I really, really wanted to buy something new to wear today... I have been MIA for 2 months due to health issues, i.e., haven;t been to the mall to buy anything for me, just bare essentials when things got desperate (kids socks etc).

So today i ventured to the mall and went to precisely ONE store because I know all the others are no-hopers for me. Cotton Ginny has a plus size section.

I spotted a really cute top - long sleeves and all. [I don;t wear short sleeves outside (a) b/c of how I dress for religious reasons and (b) b/c I would BURN if I did, I have no melatonin LOL.] I loooved this top and thought it would look great over a sleeveless dress i have at home [alternative to skirts b/c all the weight is around my middle and i don;t want more bulk of waistbands over the bulk that is already there ]

bought the top, took it home, it would have looked great over the dress except that it stopped right at the widest point, thus making me look even wider.

it's the same everywhere I go. the tops stop at the point that is LEAST flattering to the shape I am... I thought it was a basic fashion given that a longer length of top is more flattering to fuller figures. So why are none of the plus size sections catering to that????

I had to return the top. I could never wear it.

I;m female. I just had surgery last month. I need to cheer myself up with a spot of retail therapy...

Nah, fuggedaboudit. I'll just go buy a box of chocolate bars from Costco instead and NOT SHARE THEM WITH ANYONE.

NO CHOCOLATE BARS!!! Don't do it! You'll be sorry!

I feel you on the clothing issue. I was in Lane Bryant (sizes 14-28) today with a friend who is a 10/12 and she thought some of the outfits were cute and said "Oh, why don't I ever come here? these are cute!" and I said "Be happy you can't wear these clothes!".

The tank tops always become crop tops once I wash them

Anyway, I hope you are healing after your surgery and find a healthy way to cheer yourself up!

CATS !
No no no no !
No chocolate ! Back away from the oreos and no more smarties !
There is hope. Just give the diet a little time and the crop tops will get longer I promise !
I am giving up my favorite Lane Byrant shirt ( yeah the one with the hole in the sleeve) because suddenly the biggest part of me isn't so big anymore. It doesn't look right.
Karis

I know its drives me insane too. The only tops that are not too short for me are the ones I get from Big Dogs. Yes they have ladies shirts they are nice and long and wash well!

Big

hi, i know how you feel...really. what gets me is if i try on a shirt that fits..the arms,or arm holes are down to my waist,or over my fingers,and i'm 5'9"!what makes them think if we're big in the hips,we have long arms? once a month i have a semi/scheduled chocolate snack..it's programed into my blood..one chocolate thing,and then it's over,done with until the next month..that way i can manage the rest of the month without going overboard. find a safe,managable way to take care of your needs without totally bailing out..it is for you..and nobody else..and besides the chocolate is never THAT good,and the guilt is 'heck'. take care...choices~

I shop Lane Bryant (Now Woman Within), Roaman's, and King Size Direct (men's clothes). They're all owned by the same company and also have a combo site onestopplus.com and bcoutlet.com (clearance items)

I like these sites because they list how long the tops are, and I never buy anything that is shorter than 30" (over the tummy and to the top of the thigh on me), and prefer 34" (mid thigh). Hubby is a big guy too, so when I shop King Size Direct for him, I check out the men's t-shirts and hawaian shirts for me too. The tall shirts are great for sleep shirts, and the regular big shirts are usually long enough to wear with jeans.

I know what you mean about the short shirts! I cannot buy knit shirts at LB or Avenue because after I wash them, they shrink so they hit right at the middle of my stomach. That is not cute at all.

I also hate that they all practically have cap sleeves. I like short sleeves to come almost to my elbow, but I only get that when I buy men's t-shirts for working out. I don't want my upper arms to show, but at the women's stores, I have to choose between cap sleeves or 3/4. They also usually use very, very thin material, and I like my shirts to have a little more weight to them.

Thanks for the support... I am so glad to know i am not alone. I go in the stores (too much of a luddite to shop online ... ) and look at all the hideous clothes and assume that everyone else is actually wearing this stuff so it must be me that is out of step. which would be nothing new .

PS I didn;t go to Costco

I always just bought REALLY big t-shirts. That way they were always long and loose on me. Yeah, I looked scrubby, but I felt comfy. Just get the biggest shirts you can find with funny sayings on them. They never failed to make me feel better. :P

Oh... ditto's on the 4x4 tops. I don't understand why they are all so short

congrats on not going to costcos and getting chocolate. It is tough...just keep up the search. Hang in there and hope you feel better soon.

Hi,

I second Romans. They have many long tee shirts and other styles.

Antaries7

I have a terrible time when shopping for female tops. They are either too short in general or the sleeves are too short. I won't wear a shirt that shows my upper arms because I have stretch marks where my arm bends and I have keratosis pilaris really bad up there. And most shirts are just super short, I am 5'8 and currently at 240 and I won't buy a shirt that doesn't go past my belly. I try going a size up, but they just get wider instead of longer.

I have a closet full of mens t-shirts. While they are comfortable, I have no spring/summer dress clothes and I would love to change that.

I think a lot of fitted women's shirts tend to be short. I didn't mind that when I was thin, because I had a HOT midriff to show off with hip bones, but now that my nice abs turned into a gut and love handles, I want to make sure my shirts cover my ENTIRE stomach...

I think the fashion industry just hates fat girls AND in the plus sized department, they should know better... fat girls want to look good too!

The only plus sized store I shop at is Torrid; they DO have cute things that actually fit without turning into bizarre crop tops. Unfortunately, most other plus sized places and departments that I've been to carry a lot of not so cute clothes