HEY LADIES! How do you find clothes that fit? I needs help.

[alr]

It's come up a few times in chat, so I know I am not alone here. My ass is at least 2-4 pants sizes smaller than my calves. As if this weren't difficult enough, my shoulders are similarly disproportionate to my torso. I am NOT going to forgo working out to make myself fit into standard clothing sizes, so it seems like my only options are shorts and skirts and never wearing tops that don't stretch. OR I could keep wearing baggy men's pants, which is practical, but only cute some of the time.

Any of you come up with solutions that don't involve saggy pants or the incredible hulk split seams thing? I am already fashion challenged and need help.

[rdwagner]

I am also very interested, as I run into the same trouble. I do Tae Kwon Do, and have thighs that don't fit in most jeans that fit my waist. My arms are also too big for cute shirts that actually fit me. I usually go baggy shirts, baggy pants.

Sorry alr, I am in the same boat, but don't have a good answer.

[ThatOneGirl]

Also interested! Clothes shopping is so incredibly frustrating! Whenever I try to find clothes I need to try on at least 3 different sizes to find one ill-fitting garment. Usually I just go for tank tops and belt the pants that fit my butt. Not a great solution, but that's what I got. Sorry I'm not more help here.

[Speedy]

Not a lady but...

What about tailoring? Find pants that fit your calves/thighs whatever and have a tailor take in the waist. I realize this is not exactly a cheap solution, but would you be willing to pay it for at least one pair of perfect pants?

[deathstalker]

I also suggest a tailor, or perhaps a friend/acquaintance who knows how to sew. The ideal thing would be to learn sewing yourself, but I understand you might not have the interest or the time. (I am studying to be a tailor myself, so that is how I plan to fix most of my clothes issues.)

Pants can indeed be taken in from the sides, the same goes for shirts.

If you want jeans, what I've found is that trying on different styles and cuts can actually net you a pair of wearable pants, as same numbered sizes in different cuts look completely different when on you.

I hope that helps a little.

[spezzy]

also have the same problem, sorry.

when i find a pair of jeans that fits right, i just buy 10 of them.

my problem is calves and quads... and my butt. if i can get the pants OVER my thighs and butt, then they don't fit at my hips/waist.

i have this problem:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]197[/ATTACH]

(from here:http://www.cracked.com/article_18622_plus-sized-clothes-translating-baffling-euphemisms.html)

ive found that 'bootcut' work the best. skinny jeans are not even an option. and tailors are expensive. maybe one day

i usually just end up trying every pair of jeans in the store in every size until i find one that doesn't fit, and leave unhappy.

for shirts, i've modified a few of mine on my own, otherwise - stretchy fabric it is luckily, my style is very plain, so i dont typically have as many issues with shirts :)

[Crimson King]

A quick question: why is exercise not an option? Not all exercise is excruciating and boring. In fact, the exercise that seems that way should not be attempted, because it will leave you unhappy. But anyway, there is a form of exercise out there for every person if you are willing to try new things.

[spezzy]

A quick question: why is exercise not an option? Not all exercise is excruciating and boring. In fact, the exercise that seems that way should not be attempted, because it will leave you unhappy. But anyway, there is a form of exercise out there for every person if you are willing to try new things.

um. (ok, editing this )

I believe exercise is the cause of the problem here.

When I did not exercise as much, clothes fit much better.

Clothes found in stores are not made to fit those of us who have a bit more muscle than the typical skinny girl

[Alethea]

Crimson, ALR said NOT exercising is not an option. She is a ninja. If she sat still for longer than 5 hours she'd die.

I tend to wear skirts and stretchy pants. Alethea? Yoga pants? I'm sure you're shocked. There are actually very nice business pants with a bit of stretch to the fabric so you can get something that fits the leg without swimming in the waist. Otherwise, pants with a belt. Some stores are much kinder to non-stick-women than others. Dunno if you guys have a reitmans, but they tend to be slightly better than other stores.

[Crimson King]

Gah, thanks Alethea and spezzy, I missed the keyword there XD.

[Denny]

spezzy >> First I looked at that image and was pretty amused, then it mentioned the dreaded gap. Why can't that be solved with a belt I wonder?

[rdwagner]

spezzy >> First I looked at that image and was pretty amused, then it mentioned the dreaded gap. Why can't that be solved with a belt I wonder?

Ah, that is a lovely question. Belts = bump/buldge in the waist area. While sometimes that isn't bad at all, if you are wearing a tucked in shirt and have a flat stomach; most women don't fit either one of those criteria, and don't want the shirt bump or anything extra added to their waist.

[aidanpryde]

If it makes you ladies feel better, I have the same problem. I have always had massive quads, genetic I guess. I go through the same struggle finding nice looking pants. My only saving grace is that baggy is more acceptable for men, but I hate that mass of fabric at the back where the pants bunch around my waist.

I can't wait until I get old enough to not give a damn anymore. Then I will just start wearing sweatpants everywhere again. Or bike shorts X)

[rdwagner]

I can't wait until I get old enough to not give a damn anymore. Then I will just start wearing sweatpants everywhere again. Or bike shorts X)

Granny pants with the elastic waist for the women. I don't think I'm every going to be okay with those, even when I'm a granny.

[spezzy]

spezzy >> First I looked at that image and was pretty amused, then it mentioned the dreaded gap. Why can't that be solved with a belt I wonder?

Ah, that is a lovely question. Belts = bump/buldge in the waist area. While sometimes that isn't bad at all, if you are wearing a tucked in shirt and have a flat stomach; most women don't fit either one of those criteria, and don't want the shirt bump or anything extra added to their waist.

A belt would be fine if the gap was the only problem. The majority of women's jeans are made for people with a pretty straight figure - so pants that are big enough to fit over quads and glutes for some reason expect you to have a larger stomach. Since my stomach is pretty flat, if I use a belt I end up with massive amounts of bunched up fabric in the front.

also, rdwagner is right about the huge bulge in the front - I don't wear my shirts tucked in, and they are of stretchy material to handle the wider shoulders and not looking like a linebacker, so belts end up looking super silly in the front

It was easier to find properly fitting clothing when I was fat, honestly.

[alr]

A quick question: why is exercise not an option? Not all exercise is excruciating and boring. In fact, the exercise that seems that way should not be attempted, because it will leave you unhappy. But anyway, there is a form of exercise out there for every person if you are willing to try new things.

Ummm, in my case, exercise IS the problem. Because I have a smallish frame and really big calves (and quads for a day or so after every time I lift), my pants do not fit both my muscles and my ass. I have done a ton of squats to get my ass as big as it is now (huge victory! I have an ass!) but no amount of exercise will increase my hips, etc., plus the more I work out, the bigger my calves get.

Tailoring every pair of pants I get is not an option and bootcuts don't cuff well so even though they can accomodate my calf muscles, I have to get them taken up to be the right length. It's way too expensive to have all clothes altered. I have had several pairs altered when they were otherwise just ubelievably perfect, but even those are starting to get too big around my hips and too tight around my calves. If you have never had to deal with women's sizing, you cannot imagine how enfuriating it is.

[alr]

A belt would be fine if the gap was the only problem. The majority of women's jeans are made for people with a pretty straight figure - so pants that are big enough to fit over quads and glutes for some reason expect you to have a larger stomach. Since my stomach is pretty flat, if I use a belt I end up with massive amounts of bunched up fabric in the front.

also, rdwagner is right about the huge bulge in the front - I don't wear my shirts tucked in, and they are of stretchy material to handle the wider shoulders and not looking like a linebacker, so belts end up looking super silly in the front

It was easier to find properly fitting clothing when I was fat, honestly.

Same here. When I was a finny, clothes fit. Now that I am more built, nothing fits. I am really considering shifting to dresses all the time since a stretchy dress may accomodate my shoulders and the skirt will just be a little loose. Of course there is the problem that it completely exposes my calves, so it looks a little weird having the whole sweet feminine clothing over the incredible hulk legs. DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY AS I AM IN A SKIRT AND WILL BE UNABLE TO KICK YOUR ASS WITHOUT EXPOSING MY UNDIES!!!!!

Stretchy shirts are a godsend, but I have the old habit of slumping to try to hide my shoulders. When I don't slump, I feel like I look like a linebacker even in a cute cardigan. Sometimes I get cardigans to fit my waist and then only button a few buttons to give me more room for my shoulders but still show that I am not huge (anything that fits my shoulders well hangs like a tent over my midsection), but it's not a good option in Texas summers. Sleeveless shirts are somewhat better, but then there is the whole conspicuous arm thing which leads to a lot of comments. Sometimes I just want to put on the first thing that's clean and not feel like it will subject me to remarks about my body. No one would call out -hey look at those wobbly upper arms- to a fat girl (ok, some people would but in my experience, far fewer) whereas I get "gun show" comments on a really frequent basis.

AGAIN, I was less self-conscious about and had fewer rude comments about my body when I was out of shape than now, when I am much healthier.

[rdwagner]

DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY! PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME ANGRY AS I AM IN A SKIRT AND WILL BE UNABLE TO KICK YOUR ASS WITHOUT EXPOSING MY UNDIES!!!!!

This had me spitting out my water that I was drinking. Hilarious!

So sleeveless stretchy shirts and skirts are the new "in" for rebel women. We'll look like a bunch of buff hippies! WOOHOO!

[alr]

I need to make a new avatar with my NF shirt and a skirt. And massive, massive calves. (When I stand with feet together, my calves are the only part of my legs that touch. But they are pretty much squished together hard to be able to stand with my feet together. Doh.)

[lwow]

Has anybody tried the Levi's ID jeans. They claim to have fixed the problem of the dreaded gap (though thanks to spezzy's wonderful graphic, I am now considering the cocktail umbrella solution) I have been meaning to go try some on, but haven't gotten around to it. I wear a lot of skirts these days.

[Brometheus]

Maybe we should start a clothing company. I remember one of my friends complaining that no shirts would fit him after he gained a bunch of muscle, and all the women complaining about jean sizing...just a thought

[rdwagner]

I did a quick search on clothing for muscular men and women. Got a ton of hits for men. Nothing for women on the first two pages. Huh...

[CapN_Tommy_Sunshine]

I can't wait until I get old enough to not give a damn anymore. Then I will just start wearing sweatpants everywhere again. Or bike shorts X)

Or your pants pulled all the way up to your chest. That's the true sign of being an old guy (plus nothing can match, and there must be some sort of checkered pattern) !

[spezzy]

Or your pants pulled all the way up to your chest. That's the true sign of being an old guy (plus nothing can match, and there must be some sort of checkered pattern) !

and your pants need to only go down to your ankles, and you need to wear silly socks

[werwolf]

I wish I could be more helpful, but I'm not allowed to dress myself. I've been told that all women think their body is freakish and doesn't fit into clothing, we just can't all agree on what bits are wrong. But I assumed that was just to shut me up whining about being put together wrong and looking weird in 'normal-people' clothes.