I was actually thinking about how much I dislike their displays. I hate the way they tuck and pin all the clothes on those skinny mannequins. Their clothes don't actually look like that when you put them on.

I say we have a mannequin bonfire! I hate mannequins!

Oh my gosh, I've noticed this also! It drives me crazy! And it's not just Lane Bryant, a LOT of plus sized lines are heavy into synthetic fibres. I'm so not feeling that!

Also, a few people mentioned Wal-Mart. The last time I was there, they did have some cute things, but I found the sizing ran really small. Not that it really matters, since I'm the only person who would know what size I was wearing, but it's a little discouraging!

When I'm in Canada, I do shop at Addition-Elle, but they discontinued my favourite jeans from the MXM line, and a lot of the replacement styles have rhinestones or fading and that's not really my style. So I'm just wearing the life out of my old ones! lol!

I noticed that recently. I went by a Lane Bryant yesterday and the window was covered with skinny forms with clothes pinned and tucked and etc. I was like "okaaaaayyyyy" lol.

I do like LB, but it just is too expensive for me. At the end of the day whatever I buy isn't going to fit well as my weight comes off, so why spend oodles of money on things now anyhow. And...I probably wouldn't buy much from there anyhow. I agonize over purchases so, just too much money for my blood.

The mannequin forms are a bit odd...I do have to admit and not to be offensive, but we that fat don't wear clothes like that lol. Oy.... I hope that didn't offend anyone. Seriously, there is no way I could look okay in the outfits they had displayed even at 160 pounds lol. I need layers, or just something to cover up my hips. Darn pear shape!

I had that problem for a while. Then I passed through it (gained until the plus sizes did fit). Part of it was the cut too. Way too much room in the belly, both in tops and pants, even when the rest of the item fit. Eventually, I gained enough that I started to have the shape and then they fit better. Which wasn't actually a good thing ;).

Going down, it wasn't much of a problem because I didn't stay in that range too long and wasn't buying clothes anyway. But I know exactly what you mean.

I do not like LB for their clothes because I have chicken legs and a big waist so their pants look SO bad. Their shirts also assume I have a large chest which isnt true. I do however love their bras because I can actually buy a 42 B! And they are the same price as vicky slicky. I am a Ross girl all the way!

I'm with many of you that Torrid is my favorite plus size shop, but Lane Bryant is my second. Macys and other departments store are so ugly and frumpy, not to mention they have like zero turnover. I shop at Macy's maybe 4 times a year and every time I go in they still have half the same stuff as the last time I was there! I tried the Avenue, Rainbow, and Ashley Stewart because they are close and cheaper. I've found one dress at the Avenue I love; never found a single other item I like there. Rainbow's clothes are mega cheap quality and usually fit weird. And Ashley Stewart just doesn't do it for me. I walked into Catherine's for the first time ever today; OMG it was BAD!!! ... Ugh, Lane Bryant's clothes aren't stellar but given these options, well at least I can find some decent stuff that doesn't fit like a potato sack!

i feel you on this one...i don't like LB either...their jeans come up too high, and their shirts are kinda tacky at times...
wannabeskinny, i see you live in nyc, just wanted to share- there is a vintage/resale store in brooklyn called re/dress. they have lots of cool stuff, all size 14 and up. its cheap, and i ALWAYS walk out with something. they have a website, i'm not sure if i can post it, but you can google it :)

I like Fashion Bug. I've never been to Torrid, but have been to their site and they have some good stuff too, but both stores are too pricey for me these days.

http://www.redressnyc.com/

Thanks! I'll try it out soon!

hi all,
i'm new to the board but just had to 'post :)
i used to absoultely LOVE torrid, now it's gotten to, i dont know, trendy, i guess. all the skinny/hi-rise jeans and 'twilight' shirts. i miss the days of wide leg jeans and cherry covered hoodies...
lane bryant has some cute things, but only on the mannequins. the jeans are incredibly hi-rise, even the 'low rise' ones. and i'm 5'9 with a 33" inseam, and can't get the pants the right length- either way too short or way too long.
one of my friends started svoboda jeans, and i'm trying to convince her to bring wide-leg back in style. so far no luck though.

try alloy.com
and
alight.com

I like Lane Bryant...Dress Barn, Fashion Bug, etc - but I don't need business clothes - and I'm not super choosey. Fashion Bug saves me money, so I try there before LB - more expensive.

Like Fresh Produce clothes too (can find online) - we had a small store that had it at the shore.

Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherines are the same parent company

Man, I can't wait to have new size selections! It's like an entire world of shopping will open up to me. Places I vacation, there are like 1-2 stores I can shop -- can't wait for that too!

:Dugh I've gotten to where I hate Lane Bryant. Haven't shopped there in forever. In the past though that's the only place that I knew of that sold plus-sized clothing for women. But I've recently discovered some great new places that have younger more appealing clothing compared to the mawmaw fabric/moomoo's Lane Bryant tends to sale. So check them out ladies!..
(I can't post links yet since I'm a new member but here's the names)
Torrid
Alloy
Kiyonna
Forever21 (faith21 plus size)
bandlu
1-plus



Happy Shopping!!:D

I love Torrid but I find their sizes to be super inconsistent, like one size 2 top will be too big and another size 3 top will be too small. Kiyonna is expensive for what it is. And everything I've ever bought from Old Navy besides jeans has fallen apart way too quickly. Lane Bryant is hit and miss for me as well, I have found shirts there that I LOVE but they have a ton of stuff I would never wear. And I refuse to buy their pants (or is it just jeans) with those silly size guidelines, a size 18 blue triangle, quit trying to be different LB it's just confusing.

I'm sick of all of these stores selling shirts that have super short sleeves, or long sleeved shirts that cut off right at your waist, oh ya that's flattering.

Truly I haven't found any store that fits the bill for me so lately I've been buying clothes from QVC just because I can read their reviews and their return policy makes it super easy.

I no longer shop in Lane Bryant (their sizes don't go small enough and oh how I love that!) but when I did I was often disappointed, I thought the quality of the clothes was very poor and the fabrics were weird and it was sometimes pricey. Unfortunately right now I'm too small for plus size stores but often still too big for the large or xlarge in regular size stores. Argh!

Count me in as another hater of Lane Bryant. The clothes are not my style; they seem designed for women who want to hide their body under tunics that look like tents. I'm fat, but I have good curves and I'll be damned if I'm going to drape them in a muu muu.

There are lots of on-line alternatives available. Shopping on-line is not ideal, because you can't try things on, but you can always return things that don't fit, and it beats shopping in person at a crappy store you hate. Depending upon what kind of clothes you want:

* Torrid has already been mentioned
* Eddie Bauer is great for basics like jeans, polo shirts, sweaters. Most of their styles come in W or X sizes.
* Eileen Fisher is more expensive but absolutely wonderful for business or dressy clothes.
* eShakti.com is a lesser-known place that I shop from occasionally. They make traditional Indian clothes and Indian-inspired western clothes in all kinds of sizes. They can even make them to order on measurements you specify.

best of luck.

I leave in California...and here in the SF Valley there are a few storea called Fashion Q there wonderful I absolutely love them I am lucky that I have not gone to a lane bryant but I have bought from torrid and have to say that they are great too aspecially there boots since they make them wide from the calf love them.. :)

i second the Eddie Bauer- love them! Haven't found pants that fit right, but their tops are great.
i also hate the LB. i once bought a pair of capris that were long enough to be regular pants. yes, i'm short but seriously?!
also the bras? i would at the LEAST like my nipple covered up. what the heck? i know they're heavy but somehow the bra winds up UNDER my boobs instead. is this on purpose or am i deformed?!
frankly i don't need $80 pants that fall apart in a few months and go all the way up to my boobs - wait maybe that works better then their bras?! lol.

I know it is better to be proactive than to complain...I wish these designers would have to wear some of their items.;):D

Being petite, too many tops are far too long.

It is funny that you posted this: I thought this about my last shopping experience...many stores design as if you have one foot in the grave.:(

All we can do is dedicate our next workout to how much we abhor plus sized clothing stores and keep doing it until we reach goal.

those tops start out too long- but am i the only one who gets a top, washes it, and then somehow it comes out- shorter and wider then it started?! what the heck?!

It's interesting to hear the different issues people have. I'm tallish, so I don't usually have problems with the length of LB pants (occasionally the regulars are too short, but the talls are miles too long). And I never had problems with their bras not covering me. ****, half the time the shirts are lower cut than the bras! But they are great t-shirt bras, smooth and full coverage. I used to work at a Lane Bryant so when I go in I already have a very good sense of what does and doesn't work on me and don't waste my time on a lot of their stuff (i.e. I know that their stock jeans don't fit me right, but the specialty ones usually do). I also got lots of free bras. It was my favorite perk of working there. Every time they get a new style of bra in, the employees get one free so they can talk about the differences from experience.

And I guess I must have a long torso because I don't think their pants come up too high at all. I was so psyched when high-rise pants came in style and soooo sad to see them go. I hate how all my jeans come right below the belly button, because that's the widest part of my body. Having no hips/a$$ to hold the pants up, gravity takes over. Low-rise pants are even worse because then my belly hangs over the top. High-rise jeans are the only pants that stay up on my body, so I bought several pairs when they were in style (you know, that whole 2 months). But now I'm down 2 sizes and can't find high-rise jeans anywhere!

And I'm sooo with the rant about the weird sizing (they instituted this after I stopped working there and I don't get it at all). Sizes 1-7 circle, triangle or square, what the **** is that? It doesn't corrospond to anything! I went in and asked "I'm a size 22 or 3x, what does that make me in these sizes?" And she tells me, oh you can't go by that I have to measure you. Great. I don't like being touched. I hated measuring people when I worked at lane bryant and it's even worse being on the other end. Anyhow, she tells me I'm a 4 square because I have no butt (and feels the need to smack my non-butt as she says so). They didn't have any squares so I tired on the 4 triangle. They fit perfectly. Which leaves me with the question, what the **** do the women with big a$$es wear?

*note- I was just looking at the "rightfit" sizing on their website, and there is no option for your hips to be smaller than your waist. I guess I'm an anomoly.

wow, sorry so long

Funny you should mention, I was trying on old tops today (mostly from LB) because I'm newly fitting in a smaller size. And nearly all of them were so freaking wide and short! They looked aweful. I like long tops, they lengthen and slim the torso

LB uck! I do go in occasionally 2 look around...I too don't like to show ALL MY CLEAVAGE LOL

What I don't get is this...just cuz I am a "wide gal" doesn't mean my arms are ape like....

Of course I am short and I wear a 4x...that size is hard to find...actually I like 5x but sometimes they are too big. I even have to shorten the petite pants!

Cathy

http://freshproduceclothes.com/

Lane Bryant usually fits me well, and I like to get my bras from them, but I am also a very tall lady at 5'11", and their clothes seem geared toward the taller people.

Most of their inventory is a bit frumpy, though, and not really appropriate for someone my age. I like a younger look. I use them for business attire, and I bought my suit for a funeral there, lol.

I really prefer Fashion Bug. They have the cutest things, their stuff seems to fit the best, and while they can be pricey, their sales are always fantastic!

I'm a little sick of LB myself. I do shop there. I like their t-shirts. Although, expensive, I only buy them when they are on clearance. If you go just about anywhere else these days, t-shirts are either too long for us short ladies and we look like we are wearing a shrunken dress with jeans or they are meant to "fit" your curves. I'm not one to enjoy flaunting the tire in my middle or my love handles. I know they are there, I am not oblivious and I don't want to show them off. lol Old Navy is probably the worst offender for constantly selling "t-shirts" that are suppose to fit you like a pair of tights.

LB is hit or miss with shirts. Sometimes they are just plain hideous. I don't really want to pay this amount of money to wear an old 70's couch pattern. But the upside is that when I do find something there, I usually fall in love with it! The jeans there are awful. I'm 5'2" and the "shorts" look like high waters and the "regulars" are even too long for my heels. Also, anyone ever notice that their jeans smell funny? Complete turn off. I love Target for shirts and Old Navy for pants/jeans. JC Penny's is pretty great too. Those are really the only stores I frequent.

hahaha i think it's funny so many people are talking about their clothes being frumpy. my last straw with them was that they were selling halter tops! I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this - but if you have to buy your bras at LB you probably shouldn't be wearing a halter top! it's been a few years but when i went in there it was all fairly trashy clothes.

hahaha 70's couch pattern.

while i'm at it- catherines here seems to be very... well i dunno maybe if i was 18 feet tall, 70 years old and on my way to church it'd be okay.... and then there's a CJ Banks here- hit or miss. their plain stuff is usually good for basics, but man do they go overboard with the applique's. like really- is this giant giraffe on my shirt supposed to distract people from my fat? why does everything have to be bedazzled?!

Honestly although I don't wear LB clothes I don't find the idea of halter tops appalling. Just because some women are overweight that doesn't necessarily mean that they look bad in clothes. It's actually a nice thing to see a variety of clothing when most plus size clothes are frumpy. Since when did halter tops enter the "trashy" category? I wore halter tops even at my heaviest... but I love every inch of the skin that was exposed (back and arms), and although heavy I still felt like I had a nice shape.

I'm not defending LB, just halter tops. Funnily enough I got one of my halter tops at LB, along with the bra I wore it with which had adjustable/removable straps. :D

So true about Old Navy. I buy tank tops, long sleeve tees, and the occasional t-shirt there when they're on sale for about $7. I'm still wearing a large in their tees/tanks/etc, and I *like* to show off my waist.

I think things like halters are all in how you do them. They can be skanky on a size 6 and classy on size 20. It all depends.

I'm really suprised at all the dislike of Lane Bryant. I'm in "regular" sizes now, but it was a sad day when I realized that I don't belong in Lane Bryant anymore. For a long, long time, it was the only place that I could buy sweaters that fit and still made me look like I had a shape. In order to get tops to fit around the bust, they were huge around the middle at most other places, but I sometimes had good luck with tops that fit at LB. Bottoms were a little dicier, but I was often lucky enough to find pants that were long enough there. And for the short girls--you can cut pants off, but I can't make them longer so I appreciate it when manufacturers make pants long. Learn to love your tailor or your dry cleaners; they can hem your pants for you.

I did find LB to be expensive, so I tried to shop sales. I have many pairs of their bikini panties that I bought years ago and they still look and fit like new, so those were a good investment. I was never able to find bras to fit there since they didn't carry my cup size, but I always wished I could wear them because they were so pretty.

Yeah, I really liked LB. It was nice to take stuff into the dressing room and know that at least some of it would fit.

LB clothes tend to be a little flashy and youngish for me. I also don't like to wear short sleeve shirts, they seem to be big on that. I like their bras, always get mine there, and underwear. If I dig around at Macy's I can find tops that I like, they also have a good selection of nice suits.

I've been to Re/Dress in Brooklyn. I bought a couple of tops there. Great prices and fun clothes.

I love Dress Barn for women's sizes.

i guess it's not the halter top itself which is the offender-but the lack of bra that usually acompanies it. :D but if they made a bra that stays up to go with it- then that's awesome. the ones i saw when i was in there were meant to be skin tight and had that sorta flimsy shelf liner to hold up the girls. no thanks!

Point taken and tried. Honestly? After paying anywhere from $35 (on sale) to $70 for one single pair of jeans, which might I add is ridiculous, why would anyone want to pay even more money to go have said jeans "fixed"? If I'm paying that much money, they shouldn't have to be "fixed" by someone else. I've gone the route of sucking it up and buying super ridiculously long pants and had them professionally hemmed. No matter who I took them to or what the reviews were for said tailor, within 10 washes the hem was out and needed to be redone. I remember one particular time a pair of jeans came undone after ONE wash. Stupid ridiculous!!!!

I guess the grass is always greener. lol Sucks to be tall and short. But us shorties don't exactly have an easy fix either.

I haven't worn a halter top since I was 15. I'm 48 now, so the chances of me wearing one are.....zero, actually. LOL. But I had to comment on those stupid "shelf" bras. Is anyone really under the illusion that those provide any kind of support at *all*? That thin little piece of nylon lining and the tiny strip of elastic at the bottom!?? Usually the thing isn't even big enough to reach under where my boobs GO, let alone under them and to support them. I automatically reject any top that has a "shelf bra" because I know that A: I will have to wear a bra anyway and B: I will have a strip of elastic going across the middle of my boobs and showing through the other side!

I think I got like one good pair of jeans from there, but they got holes in the thighs which makes me sad because they looked so good on me. The jeans there suck some major nuts. They go all the way to my belly button so I feel like Urkel (more so than usual with those jeans there) AND the fly always comes undone even though they fit just fine. The fabric is, like mentioned, uncomfortable and I have to sell my organs on the black market just to afford clothes there. I have a better time going to like...Fashion Bug or even Wal-Mart and getting a cheaper top (Wal-Mart actually has given me a couple of my favorite shirts and sweaters in the past) that is simple and well...cheaper. I could buy like 10 shirts at Wally Word for the price of one at Layne Bryant.

I no longer shop at LB, because we dont have one in my city! And I'd rather not shop online with them, since their clothes are hit or miss when it comes to fitting me.

I tend to shop Kohl's (and proud to say I bought my first XL and L sweater from the regular section this month - its been years since I could do that!!), Dots (but their clothes can be umm... slightly trashy sometimes), and sometimes ON online (since we dont have one of those either).

I'm not really a huge fan of LB anymore, either. Especially since the sizing system has changed. I can't understand it at all anymore. I could only ever afford to shop there when I worked there some years ago and got a discount. The 40% (at the time) discount brought the prices down to "reasonable".

And to those who commented about the mannequins, I always hated that too. I learned when I worked there that the mannequins are sized between a 12 and 14, since LB doesn't even carry sizes below a 14, I always thought that was hugely misleading to those of us who shopped there.

I find shopping an adventure. I only go to Lane Bryant for panties and sleepwear on sale. I shop at Ashley Stewart and they have great sales but I have to go through a bunch of stuff to find something that compliments me. Not a big fan of Catos because their clothes seem to run small. Kohls clothes seem to be geared towards an older crowd. Of course I have to really look through the macy's sales rack to find something I want to pay for good thing I didn't buy a lot the last time because by the time the weather is good for wearing the pants I bought will be too big!! I love the sweaters and Penny's and Sears. I have found nice pants on sale at Sears so I love that. Then there's Ross...I usually rack up there. Oh and let me not forget Burlington Coat Factory.

In case you couldn't tell, I LOVE SHOPPING. That's why I can endure the adventure.