[Looking at supersize / extended size clothing, which is to say, clothing I can wear. Preferably modeled by fat people]

Plus Woman Made-to-Order Sweater

After weeks of highs in the 70s and 80s we’re suddenly experiencing … fall. I even wore a sweater to work today.

I’ve been looking forward to sweater season this year.   Suddenly I don’t worry about whether my bra’s cup seams show.   Since my desk at work seems to be in a cold pocket of the office, I’ve kept a sweater at work for the summer which frequently ended up around my shoulders in the morning.

Now it’s colder.  Considering I have enough sweaters (and cords and sweats) that I put most of them in the guest room closet for the summer I may not buy any this year, but I do like to look.

So I’m looking ;)

Plus Woman has a textured poly/rayon/acrylic a-line sweater in eggplant or navy for $69.  Note it’s one of their “Made to Order” items, so you can choose the length (from 27″ to 40″) scoopneck or v-neck, and sleeve length.   This can be a really good option if you want a particular fit.  Plus Woman also has other, less customized sweaters from $34.

Plus Woman has its own sizing, ranging from an 18W-20W equivalent to a 38W-40W equivalent.

MiB calls this a "textured pullover".

Over at Making it Big there’s the textured scoopneck sweater, complete with a little cellphone (or cardkey) pocket on the side. There’s also a cardigan version but it’s the scoopneck that I’ve been ogling for over a month now.

Both come in the rust or olive.

Why haven’t I ordered it?  It is hand wash / lay flat to dry, which seems a bit excessive for a cotton/acrylic mix.   Plus I already have a pile of sweaters, including a rust-colored (v-neck! cabled!) sweater, which makes shelling out another $99 a bit hard to explain to myself.

(No, I don’t want olive.)

Making it Big also has their own sizing, ranging from an 22W-24W equivalent to a 46W-48W equivalent.

(“Bras, Bras, Bras” to be whined in an intonation similar to the infamous “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”)

Sometimes I wonder if the bra I wear most is as supportive as they feel or if I’m just really used to them—in fact, I think a lot of bra comfort has to do with what you’re used to and what you look for in a bra.  I want it to hold up my boobs, mainly, and to also provide some separation and definition.  I’m not a fan of minimizers for daily wear.   I generally find soft cups either don’t provide enough support for me OR they use way too much compression.   (I do find a cotton soft cup with compression is great for exercising.  Not so great for work.  But that’s me.)

The bra I’ve been using for years is the Lilyette Women’s Maximum Support #908 (thru 44DDD) which is also known as Cortland Full Figure Underwire (thru 52DDD). Usually I find these for $24-$34.   However, they have gotten harder to find.  The local Macy’s and Nordstrom’s quit carrying them; the local Catherine’s sometimes has them but only in soft cup, which I always feel I’m drooping out of.

I’ve been wearing these in both 46DDD and 44DDD, depending on time of the month, but the 46DDD are becoming bigger (or I’m slightly smaller) and moves around too much.   Meanwhile the 44DDDs are older and very worn. I also tend to adjust them to make them fit — often bending the underwires inward toward the breastbone, or removing the stays on either side.

So I’ve been trying some new bras.  In particular, I’ve been looking into larger cup sizes.  The Elomi Jasmine underwire full coverage bra I initially found at Nordstrom’s in 44G.  The band is tight, yes, but the underwires are right against my breastbone in front, and the girls feel lighter somehow.  Thrilled, I bought 2.  At first it was great for the first few hours, a bit tight/weird for the next 3-4 hours, and then uncomfortable after that.  I have to keep my torso straighter in this bra; I would not attempt yoga in it, and the underwires do come right up to my armpits.  Now, well, either the band’s stretched a bit or I’m getting more used to it, but it’s much more comfortable — at least for the first 10 hours.

The Elomis are priced at $54 though, which, ow.

Again, I’m not sure how much of the comfort/discomfort is about what I’m used to and how much is the bra itself.   But I wanted to try a few others.  I’d given up on Lane Bryant for bras, but I’d heard on the Fatshionista LJ group that Lane Bryant does have larger-cup bras in their Cacique stores, and there is one in the greater Seattle area.  So I ventured south to Tukwila and tried some, eventually purchasing a Cacique (LB) Lace full coverage bra with seamless cups in 46DDD that felt great the first hour or so  … and then I felt like my boobs were falling out, as in, the cups are smoothing but not supportive.  Tightening the band and straps didn’t help.  Also, a month had gone by, too–a month in which I began working out more frequently.  My 46DDD Lilyettes are looser too.  So I got a 44DDD (in blue!) a few weeks ago.  The band was a little tight but the cup fit was excellent…

I thought …

Until yesterday, when again, I felt like the cups weren’t, um, there.  Or not there enough.  Then, about 4:30, I looked down to see a white-tipped underwire poking out between the buttons on my blouse.

Head, meet desk.  Only no, don’t, not sure what that would do to the underwire.  I adjusted my blouse to cover the wire, went to the women’s room, undressed in the stall, and poked the underwire back into place.  Then I went home to change.

So now I get to decide if I want to try to return a two-week old bra that has been worn 3 or 4 times.  Without receipt.  Or if I want to sew the underwire’s “doorway” closed, and perhaps only wear it to be seen in.  (AKA a “date bra”).

Also, in the meantime?  My 46DDD Lilyettes are looser yet, to the point where the stay on the left-hand side (I lean to the left when mousing) has actually scraped some of my skin off last week.  I wore exercise bras all weekend to help with healing.  Today I’m wearing an Elomi bra, which fits snugly and doesn’t have side stays.

And I think I’ll be getting more of the 44DDD Lilyettes.

[Looking at supersize / extended size clothing,  which is to say, clothing I can wear.  Preferably modeled by fat people]

Halter top at Love Your Peaches

I’m looking forward to a sunny vacation in November.   So naturally I’m looking at swimsuits.  Even though I already have 4 suits.

Okay, if you don’t want to know why I have so many suits, skip down.  I liked my deep size 30 V-neck skirted-style once-piece from Sylvia’s Swimwear enough to buy a second one — I could swim laps in it at the gym and enjoyed men’s reaction to the V.   Then I took a water aerobics class and, um I “bounced” right out of the V.   So I got a higher-neck one for water aerobics.  The 4th is a 2-piece (skirted top with detachable straps and black bottom)  I picked up on sale because my torso is longer than average and, yes, Land’s End makes long-torso women’s one-piece suits, but not in supersizes.   Then I found a nudist group that periodically rents a private pool and didn’t need a suit at all!  Oh well.

So … despite not having used the pool at my gym at all this year … I am looking.   Not necessarily buying.

The suit at the right is from Love Your Peaches.  One thing about Peaches is that tops and bottoms are sold per piece, so if you are, gasp, different sizes on top and bottom you don’t have to decide which half doesn’t fit.  It also gets around the “long torso” thing.   At right is the “Marilyn” halter top and one of the “boyfriend” bottoms.

And, of course, the one sort of suit I currently don’t have?  Is a bikini.

Junonia Crossback Suit

No, I’m not sure I’d want to bare my tummy in public, but that red one does make me consider it.  :)

Peaches also has a skirted top – and the skirt can be mesh or solid.  Of course, if I got the top in something that coordinates with black, I could wear the black swimsuit bottom I already have.  Hm.

Junonia’s swimsuits have more of an athletic bent.  I already have a servicable tank suit to fit that need, but then a 25% off on selected swimwear & athletic wear announcement popped into my inbox.  Low and behold, it includes Junonia’s crossback suit (at right).   I’m curious as to how easy it would be to get into, but not enough to buy yet another tank suit.   They also have a tall tank suit for under $30…IF you wear size 4x or below…

[Looking at supersize / extended size clothing,  which is to say, clothing I can wear.  Preferably modeled by fat people]

Some things I’m thinking of but not sure I need enough to buy:

Flannel Shirt

• A purple patterned flannel shirt – Not a “typical” flannel shirt, so I’d feel less 90s in it than my plaid ones.  But collars and I don’t always get along.
• Blue & purple watercolor shirt – Bright & fun.  Again, collars can be an issue.
• Teal patchwork blouse – Would be great alone or layered. It even has pockets.
• Brushstroke tee or mock turtle – Could easily wear to work.  Of course I already have plenty of v-neck long-sleeve tees and 3 long-sleeve turtles.

What things are you thinking about right now?

Oh, and is it just me that isn’t sure whether Junonia’s “Junoesque” is convenient or a pain?  Don’t get me wrong; if you aren’t going to offer everything in all sizes, then having a separate section for the large sizes that aren’t always available can help me find them.  But why include 4x in the “sometimes we carry these sizes” section when they routinely offer clothing in sizes 1x-4x?

…and do I possibly need any more sweaters?