STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Tati · Chanel

is it just me or anyone else go through

Collette · Chanel

I'm right there with you. I used to be a perfect size 4 and now I'm a 7 working my way back down. I get a little moped after seeing these skinny minnies to but it also motivates me to work harder so I can start wearing all the cute stuff in my closet.

Irene · Dooney & Bourke

What? Try going from a 10 to a 16. ICK! It makes me sick just thinking of it. At least you can still shop in normal storsz. Most of the cool stores I can't shop in because they don't make my size.

lilmissdiva · Kenneth Cole

Not that there's anything wrong with plus sizes, don't get me wrong. But when did size 12 become a plus size?????

Drew · Gucci

I just want to say that beautiful women come in all shapes and sizes, and yes, I really feel that way. It's all how you present yourself. I think your state of mind will be the ultimate determinate in how you look/see yourself. When you have that feeling of confidence it shows through in how you carry yourself, how you look at other people (or look away), and I think confident people give off a glow.

This story isn't about being overweight, but I hope some girls that aren't happy with their size can relate.

I had a friend who I thought wasn't attractive. She did have big, beautiful blue eyes, but compared to the women most people agree are attractive, my friend was kind of plain (a few examples: she had muttled skin, didn't wear make-up, and never did anything besides run a brush through her semi-frizzy, mousey-brown hair -just trying to give you a general idea). However, she had this amazing sense of confidence in herself. She thought she was beautiful. I mean she really thought it fully and wasn't afraid to say it. Well, somehow that transferred to other people. She could get just about any hot guy she wanted (and those same hot guys would pass up girls I thought they would surely go after instead of my friend) and lots of people would tell her she was pretty. I often asked mutual friends -in confidence, of course- if they thought she was pretty or what. I was so confused and wondered if I saw what other people saw. Each time the friend would confirm that she wasn't pretty, but the way she presented herself made her seem prettier. I know for a fact that if someone who didn't think much of herself had my friends face/body that she wouldn't have convinced other people of her beauty. There is no doubt my friend's beauty came from within, and that is the beauty that is ever-lasting.

I hope we can all (myself included) work towards having this healthy attitude about ourselves/our bodies.

lilmissdiva · Kenneth Cole

That's an awesome story and I totally feel that its true. I think that attitude is contagious to the people around your friend, which is why people gravitate to her.

What a great late day lesson!

Metric · Gucci

Quote"Most of the cool stores I can't shop in because they don't make my size."

That reminds me of what happened when I was in Mexx this weekend. I was trying on some pants and there was a girl trying on a dress in the room next to me. The size she had was too small so she asked the sales girl for the next biggest size. The sales girl shrieked "WE DON"T CARRY A SIZE 14 HERE!" Practically everyone in the whole store turned to look at her. I was so embarassed for her. Poor girl.

-- Edited by BrazenCanadian at 17:57, 2005-04-11

shopgirl82 · Chanel

one thing i hate about bcbg is that they only carry up to size 12. we have women come in all the time and ask for a 14, and i feel like an jerk saying we only make up to 12.

then there's the issues with no mirrors in the fitting rooms. so people have to prance out and check themselves out. it's happened so many times when two girls will prance out one a size 2 and the other a size 12 and of course immediately the size 12 feels like she doesn't look great, and every ohhhs and ahhhs about how cute the size 2 looks in what she's wearing.

i agree with drew...beauty comes from confidence not a number. it's just a shame our society makes it hard for women who are beautiful to feel beautiful if they are larger than a certain size.

-- Edited by shopgirl82 at 18:33, 2005-04-11

Amelie · Kenneth Cole

I completely agree with Drew. All women are beautiful in many different ways. Isn't it silly how few women are really completely content with the body they were given?

And besides, my friend is very curvy and certainly not a size 0 but I think she is so incredibly stunning. I wish I had such feminine curves.

Lilykind · Hermes

quote:
Originally posted by: shopgirl82
then there's the issues with no mirrors in the fitting rooms. so people have to prance out and check themselves out. it's happened so many times when two girls will prance out one a size 2 and the other a size 12 and of course immediately the size 12 feels like she doesn't look great, and every ohhhs and ahhhs about how cute the size 2 looks in what she's wearing.

I have to agree...I'm probably a true 4/6 and in LA most girls my height (5' 2.5") are around a size 0. I never feel nearly as pretty if I'm wearing the same thing as someone who's more petite. Compared to all those girls, I feel like a stubby little plain girl...my legs are too short, my butt's too big, my boobs can't be contained in anything...I hate going into stores without the mirrors inside because I'm self conscious sometimes.

shopgirl82 · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: Lilykind
""

i've tried what i can, but it's a corporate thing.

Chic · Marc Jacobs

Oh I so now that BCBG story, it really sucked b/c when I worked there and we would sell out of the one 12 that we would get in, I was not allowed to shop at the other store in Atlanta( this is also a corporate thing), so I couldn't even wear the clothes of where I was a mgr, then some things actually only would come in up to a size 10, b/c I guess Max(the CEO) felt that you shouldn't wear this item if you were over a 10....and he himself is a chubby little stumpy man...nice double standard!

bliss · Dooney & Bourke

I'm a size 14-16 and I have never had a problem with confidence or felt like I was less than anyone else as a result of my size.

It probably comes from the way I was raised, my mother is a rail, my father is a rail and my sisters and I are all the same size . In the past 10 years I have gone from a 12-14 to a 14-16, I was never a small person.

My mother always instilled in us that we have to be confident and content with the bodies God gave us and that unless you are going to change how you look (diet, exercise) you better learn to deal with what you have. No one's perfect and I never compare myself to anyone else. I shop at the Gap (up to size 20) and Lane Bryant as well as Banana Republic but I also shop at Macy's and Lord and Taylor and Strawbridges and a bunch of other places. It would be nice if The Limited carried a 14-16, I can fit their shirts and ocassional sweatpants (which I adore), but they don't so I can't do anything about that, I'm not going to fight too hard to fit into their clothes either. I'm healthy and young and life is too short for me to worry about whether a pair of 7s fit me when the Gap has always fit me just fine.

Andrea Julia · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: Drew
"I just want to say that beautiful women come in all shapes and sizes, and yes, I really feel that way. It's all how you present yourself. I think your state of mind will be the ultimate determinate in how you look/see yourself. When you have that feeling of confidence it shows through in how you carry yourself, how you look at other people (or look away), and I think confident people give off a glow. This story isn't about being overweight, but I hope some girls that aren't happy with their size can relate. I had a friend who I thought wasn't attractive. She did have big, beautiful blue eyes, but compared to the women most people agree are attractive, my friend was kind of plain (a few examples: she had muttled skin, didn't wear make-up, and never did anything besides run a brush through her semi-frizzy, mousey-brown hair -just trying to give you a general idea). However, she had this amazing sense of confidence in herself. She thought she was beautiful. I mean she really thought it fully and wasn't afraid to say it. Well, somehow that transferred to other people. She could get just about any hot guy she wanted (and those same hot guys would pass up girls I thought they would surely go after instead of my friend) and lots of people would tell her she was pretty. I often asked mutual friends -in confidence, of course- if they thought she was pretty or what. I was so confused and wondered if I saw what other people saw. Each time the friend would confirm that she wasn't pretty, but the way she presented herself made her seem prettier. I know for a fact that if someone who didn't think much of herself had my friends face/body that she wouldn't have convinced other people of her beauty. There is no doubt my friend's beauty came from within, and that is the beauty that is ever-lasting. I hope we can all (myself included) work towards having this healthy attitude about ourselves/our bodies."

That sounds just like a friend I used to have! Okay looking at best and never cared about clothes, but very, very confident (she would very easily go up to a stranger on the street and just start talking). She could seriously have ANY guy she wanted. She always had a good-looking boyfriend who would be completely devoted to her even if she treated him badly! And there was always another waiting in the wings.

So, I think you are totally right, Drew. It comes from within. Sometimes I feel like I am not pretty inside or outside. I try to work on being a better, friendlier person a lot.

Andrea Julia · Coach

quote:
Originally posted by: shopgirl82
" one thing i hate about bcbg is that they only carry up to size 12. we have women come in all the time and ask for a 14, and i feel like an jerk saying we only make up to 12. then there's the issues with no mirrors in the fitting rooms. so people have to prance out and check themselves out. it's happened so many times when two girls will prance out one a size 2 and the other a size 12 and of course immediately the size 12 feels like she doesn't look great, and every ohhhs and ahhhs about how cute the size 2 looks in what she's wearing. i agree with drew...beauty comes from confidence not a number. it's just a shame our society makes it hard for women who are beautiful to feel beautiful if they are larger than a certain size. -- Edited by shopgirl82 at 18:33, 2005-04-11"

What's the deal with that at BCBG anyway? Why can't there be mirrors in the dressing rooms? That is the only store I go to that doesn't have it. In the one by me, one of the dressing rooms has a mirror and I always try to get that one. What you say about the size 2 coming out in the exact same outfit happens to me all the time! I'm a size 8-10 which isn't that bad really, but it is not proportionate to my top. My friend's boyfriend told me that my a** would be really nice if my boobs were two sizes bigger (nice guy, huh?)

Tati · Chanel

quote:
Originally posted by: bliss
"I'm a size 14-16 and I have never had a problem with confidence or felt like I was less than anyone else as a result of my size. It probably comes from the way I was raised, my mother is a rail, my father is a rail and my sisters and I are all the same size . In the past 10 years I have gone from a 12-14 to a 14-16, I was never a small person. My mother always instilled in us that we have to be confident and content with the bodies God gave us and that unless you are going to change how you look (diet, exercise) you better learn to deal with what you have. No one's perfect and I never compare myself to anyone else. I shop at the Gap (up to size 20) and Lane Bryant as well as Banana Republic but I also shop at Macy's and Lord and Taylor and Strawbridges and a bunch of other places. It would be nice if The Limited carried a 14-16, I can fit their shirts and ocassional sweatpants (which I adore), but they don't so I can't do anything about that, I'm not going to fight too hard to fit into their clothes either. I'm healthy and young and life is too short for me to worry about whether a pair of 7s fit me when the Gap has always fit me just fine. "

I guess up bringing has a lot to do with it. I'm the only girl and growing up my mom was always on my ass to not eat junk food, etc. And I was never heavy, i was skinny until I had my 2nd child. i'm a size 12 right now and i know thats not huge but i just dont feel comfortable. my mom and now my dad will say comments about my weight. of course my mom looks good, shes short but is at her perfect weight

and like your mom said, be happy or do something about it. and I guess i'm doing something about it to try to be happy w/my body.

miss t · Dooney & Bourke

Tati-I feel your pain, I have gained significant weight since I was in college years ago, I was bummed for a long time, but I have learned to flatter what is good about my body and be confident and smart about myself. Really being confident and being the best person you can be attracts others to you and make you feel better about yourself. Plus most guys love girls with meat on their bones, at least my guy does

. Hope that helps, be proud and confident about yourself, love your curves!

Alikat · Kate Spade

I totally know how you feel, I can get very caught up in self-degregation. Right now I'm trying to rid myself of that negativity.

I've flip-flopped in weight since high school depending upon my activity level. Right now I'm at my largest ever... it can be pretty depressing - but I'm trying to get a control on my eating habits and activity levels (which have plummeted since starting to work full-time). I have no desire to ever be stick thin, just to get to a weight and size I'm comfortable with. I want to be strong

I don't know for me that works best - being in good shape. Maybe its just the endorphines.

I love your attitude Bliss!

Irene · Dooney & Bourke

I have 2 problems with my size:

1 - I don't feel as healthy as I used to. I have a lot more aches and pains. (I can't walk as much as I used to because I ankles hurt more these days.) I am also much more fatigued.

2 - A lot of the stores I want to shop in don't carry my size. Its saddening because they have such nice things but I cant fit into them.

I am a pretty confident person, but I can openly admit that I am fat. It's not so bad because my fiance has gotten fat with me. However, I would like to feel better physically than I do now. I was happiest and healthiest as a size 10. But now, at a size 14-16, I don't feel as good.

Elle · Hermes

quote:
Originally posted by: Irene
"I have 2 problems with my size: 1 - I don't feel as healthy as I used to. I have a lot more aches and pains. (I can't walk as much as I used to because I ankles hurt more these days.) I am also much more fatigued. 2 - A lot of the stores I want to shop in don't carry my size. Its saddening because they have such nice things but I cant fit into them. I am a pretty confident person, but I can openly admit that I am fat. It's not so bad because my fiance has gotten fat with me. However, I would like to feel better physically than I do now. I was happiest and healthiest as a size 10. But now, at a size 14-16, I don't feel as good."

I identify with not feeling as good/well physically. I gained almost 15lbs in the year after we moved to a new town, and I just get the feeling sometimes that I'm suffocating in my own body. I'm not really heavy by anyone's standards, so that's not an issue. It's not about being a certain size/weight, it's about being at a size that comfortable for you both emotionally and physically.