[coachie]

I am surprised by all the Torrid mentions. I like to be trendy and hip as much as anyone, but their stuff is so whorish and poor quality.

I am a big dress wearer and will invest in pieces from Nordstroms or other box corver mall stores. Avenue has some nice things, but they are getting more suspect in quality lately too. LB has good pieces and I will buy online much cheaper than in stores many times.

[MariaMaria]

whorish

Torrid skirts f* for money? Exactly what are these skirts made out of?

[chikygrl13]

I use Lane Bryant for pants and jeans, cause their Right Fit actually DOES fit!
However, their tops NEVER do! I use Avenue for tops. They've got a decent business collection, however they do tend to be a bit long... the "tunic" go to my knees...

[results not typical]

I have found some good plus size stuff at Newport News, and Penneys too, needed to find a decent dress to wear to my son's wedding for example. Have moved between fitting into Victoria's Secret at times, but still cling to some plus size items for comfort around the house, depends on how the eating is going. Maintaining is harder than losing, to me at least.

[Aclai4067]

Originally Posted by MariaMaria

whorish

Torrid skirts f* for money? Exactly what are these skirts made out of?

I haven't had any problems with cheap clothing quality for Torrid. They do carry a variety of brands and you have to find what fits you. For example, Tripp makes a lot of their more punky clothes (which I was really into around 15-17 years old), but Tripp uses a lot of weird stretch materials and always fit me horribly (pants- tight in the thighs, huge in the waist; shirts- tight in the waist, huge in the bust). But a lot of the other brands there fit great and last much longer than my Lane Bryant shirts (which as mentioned earlier in the thread shrink in odd ways to become super wide and short). Some of the brands, like Z.Cavaricci (my favorite brand for jeans) are also carried in overpriced plus size boutiques.

[gipsprettyface]

I weigh a bit more than you but I can still wear clothes from many mainstream stores. Have you tried Gap, Old Navy, or Banana they all go up to at least 18, 20 if not higher

[ParadiseFalls]

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny

What does a girl gotta do to get some affordable quality clothing without feeling like a leper in the mall?

I also love Old Navy's stuff. LB clothes always make me feel like an old lady, but Old Navy things are usually very flattering on me. I wear an XXL tops and plus size bottoms, so I can only buy tops in the store, but I get almost all my clothes there. It's pretty cheap, so I buy a ton of stuff pretty frequently.

[runsfromcameras]

I went to Old Navy a couple weeks ago, found some great outfits that were super cute then left crying after I tried them on. They were not flattering at all. As for Nordstrom or places like those I, as well as some others, cannot afford to shop there. I was laid off in October so funds are tight. Forget Walmart because we all know how cheaply made their clothes usually are and even Target lately doesn't have anything I would wear in public. Lane Bryant pants are too big and long for me and their tops make me feel I am wearing drapes. I have given up on shopping for clothes. I figure that's one more motivation to lose weight.

Fat doesn't set so well on 5'3". It's so hard to find clothes for my shortness that don't make me look even more squatty and fat than I already am.

[vdander24]

I have had a mix of experiences. Layne Bryant is hit and miss for me and so is Torride, Avenue, and Catherines. As a result, I really have had to be creative.
For me, I have found the opposite. I feel like some of the plus size clothes are all triangle cut.... That All of us are all boobs and bellies with no other shapes to worry about. I know I am fat, but for heavens Sake! I still have a body!

Okay.... off the soap box now... I have found also that places like Ross or Marshalls, have a decent (not great) plus size section. You have to look, but I have found some really cute tops and jeans there. Good luck!

[Linsy]

Why do people hate Lane Bryant? There's some REALLY cute stuff in there, you just have to look for it. In fact, most of my clothes are from Lane Bryant and I have gotten plenty of compliments on how I dress. Of course there are some hideous pieces that I would never wear, but I see those in EVERY store. I can't WAIT until I can shop in "regular" stores, but I am very thankful to Lane Bryant for giving me cute clothes to wear while I'm well over 200lbs! In fact, I'll miss a few tops once I can't fit into them anymore. Torrid also has some cute things sometimes.

[eroica27]

I think its all about your style versus your body type. Personally i find places like Catherines, newport news, and dress barn has clothes that, in my mind, are the school marm look. Its just me...it may work wonderfull on someone else. at my heaviest (and widest)the bulk of my clothes came from LB and, suprisingly enough, Macy's. as Ive dropped down, I can now shop at Old Navy and the Gap for pants, and trendy stores like Forever 21 for tops. I try to stay out of a lot of plus size stores as they tend to be similar. When i was younger fashion bug had nice styles, but now they tend to have clothes for the older (30s & up) woman. Ironically a lot of their "regular" sizes keep with the times a little better...i think it has something to do with the cut.

Now compared with 15 years ago LB had done a great job in keeping with trends. Still its hit or miss for me, and i only buy stuff that is on sale - rarely at the original price. and I'll say this for LB, their bras hold up way longer than some other brands *coughvictoriassecretcough.*

[Smiling_Sara]

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny

I'm so sick of Lane Bryant being the only accessible store for plus sized women. Their clothes are hardly fashionable, their construction is questionable and the fabrics are hideous!! Just because I'm fat does not mean I have to be relegated to a life of wearing jersey!

And "Womens" sections in department stores may offer a bit better quality of clothing but don't get me started on their location. Why can't they be placed next to the regular sections? Why must the women's department be somewhere in the basement right next to the oriental rug section? Even maternity sections get to be placed next to other clothing sections! Do they not want us seen in their store?

What does a girl gotta do to get some affordable quality clothing without feeling like a leper in the mall?

I've always thought that stores should all be together clothing wise. What size they go up to? Who knows. I've been as high as 26 in pants and 28 in shirts, and now where a 14/16 in each. But why not have size 0-whatever all in the same section?

ANNNNNNND you'd think that stores like pac sun, Buckle, Gap, Hot Topic, etc would carry more sizes for those who weigh more than 130 pounds. :/

[lolas]

I have the opposite problem at LB as many posters have. I'm super tall and most shirts, expects those designed to be tunics, are too short (this is the case at all plus size stores). And the pants...the LB stores in my area have stopped carrying their tall lengths in store. They can order and ship them, but then there is the hassle of buying something without trying it on and potentially having to return the pants.

[Faux]

I hate LB too. Their clothes are shapeless and ridiculously overpriced.

Torrid has SOME cute stuff but a lot of it is really cheap quality and too overpriced but they are GREAT for shoes.

Forever 21 + / Faith 21 has cute stuff but it's so dang limited and they only have the great stuff online so shipping and not being able to try on is a thumbs down too.

[Asherah]

I absolutely hate Lane Bryant. I've been saying it for years. The only reason their clothes look good is because the pin them back (alot) on the mannequins! I hear their lingerie is pretty solid though from other girls. The bras don't fit right for me though. If you're looking for stylish plus sized clothing shop the sales at Torrid or torrid.com. They can be pricey but their sale items can be great. Often their stuff is just fitted enough and their styles range from nerdy to urban to chic and its always pretty awesome!