Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Who are you and why are you following me?


There was a time in my life where no store could clothe all of this.  *points up and down to my bod*  Catalogs like Woman Within and One Stop Plus were my only form of shopping and frankly, it was depressing.  There is nothing quite as defeating and that puts the final nail in your self-esteem coffin as having no options at any store ever...even plus size shops.  30/32 was the magic size number before you could shop at stores like Avenue or an occasional Lane Bryant and you paid for it.  I remember when I finally hit that magic number and went on my first trip to Avenue.  I saw a shirt I LOVED and not just because it was all that was available in my size but it was actually pretty stylin' at the time and the jeans were a perfect fit...something that seemed foreign especially when you're both tall and fat.  I'm like some kind of winged leprechaun according to the fashion industry.  I walked out with my new outfit with the Mr and proceeded to bawl in the car.  It was quite a victory and I was ecstatic.

As getting used to being able to have a few brick and mortar options sank in, I was a little more excited to shop than before.  But I noticed when I would shop, it was harder and harder to find stuff in my size.  I knew they probably offered less in the highest size but still, it just seemed like they had plenty 30/32's in other styles of things I didn't like but never in what I wanted but there were plenty of the other sizes so I couldn't wait to drop down to 26/28's so I could have more options.  When I did drop to that size, I did find an outfit so I snagged it up and then waited to change season before buying more in that size.  When I went back for a full-on spree, finding the abundant 26/28's I saw when I was a 30/32 were now suddenly scarce and I saw way more 30/32's than I ever saw when I was that size.  We even went to multiple locations and sometimes we still couldn't find things.  If I'd only been a 24, I could have my pick of the litter because that seemed to be THE size that was truly in abundance.  Size 26 jeans were ridiculously hard to find and at that time were not widely carried at department stores so I was just at that teetering point of really having a whole new world open up to me.  When the glorious day hit that I could fit into 24's I was so excited because now even more stores were open to me.  Shopping spree here we come!!

I'll be damned if 24's were again in short supply in the style *I* liked.  I was able to find more but damn it took a lot of work to find stuff and it was usually never all at the same store so the Mr would seek out his "dude chair" in the store and look up from his phone when I'd come out of the fitting room.  We both commented on how irritating it was every time I went down a size, the size that was abundant before would always become some hot commodity...like the cosmos playing a game of "this is gonna be funny."  Even the other night when I found a cute top in a place that carries size 0 to 4x in the same styles, they had every size but mine.  We just looked at each other and rolled our eyes because almost 8 years later we're dealing with the same crap regardless of my size.

So all I want to know is who are you and why are you following me?  Save me just ONE top and one pair of bottoms, please.  It's like some brigade of dopplegangers heckling me via clothing.

Anyone else ever have this problem or are the clothing gods just effing with me?

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6 comments:

  1. I was shopping for a pair of jeans yesterday and, sure enough, my doppelganger had obviously been there already because out of roughly 30 pairs to choose from there were only 2 that were actually my size and length. How do stores even know what to order anyway? I think they just randomly order these things and have no idea what they're doing. Sure seems like it.

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  2. I know some stores don't even do their own orders anymore, their corporate offices just send them stuff without input from the local stores.

    I have the same experience. They have the right length/color of every size but mine. I buy a lot at thrift stores so I don't expect to have a size choice there, but when I do shop at a "new" store it seems like my size is never there. But I remember having the same experience way back when I was a much smaller size. I wonder if it's one of those "the grass is always greener" things?

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  3. I struggle with this a lot, even still doing 99% of my shopping online because of my size. And depending on which store you shop, even though the size number is the same, the fit is different. This year I've had that problem with coats and shoes and can never find them in my size with the right fit. That's probably why when I see a shirt that I like, I will buy virtually all colors in it because I know when I go back for more, they'll be out of my size. So I pretty much wear the same thing every day, but don't care -- I'm comfy. lol

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  4. My grocery, which is a regional everything under one roof kind of place, now carries 0-4x all same style. All on the same rod, not in different departments.

    And I think that is wonderful. I have very broad shoulders. I can need a medium to a 1X depending on the cut. And it is so great just to be able to flip through the same rod.

    As a store, it seems like they would be able to carry a lot more with that arrangement.

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  5. No matter what size I am or have been--they will have one in EVERY size EXCEPT MINE!!! GUARANTEED!

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  6. I'm laughing because we all have had this happen it seems. I admit I've never had quite as bad luck as you have though. Since I am down into the larger end of "regular" sizes, and even into the medium range in some types, it actually is easier to find clothes. I still shop online a lot because you know right away if they have your size without having to leave home. I tend to shop certain brands that I know fit me, and know what sizes work from those stores. I guess it makes my clothes a little boring at times, but it makes shopping easier. Anyone who has lost weight should have the pleasure of going shopping and being able to pull whatever they want off the rack! Better luck shopping in the future. Hope your shopping rivals stay home!

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