Outfitblogging: Speaking to or spoken for.
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of communicating with a delightfully thoughtful and well-intentioned columnist over at the Daily Beast (Hi, Daily Beast readers! Comments here are moderated!) for a piece she was writing about plus-size fashion. The finished product - which I call unequivocally fantastic if only because it forgoes the compulsory “But of course, one day, all fat people will be DEAD” rhetoric - can be found here, for those who might otherwise miss it.
Unspurisingly, these recent conversations about the expansion/contraction of plus size collections have had me thinking about what they mean and what they contribute on a broader, cultural level, but not so much how they affect me individually. The simple fact of the matter is that I outsize most of these lines. I am too fat for any of the shops that took 16s and 18s out of their stores. I am too fat for Faith 21; I am too fat for Target’s Youth-Contemporary-Whatever-Collection (I swear this had an actual name at one point, site-menu notwithstanding, but I can’t remember it right now). I am often too fat for the well-meaning independent plus-size retailers who email this blog asking if they can send me samples for review. I am grateful I am no longer gutted by being sized out of things - I am actually well-wardrobed already, and have a few beloved resources to hit up for more if necessary - but I also feel a dark satisfaction in writing these companies back to say, that’s great, but I am too fat for your clothes.
See that photograph above? That’s me. Too fat for Faith 21; too fat for Target; too fat for Fashion Overdose; too fat for most of B & Lu (even the damnable small-running 5Xs); too fat for any of the numerous eBay shops and web boutiques that peddle those disposable trendy bits only up to a junior 3X; too fat for many department-store plus size lines, which generally stop at a 24 or, if I’m very lucky, a 26. While being shut out of a lot of these clothes doesn’t tremendously bug me, since they’re mostly not my style anyway, it does make it difficult to get excited about new developments from a personal perspective. Will anything from Beth Ditto’s Evans collection fit me? Some of it might. I’ll have to risk international shipping to find out.
But for the most part, my conversations about the evolving state of plus size fashion in the US are academic. I get cardigans from Torrid; I get dresses from eShakti (or, brick-and-mortar style, from Ross or AJ Wright); I will occasionally find something among the dull multitudes at One Stop Plus that I can salvage. It’s not always just about slaying a dragon; often there’s a bit of alchemy involved as well, a trick for combining and layering things that in isolation would make me cringe, but in concert make the statement I’m trying to express. What would I do if I had the broad array of resources so many of us fat-fashion bloggers are demanding? I have no idea. I suppose I’d need a new hobby.
On that subject, Full Figured Fashion Week, with its purpose of demonstrating the market for plus size apparel and generally showing off how amazing fat people can look, kicks off in NYC today, and our own femmetabulous Tara Shuai will be representing for fatshionista.com at some of the events and reporting back here. Check the FFFWeek website for more information on upcoming events over the next few days.
I went looking for a suit for an interview, and I went to every conceivable store in the mall, which no longer had either a Lane Bryant or an Ashley Stewart, which left me with the department stores and their pitiful collections. And then I went to Ashley Stewart, which had tops but no bottoms, or bottoms but no tops, or things that looked ridiculous on me. And then I finally found something, but they had pants in a 22 (which fit) and a jacket in an 18 (which would do but wasn’t ideal). I bought both and then went to another Ashley Stewart location and found they had a jacket in a 20 and exchanged that for the 18.
And all of that took hours and hours and frustrated me greatly.
And yet I am still having it easier than you, which is just… grrr.
Also, may I just say (because I’m feeling chatty) that I love your posts and your pictures. You like much brighter colors than I do (I’m a black, grey, goth chick even at 39), but I adore your layers and find your photos to be very inspirational.
Kindof OT from your post, but I recognize that dress and zomg I love it even more on a real person than in the pictures on the website. WANT!
I’m not sure if this is on-topic (and if it isn’t, sorry!), but I’m not sure that you ARE too small for Target’s clothing (though their quality is generally questionable). I was just in one the other day, and though I’m shaped differently than you, I’m the same general size (26), and I could fit into most of the 3x or 4x items (though obviously, I don’t know what the selection at your local Target is like, so I can’t speak for that, but I’m sure some of their online items could fit you).
What a zippy and fun little outfit! Love. It.
Lesley,
I’ve just got to say that I think you are f’nawesome! Not only are you smart and witty and always say something that makes me nod, laugh and agree (not always in that order)but you are the snazziest dresser. Looking at you, one would never guess how much effort you put into your outfits because you just always look so well put together in the pics. I share your challenges with finding clothes so I tend to stick to black and grey, but I’m getting more daring and wearing the colors that I love because of you. Even my 11yo daughter, while looking at the flicker page, told me I should dress more like you because you’re cool!
Wow. I found you through a train of 3 or 4 blogs and articles, yet you made such an impact that Fatshionista was the first thing I thought of when I saw this dress: http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=7323&vid=1&pid=670471&scid=670471012
Prison chic, anyone? Even the color *name* (Pavement) contributes to the fat-girls-won’t-realize-we’re-only-giving-them-crappity-crap-designs-to-wear vibe.
The only thing worse than shopping as a plus-sized woman is shopping as a plus-sized petite pregnant woman! LOL Of course, now I’m a plus-sized petite nursing woman, which is also pretty darn atrocious.
hey, read that article on Daily Beast, loved it! actually portrays fashion loving fatties as freakin intelligent, artistic, sassy human beings (shock and awe)…after reading it, i found myself happy and proud to be a fatshionista, with none of the *eye roll* “death fat” guilt. i’m letting everyone know! this blog and others are really giving me the feeling of community (*tear*) and pushing me towards more self-confidence. rock on!
btw, love your outfits, esp the slips. and your SHOES are to DIE FOR!! i want! you’re also rocking the eshakti…might have convinced me to place my first order after salivating at the site for awhile. much love.
Egads, that Old Navy dress is hideous. Could that color be flattering to anyone?
Like Lesley, I’m sized out of most brick and mortar stores with the exception of The Avenue. Luckily I’m able to find great things online including some great things found on Ebay (swimsuits anyone?).
New here, love the outfitblogging!
fyi from London, Evans runs about 2 sizes smaller than Lane Bryant, for a UK-US comparison. I shop at Evans, currently a size 22. I have an 18/20 sweater from Lane Bryant that’s downright baggy on me now, while an 18/20 from Cato fits & is just a tiny bit clingy.
That said, I think Evans sizes go up to a 32, so go ahead and shop! I, too, am looking forward to the Beth Ditto collection. And in the meantime, I’m getting ideas from here!