Shopping Help of the Season

[rsadelle]

It's starting to get cool, which means it's time for me to buy fall/winter clothes. I think I've tried on everything fall/winter Eddie Bauer offers; I'll be working my way through Lands' End's shirts next.

Bottoms
I've worn skirts all summer, but it's going to be too cold for that soon. I'm very short, so suggestions for petite pants would be greatly appreciated. I did find pants at JC Penney that work for me, and I bought all the pairs they had in stock in my size (apparently I wear a 14 now); they don't appear to offer them online, so I'll have to keep looking at the store.

Tops
As I was trying on clothes yesterday, I realized I really need to buy more dark red because I look really good in it. I'm taking suggestions for button-up shirts. I find that I really need stretchy fabrics for this because otherwise the sleeves are too tight. I also find that I'm much more adventurous about clothes these days, so recommendations for things other than plain button up shirts will also be appreciated.

Underwear
My cousin's wedding reception is on New Year's Eve. I can't start shopping for a dress yet--if I lose weight again, it won't fit by the time the actual reception rolls around--but I did try a couple of things on yesterday because I was in a shopping mood. One of the things I tried on was a long evening gown with spaghetti straps. It finally occurred to me that I could actually wear something like that. All I need is a strapless bra, which is something I can start shopping for now. I need a full-figure bra; any suggestions?

Shoes
Shoes are a constant issue for me. Things labeled "flats" can have up to one-and-a-half-inch heels. I refuse to wear anything with any kind of a heel, and I have wide feet. This means I have no dress-up shoes, which is something else I'll need for my cousin's reception. I've also been thinking it might be cool to have some boots. Anyone have suggestions for actually flat dressy shoes or boots?

Comments

re: bottoms

[molly-o.livejournal.com]

This may sound crazy, but Victoria's Secret lets you order pants in three lengths -- I think the shortest inseam is 28", don't know if that works for you. The cut is roomier than the images in the catalog would lead you to believe (I actually had to return a pair of pants for a *smaller* size). It's Victoria's Secret, so you have to put up with some fairly nauseating catalog copy, but they have a pretty good variety of styles of things.

Re: bottoms

[rsadelle]

Huh. I'd never even though about them as a clothing source. I looked at some of their pants, but their shortest inseam seems to be 30", which is a little long for me. I did find other things I totally want, though. Does the print catalog have more useful descriptions than the online ones?

Re: bottoms

[allegram.livejournal.com]

No the print catalogue is actually worse than the online one, with less description and often more confusing descriptions. Or at least I've always found it to be worse...

For shoes and boots you might consider Zappos.com which has an excellent return/exchange policy as well as having pretty much every available varation in wide and a variety of sizes(and also carries naturalizer boots, which people tell me are actually comfortable rather than being torture devices as many boots are)

Re: bottoms

[rsadelle]

I find it surprising that the catalog could actually be worse than the online listings.

I do like Zappos' return policy, but it's still disappointing when things don't fit!