I need nice pants. Yes, that's the headline I came up with.
March 26, 2011 12:02 PM Subscribe
Does anyone know of any great hip/relevant clothing stores, online or otherwise, for middle aged overweight women who need to be hip, youngish, but appropriately dressed?
I work in a very young, hip business, and I not only NEED to be dressed semi-hip, but I LIKE to dress that way. But, as I've gained years and weight, the traditional outlets for women, ages to 30 or so, are not made with someone like me in mind. My biggest problems are: I'm 4'11", I have a medium "beer" belly (that's where the weight went), and I'm gay. So I'm not a dress or skirt wearer. Trust me, I just look like my brother in a dress. I would say my style is chubby Ellen Degeneres, to give you an idea. Rachel Maddow is another similar look to what I wear. Only, I am a bit more feminine than they are.
I can get all the shoes, shirts, tees I need. I wear jeans 99% of the time. I found good jeans finally at Coldwater Creek, and they're MADE for women like me, they had like 2% rayon, so the waist area stretches and also acts as a girdle, so, I don't have to buy jeans to that fit only my waist, making the crotch and legs WAY too big. These jeans were my savior.
But, on occasion I need to dress up for nicer functions, and the infrequent wedding. I would like to find some trousers that do the same thing as my jeans. The kind of pants they have for women my age look awful, and have an elastic waistband. And the styles and colors tend toward dull beige or black, or bright blues and pinks and purples. I feel like someone's grandma.
I need good dress pants/trousers, that fit a petite frame, shape the waist, and have cool colors, or pin stripes, or patterns. And I need them in summer and fall colors. Coldwater Creek does not have any pants like this, they are all in black or beige, and I don't like either.
So, does anyone know of any other stores that might be more design oriented towards my age and body, and have pants that are DESIGNED, not just polyester with a stretch wasitband.
I work in a very young, hip business, and I not only NEED to be dressed semi-hip, but I LIKE to dress that way. But, as I've gained years and weight, the traditional outlets for women, ages to 30 or so, are not made with someone like me in mind. My biggest problems are: I'm 4'11", I have a medium "beer" belly (that's where the weight went), and I'm gay. So I'm not a dress or skirt wearer. Trust me, I just look like my brother in a dress. I would say my style is chubby Ellen Degeneres, to give you an idea. Rachel Maddow is another similar look to what I wear. Only, I am a bit more feminine than they are.
I can get all the shoes, shirts, tees I need. I wear jeans 99% of the time. I found good jeans finally at Coldwater Creek, and they're MADE for women like me, they had like 2% rayon, so the waist area stretches and also acts as a girdle, so, I don't have to buy jeans to that fit only my waist, making the crotch and legs WAY too big. These jeans were my savior.
But, on occasion I need to dress up for nicer functions, and the infrequent wedding. I would like to find some trousers that do the same thing as my jeans. The kind of pants they have for women my age look awful, and have an elastic waistband. And the styles and colors tend toward dull beige or black, or bright blues and pinks and purples. I feel like someone's grandma.
I need good dress pants/trousers, that fit a petite frame, shape the waist, and have cool colors, or pin stripes, or patterns. And I need them in summer and fall colors. Coldwater Creek does not have any pants like this, they are all in black or beige, and I don't like either.
So, does anyone know of any other stores that might be more design oriented towards my age and body, and have pants that are DESIGNED, not just polyester with a stretch wasitband.
Here are some from Jezebel:
http://jezebel.com/#!5773433/simply-cute-plus+size-clothes-from-simply-be/gallery
http://jezebel.com/#!5525532/british-catalog-targets-us-plus+size-market
posted by k8t at 12:10 PM on March 26, 2011
http://jezebel.com/#!5773433/simply-cute-plus+size-clothes-from-simply-be/gallery
http://jezebel.com/#!5525532/british-catalog-targets-us-plus+size-market
posted by k8t at 12:10 PM on March 26, 2011
My cousin is 5'0" and and somewhat overweight. She's 24 and a professional (marketing) and dresses pretty awesome.
She shops at Talbots.
A little pricey if you ask me... but I'm kinda cheap.
She also buys somethings at Layne Bryant.
She usually wears nice scarves and some colorful jewelry that makes her stand out a bit more.
posted by KogeLiz at 12:18 PM on March 26, 2011
She shops at Talbots.
A little pricey if you ask me... but I'm kinda cheap.
She also buys somethings at Layne Bryant.
She usually wears nice scarves and some colorful jewelry that makes her stand out a bit more.
posted by KogeLiz at 12:18 PM on March 26, 2011
Stylish, curvaceous friends of mine swear by Asos.
posted by nerdfish at 12:20 PM on March 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by nerdfish at 12:20 PM on March 26, 2011 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Check out the advice on Fatshionista.
posted by serazin at 12:40 PM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by serazin at 12:40 PM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Great suggestions! Trousers galore. Never would have considered Loft or Talbots, never heard of Asos and Simply Be. Very excited. Thanks, everyone!
posted by generic230 at 12:42 PM on March 26, 2011
posted by generic230 at 12:42 PM on March 26, 2011
Try higher-end department stores, too - they'll have stylish pants (with stretch, without elastic waists) in all sizes and you can do really well browsing the sale racks.
posted by moxiedoll at 1:56 PM on March 26, 2011
posted by moxiedoll at 1:56 PM on March 26, 2011
Best answer: Eileen Fisher on Colorado, a tailor, spanx, and shoes with platforms or wedges. The angle of a heel or wedge changes your posture so the belly(sucked in by spanx) isn't as prominent, and thus, more female less guy.
posted by Ideefixe at 1:57 PM on March 26, 2011
posted by Ideefixe at 1:57 PM on March 26, 2011
nthing fatsionista. I've had some luck with avenue.com, jjill.com, and independent sewers from etsy.com for bottoms! admittedly, I am a femme-of-center queer, but our bodies sounds similar, and there is less frumpage at these sites!
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 2:31 PM on March 26, 2011
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 2:31 PM on March 26, 2011
Best answer: Chicos, or Ann Taylor - which has petite sizes. BodenUSA is a great unique brand. Other clothes that are well made, comfy sporty but can pass for work (in some places) are the clothes made by patagonia or columbia sold at REI - they sell pants, skirts and dresses made in really comfy fabrics and they aren't too frilly which is why I love them. I also like INC at Macy's - totally hip and stylish, lots of black, solids, and animal prints.
posted by dmbfan93 at 2:38 PM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by dmbfan93 at 2:38 PM on March 26, 2011 [1 favorite]
I wear Lee slacks a lot. They fit well and have lots of choices in fabrics. This brand has always been my go-to for professional but comfortable. I HATE those kind you describe. I buy mine at Kohls, about once a year I replenish with three or four pair. They are GREAT for business, you can dress them up or down with tops. I can't say they're hip, exactly, but are very basic and you can add the hip factor with tops, shoes, and accessories.
posted by raisingsand at 3:42 PM on March 26, 2011
posted by raisingsand at 3:42 PM on March 26, 2011
Response by poster: Midsouthern, with Etsy, are the pants tailored personally for you, or you can get already made pants? If they're already made, how do you find them? What would your search tags be?
posted by generic230 at 1:20 AM on March 27, 2011
posted by generic230 at 1:20 AM on March 27, 2011
I really recommend JJill, Flax and Blue Fish clothing. I try not to buy any of them new, I do a lot of shopping for them on ebay (unless I can find a great coupon or they're having a fantastic sale).
All of them can be found online -
www.jjill.com
www.2oncrescent.com
http://bluefishclothing.com/index.php
posted by saffronwoman at 8:54 AM on March 27, 2011
All of them can be found online -
www.jjill.com
www.2oncrescent.com
http://bluefishclothing.com/index.php
posted by saffronwoman at 8:54 AM on March 27, 2011
@ generic230 You can find both! I use search terms like "plus size" or "24W" or "3x". A useful shop for pants that are work friendly might be wool or linen pants from annychoo, but really most of the etsy people will work with you. Play around with the search and get a sense of the good price point for you. You can get is delivered to you.
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 10:41 PM on March 28, 2011
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 10:41 PM on March 28, 2011
@saffronwoman, @generic230 ebay often has Eileen and JJill bargains. I got several linen outfits from JJILL outlet, but they have greatly reduced their selection now.
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 10:43 PM on March 28, 2011
posted by MidSouthern Mouth at 10:43 PM on March 28, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dawkins_7 at 12:08 PM on March 26, 2011