The Pretty Pear

Fall wedding attire

A question from Jen, who apparently loves ponies.

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?

The only real rule is that your attire should be appropriate for the time and location of the ceremony and reception. You wouldn't wear a cotton day dress to a winter wedding in a chapel and you wouldn't wear a cocktail dress to a ceremony on a beach. This one sounds like a basic afternoon ceremony, evening reception type wedding which are pretty much the only kind we have here in the midwest. I've been to many.

I don't see any reason not to wear black to a wedding, as long as it's not head to toe black. If you don't want to invest a bunch of money into this occasion, pairing a black skirt you already have with a light sweater or blouse in a color you like is a very viable option. It's better to be overdressed than underdressed but I'd aim for pulled together and "nice."

If you have a suit with a black skirt or trousers and a jacket, you could wear both to the ceremony and take the jacket off for the reception. I'd wear a top that's fancier than just a button-up you'd wear to the office, something prettier and party-going-ish. You can add a little glitz with some dangly earrings and heels in a metallic leather that compliment your jewelry. Basically, something you'd typically wear to the office but dressed up a bit more for evening. This is the route I'd take.

But you can definitely find an outfit plus shoes and maybe even jewelry for under or around $100. You mentioned Torrid, Lane Bryant and the Avenue, so here are some items from each store to give you ideas.

25% off at b&lu!

Hey! You can use the code SAVINGS at b&lu to save 25% off your purchase. I've never seen a coupon like this from them, so it deserves its own post :) The coupon is good until October 10th.

Clothes for extended plus sizes

First question! From Peanut:

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?

This is actually something I've been wanting to write about forever and ever and now is the time. Thanks for asking, Peanut! I have lots of links for you. I really should categorize these more nicely...

• Catherines goes up to a size 36, at least on their website.
• Jessica London goes up to size 34.
• Making it Big goes up to size 44.
• Woman Within goes up to size 44.
• Roaman's goes up to size 48.
• Zaftique goes up to size 38.
• The W+ sizes at Silhouettes goes up to a 44 misses.
• Big on Batik goes up to size 40.
• Just My Size has some items up to size 40.
• Myles Ahead goes up to 5X.
• Junonia goes up to size 40.
• Peggy Lutz carries up to size 40.
• Plus Woman goes up to size 10X.
• Love your Peaches Co. carries up to size 36.
• Baby Becoming has plus size maternity clothes up to size 6X.
• Sydney's Closet has occasion dresses up to size 44.
• Swimsuits for All has swimwear up to size 34.

Now keep in mind that sizes can vary greatly between retailers so always, always check the size chart and the company's return policy before ordering.

The challenge with extended plus sizes, aside just from the lack of availability, is that retailers don't invest in creating fashion forward pieces in larger sizes. It's obvious advice, but you can update a basic pant/top outfit with accessories. A beautiful bag, a few select pieces of jewelry or a colorful scarf can take you from blah to fantastic, especially if your clothing fits well and makes you feel good.

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!

Wide, wide boots? We have a winner.

I first wrote about boots for wide calves three years ago and interestingly, not much has changed since then. It's the same sites carrying boots for plus size women. I was going to write an update to that post but honestly, I haven't found a great reason to. However, the good news is that the retailers who are carrying wide calf boots update their styles every year and there are lots to choose from.

If you've been shopping for boots, you'll notice that most wide calf boots have about a 17 - 20 inch shaft circumference. It depends on where you carry weight but that would probably fit up to about a size 22-ish woman. This is great but I'm not a size 22, I'm a size 24 - 28 (depending on the... yeah, you know). The widest point on my lower leg measures 20 inches so while I could probably wear the more generous wide calf boots, they'd be a little snug. Is there a term for when your leg fat is squished out at the top of your boots? Leg muffin top? Not cute.

My mission was to find the boots with the widest circumference and I think I've found them.

Pecan boots from Avenue. They have a very generous 23 inch calf circumference, thanks to the lacing up the back. The only problem is that they're a WW (extra wide) width so if your actual foot isn't wide, then you might have some slipping around to contend with. My solution would be a thick ankle sock, which would be super comfortable and warm anyway. They're $99 and come in black and brown, sizes 8 through 13.

Keep in mind that I haven't tried these on so I have no idea how they fit or feel. I had a pair of Avenue shoes that I wore to death and they were pretty comfortable and good quality for the price.

Febreze saves the day!

In an effort to save my stinky Right Fit jeans, I picked up a bottle of extra strength Febreze at Target. I started by really spraying the jeans well, letting them dry, and put them through a wash cycle. They came out less stinky but not dramatically so. I tried again, spraying them liberally and letting them air dry, twice. The smell is almost gone but it'll take one more spray down and wash cycle to get rid of the smell completely. So if your Right Fit jeans smell like... whatever that smell is... try Febreze and don't be stingy with it. I went through half a 16 ounce bottle already but it's worth it!

Also, I always wash my jeans inside out and I haven't noticed any bleeding at all. I wouldn't wash them with lighter colored clothing anyway.

I got played

I thought fall was here but I forgot that I live in Chicago, where we can have three seasons... in the same day. So what do you wear when the calendar says fall but the heat won't go away already? How about a pretty sleeveless top in autumn colors, like this Elodie tank from b&lu? It's on sale for $31 and would be great with straight leg jeans and sandals. When it does finally get chilly, you can layer a cozy cardigan over it.

Got a minute?

You may have read on Big Fat Blog that Figure magazine is looking for a blogger. A few readers were nice enough to nominate me already (thank you, I love you) but I decided to take a chance and nominate myself, too. If you think I'd be a good blogger for Figure, please lend your voice in this thread. You have to register to post on their message board so I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

More about Right Fit jeans... yeesh.

I do have two complaints about the new Right Fit jeans. One, my pair of bootcuts in "Dark Rinse Denim" have a very noticable smell. I'm guessing it's the dye they use for that particular color because the pair I have in the "Medium Vintage Sandblast" don't have the same issue.

I'm going to try hosing them down with Febreeze before washing them and see if that helps. The smell won't keep me from wearing them but it is noticeable and they've been washed several times already. I hope that complaint has made its way up the ladder because a lot of people have mentioned it, including Lane Bryant sales associates.

Two, I tried on the flares and the denim is different from the bootcuts. It's thinner and not as substantial. The fit was nice but every lump and bump on my backside was made a little too obvious for me. This is the one time I'll say that I wish they were more like the old flares. I liked the denim they used for those a lot more.

Did you know that Catherine's has Right Fit jeans and pants, too? The jeans only come in one cut (classic straight leg) but they go up to the Right Fit size 12. There are basic career pants, too. If you need a larger size than what's available at Lane Bryant but still want to try the Right Fit line, Catherine's is an option.

Eh, clothes smlothes.

I don't feel like talking about clothes today. What's your favorite snack? What puts you in a great mood? What's your favorite color?

I like those cheddar cheese Kashi crackers or that great FAGE yogurt with the syrupy fruit. Both are available at your local Whole Foods. Tonight, peace and quiet are putting me in a good mood. These horrible, awful men have been doing repair work on my building's brick facade and it's been nonstop noise during the day for, like, two weeks! Drill drill, hammer, hacksaw, drill, hammer... All day.

I like pink, teal and pear green.

Oh hai, NY Fashion Week

So here's the thing - I've always had a special place in my heart for designer fashion. Designer fashion doesn't love me back so much, but it's still fun to look, right? You can check out the collections at Coutorture, if you're into that type of stuff. At the very least, you can get an idea of the trends that plus size retailers might adopt... eventually... some day... if we're lucky.

Follow up: Right Fit Jeans

I've gotten many comments on my first post about Lane Bryant's Right Fit jeans. Most of the comments are very positive but there seems to be a few people who aren't so pleased. I want to address some of the things that are coming up in regards to the new jeans.

First, let me say that I alway appreciate comments - they let me know I'm not just typing to myself here. And it's good to share our experiences so that other people can be armed with knowledge. I rarely buy much of anything anymore without doing at least a little bit of research. That's part of why I write this blog - I want to help people make informed choices when shopping for clothes.

Fail.

So I didn't post yesterday, thus failing at my own goal in less than 48 hours. Hey, look! Shoes!

These aren't wide width but I tried them on at DSW yesterday and they were actually pretty comfy. I was tempted to buy them until I realized that I have nothing to wear with them. I'm still tempted, though.

These high heel oxfords by Stuart Weitzman do come in wide widths and they're very on trend for fall. Wear them with wide leg trousers and yay, you've updated a wardrobe staple. They're also cute with tights and an A-line skirt.

Can she do it?

I am horrible at maintaining a weblog so I'm giving myself a goal - a new post every day for the next seven days. I really like to think my posts through and find lots of pictures and links, etc. but that also keeps me from posting regularly. So I'm throwing caution to the wind and just writing about whatever comes to mind.

Ok, here goes.

Kiyonna is having a sale. Did I mention that? Guess not. Anyway, I ordered that jacket last night and I can't wait to see how it looks. I have a hard time finding jackets that fit at the hip but aren't too boxy through the shoulders, bust and waist. I like that it's a wrap style without a lot of structure and has the belt so I can cinch at the waist. And it has pink lining! I love pink and brown together so that detail sealed the deal for me. It looks like it might be a tad short but we'll see. It's on sale for $50 down from $142. That's amazing.

My favorite lipgloss right now is Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in Dolly. It's about the same color as my lips but better. It's supposed to be a plumping gloss but I don't see much of a difference there. It is very shiny with a little bit of shimmer, so that automatically makes lips look fuller. Plus it has a minty sensation that's quite enjoyable.

Tim Gunn Fan Club

Did you watch the premier of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style on Bravo last night? Honestly, the show itself isn't anything ground breaking. It's a fashion makeover show. What's so great about it is what Tim Gunn himself brings to the table. Who else can say "I'm feeling woeful" and not sound... well, weird?

What I admire about Tim Gunn, on this show and Project Runway, is his ability to offer critique and criticism without being judgmental. He makes it about the clothing and not the person. And he does it with grace and charm.

Being a member of the Tim Gunn Fan Club, I picked up his book soon after it came out. Again, it's not ground breaking material. But it's written from the Tim Gunn perspective, where there's grace and beauty but practicality as well. The whole point of the book is to choose a style that suits you so that shopping becomes less about defining yourself through clothes and more about finding pieces that reflect who you already are.

I've always been looking for a book, or a magazine, or a TV show to tell me "This is how you dress" and just be done with it. But the truth is that no one person can decide that for you. All we have are guides, like Tim Gunn, to offer tips and some logical advice. The rest is up to you.