plmnjko

I was wondering if any of you ladies might know of any brand of clothing or website that caters for clothing for ladies with less standard figures?

As my bodyshape is slowly changing I'm having increased trauma buying new clothes and now it's at the point where I'm really struggling to buy anything suitable for work. I have to wear a suit and it feels like no one on earth caters for my shape.

If I find something that fits my shoulders in, the thing hangs off my like a limp rag round my waist, similarly with the old butt and hips area. They can fit like a glove round the hips but I have a huge gaping gap around the waistband which can't be dealt with by using a belt.

I'm trying to avoid having to have things tailor made as quite frankly, my salary doesn't allow and I'd rather spend my hard earned pennies on my bike. Lol

So ladies.... any ideas??? Does anyone else find this a problem???
Thanks a lot

genuinegirly

Have you considered purchasing items and then taking them to a tailor for alterations? It can be extremely rewarding to wear something that truly fits, and alterations are significantly less expensive than tailor-made.

I'm also going to recommend that you look at the price of purchasing a second-hand sewing machine, fabric, and patterns. $4 will get you a single pattern which can be used dozens of times with different fabrics. Simplicity brand patterns are incredibly easy to follow for a novice sewer, and they offer variable sizing, for instance if you are a 14 in one place and a 10 in another (based on your measurements and their size chart) you can easily follow their lines while cutting and make each garment to your exact specifications.

You have honestly shared very little about your overall shape. Each manufacturer has a different "fit", and from what you have shared you seem to have broad shoulders and a small waist. One of my friends has this problem. She is plus-size in the shoulders, breast, and hips, but has a tiny sized waist. She really likes Lane Bryant's clothes. They have a certain line of pants that offers each style in 3 slightly different fits. One of those fits suits her perfectly, without a gap at the waist.

Sorry I don't have more advice.

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Starkizzer

Agreed on getting things tailored.

If by less than standard fit you mean plus size, there are many stores available to you, though you may still need to get some things altered.

Torrid has fun fashionable and work appropriate attire as does Lane Bryant.

If you are petite but have what they call the apple bottom, there is a clothing line suited just for that shape. I think Jennifer Lopez had a line and I "think" they may have some dressier type clothing.

Like genuinegirly said, with out knowing more about your unique shape, we can't really help.

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amonkie

Paying attention to the cut of clothing was what helped me a lot. All pants are NOT created equal!

I have a pretty curvy shape but not the longest torso. I found that NY and Company's proportions on their pants fit my shape best and got rid of the waist band gap.

Likewise.. I was at GAP the other day and tried on 12 different cuts of jeans. Only 1 pair fit me correctly, even though i grabbed the same size in every cut. I feel your pain!

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jadangel

I agree with the idea to get alterations to the clothing you get. The rule of thumb is to get the piece of clothing to fit the biggest part of you and then the rest can be taken in. It's easier to get things taken in than to get them let out.