I had a really fat night last Thursday getting ready for the annual holiday party. Poor Alex was beside himself. What does a boyfriend do? It is sort of shitty (even when it is completely sincere) for him to say, "honey, you're not fat." To him, thankfully, I know I am beautiful. But to me, it drives me C-R-A-Z-Y when my big outfit plans fall to pieces. I ordered a dress online from Nordy's and it didn't arrive until the day before the party. Because I am S-M-A-R-T I also picked up a beautiful long skirt from Ann Taylor just in case. The only problem was, I never figured out what to do for a top. The other problem was, I didn't have time to alter the skirt. So, I spent what seemed like an hour (or ten hours if you are Alex), pouting and getting upset that nothing seemed to work. I pulled out old dresses and even those were fitting like crap. At one point, I just laid on the bed half dressed and announced I wasn't going. For those that know me, these kind of antics are rare. I am not high maintenance unless it is expected that I need to be. Holiday parties, auctions, parties etc.. They stress me out. In the end I pulled it together but it was painful!
Lately my wardrobe has been boring. I have spent the last couple of weeks adding some "flare". I love classic looks but then I also like messing with them by adding a bright accessory. Maybe a chunky ring or perhaps some fun, colorful kicks. For me, shopping is a challenge. I am 5'3" (on a good day) and I have no waist. My inseam is 26", my bra size is a 40C and I am size 14-16. Talk about fun. It takes me time to put outfits together. It also takes me shopping at a LOT of different stores to get the right combination. It is a real challenge finding not only clothes that fit but clothes that don't make me look like my grandmother. I found this blog while browsing and I thought it was great. I love, love, love seeing beautiful full figured women strutting their stuff in designer gear. I also thought I would put together a little list of some of the places I go to find things that work for my really complicated body.
1. J Crew - Stores are starting to carry more XL and you can find size 16 online. They also started a personal shopping service and so far it has been very helpful for me.
2. Anthropologie - Lots of great things in the store. A lot of the designers come in XL in the store and you can find pants online in size 16 as well. You also cannot beat their return policies.
3. Nordstrom - Use their personal shoppers people! The service is free and most consultants are happy to work with you. They like challenges. While they are commissioned, I haven't heard of any case where they are too pushy. For work, I shop a lot in in their Individualist department. Vallette is an incredible new label exclusive to Nordstrom and designed by Marcus Brown that is worth checking out.
4. Barneys - The Co-Op usually has great knits in size Large that work. You can never go wrong with make-up and accessories here either ;)
5. Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft - Some stores carry up to size 16 in the store. Great place for dress pants. They have a number of different fits for different body shapes.
6. Chantelle, Le Mystere, Felina and Natori - All great lingerie brands that don't look like your grandmothers bra.
I don't know about Nordstrom. I tried out a personal shopper once and the girl was really annoying. She was just very snobby about her sense of fashion to the point where I just walked out. I suppose I might be in the minority with that experience, though.
Posted by: Cindy | November 20, 2009 at 06:46 AM
That is terrible and really not the Nordstrom way. I wonder if you just got unlucky with the gal you ended up with? The one thing about personal shoppers is, like your hairdresser, it takes time to build a relationship and for them to understand your style. Maybe it is worth giving it another try?
Posted by: Kat | January 14, 2010 at 08:03 PM