My Quest for Attractive Plus Sized Clothing

I am the first to admit that I am no fashion plate. I dress for comfort and I dress in what makes me feel good about myself. One rule I have always followed even before I lost weight was this: It doesn't matter how big I am I will always make sure I look nice. That includes make-up, hair and accessories. Accessories, especially shoes and purses, being the most important.

When I was larger and even now, because I'm still on the larger size of things, I have always noticed how plus size clothes isn't the best looking in the store. Most plus sized clothing looks like it was designed for older women. This was especially a problem when I was in my twenties and I wanted to dress younger and cuter. It's been a challenge to find cute clothes.

Somewhere along the way I discovered Avenue. It was either new in my market or I just noticed it. I found that Avenue had a great selection of cute casual and dressy clothes that didn't look old. Sure, I had to pay a little more for it, but let's face it, you always have to pay more for better quality. Avenue is more expensive than Lane Bryant, but I found clothes that really suited me. The only complaint is regarding the way their slacks are cut. I am a top heavy plus size, not a bottom heavy. So the pants are usually big on the butt.

A few years ago I discovered Torrid. I loved a lot of their cute funky outfits but Torrid is sometimes too Goth and young for my taste. And what is this insistence on making the dresses and blouses sleeveless? Don't the designers understand that plus sized clothing requires sleeves to cover my big arms? Either that or I'm going to have to buy the sweater or jacket to match so I can cover up.  I bought around two dresses from them before and some really cute shoes. You can also order online.

My next choice for nice plus sized clothing is Target, but even they disappoint me sometimes. I've shopped there and found the cutest things and then I've gone there and everything looks dowdy, like something my grandma would wear.

My best wake-up call that an outfit belonged on a grandma was the time I went to a conference and a really elderly lady walked by in a much smaller version of an outfit I owned, but thankfully was not wearing at that very moment. I thought the outfit was nice and even now when I think of it I really liked the skirt. In fact, after that incident I put the jacket away and only wore the skirt with different blouses. But I wouldn’t wear the whole outfit together because I knew that an old lady had worn one just like it. It was eventually too big on me and I gave it away.

Now if I Google plus sized clothing I find several places that sell some really nice outfits. Some are expensive and some are reasonable. It all depends on your budget. Other than Avenue, Torrid, Target (sometimes) and some of these places online it's pretty slim pickings! I think there is a great market for really cute, attractive, young looking, affordable, plus sized clothing.

Right now I am still in the middle of plus sizes and regular sizes. Depending on how something is cut, and how small the top is, I may wear a plus size. If the designer was more generous on the top, or if I can wear a tank top underneath and keep the top open, then I can wear the larger size of the regular non-plus sizes. Although someone wrote online that anything in the double digits, like size 10 is already considered a plus size! Unbelievable but true! And forget about plus sized couture. It doesn't even exist. Not really.

I’m not going to lie! I can wait to wear a size 9 again one day and be done with this search for cute plus sized clothing. Because I know it will happen eventually! I have faith that I'll finally kick this food addiction and that I'll become a running fool. When that happens I can shop wherever the heck I want and when that day arrives it will be a very good day.