Shopping Help Wanted

[rsadelle]

As you may remember, I've lost weight, and I'm irritated about having to buy a new wardrobe. I also hate to shop, so I'm hoping you all have some shopping ideas for me. I currently wear a size 16, dependant, of course, on the actual brand of clothing since women's sizes aren't actually standardized in any way. (I'm wearing an Eddie Bauer large, but I tried on a Lands' End tee in a large and it was too big. I appear to be between Old Navy sizes.)

Skirts I: Everyday Attire
I absolutely refuse to buy new pants. I won't wear them on the weekends, and if I lose weight over the next couple of months, I'll have to buy all new pants in the fall. Again. Instead I've decided to just wear skirts all summer. My skirts from last year are salvageable. The low on the hips look is in, and that makes last year's weekend-only skirt long enough for work this year.

This year's purchases include Eddie Bauer's Poplin Skirt, the Gap's Utility Mini, and a plain stretch cotton skirt from the Gap's clearance rack. I also own two of Lands' End's Long Bias Skirts from previous years.

What I'm Looking For: Plain, straight, short skirts. I don't look good in things with slits or denim skirts. I've exhausted the Gap, Lands' End, Eddie Bauer, JC Penney, Target, and Old Navy.

Skirts II: Costume Pieces
Because I look better in slim skirts, I don't have anything good to wear to belly dance in. For this, I need a full skirt. The style for full skirts now is to have them tight at the top and then full farther down. This is a bad idea. I want something that's full all the way down. Again, I've exhausted the Gap, Lands' End, Eddie Bauer, JC Penney, Target, and Old Navy.

Swimsuit
I was sensible this year, and bought my swimsuit early. Now it's too big, although I've been wearing it anyway. I want a one-piece tank, solid color or small patterned, with a soft-cup bra and straps that come in toward the middle somewhat. I loved the straps of Lands' End's X-back Tank, but the shelf bra didn't work for me. The Ribbon Swirl Slenderizer fit well, but the pattern looked bad.

Comments

[allegram.livejournal.com]

For the skirt, did you try Sears (is the Sears in Chico even still open?)? I've found some nice skirts there in past years (which really surprised me, but there they were)

Swimsuits I'm no help with since every swimsuit trip of mine (EVER!) has been a disaster.

With the costume pieces, do you know anybody who sews? (If the answer is no you could try to convince my sister; she says your basic floofy skirt (like the one she wears for flaminco) is really easy unless you want to add suff like ruffles. The problem with my sister is that unless it's a one day project her attention span means it may never actually happen...)

Probably none of this is actually helpful, but hey I tried...TTFN!

[haleth.livejournal.com]

You looked good in what you wore today.

There are women who dance in slim skirts! Typically slit pretty far up, but I don't think that's a problem for you. The full-skirt thing will be an issue if you dance with this troupe, because Tanya tends to design costumes that flatter her figure and not, say, mine. :-P

How can a skirt be full at the top? I'm not picturing this so well.

Um. Hi!

[rsadelle]

Thank you! That was actually one of my skirts from last year that used to sit a couple of inches higher on my hips and be a couple of inches shorter. (I was very relieved not to have to find a whole week's worth of new skirts, but only a couple of new ones to round out a whole week's worth of clothes.)

Tanya's costume when she last danced had a tight skirt that had some decorative flaring going on only at the bottom. I think if I get myself a hip shawl of some sort (Possible plan for the weekend: go shopping downtown for such things. This has been a possible weekend plan for about three weeks.), then I'll feel more comfortable with one of my straighter skirts for class.

Well, not all the way full at the top, just not like the style now. Most full skirts I can find have a whole tier or so that's straight and then they're full skirts below that. I want something that has a waistband that fits against my body, but then the whole skirt goes out from there. (I think I'm going to go buy one of the skirts I saw at Raley's. They have a weird straight lining layer, but I think I can slit that or cut it out altogether and have it work.)

Hi!

[haleth.livejournal.com]

You don't sew at all, do you? I do, but very slowly with the girls around. If you want I could bring my machine over and try to help you make something.

[rsadelle]

I can sew buttons back on, but that's about it.

I think I'm going to buy one of the skirts at Raley's tomorrow. (I need to go grocery shopping anyway.) Last time I was there (the Raley's on East carries them but the Raley's on Skyway doesn't), I rejected them because of the weird lining and only later realized I could just cut up the lining.