need to carry my glasses (I'm really blind) I could go smaller - I do on vacation, keeping my glasses in DH's backpack.
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Old 04-06-2007, 02:21 PM   #73  
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Hmmm. This is intriguing. Couldn't you wear a jacket and keep your tampons/lip gloss/keys in that? Bulging pockets are *so* unattractive, and really, who needs the extra inches on the hips? I carry around a purse. The only thing I'll slip into my pants' pockets are cash and tampons on the way to the bathroom
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Old 04-07-2007, 01:23 PM   #74  
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Nope, I'm not giving up my pockets. Need them for tissues for my running nose.

Yes, one thing that I was not looking forward to for getting back to my normal weight was finding clothes to fit. Often size XS tops are a bit big. When I can, I shop in the petite departments for the smallest things they have and even then, I need to hem everything. L.L. Bean is a favorite for the cut of the clothes and I know a 4 will actually fit me like a 4 should.

This season, I need to get a new bathing suit and I don't think there will be many obtions. I'm not comfortable in the skimpy juniors sizes that fit and most stores don't carry the styles that I do like in as small as I need them. I've got both the L.L. Bean and Land's End catalogs and have found suits in them that would work, though I'd really like to be able to try a suit on before I buy it.
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Old 04-07-2007, 08:21 PM   #75  
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Quote:
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Hmmm. This is intriguing. Couldn't you wear a jacket and keep your tampons/lip gloss/keys in that? Bulging pockets are *so* unattractive, and really, who needs the extra inches on the hips? I carry around a purse. The only thing I'll slip into my pants' pockets are cash and tampons on the way to the bathroom
heh. There are sooooo many more things to think about when you start caring what you look like!!!!! I never thought about the bulge before... but then, I think I was one BIG bulge
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