Time to Dream Big

Published October 13, 2011 by Fat Heffalump

I have a question for you all.

If you could have any garment or outfit made in your size, what would it be?  In other words, what is that dream item/s of clothing that you would love to have, but cannot find in plus-sizes.  If you can find pictures of them in straight sizes, please share the link too!

Since it is my blog, I’m going to list a several of mine.  Let’s just take it as a given that I want all of these items available in sizes 14AU to at least size 32AU

1) Diane Von Furstenburg style wrap dresses.  I want wrap dresses, PROPER wrap dresses, not ones with shark bite hems or surplice necklines that have a bit of overlap to be made look like a wrap dress, or weird sleeves.  A proper wrap dress, with sleeves, which is an absolute classic style that can be tweaked each season to be on trend (slightly changing the sleeves, or the length, or other small details).  I want it in on trend colours and prints.  Here is an example of one that I really love.

 

2) Pencil skirts.   The lengths can vary by season, but I want pencil skirts.  In something other than black, grey or navy.  I want them in block colours, I want them in prints, I want them in textures.  Again, pencil skirts are a classic style that can be tweaked each season to make them on trend.  Here, look:


3) Print tights.  Flowers, spots, stripes, herringbone, animal prints, whatever is fashionable for the season.  In decent Lycra blend fabric, and sized up to 5X.  How about some examples.


4) Swimsuits with underwire.  My rack of doom will not be held in place by a couple of moulded foam cups, it needs some serious scaffolding.  I long for a tankini with halter neck with underwire (I’ve seen them in straight sizes and small cups – why the hell do they make underwire in a small cup size but not large cup sizes??) and boyshort bottoms.

5) Bras that don’t look like they’re made by a surgical device company.  Bras in pretty prints and colours and patterns, but have bust support for my rack of doom, particularly underwires and bands/cups that go over 22D.



Those are just the tip of the iceberg for me.  I want basically everything that is available to straight sizes, but made to fit plus-sized bodies!

So over to you my heffalumpies – tell me (and show me) your dream garments!  And dream big!  Don’t just say “Pants that fit me.”  DREAM BIG LOVELIES!!

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88 comments on “Time to Dream Big”

  • OMG that red leopard print skirt! I so want that!

    Berlei Curves make a nice range of bras that go up to 24G I think. they are ridiculously pricey but they are well made and comfortable and pretty.

    • I think Tripp made a limited-edition run of them in sizes 1X-4X for Torrid, I see them on ebay time to time! Not the same exact red leopard skirt pictured but very similar cut and flat-color black/red leopard print 🙂

  • 1. more things in natural fibres:::: linen, cotton, linen voile hemp, bamboo. Most retailers (i am looking at you my size, autograph and taking shape) use the cheapest most unsustainable fabrics. Also we are large ladies and we sweat and generally find heat less tolerable. We want fabrics that breathe; but having said that all linen shirts don’t then need to be boxy shapeless wonders in bright pastels..blergghh. I would also fancy some elbow length shirts/tops dresses as I am not an upper arm flasher (each to his own cool if you do)
    2. ditto the bras – ill have 5
    3. ditto the wrap dresses: again fabric here is important.
    4. flowy beautiful pants. for summer.. i never see them here but i do on celebs… where are they hiding? Again, voile, linen, silk would be great. The poly pants we normally get offered make us sweat and again 94.5% of them come in black. Im a melbourne girl and totally love black however there are many other colours in the spectrum.
    5. sports wear: I know they think we don’t exercise but half the reason it is soooo hard to find nice stuff to take a walk in park/gym circuit. I am laready likely to attract unwanted attention at gym etc so dotn want to wear horrid clothes to boot (again i only speak for myself her ebut the few times i verntured into a gym i got more attention than a bin laden at an airport).
    6.Clever clothes that distract a little with their folds: nicola waite does well but not everyone can spend $500 each dress. The details, the twists, the fresh modern approach… we want without the price tag.
    7. Great shapewear..they make it for size 12s but seems over a certain size point they offer only beige girdles of iron…. we want a more comfortable spanx in warm or fun colours
    8. ditto the swimsuit… and a nice coverup
    9. fancy tights – myself im not the leopard type but i want lovely hanselinbasel or wolford types in big sizes
    10. boots – yes i know a few pair leaked out this year but blink and you missed them
    11. jeans…again i know a few folk make them but most are very pedestrian. I am not sure what needs to change but lets say i will knwo it when i see it. And i will buy it.
    12. shoes. I have a slightly wider than average foot as a large person – we need some width options in nice shoes.

    In general I am not afraid to pay a fair bit more but for that i expect a quality product. I want it to last and not pill. Again I want some pattern and colour but not only bright lolly pink and solid wall of colour. I also want them to use some tricks to tease the eye…if it good enough for winslet i am happy to employ a few opticla illusions.
    Also, as I have a medium sized rack of loveliness (not doom) some cleavage revealing shirts/tops would be A.OK.

  • Oh my, I am SO with you about the printed tights. May I add that tights for plus sizes should have reinforced thighs? Anytime I get tights, they wear out there SO fast. It’s heartbreaking.
    Also, BRAS, YES. Pretty ones! Dainty ones! Lots of different colors and styles and SIZES. I have a large band size, but smaller breasts. I find it so impossible to find a bra that fits that I just don’t bother with one unless I have to. ARGH. I want to dress in ridiculously pretty lingerie. And then take pictures. *laughs*
    I’d just love to find structured dresses that actually fit me. While I love dresses to pieces, I always go for jersey knit because I know they’ll fit. I’ve seen fancier dresses that I liked before in plus sizes, but always the smaller end. There was this one at Lane Bryant a while back that had a collar and a button-down front, black with a BEAUTIFUL fanned out skirt with white embroidery on it. I tried on the largest size, and it was abysmally misfitting. No room for me anywhere in that dress. How I long for it.
    I’d also love a top that shows off my shoulders! And a short skirt, then the bravery to wear it. *laughs*

    • sweetnfat – I am so with you on the structured garments. They just don’t exist for fat bodies. We were just having the conversation at work the other day about how so many garments photograph badly because they’re unstructured… and I said to my boss: “Almost ALL plus-size garments are unstructured! I’d love to get some beautiful structured garments!” She had never looked at it from my perspective.

  • Sign me up too for the print tights! I love tights; I have many pairs of colored tights from We Love Colors, but good lord, print tights! The holy grail of legwear.

    For me it’s all about the dresses. I once saw a dress with a zigzag print that I’d have loved to have worn if I could. A lot of people complain about printed dresses for plus sizes, and yes, a lot of them are ugly, but I want more prints, not less. I want prints that I actually want to wear. I want bright colors and reds, purples, greens. I also want solid-color dresses that fit well and EXIST IN STORES. There’s a lot online, but I have no way of knowing whether it will fit me. I want to go to a store and try on dresses and find the ones that look amazing.

    • Eve – I wish We Love Colors did their print/stripe/fishnet tights at a full range of plus-sizes. I wear the Lycra blend solid colour ones ALL the time but their other ones just don’t fit me. WAAAAANT!

      I’m with you on the print dresses, and the block colours too. And in brick and mortar stores, not just online.

  • As far as awesome print tights go, i know they are pricey but have you tried welovecolors.com (their plus sized page is http://www.welovecolors.com/Shop/PlusSizedHosiery.htm) they have soild colors in 51 colors for both footless and non footless tights (up to 6 foot and 375lbs), fishnets in 51 colors (up to 3x), 11 colors of tie-dyed and or striped tights (again up to 6 foot and under 330lbs). I know its not animal print and such but i actually cried when i found this site. CRIED. being a super tall leggy fatty means no tights. not ever. if they fight in the length then they are so tight i can breathe. I have ordered the solid tights and the fishnets. The solids fit me PERFECTLY, and they tight are lycra based so they dont break down as fast as others. This fishnets i was just too tall for. the crotch was hanging between my knees.

    I wear 44DD and i have great luck with sexy-times undies and bras at torrid (though their quality of fabric is a little low, their prices are cheaper than lane bryant and more on trend)

    As a younger fatty on the alternative side i want RAVER pants in my size. or show t-shirts in something bigger than a 2x. i go to tons of concerts and cant buy their clothing. it never fits, or they only have the 1 plain basic design in my size. dammit i want an offical laides phish tour shirt in my size….but that will NEVER happen…they are trying to make money of merchandise, and catering to the edges of the bell curve aint happening. i just wish they would make it an option even online…then they can fucking make it custom ordered n shit…ah well.

    • I too want a ladies phish shirt!!! Been to over 50 shows in the last 3 years, and only can get show shirts in their mens 2x size. Then and pray they fit over my boobs!

    • erilyn I am an old friend of We Love Colors. I would LOVE for them to make prints etc in the full range of fats sizing. Most are either one size or go up to 3x unfortunately. Which counts me and many others out,.

      Gig t-shirts would be awesome! I’ve been cut out of that one my whole life.

  • -Well-made skinny jeans meant to fit a variety of bodies.

    -I second the funky tights big time!!!! I want the same kinds of prints and colors available in straight sizes.

    -And on that note…more well-fitting fishnet and fishnet variations!

    -…and thigh-highs that don’t pinch. Especially those cool thigh-high socks out there, I freakin want them but know they’d never ever make it.

    -Pretty much a majority of old school Lip Service inventories, and pretty much the same alt clothes I see everywhere. I’d say maybe 20% of the time I can fit into the larger end of their sizing, but quite often I just have to drool vicariously because the fabric/cut would never ever fit me.
    I’ve been following the Lippy since I was 13 and have several hundred pieces I’ve collected over the years! I wish they would bring back the Voluptuous Vixens collection from like 2001 as well as made AWESOME stuff for Torrid in the pre-pink-curtain days…what they produce for Torrid these days is just plain hideous and a slap in the face to fat alt women. Dammit Lippy, I want what you have on your website that’s the same exact cut and style JUST BIGGER.

    Sometimes alt beauty isn’t that alt if it only caters to one size range and that saddens me…

    -Real actual miniskirts, or just me personally a length between what most plus size ones turn out to be and the straight size ones I like.

    -STUFF WITH FREAKIN SLEEVES. I am so fed up with plus size selections only carrying sleeveless, cap sleeve, and 3/4 sleeves. Would long sleeve and ordinary t-shirt sleeve kill them?!

    -So on that note, more well-fitting novelty and band t-shirts. Whenever I’m at a show and a band tells me they have girly tees, I politely say there’s no way in hell they’d ever fit me.

    -Wide-calf Doc Martens higher than 10-eye that fully lace up, and/or come with zippers installed on the side for being able to hurry in and out of them.

    -Despite my alt leanings, I have to say it…a Chanel suit. Really, why not? They’re supposed to be the epitome of style and success! There are many stylish and successful fat women who’d really love to buy one and have the dough for it but can’t.

    • Rachel, this is what I was looking for. Actual ideas, actual garments. I’d like to see all the above too!

      (Though I want both sleeveless and a variety of sleeve length options.)

  • Hmmm… I think you covered most of my personal wish list in your original post. Diane VF wrap dress, check; fun patterned tights, check; pretty bras, check and double check! Like sweetnfat, I have the large band, small boobs issue combined with really, really narrow shoulders, so I want pretty bras that actually fit in all directions, give good support (I got away with braless for a lot of years, but now that I’m forty-nine, that just isn’t an option anymore), and STRAPS THAT STAY ON MY SHOULDERS!

    The other absolute dream item for me is a coat in a really LOUD color. I’m so sick of winter coats being black, grey, navy, brown, and forest green. Dammit I want a warm, snuggly winter coat that has some sort of really dashing detail and I want it in an obnoxiously bright and cheerful color. I’m not talking about that one, lone red coat that shows up every year, either, even though I do look kickass in red. I’m talking purple. Orange. Lime green. Sunshine yellow. Fuchsia. Hell, aquamarine would do nicely. Rainbow stripes would give me a happy. I’m just sick of all winter coats that make any pretense of keeping you properly warm being made in all neutrals all the time.

    I want tastefully Boho goodies. I want them made of fine fabrics and quality trims. I’m talking about things that look like the stuff at Gypsy Moon (http://gypsymoon.com/) but in sizes I can wear, too, not a polyester nightmare in a splatter print of primary colors with a handkerchief hem and 3/4 bell sleeves. I want to feel like a fat Stevie Nick.

    Also, I’m with Eve about the wider variety of prettier prints for fats. I like pattern. I like color. I like to play with them both. Let me at ’em!

  • Bras – I want bras like the ones you showed but I want them to fit my rack of doom (I wear a 52H in US sizing). And I don’t want that gawd-awful foam sling crap that they put in the bottom of the cup that’s supposed to support your boobage but all it does is roll and dig in and shift and irritate and never stays in place (because it’s not sewn down except at the band/sides). And I am so tired of white/black/beige being the only available colors, if I can even find a bra to fit (which I haven’t since Goddess quit making the one I really liked).

    • Pretty bras are nigh on impossible to find for plus-sizes, particularly we super sizes. I hear you on that foam stuff too. Plus what is the point with padding a bra that is a D cup or bigger? I mean, I already have big tits, they don’t need padding more!

  • Oh, dear! So many things! I’ve always inclined toward a preppy style, and would KILL for anything in the Brooks Bros. ladies’ line (I think they stop at a smallish 14). And a bathing suit, my God, yes, a bathing suit with REAL underwired cups, like the ones you can find in an A or B. Why those suits don’t get made for C, D, DD, etc., I’ll never figure out. And speaking of bras…the old Vanity Fair “My Favorite Fantasy” bra is super, but some lunkhead decided that what we REALLY need is stretch straps. WRONG! I want straps that don’t stretch, so that the weight of by D cups won’t pull them down & leave me with waist-level boobs.

    Note to Rachel: you want Chanel? I have a gorgeous upscale knockoff, size 24, too big for me now. It’s yours if you like.

  • I agree with you Kath! Swim suits with underwires! Better bras for all! TIGHTS!!!! Good gawd I want some vibrant and fun tights! But might I also ad BOOTS!!! I want fun and gorgeous boots to fit my 20″ calves on my 8w feet without the endless hassle, searching and hoping.

    • BOOTS! I have been so lucky to pick up two pairs last winter thanks to Autograph, but those are the only affordable ones I can find with calves big enough. I long for a pair of red boots, but to get them I’d have to take out a bloody loan!

  • I would kill for a really nice well tailored suit-the type with a nice single breasted jacket that nips in at the wais, with a pencil skirt and trousers that also match it. The type I see in places like Myer in straight sizes but never in plus sizes. I don’t want this suit to feature a tentlike jacket though-I want a smart business style jacket and well cut trousers, and a pencil skirt that fits me correctly at the waist and hips since I have an hourglass shape.
    I would also like more supercute party frocks and just everyday dresses. It is so rare that I come across a truly cute dress that I must have, and I’d say judging by how quickly things like the Domino Dollhouse berry beautiful dress sold out first time round, I’d say there are lots of other girls out there also wanting something cute, quirky and available in larger sizes.
    I think overall I want things that are full of personality without being tacky. Full of personality equals different prints, different styles, not horrific assymetrical offerings. I don’t want to be wearing the exact same thing as the fat girl standing next to me in a store. I want clothes that don’t bore me.

    • melhoneybee I hear this complaint about suits all the time. It strikes me as particularly absurd considering the fact that fat women DO have jobs! And they need to dress for those jobs!

  • I’m going to be predictable and say boots (both cutesy knee high boots and Dr Martens). I know there are some manufacturers out there, but they’re usually way out of my price range plus I’m very picky about the style, so not just any boot that will fit my calves will do. Also shoe shopping online can be such a hassle – I dream about being able to go to a store and try on pairs of boots and walk around in them before I invest any money in them.

    And yes, over knee socks.

  • I’ll join in the requests for funky tights, although I have the opposite problem to you, Erylin: I’m 5’5″, and most basic black tights I can get that fit my thighs give me an inch or so of unwanted extra leg that bunches round the crotch. Not nice.

    More things: Pretty, comfortable bras that push my girls into some sort of cleavage, because just being 40DD does not guarantee this for me, and I’ve never been able to make a bra fitter understand that.
    Briefs that match the aforesaid bras but which aren’t thongs.
    Shorts-style briefs in funky colors – so often the big sizes of ‘everyday’ pants are all full briefs, and all white or pastels.
    Girl-shaped tees that allow for bigger arms. Even when I find a ‘skinny’ tee – hate the term but you know the shape I mean – that fits me on the bust, the arms tend to be on the tight side.
    Corsets – the kind that are clearly for fun, not control – bustiers, dresses with boned bodices of the Goth variety.

    Also, just for geek value, everything Alex Kingston has worn in Doctor Who so far. With the possible exception of the spacesuit. 😉

    • I want those t-shirts Emerald. Girl/babydoll whatever they are cheesily called, but the ones that aren’t big and boxy – the ones with shape. I want those too! Especially with geeky prints!

  • OMG I LOVE THAT RED BRA!!!!!!!
    I don’t really know what I want because I find it so hard to dress these days. I’m very poor (Student, on a carer’s pension) and clothes are not even on The List of priorities. 😦
    But I would definitely say sexy bras…. in my actual size (which is some motley combination of a 24 C/D depending on the style of the bra.
    Also, short skirts… ones like this: http://www.gothicgarden.co.uk/Gothic_Lady/Short_Skirts/Cotton_and_Tartan_Skirt_366 but maybe a touch longer…
    Also boots!!!! Ones like these: http://www.overstock.com/Clothing-Shoes/Dolce-Gabbana-Dark-Brown-Leather-Button-Boots/2567301/product.html (but flat, because I can’t do heels LOL)
    I could probably post more… but my severe lack of clothing funds is depressing me. I’m so sick of wearing the same clothes… jeans and T’s, jeans and T’s, jeans and T’s…..
    😦

    • I remember what it was like AnotherFatPrincess to have no budget for one’s wardrobe. It wasn’t that far ago in the past that I was in the same situation, and it sucks.

      Keep dreaming though, and don’t be ashamed to dream big.

  • A longline leather coat. Actually, any stylish leather jacket.

    The closest thing I’ve ever found was my hot pink fake snake jacket bought in NY in 1997, which was awesome in its own right, but still not leather.

  • My kingdom for some party clothes that are actually appropriate for someone my age (26)! THE plus size clothing company here in Norway, Zizzi (kinda like Lane Bryant in the US, and evans in the UK), just put out a whole catalogue/magazine dedicated to parties, http://www.zizzi.dk/Default.aspx?ID=289&PurgeTrue, and there’s not ONE outfit in there that any of my straight sized friends would ever consider wearing to go out.

  • Oh, and ANOTHER THING!

    I’d like more plus size manufacturers/designers to realize that not all fat women are a minimum of 5’8″ and wear between a DD and an F cup bra.

    As a deathfatty who stands 5’2″ dripping wet and wears a perfect C cup (with an extra broad back and narrow shoulders, forsooth!), it would be really nice to buy pants I don’t need to cut six inches off the bottoms and an occasional blouse whose neckline is neither Amish nor cut down to my belly button.

    What we have in common is that we are fat. We do not have a height nor a body shape in common.

    • Amen, Twistie! I am so tired of pants that are too long, and dresses that fit perfectly except for in the chest.
      My dream items–more pinup girl type clothing in plus sizes, especially dresses; more event t-shirts in my size (I happen to be a huge roller derby fan, and I would buy a hundred derby shirts if I could. But the women’s cut XL would maybe fit half of me, and I am just not shaped like a men’s 2X. This is baffling to me as there are MANY plus sized roller girls.) more full circle skirts that hit at or above the knee–I love this cut on me, but I only seem to be able to find pencil skirts, mini, a-lines, and maxis; cute cocktail dresses that aren’t black; plus size Lolita dresses that don’t cost a fortune.
      I also have to agree with having more things that aren’t sleeveless!!

  • A strapless bra, size 48 DDD and up. Plus-size retailers constantly make dresses and tops that require one but they don’t make them for us extremely busty ladies. I guess they feel once your breasts are above a certain cup size, you need straps to hold them up.

    Ladies’ shoes in size 12 WW – 13W that you can try on in the store, not online only. Avenue does have Cloudwalkers, but the wider sizes are very limited in stock.

  • I want classic workwear – it’s proven to be my greatest sartorial challenge. I want a blazer in every colour of the rainbow (and a few more than aren’t in the rainbow, like some neon colours). I want a suit. I want business shirts with proper collars (ie. collars I can wear a tie with) and cufflinks. I want an array of high-waisted pencil skirts.

    PS. Jibri have some lovely wrap dresses. I bought this one http://www.etsy.com/listing/56237091/jibri-plus-size-aviator-sleeved-wrap not long ago in plum (which was actually more like aubergine). Like all of Jibri’s stuff, it was really well made, but it didn’t suit me so I gave it to my mum who LOVES it. The material is quite thick, so might be a bit much for Brissie weather, but she also sells a couple of summer wrap dresses.

    • Workwear – yes! I have such a hard time dressing for work. I shop mostly via Junonia and Ulla Popken and it seems like I can find casual or fancy, but not a lot in between. I would love some of those business shirts you describe!

  • A variety of shapes in pants! I have a small waist, big hips and big calves. The only shape of pants I can wear is wide leg (which become regular leg on me) but when I shop to fit my hips and calves, the pants are about 20cm too big for my waist! I can take in pants in light fabrics, but the heavier the fabric the greater chance I’ll rip the pants. I know that a lot of other people have the opposite problem – when they buy to fit their waist, they get baggy pants – so variety is my request.

    Smaller shoulders would be nice, too – sometimes I want to show cleavage, but it should be voluntary, not because the whole top is slipping down!

  • Thanks for the inspiration – I wore a wrap dress I bought from Salvation Army today to work for the first time. I wore a pair of trousers underneath for chub rub protection and for warmth (our air conditioners are mad at work). It was a nice change from black pants and top!

  • I want one of those shirts that’s in all the low-priced catalogs right now. The one with the 3/4 tab sleeves, the top two buttons that can be left unbuttoned to show a little skin without my bra straps hanging out there, and the front gathers? Yeah, that style. Except can I for once have it in true red? Not coral, not mulberry, not red plaid. RED.

    I want some soft, cozy nighties so roomy I can tuck my feet underneath them, but with lots and lots of lace on the bodice and lots of tiny buttons. No elastic in the long, loose sleeves please, and no nylon–cotton blends only. I want the yoke to be cut so that if I lean forward juuust a little, my husband can see straight down my nightie.

      • And no chest pockets! They’re useless as pockets if you have big boobs and my boobs don’t need square signs on them that basically say “boobs here, lookit lookit.”

  • I came back. I remembered I also want “subculture” clothes – goth, raver, lolita, cyberpunk, you name it. All sorts of quirky stuff in fun colours and materials.

    I also battle with the idea of strapless bras. There are some in my size, but the ones I’ve tried on haven’t been any good. So I tend to not care about showing my bra straps. While I agree that much of the “trendy” clothes out there are designed to be worn with a strapless bra I don’t want to have any shaming about bra straps or visible panty seams or whatever seems to be the most abhorrent thing at a given moment. So while I’m intrigued by the idea of a strapless bra that will fit, I still don’t know if I really want one.

    • I hear you loud and clear on THAT, beep– Lippy used to have their own plus collection, as well as the stuff they made for Torrid from 1999-2002 or so was SO AWESOME, as well as other alt big names like Serious, Lucky 13, and Tripp.

      Tripp to my knowledge is the only one that continuously makes clothes for Torrid, and the offerings are just….meh. I have a few pieces I like and their skinny jeans are OK on me, but it’s not like how Torrid was really just a plus-sized extension of Hot Topic back then (and both stores were FAR superior to what they are now IMO.)

      I’m also a G cup and strapless bras = always been a no-go with me. The closest I ever came was a 5-way convertible type from Lane Bryant that gave awesome support and came with clear straps so stuff with wider necklines looked better on me…but good god that bra HURT.

      So other ladies addressed it and I forgot it on my wishlist….manufacturers, please make DD and up cups in awesome styles that don’t make my tits

      1) sag
      2) hurt
      3) look like footballs.

  • I know this may not seem like much as dreaming big goes but one thing I would really, really like is some very plain bras – no extraneous frills or furbelows, no industrial strengthTriumph Doreen fugliness – just unembellished and simple, in a variety of styles, maybe with some cotton content, in actual colours, (which is to say ones that aren’t black, white, beige or oyster), and prints. I also want comfortable and equally utilitarian knickers in a variety of styles that match those bras. And, while we’re about it, I’d appreciate some slips in matching colours/prints too.

    There are two issues here. The first specifically relates to being plus-sized, while the other is more of a personal bugbear. Plus sized bugbear first: As a 38FF based in the UK, I am currently spoiled for choice for bras style-wise, (It wasn’t always like this. In my DD youth I was regularly sent on my way by über snotty shop assistants assuring me they had “no call” for anything over a C cup). But Bravissimo, the main UK purveyor of bras for the prodigiously be-racked, don’t stock matching knickers beyond a UK size 16, nor do their suppliers manufacturer them. In fact, like pretty much every other retailer, they’re completely in denial that fat women wear their bras at all. (I know this because I’ve written to them but that’s a rant for another day). So I spend my life rifling through the size 22 drawers in Evans and Marks and Spencer in the forlorn hope of finding some that might vaguely match the bra I’ve just forked out a king’s ransom for. And the fussier the bra the more of a Herculean task it is. As a matchy person this annoys the living fuck out of me.

    Bugbear the second: it’s not that I don’t like the look of fussy, lacy, pretty bras. I do. I own lots – mainly because the plainer stuff does only come in boring neutrals and I despise them. However, what my body wants to wear on an everyday basis, is a smooth, soft, underwired tee-shirt bra and cotton knickers that come up to my waist dammit! For me, textbook definition “sexy” underwear is neither comfortable nor practical. The lace itches; push-up bras give me a stiff neck, halter-neck bras give me raging upper back pain the moment I put one on, and don’t get me started on thongs and bikini-drawers, neither of which I feel remotely sexy in. So that leaves me with “granny pants”, a tooth-grindingly ageist slur if ever there was one. (Are they granny pants, I wonder, because the thought of older women being sexual beings makes the younger generation queasy or because they’re generally beige? Is having your arse hanging out – or your belly hanging over – your undercrackers really the only way to be taken seriously in the sexy stakes? Would said granny pants still be considered thus if they sported a bold leopard print and came with a matching leopard print balconette bra? Digressing I know but food for thought none the less).

    • But Bravissimo, the main UK purveyor of bras for the prodigiously be-racked, don’t stock matching knickers beyond a UK size 16, nor do their suppliers manufacturer them. In fact, like pretty much every other retailer, they’re completely in denial that fat women wear their bras at all. (I know this because I’ve written to them but that’s a rant for another day).

      Ouch. Buttercup, I’ve had issues with Bravissimo myself. I’m a 40DD, and I had to stop going there because I saw so many bras I loved that didn’t come above a 38 back (on their website, there are 70-odd styles for 36, 38…then down to only 28 that come in a 40, and they don’t go above that.) When I complained in store once, they really weren’t interested. On their website at one point there was an FAQ asking ‘Why don’t you make bigger back sizes?’ and they replied ‘We do not stock bras for outsize women, they can get bras in plenty of other places’ – which is, pardon the expression, bollocks; the only UK store I know I can go into and all the bra styles will be available in my size (and the matching knickers, if any, will too – as an 18 I’ve also had that problem) is Evans, and I’d bet that problem increases exponentially for women bigger than me. That FAQ is no longer on Bravissimo’s site, and they simply don’t address the issue, so they’d clearly like to pretend that bigger women don’t exist. In fact, they say elsewhere that their target demographic is the ‘average sized woman with big breasts’ (which doesn’t really address the issue that the average sized UK woman is a 16, a size at which you could quite easily, depending on your build, have a 40+ back.) I just find them patronizing.

      • It is indeed complete bollocks, Emerald. I don’t know where they think those “plenty of other places” are outside of Cloud Cuckoo Land. I’ve yet to find a bra in Evans that does diddly for my charlies. Lately I’ve had more luck in T.K. Maxx. When I corresponded with Bravissimo they said their original plan was to make bras for plus size women too, but they came to realise that was too ambitious. Apparently outsize women have mysterious special needs when it comes to the over the shoulder boulder holder. Buggered if I know what those are apart from problems faced by those with a very wide back sizes combined with a modest cup size. Every time I go in there at least half the women – consumer and staff – are fat.

  • Everything you picked out was great. You all need to check out a website, I think she calls herself cupcakes clothes. She’s adorablel and wears even cuter clothes. Obviously we all know I’m a grandmother from my screen name…so take it from someone who had more than her share of boobage. Getting a breast reduction was the best thing I have ever done for myself. No more pain in my neck, no more back spasms…and now I’m a nice generous 38C….Perkier than any other 56 year old I know….Don’t suffer and wait as long as I did…Of course unless you love them…hugs

    • I’m sorry, but what? I didn’t actually know I could get triggered by suggestions of breast reduction, but I did. What does your being a grandma have to do with your “share of boobage”? In my experience back pain is more the result of an ill-fitted bra than the breasts themselves, and that is not a problem with your body, it’s a problem with lousy lingerie options. Also… perkier? This is downright body shaming.

      • Beep, my apologies for not being on this sooner – as I mentioned I have been offline for a couple of days as I’ve had other commitments. I will make sure it does not happen again, and I’m deeply sorry that you were subjected to this.

        You are right, it’s body shaming.

    • I don’t know if the suggestion of breast reduction surgery was meant to be addressed to me, since I mentioned back pain? I have fibromyalgia and it tends to manifest itself in my neck, shoulders and upper back. Maybe getting a breast reduction would help with that – however I do happen to be quite attached to my breasts. I’m also no fan of anaesthesia.

      • Buttercup Rocks, it doesn’t matter if the suggestion was for you or for anyone else, it was inappropriate in this space and for that you have my apologies for not stepping in sooner.

    • Zachs mema – it is NEVER acceptable to suggest other people should get surgery. You are free to make the choices you wish to make for your own body, but pushing those on other people for their bodies is not acceptable.

      Not to mention that everything I stand for, every ounce of energy I put into this blog and the work I do is about loving the body you have, and not altering our bodies to make them look a different way. I am about smashing beauty norms that say women should have “perky boobs for their age” or any other bullshit like that.

      Your comment was inappropriate and indeed, triggering for people. It certainly was for me, and clearly others too. Consider this your first and final warning on the topic, any further suggestions about cosmetic or body altering surgery and other methods will be removed and the commenter blocked.

  • Here’s another request—Halloween costumes that aren’t sexy versions of the following:

    Gypsy
    Serving Wench
    Pirate
    Ladybug

    It seems all plus size costumes for us are the above or similar. And since my sewing skills involve nothing more than patching tears and holes, sewing on buttons and turning long pants into capris, it would be nice to see a variety of costumes that don’t involve short dresses and showing cleavage. That’s perfectly fine for the ladies that want to do it, but I’m a bit more modest and the ones I mentioned above are not my style.

  • long sleeved flannel shirts that fit my oh so generous hips and ass and my average boobs and shoulders-I have one that I have worn to death. I nice rain coat that does not cut the circulation off at the thighs-in vibrant colors-I live on the coast and it is drab enough in the rain, I don’t need my raincoat to be drab too.

  • I saw several comments about boots. I have NEVER been able to find knee boots that fit my calves. Seriously, I have monster calves, but they’re almost all muscle. I ordered a pair from http://www.widewidths.com/lowheelboots.html and they’re awesome. They zip right up, even over my jeans and they’re great quality. A little pricy, but like I said, they’re great quality. Now I’m saving my pennies for a brown pair that go up over the knee.

    • skeptifem – This is ground we’ve covered before. Not everyone has the time to learn to sew, nor do they have the talent (and sewing clothing is a talent), nor do they want to learn to sew. In my case, I know how to sew, I’m 57 years old, and I’ve been sewing since I was 9 years old. But, I have fibromyalgia, and I can’t stand or sit for the amount of time it takes to cut out a garment, let alone the time it takes to make it – the sewing and pressing of seams, and all the details take too much toll on my health. If I sew a little bit at a time, it would take me weeks to make one blouse without being in severe pain. If I make one blouse in one sitting, then I can’t do anything for a week afterward.
      I already have that amazing skill and I used it, up until fibromyalgia kicked in and kicked my ass and my health. So now I don’t have a choice, I have to deal with what clothing retailers offer, just like everyone who doesn’t have the time or skill to learn how to sew.

      • I agree 1000%, vesta. I learned to sew when I was 15 and love to do it but don’t have the wherewithal to do it because one needs a decent machine plus adequate space/table to sew…don’t have them in my current dwelling.

        Plus sometimes it ends up being even more expensive to make your own clothing between purchasing fabric, notions, and patterns if you’re not skilled enough to make your own patterns; and just like with ready-made clothing you run into the same sizing problems on commercial patterns as well. Then if it doesn’t go well/ends up being unsalvageable, it’s not like a ready-made garment that could easily be restored.

        It’s also simply the idea of, how come retailers and manufacturers don’t satisfy a demand that clearly exists?? Sewing one’s own clothing should be an option, not a near-necessity.

    • I don’t want to make me own clothes-I just want the same range/variety available in sizes above a 14 that there is available below a size 14. After all half of all women wear a size 14 and above so there clearly is a large market there to cater to.
      I don’t have time to make my own clothes-I spend enough time sewing straps on to strapless dresses (because I can’t buy a strapless bra anywhere in my size that holds the girls up). The last thing I need is to spend all my free time making clothes to cover myself, if I could even get nice patterns to fit.

    • People who fall into the straight-size range don’t have to learn how to sew so why should people who fall into the plus-size range?

  • 1. Clothes in natural fibres
    2. Dresses that aren’t empire line shaped. I love princess seaming.
    3. Skirts and pants that are for tall fats. Short skirts barely cover my bottom. Long skirts look like they’ve shrunk in the wash. Pants usually sit above my ankles. I can buy pants long enough online, but never in shops here in Australia.
    4. I really want the same clothing options for plus sizes as for straight sizes. I love so much of the stuff that comes out in straight sizes, but very little of it makes it to a plus size.

  • I’ve been offline for a couple of days because I’ve been busy and I’m just catching up with all of this.

    Firstly, let me just say that in this forum, we DO NOT suggest surgery, body modification or any other form of changing oneselves as an option for finding clothing that fits. It’s fucking offensive and goes against EVERYTHING I stand for. I will address the issue further in response to the comments directly, but it stops NOW. I apologise to those who have been upset or triggered by other people’s comments with regards to this and that I wasn’t able to be on it earlier.

    Secondly, before we get derailed into this whole “you should just learn to sew” bullshit again (we’ve been there and we do know it’s bullshit), I want everyone to go back to the original question.

    GARMENTS. OUTFITS. Come on people. I’m trying to get you to tell me the exact garments you dream of. Not just because it amuses me, because I want to take this information to manufacturers and retailers and say “Here’s what we want. Please provide this.” But if it derails every time into “you should just learn to sew” or “I just want sleeves”, it’s of no use to either me or the companies I want to take it to.

    Now, I’ll ask the question again:

    If you could have any garment or outfit made in your size, what would it be? In other words, what is that dream item/s of clothing that you would love to have, but cannot find in plus-sizes?

    Back to this topic and no other.

  • Ooh! Ooh! I’ve got another one!

    I’m Finnish. That means I live in the subarctic where the temperature is below 0ºC for a good half of the year. During the coldest months it’s far colder than that – it’s not uncommon to drop below -30ºC and sometimes even -40ºC. This means that whatever trendy winter clothing there’s made by Evans, Asos, Dorothy Perkins or other UK or US based retailers, it’s not cut out for our weather. That leaves us with maybe five different black saggy coats to choose between. And maybe one wool coat with some shape, but also black.

    It’s fucking uninspiring. The season for cutesy dresses and skirts is very short over here and it makes me feel left out of the fatshion dress-up game for a good part of the year. I want a bright coloured, on-trend, structured winter coat that I can accessorize and won’t freeze in. And while we’re at it, I want THICK and warm, maybe woollen, coloured tights for fall and spring.

    P.S. The lack of colours in winter clothing is something even straight sized people complain about. What’s the deal, clothing makers? Isn’t it already dark and depressing enough?

  • I’m late to the party, but I thought I’d offer my two cents. If I could have any clothing retailer make plus sizes in my size and larger, it would be Anthropologie, a rather ‘exclusive’ US clothing retailer. Click here: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/category.jsp?pageName=Clothes&navAction=jump&id=CLOTHES
    Anthropologie’s style is vintage inspired, ’20s, ’30s, ’40s, a little bit preppy, a little bit whimsical, and very much my style. But they’ve never made plus sizes, and according to their marketing team, never will.
    I’d love to be able to dress like Ms. Emily Apple of style/lifestyle blog Some Girls Wander – click here: http://theblackapple.typepad.com/somegirlswander/frocks/
    Ms. Emily has many Anthropologie items in her wardrobe, featured in her outfit posts. But Ms. Emily isn’t a plus size gal, and as much as I’d like to emulate her style and create my own unique Anthropologie looks, I’ll never be able to do it if Anthropologie continues their lack of plus sizes. (And for the record, I can’t sew to save my life, so that’s not an option. I don’t have the patience or apartment space for it.) …Why, Anthopologie, WHY?? Why do you dislike fat people so much?

  • The other thing I would like to see? Use the same fabrics/prints/colors in plus size clothing that they use for straight sizes. I’m so sick of going into stores and seeing the huge variety of fabrics/prints/colors in straight sizes and then going to the plus sizes and seeing maybe a third of that (and most of the prints in plus size look like they should be used for upholstering furniture, not adorning my body). I know those fabrics/prints/colors are available to the manufacturers of plus size clothing, so why aren’t they using them?

  • Okay, back again…

    Coloured tights that reflect prevailing colour trends; every year as a matter of course. Not just for five minutes or one season, (yes, Evans, I’m talking to you). Also, as others have mentioned, coloured woollen tights. It’s been decades since I’ve seen any in my size.

    Sleeves on summer dresses; so, so tired of spaghetti straps, bandeau tops and general sleevelessness. I like a shrug but I’d rather wear them out of choice than necessity.

    Natural fabrics for winter clothes. In summer we get cotton and linen but the moment the temperature plummets it’s Polyester City. Hate it. Soooo much.

    More apple-friendly clothing please, plus-size manufacturers! To date I have never found a pair of skinny jeans – or even jeggings – that didn’t hang off my legs.

    Swimwear with proper support. Several manufacturers offer swimwear with a choice of cup sizes but, like Bravissimo, refuse to acknowledge or care that many women with big tits have big everything else. Meanwhile UK plus-size manufacturers are totally half-arsed about addressing the issue. They either offer no support at all or they stop at a DD. Why?

    Night attire that is neither frumpy nor sextacular.

  • these (http://www.etsy.com/listing/62751161/sexy-octopus-tattoo-thigh-high-socks) fantastic tattoo thigh highs in *actual* plus sizes (their plus size XXL goes only up to about a size 12)

    Two words: rockabilly pinup.

    Bikinis! With underwires! Personally I want smaller cups with larger bands and underwires and a little oomph! my boobs are only C/D cup but my band is a 40/42- incredibly difficult to find bras (anywhere other than lane bryant) and near impossible to find bikini tops! And geeze can I get bikinis in more colors than just black?!

    steampunk clothing- and not made out of leather while we’re at it.

    plus size vintage inspired clothing- i walk through any random store and see gorgeous cream lace and ruffles and never in my size

  • Can I also have one of most things ADELE wears?
    Her smokey cabaret looks are awesome and impossible to find here

  • You want something specific? Here you go.
    For my US size 10WW feet, and my large proportionate legs, I want a well-lined pair of over-the-knee boots with lots of fur on the outside, not just a little at the top. They should have good sturdy heels, high enough for fashion and low enough to be comfortable walking around in. I want a high-quality leather or suede (but not so delicate that it needs a lot of fussy care or can only be worn when it’s dry out). NO BLACK! (And they can also skip the dark brown and navy.) Perhaps a patchwork of bright colors, or an artistic abstract design. They should be closed not by zipper, but by beautiful buttons, maybe made from coins or old subway tokens or teeny watch faces or something else interesting and unique.

    I hope this is what you’re looking for. There are other types of clothing I want, but I have a special desire for wonderful shoes and boots. I’ve worn drab footwear for far too much of my life.

  • I would love business wear for work like the pencil skirts you pictured and in different colours jewel colours like emerald green and purple and a neat blouse tucked into the high waisted skirt. I can just picture myself slinking through the office like Joan in Mad Men wearing something like that. Ladylike. Also a high waisted skirt with inverted pleats that falls to my knee. I would also love some shoes and sandals with a heel that is not too high but not completely flat. I can picture it in my head but it’s hard to describe. I have loved reading the posts here and checking out the links and websites. Thanks everyone.

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