I kept running into them yesterday too. I think they would look quite chic on someone who is TALL, but even in petites, they just make me look even shorter and stumpier.

I was supposedly dress and shoe shopping. I found nothing. The whole experience reminded my of trying to shop for clothes pre-weightloss. Dress styles for this fall/summer don't fit or flatter me no matter what size. I just don't "get" the maternity look, and the wraps and fake wrap dresses don't fit at all. Humph- this was supposed to be fun!

Back to separates.

Mel

I have not seen those pants/shorts things around. And I was in Macy's last week. I guess I was totaly oblivious to them. No great loss for me. Those would not be something that would flatter me - in the least.

Macy's is pretty much done with for me. I found this great corduroy tan skirt while there last week and lo and behold the 4 was swimming on me. Every sweater/top that I tried in a small as well. It was sooo frustrating. I'm almost having as hard as a time shopping now as I did when I was 287 lbs. Well, that just may be a slight exageration. But the truth is I CAN'Tshop anywhere I want. I'm with Mel, I thought this was supposed to be fun. Humph.

My niece just told me about a place called Zara's. Their clothing runs very small she said. It's in Manhattan. I'm going to check it out the next time I am there.

I just saw this on the aol home page:

How to look 10 lbs lighter:

Homemade ice cream, all-you-can-eat vacation buffets, slices of wedding cake, beachside coconut daiquiris ... it's hard to pinpoint the precise part of summer that packed on those extra pounds, but it's much easier to see the resulting padding on your hips, tummy, and thighs.

If your clothes are feeling skin-tight, don't just grab Grandma's flowered muumuu out of the closet in desperation and frustration. Instead, use your sense of style to instantly shave ten pounds or more off your frame. Here are some useful tips and tricks:

- Solid, dark colors are much more streamlined and flattering than giant, multi-colored splotches, so scale back on big, bold, and busy prints.
- Black is your best friend, but it's not the only color on the slenderizing spectrum. Chocolaty browns, olive greens, and charcoal grays are hot this season, so stock up on these slimming shades.
- Layers can often lessen the appearance of bulges while you work on lightening your load. Jackets and coats that are hip-length or longer lengthen bodies and create a lean appearance.
- Tans are trimming, so keep up your summer glow with a safe self-tanning solution. Don't use this as an excuse to sunbathe, though. - Accessories, such as extra-long necklaces or a super-wide belt, can distract from or hide problem areas, while a strategically-placed oversized clutch purse can chicly camouflage your tummy troubles.
- Size right by wearing the size that you currently are, not the size that you wish you were. Don't settle into a doublewide. Clothes that are too big are equally as unflattering.

Supplement your wardrobe with a few articles of clothing that fit you right now and that are reusable at any weight, since you can always get them tailored to fit again once you trim down. Specifically, shop for these size-suitable items:

- Black Pants: Before the bottom falls out of your style, pick up at least one pair of this flattering and slimming staple.
- A-Line Skirt: With this perfectly flattering cut, you'll be totally hip to the game of dressing right for your size.
- Empire-Waist Dress: A fashionable and flowing frock can conceal a stomach, hips, thighs, and just about anything else you want to keep under wraps.
- Tunic Top: While getting in shape and beyond, your style can totally stomach shirts like this. You'll never have to suck it in again.
- Extra-long Necklaces: You don't have to string along style while you lose weight. Slenderize while you accessorize. Create a leaner line on your top half with lengthening necklaces.
- Belted, Hip-Length Jacket: This chic cut slices stomachs and dices hips while keeping you cool while you stay warm.

Had another 'commercial-like encounter' on Friday night. DH and I were riding up an elevator and a woman asked me where I got my great cowgirl boots. I said, "BootAmerica.com".

On Saturday when I was wearing my b&w sundress, we went to Cosi for lunch. As I walked by a couple at a table, the guy said very quietly, "Nice dress". I think he didn't realize he said it out loud because he looked surprised when I said, "Thank you". Then his wife/GF shot him a look.

Sunday, my DH said I looked like a super model in my new halter top dress. Got a number of compliments on it at the outdoor cocktail party before the sun went down and I ended up first putting a sweater on and then a fleece jacket over it.

RockinRobin - welcome to my world where it's hard to find things that fit. I've done very well at TJ Maxx that carries XS, but I have to try everything on.

Carolyn, you and I are not even in the same category. You must be so teeny, tiny at 105 lbs. I'm a good 25 lbs heavier then you. I don't know how you find ANYthing that fits you. I'm guessing you don't wear any fitted clothing, because for you, it just can't be made small enough

You must need "negative" sizes .

So I went shopping a couple weeks ago, hoping to find a dress to wear to the rehearsal dinner for my wedding. NEVER before have I found absolutely NOTHING that I liked!!! What is up with the clothes this season? Are they just all ugly or am I shopping in the wrong stores? I tried my usual standbys (Ann Taylor Loft and NY&Co) and found nothing, so I tried the other stores in the mall (Gap, Banana Republic, White House/Black Market) and found nothing. I'm planning to go to Macy's or something this weekend because I really need to get a nice dress for this, but I'm kind of grumpy. I wanted cute fall clothes! And there aren't any!

Luckily, my clothes from the past two falls still fit. But I have been deprived of the pleasure of choosing adorable new clothes.

Jessica that is a terrible story! You should have the pleasure of choosing new clothes!

We've been invited to a wedding in the mountains in the middle of October. I have several summer dresses to wear to summer weddings, but absolutely nothing that will do for an October wedding in the mountains. The internet will have to be my friend, I think.

This raises another, giant challenge, however. I will, of course, want to wear boots with my new winter-friendly dress. Knee boots, with a heel. I looooovvveeee boots but haven't been able to buy a pair for the last couple of years because they tend to cut the boots for PEOPLE WITH GIANT CALVES. Every single pair of boots I've put on the last two years has been all gapey and saggy on my calves. Even the most stylish boots look like rainboots because they are so big. I don't even have unnaturally skinny calves. They're normal sized and muscular.

Given where I live and the amount of time I have to spare shopping for clothes, I think I'm going to have to order 10 different pairs from zappos in order to find a pair that fits properly.

Robin - lately I've been buying a lot of clothing with synthetic material in it so that it hugs my body. I never wore this type before. Always went with natural fibers like cotton and wool. I did find one fitted cotton shirt for the fall. Looking forward to wearing it.

Next time I go to a department store, I'm going to check out the girls department because I found out by shopping at Goodwill that girls sizes 14 and 16 fit. Depending on the brand and the cut size 0-5 fits. Size 00 is just too slim in the hips and thighs - I do have a woman's figure with curves in all the right places even though it's in a very small package.

Baffled, look for boots that have adjustable straps on the calves. I have a pair of boots I bought when I was heavy, and back then I had the straps set on the biggest notch and they fit fine. Now I set the straps on the smallest notch and they still fit fine. So if you can find some with straps on the sides, I highly recommend them!

I found a new store the other day! We were at the mall and walking by a store with lots of fall colors I love (rusts and yellows) so I went in and just started trying on clothes! It was so much fun!

I ended up buying a skirt and sweater...

I don't remember the last time I found a new store and had so much fun shopping. Harder to do when you're plus sized!

Oh, the store was Christopher and Banks. I don't think I'd ever heard of them before.

Do you ever look at the fashion shows on Yahoo news? Yikes!

Tell us about them!

Hi everyone,
We've all talked a lot about vanity sizing. Would anyone like to share which brands they think are the worst (or best, if you're a fan of the practice). In other words, which brands do you notice run really large and which one runs smaller. I've noticed that I can always count on Dockers to fit me in size 6. Eddie Bauer, I've noticed will fit me, but a size 6 is a little larger through through the seat and legs and the waist is a little snug (maybe they cater more to Pear shapped girls instead of apples like me).
Macy's had a big one day sale yesterday. Oh, boy did I have fun! I tried on a size 6 Bandolino skirt and it was too big. Amazing. I ended up buying some nice gray slacks (Dockers) and some casual black pants (Dockers again). I got some nice summer sleeveless tops for next year, all for less than $10 each. In addition to clearance prices, they were running a coupon sale that was $10 off a purchase of sale or clearnace merchandise of $25. I took in 4 coupons (just in case they would accept more than one per customer) and they took all 4 of them! I feel like I hit the jackpot. Oh, and I got a pair of white ralph lauren shorts for $8. I love them and have no intention of not fitting into them and everything else I got next spring.

Hope everyone else had fun shopping this weekend!
Pam

I vote for Ann Taylor as the worst vanity sizer. I have to wear a *4* in Ann Taylor clothes!

The opposite of vanity sized clothes are fitness clothes, apparently. While I was waiting for my new bike yesterday, I started trying on padded bike shorts and those cute cycling tops with pockets on the back. I was definitely a medium, not a small, and some of the mediums were quite snug. Those tops are very adorable, even if they don't flatter my ego. The padded bike shorts feel like you're wearing a diaper. I'll need to buy some eventually, but they feel very, very silly when you first put them on.

I agree on fitness clothes, at least Nike. I wear a medium in their fitted gym pants and large in their sports bras (and I'm a 36C, which isn't that huge).

Expensive designer clothes (the kind I can't afford) are tiny. I guess they think all wealthy women are toothpicks. Generally, misses are cut bigger than juniors. More mature-type clothes like Liz Claiborne are cut bigger than clothes marketed to younger people, like JCrew.

I discovered something funny with vanity sizing last week. I like Jones NY because it fits me well and so I have a lot of their pieces stretching back over the five years since I reached goal. I got out some fall clothes and tried on a pair of navy pinstripe pants that were one of the very first things I bought when I reached goal. Size 4, pleated, classic Jones. They make the same pants year after year. But the five-year old size 4s are smaller than this year's size 4s! And it's not a fluke -- it's true with my other Jones pants that are four or five years old.

I was wondering why I was trying on pants this year that are too loose. Well, it's not me getting smaller; it's them cutting the pants bigger! I actually bought a pair of Jones 4s this year that I had to take in an inch. The five year old ones are at least an inch smaller. Sheesh!

I took a bet this week and asked a clothes store's owner to put a skirt aside for me--something a little more original than my usual old jeans, for sure. Since one of my 'tricks' involve putting coins in a pot on days when I am on plan (or should I say, when I 'just' eat normally and don't overeat), I should be able to gather all the money in less than 2 weeks to go and fetch it right for when school starts again. If this doesn't give me strength to do what it takes, I don't know what will. Can't let that mini-depression over thinking about food get me, can I?