I wear small band larger cup size and have a soft belly. I love my body — it took a lot of work to get here. But every time I go clothes shopping, it wrecks me.
I love fashion. I want to wear the cute jeans, dresses, and bikinis too. But most clothes just aren’t made for my body shape. Even brands that offer “curvy” sizing usually only sell it online — and I’d much rather try things on in person. It feels so unfair that anyone outside the “average” mold gets exiled to online-only options.
What do other people do about this? Do you buy custom clothing? Pay for alterations? Just wear clothes that don’t fit? I’m especially struggling with finding cute dresses and bras.
Is anyone else struggling to find clothes that actually fit their body??
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I use eBay if I’m looking for something in particular. Excellent filters for a clothing, and I choose free returns.
Unsure of your budget or location, but Nordstrom offers free personal shopping/styling. You give them an idea of the looks, fit and budget you want and go to your appointment. You’re not obligated to buy anything and could stay all day if it was necessary. They also have alterations on-site if you needed it.
Edited to say that you can do the online styling option as well. Additionally, I like to follow fashion influencers that have similar body types/size to myself and then check out their clothing links and recommendations.
It may be less an issue of size than style. My waist to hip ratio is… let’s be tactful and call it “classic”… so I know a straight skirt is simply not a style that works for me.
Find the styles that are flattering to your body type, and then find a good seamstress/tailor, so you can have any adjustments made as needed.
It’s a struggle and a lot of trial and error to find brands that mostly fit. I’ve also had to accept that certain styles and cuts will not work for me without tailoring or lots of stretch, eg my hips are much wider than my waist so if I wanted a pencil skirt I need to either get a very stretchy one or I will need to tailor the waist. I like going to thrift shops as they usually have a large variety of brands and will try things on. I’ve also learned to sew, both to cater more to my style and to get things that fit my body.
Also I’ve learned to not take it personal. There are so many different body shapes that it would be impossible for a brand to cater to all of them. So they select the “average” for their country or market, or a specific niche to cater to. Also look where a brand is from, because body shapes do somewhat differ amongst regions.
Pay for alterations?
yes. I am curvy, have an hourglass shape and I have had to have my clothes altered (or did it myself) for decades now. all my shirt and jackets need princess seams, lol and the waist has to stretch or else I cant get it off because bust and hips too big.