As I've been plus sized for about ten years, I have no idea what all the "regular" stores offer. What are some good stores for transitioning from plus to regular sizes? I don't want to walk into some leeetle girly boutique and be all embarassed.

Linda

I am not there yet... but I highly recommend Steve & Barry's ( Steve & Barry's ) if there is one near you. We have two about 30 minutes from us and they are great stores for buying low cost clothing. The most expensive item they sell is $20. I'm talking from baby to adult, men and women, winter coats to shoes. Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Bynes and Venus Williams all have clothing lines there that bear their name. The idea is to get stylish clothes to everyone at a price that is fair.

They don't currently carry plus sizes, that I could find anyway, but I plan on doing most of my shopping there as I drop sizes. It will be so much easier than hitting the thrift stores and searching for nice pieces.

Good luck!

I like Old Navy. I can wear their XXL tops, pretty much the equivilent of a 18/20 from Lane Bryant. Their jeans run a bit smaller and I'm bigger on bottom so I still can't fit into their jeans.

Gap also has cute things.

If you have an outlet mall near you Bass carries 14s and 16s in their stores in addition to smaller sizes. My mother loves their clothes and she's a size 10.

I'm going through the same thing right now. I have been an avid Avenue and Lane Bryant shopper for years (can't even remember the last time I was of regular size.

I have been shopping at Kohl's for my clothing. It is a wierd adjustment to go to the normal stores. Good luck in your journey! =)

I like Dillards. They have their own brand called Westbound and I really like their jeans. Besides, it's a real ego boost! If their jeans say they are a size 10 they are really a size 12. They are comfortable, wash well, wear well, and are not ridiculously expensive.

They have something for everyone. I was buying cheap clothes at first but you know what? No more. I'm getting the good stuff because I am looking good. I love my new clothes. Went out of town the last two weekends and took a ton of clothes because I couldn't decide what to take. I wanted them all. So I brought them all.

Old Navy, J Jill (carries up to a 20), Gap (online goes to a 20), The Boden Sale! Up to 50% off Women's, Men's & Children's Clothing (carries up to an 18)

Most stores (banana Republic, Gap, mainstay dept stores) carry their clothes to a 16

Dress Barn, the name always turnes me off...but they have a big girls side, and a not so big girls side, cute cute jeans that fit curvy figures, cute tops, and they have great sales..great shoes too!

try it, if it is in your area!

j

Old Navy is good about carrying jeans up to a size 20 I know for sure. If you can't find it in the store they always carry them online. I love their jeans, especially the ones that strech. This was preband days though, I don't know now if they will feel comfortable postband cuz some waistbands irritate my port site. The way my body is I was always comfortable in the low rise waist band, now though I am not so sure cuz I have been buying cheap ones from walmart as I down size. Don't want to invest in good ones till I am close to goal.

Linda, fashion bug is really good. They carry both plus and regular size clothes so its an easier transition.

The thing that I find about Old Navy is that nothing is true to size. My friend lost nearly 160 lbs w/ her band and wears an 8 at Gap, but at Old Navy has purchased pants from size 6 thru 14 at her current size (She's maintained for 4 years!). I've found similar issues there, myself. I tend to purchase talls most places, but sometimes at ON things are too short. I like Macy's, C J Banks (Christopher and Banks), Dillard's and other such places. I do well at Eddie Bauer, also.

i'd have to second HeatherA's suggestion of steve and barry's. if you have one near you or even not so near you it's deffinately worth the trip! i went for the first time last weekend and i'm in love with this store. i got two pairs of jeans from the bitten line by sarah jessica parker and they are awsome! her line is size 2-24 i believe. there are like 500 different types of jeans, way more than i've ever seen at old navy. and nothing is over $20! i've never spent so little on jeans ever, especially larger sizes. it's pretty much the best store ever

Thanks for the tip on Steve and Barry's, HeatherA. I just found out that they opened a store here less than a month ago. Plan on checking them out with my dd after the holidays.

So far, my transistion clothes have come from the back of the closet. I don't have to dress up for work, just jeans and my work shirt. But it is nice to find clothes that fit again that I haven't been able to get into for a while. I also don't mind going to the Goodwill near my house. They have everything hung according to size so it is easy to find what I'm looking for. But when I need to dress up, I like the Dress Barn and LB.

What do you all do with your bigger clothes? I have a TON of mostly business wear (I'm a teacher and just finished my principal certification and am starting a doctoral program in school administration) SO I have mostly fitted jackets, sweaters and dress pants. I have thought about doing consignment or having a yard sale in the spring... but, I already need the room! Ideas?

Ky, I'd suggest a yard sale, I personally hate consigning cuz they take a percentage. Also you could try Craigslist. It is like a local ebay. WWW.Craigslist.org look in the KY area. I love craigslist. You can find some neat stuff on there. Plus you can sell for free, not like ebay where they take a percentage, and you can name your own terms (like take the whole box of clothes for $25 or whatever)

What do you all do with your bigger clothes? I have a TON of mostly business wear (I'm a teacher and just finished my principal certification and am starting a doctoral program in school administration) SO I have mostly fitted jackets, sweaters and dress pants. I have thought about doing consignment or having a yard sale in the spring... but, I already need the room! Ideas?

DONATE them to the your local mission/village/shelter...

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. It's also difficult to know where to shop since I've just moved from Canada to the States and there are different stores here. When I first moved here, I went to Kohl's, Dillard's, J.C. Penney, just to see what was in the store - I hadn't a clue what they sold.