Ask me anything!

Need advice? Looking for a particular item? This post is the place to leave a comment and ask questions. Feel free to ask me about anything. Please keep in mind that I may not be able to answer every single question but I will do my best to answer as many as I can.

Note: Thanks for your questions! I'm going to temporarily close the comments on this post so I can get caught up and answer any questions I haven't gotten to yet. Thanks for your patience!

Comments

[Peanuts]

How about *really* big clothing? Bigger than size 32? Where does one go if you're bigger than the biggest sizes at the big size clothing stores? What do other super-size women do?

[JenLovesPonies]

My cousin is getting married the first weekend of October in the middle of Illinois. What should I wear to fall-yet-maybe-still-hot-yet-maybe-freezing wedding? I have to go light a candle or some other stupid thing during it, so I have to look presentable. The details: the wedding is indoors at 2:30, with a reception dinner. I am size 14/16ish, with 7.5W shoes. I own many black skirts, but apparently one can't wear black to weddings. I don't have a ton of money to spend, so I would like to get a dress or skirt/shirt and hopefully shoes for $100 or less. I prefer not to shop online unless I am complete sure of sizes. I have a Torrid nearby, and I think a Lane Bryant, and maybe an Avenue, but that might be a hike, and all the usual other stores found in any mall in America. What should I wear?

[Sara]

Do you (or any of your readers) shop at Silhouettes? I think their catalog styling is awesome, but the one dress I ordered from them I had to send back because it was frumpy and basically a bag on me. Anyone else have better experiences?

[joan]

I've shopped at Silhouettes and I almost always order a size smaller than what the size chart says. I'd say about 95% of the clothes they offer are very generously cut.

[Laura]

I am moving to Chicago this winter and was wondering where a young plus size hipster can get a fashionable coat to keep her warm without breaking the bank. What should I look for in a coat?

[Cait]

Hello!
I now feel great my new wide calf boots, but where are the wide calf knee socks? I hate wearing nylons/tights, but the regular socks bunch unattractively under the boot. Any advice?

Thank you!

[BwayBaby]

Where do the tall ladies shop? I'm 5'10" and I wear an 18/20 at Lane Bryant (most online places I've looked at, I'm a 22 or 24). Most of my height is in my legs so I'm always looking for nice work pants in Tall Plus sizes. I've had good luck (sometimes) at both Lane Bryant and Avenue - but are there other places? Why do the Plus Size departments assume we're all short? I mean, I'm glad they have the Petite department (I sometimes have to buy jackets here because I'm so short waisted), but why can't they offer choices? Thanks!

[Lala]

hi pretty pear!

i am looking for a pucci inspired dress and i completely forget the designer who does plus size "pucci". on the website there are mostly black models and dresses are in the $300 range. can you help me out? i know i've seen it on your website before. thanks!
Lala

[lnz]

I'm currently planning a trip to Europe next spring, my first time over there, and I'm looking for shopping recommendations. Do they have many options for plus-size clothes? Specifically, I'm going to be in Paris, Florence, Madrid & Barcelona. Any suggestions would be great!

[Alexis]

Thanks, Colleen for your note on the Fashion Victime blog on AOL Black Voices. Your site is great for plus-sized fashions. The Pretty Pear is amazing!

Alexis

[Carrie]

Any suggestions for finding modern plus-size fashions for those of us up north in Canada? Some online retailers offer international shipping while others don't. I'm an 18/20, and had luck with Torrid, Lane Bryant and Silhouettes but not much else. (Although I must say, I haven't actually found things that fit properly with Silhouettes, they seem to cut things differently, pieces are boxier). There are few plus-size retailers in Canada, however, most of them aren't offering modern clothing or anything suitable for career wear. Appreciate any suggestions! Thanks.

[Deborah Friedman]

Hi

I think your blog is great. I am in the process of creating one through my site, Plus Size Plum for sexy lingerie. I'd love to invite you to check it out. I also carry designer plus size lingerie.

Thanks,
Deborah

[dowdydiva]

Carrie, have you tried Addition Elle? It's a chain I visited in Montreal. Great casual and career wear. I have a track suit I have worn into the ground from them, and wish I had enough room in my suitcase to bring more clothes home.

Here's the link:
http://www.additionelle.ca/en/index.cfm?hasFlash&

And they have a Marina Rinaldi store in Toronto, I've heard. Those clothes are pricy, but to die for...

[Jennifer]

I am Canadian and going to Houston for work next week. What American plus sized stores can I look for at the Galleria and other large malls? I usually shop at Reitmans and Addition Elle here in Canada but are looking for more selection. Thanks.

[JC]

I will be visiting Chicago the weekend of October 19, and have been looking for non-chain, plus size clothing stores - without much success!

Any tips would be appreciated - thank you

[FFG]

Hi,

OK, I have a fashion conundrum. My usual policy is to stop shopping at stores that don't treat their zaftig customers right. For example, if a store hides the Women's Plus section back in a dark corner by the restroom, or they move their plus collection to only online, I'll stop giving them my money. The dilema: Old Navy now only carries Plus on their website, right? But, they carry my perfect pants. Something about their stretch, low-rise, bootcut trousers just fits me like a glove...er...a really well-proportioned pair of pants, anyway. What to I do? Let go of Old Navy because I can't shop in the store with the skinny girls, or keep buying my favorite pants? Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Claire]

I finally found a fantastic grey tweed blazer (Avenue) and some great fitting dark rinse jeans (Right Fits - just had to OD on the Febreze a few times...) All the fashion stuff I've seen says that I can wear these two items together, but I have NO CLUE what to wear under the blazer... I could probably find a camisole somewhere, but I tend to get hot in jackets and usuall wind up taking them off. My arms are not made for public display - so HELP!!
What should I be wearing, and what shoes do I wear as well? Thanks for this blog and for your time.

[Claire]

Oh, and FFG, I had to give in on Old Navy, too. I get really frustrated with stores that, as I put it, would be glad to have my money but would really rather I not set foot in their store. But darn it, those Diva jeans are amazing, and a lot of their plus size tops are just so currently styled that I wind up giving them my money anyway. Hopefully they'll just naturally see the light and make it so we can shop...but try not to feel bad for giving in - we all have our weaknesses!!

[Catherine Cantieri]

First off, thanks for providing such an awesome -- and necessary! -- resource.

Now for the query: I'll be visiting New York at the end of October and would love to do a little plus-size shopping while I'm there -- but I can't think of any designers or shops to visit. What would you recommend for a shopping spree in NYC?

[Carrie]

Thanks Dowdy Diva for the suggestion, re: Addition Elle. I've shopped there, we have one in our local mall. I fall in the petite section for their store, b/c so much of what they sell is made for tall girls. Most of their tops are at least 30" in length and their average inseams seem to be about 32-33". Thankfully, they offer modern pieces and for that reason, I've shopped there a few times. The other major retailer we have is Pennington's and their clothes aren't modern, and suit an older demographic I think. Reitman's has a plus-size section (at the back of their stores!) and I've purchased a lot of my clothes there. However, I'd like to have more options... I'm open to shopping online, and have had some success with Lane Bryant and Torrid. My mail delivery person said "you shop a lot" when they delivered my last order-- I almmost died with embarrassment! I wanted to say to her "well, I can't find clothes that fit me in most stores, so I have to shop online!" but chose not to. :)