To those of you for whom the days of shopping in the large size section is a thing of the past, congratulations!

I'm at the very beginning of this journey, still buying plus size clothing, and thought it would be interesting to see who else here gets frustrated with the "fashion" industry.

What are your gripes? I'll start:

- Fabrics that cling to every lump and bump on your body.

- Capris. They're a two-fer: They make me look more rotund and highlight my cankles at the same time. What a bargain!

- Why does it seem that stores never have in a large size the one cute thing that catches your eye in the smaller sizes?

My biggest gripe is animal prints. Why does the plus sized clothing industry think that I want to look like an oversized leopard or zebra???

Swimsuits in plus sizes just assume you have enormous boobs and for those of us who werent given boobs they look absolutely ridiculous and just try finding a plus size swimsuit that doesnt have huge built in cups

Swimsuits in plus sizes just assume you have enormous boobs and for those of us who werent given boobs they look absolutely ridiculous and just try finding a plus size swimsuit that doesnt have huge built in cups

This is why I like the new trend in Tankinis where I can order different sizes for the top and bottom.

One of my gripes with swimsuits is that they all have some sort of power netting or Iron tummy panel that make it impossible to pull them up over your legs and hips.

UGH! Sleeveless shirts...not with these arms. Clothes that are shaped like pup tents...it needs to fit or it makes you look bigger. Ugly patterns...guess they have to use that fabric for someone so why not the plus sized clothes? The stores that DO carry plus size clothing but only have 1-2 of the larger ones and tons of 18/20's, they are sold out before you even get to the store. Lack of options in the first place.

So looking forward to getting into smaller sizes.

I'm cracking up over all the women that are complaining because the cut out for the boobs is too big. I have the HUGEST problem, because most of the time, there was never enough room FOR mine! I'm freakishly endowed though and have always felt that I'd end up getting a reduction one day. Perhaps its coming. I'm losing band size, but NOT cup size. The smaller the band goes the bigger my cup becomes.

I hope one day to be able to get a matching underwear set. And I don't like floral prints. Why do I need to look like your grandmother's couch???

Amen, Sistah!

My biggest gripe? All the ads where the women look so dang happy and comfortable in their bra's.....I hate bras....who can be happy in a underwire for 12 hours a day? Not me :/ lol....rant over!

Absolutely hate the pants with 2 inch zipper...............

I want my pants to go to my waist not inches above my crouch. But then I'm almost 60 so maybe too old fashioned!

Did anyone have a large bust before surgery and have them get smaller. I have a large bust and am worried about buying bras after surgery. My bras are 50+ bucks each...i cant imagine buying a new size every couple of weeks.

Okay my rant: Size 18s are now clown pants but size 16 are too small. Camel toe is so not the look I am going for.

This morning I tried on 4 pairs of pants: two size 16, one size 16W, one size 18- all no go. I am now wearing a dress. My size 16 capris fit but other than 1 pair are all not quite dressy enough work work except Friday when we can wear jeans. I guess I am going to be wearing dresses and skirts for work for a little while.

NikkiDoc - I've found that pants by "Women with Control" on QVC fit nicely in this size range. HTH

Ooh, got one: I'm short, but I'm not a damn dwarf. Why do I still trip over pants labeled "short"? Men can buy pants with specific inseam lengths and we get "short" "average" and "tall"...and they don't work for everyone.

And why do plus sized designers assume that everyone over a size 10 has freakin' gorilla arms?

(edited because i kant spel)

Sleeveless/cap sleeve shirts drove me crazy..

I can't stand the plus size tops with gigantic neck holes. It's like you would need to wear a strapless bra with some of them because they extend so far front, back and to the sides when put on. I wear a cardigan with some shirts because of it. I just want a normal neckline please, not a huge scoop or v. My butt is huge, not my head!! Geez

YES! I wear a cami almost every day!

That being said, there are a handful of pretty cool options that I sadly didn't discover until it was (mostly) too late:

1. modcloth.com (only online) -- I've known about them for years, but only realized about a year or so ago that they carry up to a 4x!! Have gotten a couple cute dresses and sweaters from here.

2. eShakti.com (not sure if they have storefronts) -- Just discovered these guys several weeks ago. They have really cute stuff. Their dresses rival (but don't 100% match) the cuteness of Modcloth, and they go up to a 6x and also offer CUSTOM SIZES at only an additional $7.50 per item. Well worth the upcharge for something that fits you PERFECTLY. (Especially for the girl with big hips/butt and super narrow shoulders!!)

3. torrid.com (and in stores) -- Even though their styles are more urban-ish than I usually wear, I was able to buy a Johnny Cash t-shirt here recently. Even with losing as much weight as I have, graphic Ts are hard to come by for the plus-size crowd. I have worn the Cash shirt twice and have gotten easily a dozen compliments each time.

The 4xl option at modcloth is pretty new.. I remember first seeing them a couple years ago, and they didn't really go over an 18ish.

Did anyone have a large bust before surgery and have them get smaller. I have a large bust and am worried about buying bras after surgery. My bras are 50+ bucks each...i cant imagine buying a new size every couple of weeks.

I'm just forcing myself to wear my bras.. They are getting too loose right now.. but they'll have to make due.