Where do you shop?

Post Reply New Topic

Hi all, I'm new here, and this is my first post. I'm having a little clothing dilemma and thought you all would be the perfect people to ask... I've read some other threads where people have mentioned feeling as though they're in drag when dressing girly, and that's exactly how I feel as well. Also, most women's clothing is very lightweight and made of fabrics that irritate me. Most days I wear jeans and heavy hooded sweatshirts, even in the summer.

However, I need to start buying some new clothes that are not just jeans and hoodies (for work--I don't need to wear business clothes, but hoodies won't cut it) and I'm a bit at a loss. Where on earth can I find clothes that don't make me look like a man but don't make me look girly?? Basically, I'm talking about clothes that are like men's, but cut for women's bodies. I'm overweight (working on it! but for now, I am) and very curvy, so men's clothes just don't fit me unless I want to look like I'm wearing a sack, which makes me very self-conscious.

Any suggestions on where you all find your non-frilly clothes?

Personally, I go to mom and pop type shops, or look in several different stores at the mall. If you dig, you can find some decent things for good prices.

ThinkGeek

What and where is that? The name intrigues me.

http://www.thinkgeek.com

I suggest going to a big store like Wal Mart or Target and looking around. There will be plenty of things that won't work, but there will also be those that do.. they both have plus-size sections and dressing rooms, so just pick out everything you like and try it all on. You will have to spend a good few hours, searching and picking and trying, but you'll find something.

I'm guessing you need business casual stuff... neat but not suit-y? Maybe try for nice slacks, basic black or navy blue(with a thicker waistband that sits just below the navel, and maybe a tab-front if you can find it), with a button-down shirt that's comfy. They both come in so many different fabrics I'm sure you can find something nice. You can add a structured jacket or lightweight sweater, too. This will hopefully give you the feel of your hoodie without the hoodie look.

Also remember you can always wear a t-shirt under a button-down shirt, as long as it doesn't show through. It may feel a little more comfortable but you'll still look nice.

For pants go for wide-legged, but not "flared"... as in it isn't tight on any part of your leg, but it doesn't look like you've stepped out of the 1970's, you know? And for shirts, just make sure it really fits.. plenty of room for the boobs and no pulling buttons. And for shoes, I've heard ballet flats are great. They look nice, and are super comfy. Good luck

I lrecommend Lerner's/New York & Co is good if you're looking for work clothes and live in the United States. I like them (for a mall store) because their work clothes are classic, inexpensive, not *too* girly but not too generic, typically pretty generously cut for the size, and comfortable. And they don't fall apart like Old Navy clothes do.

Ballet flats are marvelous. I wear them to work all the time, and around and about as well. My feet are odd enough that I have to wear flats, can't wear heels anymore. And they look really good and conservative, which sandals don't unless you have amazing feet/massive amounts of money to spend on pedicures.

I shop mostly at LLBean and LandsEnd. Although not cheap, I've found their clothing to be durable, comfortable, and work-appropriate. Of the 7 work skirts that I own, I only replace roughly 1 per year, same with the shirts. This makes it good value for the money. I tried wearing less-expensive clothing from Target but found the fabric to be more synthetic, thinner, and it didn't fit me as well.

I wear black penny loafers, tights, a twill skirt (tan, olive, or black), braided black belt, and either a sweater or shirt. Someone who is rather fashion conscious at work called my style "New England Work-Casual". It's like a uniform. If you aren't a skirt person, I recommend swapping the skirt for a pair of good quality pants.

Skirt: LL Bean's Original Bayside Twill Skirt, Pleated Comfort Waist
Sweater: Lands' End Women's Fine Gauge Cotton Cardigan Sweater
Shirt: Lands' End Women's Solid No Iron Pinpoint Cotton Shirt

On the Muslim thread, I've also just been introduced to a bunch of new stores that I can't wait to try. That will finally give me some decent dressier clothes - always a disaster for me.

Primark and Peacocks for tops and Next for comfortable trousers.

www.haband.com

They aren't the most popular styles, but I doubt most people would look that strangely at you.

Of course I don't have much fashion sense so you might want a second opinion on that

Sport stores like Academy have nice, quality clothes that are usually made of natural fibers.

department stores like target.

I like JCPenny's lines, but the mall store is a nightmare of bumping into racks, small aisles and some not enough salespeople. I like to buy cheap trendy stuff at places like Kmart and Walmart and then buy some Eddie Bauer and other more expensive clothes. I've worn the same pair of EB jean crop pants for the past 5 summers and they still look descent.

I have a Belk card and sometimes there are good deals for being a cardmember. You can also have certain alterations done for free. I usually can wear petite shirts and dresses, but the pants are too short so looking in the petite section you can sometimes find good deals at pricery stores.

I find that when Dh buys the better work shirts there are extra buttons sewn on the seams which is great when you loose one. And they tend to hold up better and last longer.

I shop online a lot for things that are not food, I mainly shop on ebay, amazon, and krittersinthemailbox.com

Walmart..

Thrift stores- sometimes you find brand new clothes that are in and haven't been worn.

Ebay

Kohl's and Fassion Bug- usually when there's a Clearance. Sometimes I'll buy things that're out of season since they're cheaper and more supply of before the weather changes.

Well this is coming from someone who's a bum....