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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to wonder where on earth you're supposed to shop if...

70 replies

SundayGirlB · 02/07/2018 13:29

You're a size 14 and don't want to look 30 going on 50. Or like a teenager.

Plus size 14 is too big. 'Normal' highstreet 14 is too small or nonexistent because its out of stock or a 'large' which is actually a 12. I can't afford and don't really want to go Hobbs and the like.

There is no market for the in betweens. I've pounded the streets for hours in search of summery clothes this year. Online is a nightmare because the sizing is so inconsistent I have to order everything in 2 to 3 different sizes. When I do find a nice dress it's inevitably halfway up my arse and I'm not that tall at 5'8.

I'm really not that much of a misshapen monster and resent being made to feel so.

So, where can a woman of a certain size buy some damn clothes?!

OP posts:

DanielCraigsUnderpants · 02/07/2018 15:45

I get most of my clothes on ebay now - you can get the big brands at a fraction of the cost if you;re happy with having second hand and its environmentally friendly. I say this as someone who used to be a bit funny about charity shops and the like but i am an absolute convert

DwangelaForever · 02/07/2018 15:47

Try being a size 14/16 and 4ft10 😭, I shop a lot in new look, don't mind primark either as they have such a wide range of fits to their clothes 😂😂 (pot lock in all sizes) but I do get some bargains there.

Dorothy Perkins is also great fitting I find! Their sizes are true and their petite jeans are a great length.

Jaxhog · 02/07/2018 15:48

La Redoute. They go up to size 30 in some stuff, and it's chic french styling. They almost always have a sale on too (like now).

Open an account and order multiple sizes. Send back the ones that don't fit (or you don't like). Job done.

Nodancingshoes · 02/07/2018 15:51

Buy most of my clothes in Apricot. Online shopping is a joke - either so small I am busting out of it or so big it's like I'm wearing a tent .....

Ollivander84 · 02/07/2018 15:53

I'm a 14/16, right in between plus and normal size and 5ft 10
I have had success with
M&S for jeans and trousers
Dorothy Perkins tall range for dresses, and jeans
Sainsbury's, long tall Sally, seasalt for tops
Lady v London and Collectif for dresses
Boohoo for dresses and cheap tops

Shodan · 02/07/2018 15:53

It sounds like you're the exact same size, shape and height as me OP. I've found decent shorts at Primark, ditto the odd t shirt. I recently bought a lovely cotton broderie anglaise dress in Sainsbury's (white, but I'm dying it 😁). Also Amazon have some good buys, especially for summer dresses. Quiz do clothes that are fitted more to the hourglass figure, but watch their dresses- most fit what I would call true to size, but if it's a bodycon type it may be a little snug. Phase Eight generally works well but can be pricey.

tectonicplates · 02/07/2018 15:56

Collectif make clothes for hourglass women, as do most of the vintage-style companies. Game changer. I rarely buy any high street clothing any more.

TulipTilers · 02/07/2018 15:58

I'm a size 12 and I sometimes take a 14 or 10 depending on the shop/cut. I shop in George, Tu, F&F, New Look, H&M, Select...

slashlover · 02/07/2018 16:00

Another shout for Dorothy Perkins! I'm 5'10 and booby/hippy, their tall collection is brilliant. I do tend to buy their stuff from ebay quite a lot as it's much cheaper.

As another point, why do so many shops have a huge petite section and the tall stuff is all online?

TulipTilers · 02/07/2018 16:04

Because standardised sizing would include the assumption that everyone has the same hip to waist ratio. Which we don't.

So does sizing mean nothing then? A size 12 in one shop might not fit a size 12 in another shop, just seems weird. Maybe we need standardized sizing but with more gradient - .5 sizes for example, or stop going up on 2s! Give us a size 14.5 or a size 13.

tectonicplates · 02/07/2018 16:14

So does sizing mean nothing then? A size 12 in one shop might not fit a size 12 in another shop, just seems weird.

It's not weird. It means that women frequently make comments like "Oasis works best for my body shape" or "Phase Eight works best for my body shape" etc, because we're all a different shape. If sizing was standardised, then women of only one shape would be able to buy clothes, and everyone else wouldn't be able to buy any clothes at all. The fashion industry is already heavily biased towards women who are straight-up-and-down with no waist, and doesn't work so well for everyone else. That's what doesn't make sense to me. Standardised sizing would be great for 50% of the population and a total disaster for the other 50% who would then be unable to buy anything. That's why we need variations between shops, so that there's something for everyone. If everyone was the same shape, the OP wouldn't have even needed to start this thread.

BarbaraofSevillle · 02/07/2018 16:15

No, sizing doesn't mean anything. As well as a 12 in one shop being a completely different size and shape to a 12 in another item in that shop or a 12 in another shop (I have some Altura mountain biking shorts - the large in one style is smaller than the medium in another), we also have to contend with mass production methods that mean that there will be variations in size even within the exact same product - take a handful of size 12s off the rack in one style - they will not all fit the same.

Also vanity sizing that means that while the size chart may say that a size 12 in shop X is made to fit someone who is 36 28 38, the actual measurements of the garment will mean that they better fit someone with a 38 32 40 figure.

No wonder some women sometimes spend hours shopping. It takes that long to find things that fit.

TulipTilers · 02/07/2018 16:17

other 50% who would then be unable to buy anything. That's why we need variations between shops

Sure, I did get that, which is why I said maybe we just need more sizes. Why do we go up on 2s anyway?
It's also not exactly fair that poor people might get lumbered with only being able to buy from more expensive shops that they cannot afford, because none of the cheap shops do sizes their shape. People on benefits for example.

tectonicplates · 02/07/2018 16:21

Sure, I did get that, which is why I said maybe we just needmoresizes. Why do we go up on 2s anyway?

It still wouldn't work. If standardised sizing carried an assumption that everyone has a waist that's about 8 inches smaller than their hips, for example, then what are you supposed to do if your waist is 12 inches smaller than your hips?

tectonicplates · 02/07/2018 16:26

It's also not exactly fair that poor people might get lumbered with only being able to buy from more expensive shops that they cannot afford, because none of the cheap shops do sizes their shape. People on benefits for example.

But this is already the case. Clothes for hourglass women are already made by more expensive companies. Cheap places like Primark make shapeless clothes.

Lavavo · 02/07/2018 16:30

Ignore the labels for a start and try lots of styles. I picked up some tops for work in Sainsbury and I purchased a 14, 18 & 22 😕 They are all cut so differently.

Beware H&M, washed a size 14 top I got from there and it shrank, (followed washing instructions) but my teen now wears it!

Peartree17 · 02/07/2018 16:31

Find a good tailor? I know it's annoying to have to pay extra to make the clothes fit, but for years I was an in-between size and had to get things altered. The upside is, you love the item now it fits you properly and so you wear it forever. Lots of dry-cleaners have got decent alteration services.

rosesandflowers1 · 02/07/2018 16:36

I can never find a size 4 or 6 when I'm looking in some shops. I think it depends on where you are.

Not your size OP so not much advice in terms of actual places you can go to, but I'd say look in as many shops as possible to see which ones stock your size quite often.

TulipTilers · 02/07/2018 16:38

But this is already the case. Clothes for hourglass women are already made by more expensive companies. Cheap places like Primark make shapeless clothes.

Well, I can't afford to buy anything but shapeless clothes regardless of my waist/hip ratio. It's real bad for me because I'm a pear - I have a slim hourglass-type waist, big hips and bum, no bust at all (A cup)

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 02/07/2018 16:41

I think clothes shops should start doing something equivalent to the Levis Curve or Pepperberry ranges where they have options for super-curvy or super-straight figures. However I realise that this is expensive and they would need to make three times as many clothes! But imagine how nice it would be if you could go into a shop and try on things from the curvy/hourglass range, which would not include stupid boxy tops that hang straight from your boobs to your hips, or crew-necked T-shirts that make your chest look enormous, and would include lots of dresses with waists.

Bombardier25966 · 02/07/2018 16:47

Sainsbury's have some nice sundresses (depending if you have a branch with clothes near you)

You can order and return to Argos

gendercritter · 02/07/2018 16:56

I think La Redoute, Seasalt and White Stuff are all good choices. Any clothing shop can be hit and miss but those three usually have some really nice things in.

itssquidstella · 02/07/2018 16:58

Even though you're not that tall, you could try shops' tall range. Dresses will be longer. I'm a 10 in ASOS tall but a 12 in their normal stuff because of crotch height etc.

MsSquiz · 02/07/2018 17:09

I'm a size 14 and 5'1" and I shop in Oasis, Dorothy Perkins, John Lewis (own brand), New Look (jeans)

I don't think I Dress particularly young or old (I'm 31). I tend to usually wear:
Work - skinny trousers from DP with tops from DP, and Oasis or dresses from DP, Warehouse or Wallis.

Out of work - jeans from New Look, t shirts and shirts from H&M, M&S, Warehouse, John Lewis. Dresses from all of the above plus ASOS and Debenhams

thelionsharer · 02/07/2018 17:11

I was just saying a similar thing the other day, there seems to be a real lack of clothing for 30-35 age range.

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