The Vine: September 2, 2011
As fall and winter approach, I need some wardrobe-building help.
I work in Manhattan in an industry that’s not quite suits-and-heels, but isn’t cazh, either. I have lots of appropriate separates to wear, but I like to have a mix that includes dresses. And winter dresses are increasingly difficult to come by. My current closet components are becoming less and less presentable. I have a garment or two that have been doing yeoman’s work for 20 years, and although they’ve held up through style changes and all, they need to be replaced.
My specs:
- I’m plus sized.
- No empire waists — I’ve tried ’em lots, they don’t work on me. Trapeze cuts and smock-type stuff is okay, though.
- POCKETS. Must have ’em; anything that doesn’t have ’em won’t be bought. (This is really rant-worthy for me, but I’ll just leave it at: if a designer can’t craft a ladies’ garment with pockets without compromising “the line,” he is bad at his job. Full stop. Menswear isn’t burdened by this design problem, so it can’t be such a problem, can it?)
- Knee-length or longer.
- Beefy, winter-weight fabric. I prefer natural fibers seeing as they last longer, but at this point, I’m not going to spurn an otherwise acceptable garment because a polyester gave up its life for me. Heavy cotton jerseys or wools. My office’s climate control isn’t modern, so slinky modals and clingy or breezy fabrics won’t do. Corduroy is okay, denim is not.
- Jumpers are fine. (Not the British jumper, which is a different thing entirely. And those, I have.)
- ¾ sleeve or longer, any neckline is okay.
- I’d rather be not so spendy, but I’m willing to fork over $100-200 for a good piece that works.
- I don’t care about being fashion-forward, but neither am I dowdy. Sharp and classic is what I’m going for. Playful isn’t inappropriate, but playclothes are.
- Any color is fine. Neutrals or brights, bring ’em on.
I’ve been through the usual big-gal catalogs (Ulla, Lane, Land’s End, Silhouettes, MIB, Avenue) with no dress success, so I’m hoping a reader or nine will know of a source that isn’t on the beaten path.
Thanks. I really appreciate it!
Un-dressed
Dear Un,
I hear you on the no-pockets rant, obvs — but it does seem like ready-to-wear has gotten a little better about that, at least in skirts.
Depending on how plus you are, here’s a corduroy shirt-dress from J.Crew that looks pockety and toasty, or a suiting dress with pockets, but a lot of these companies are shite with extended sizing. Readers, any suggestions with a little more plus latitude? I browsed Torrid.com, but it seemed like almost all strapless (they are, however, having a sale today).
Tags: Ask The Readers retail
check out simplybe.com
They’re a plus-sized catalog shop based in the UK, and have a range of styles
for instance, here’s a sweater dress with pockets: http://www.simplybe.com/dresses/jeffrey+paula-sweater-dress+snood/invt/ax447rv/
or a denim option: http://www.simplybe.com/tunics/lightweight-denim-smocktunic-length-35in/invt/ax008qh/
(I don’t work for them!!! I have ordered a few tops, and love them. I do find their sizing runs a bit big sometimes – and I’m a top-heavy plus, so that’s a rarity)
I would suggest Old Navy as well, again – depending on how plus size you are. I’m not sure how they are with pockets, but they do have some sweater dresses at the moment, at least they do online.
I have never been to ReDress in Brooklyn, but it’s a thrift/vintage store specifically for sizes 14+, and I’ve heard great things.
http://www.redressnyc.com
Regarding pockets: Another option is to befriend a local tailor and have him or her insert pockets into dresses you otherwise like. Any dress with side seams can be easily modified to add pockets.
I have some basic sewing skills and have done this myself with inexpensive lining fabric, so that’s an even cheaper option if you’re willing to learn.
I don’t live in New York so I’ve only been to Lee Lee’s Valise twice, but each time I was there I bought jersey wrap dresses that have been great, and I believe both of them have pockets.
They’re in Carroll Gardens: http://www.leeleesvalise.com/
Have you tried Coldwater Creek (www.coldwatercreek.com)? They don’t appear to have winter stuff in on their site quite yet, but their stuff is generally has a pretty classic look though I am not entirely sure of the pocket situation (I know I’ve bought at least one piece with pockets, but not sure if that’s a trend or an exception).
One thing I often do is wear a blazer with dresses and that takes care of the pocket issue.
I am also plus sized and my go to for good quality work clothes is Talbots Woman. I scanned the dresses and they don’t seem to have anything that meets your specifications, but I was thinking you might have more luck with buying sheath dresses and wearing a jacket over them to get the pockets you want.
Maybe something like this: http://tinyurl.com/42zqjlp
paired with this: http://tinyurl.com/3n7q2yl
Talbots is pricey but they have fantastic sales at the end of each season if you can wait it out.
Two of my warmest winter dresses have come from Target (a wool blend jumper and a nicer shift dress of lined tweedy flannel) — the trick is both of those were sold with the “back to school” clothes so you need to go look right now and see what they’ve got. I am not plus sized but I’m pretty sure both of those were available for the full size spectrum. I’m finding pockets appear kind of randomly in their dressy clothes these days (just bought a summer work dress that had them), so it’s worth a shot.
I have heard good things about http://www.shabbyapple.com/.
I’m going to get some laughs for this, but: Dress Barn. I’m short, curvy, and have weird proportions, but I’ve found two dresses there that fit me perfectly. They have very nice business and business-casual clothes, with lots of classic silhouettes. They have a huge variety of colors, cuts, styles, etc. Half of their store is plus-size. Prices are extremely reasonable (and they’re always having sales). One of the dresses I got there has pockets, and they don’t ruin the lines at all.
What about Doncaster (sold by individual consultants)? It’s pricey (very), but the looks are classic, the materials are fabulous, and the clothes fit. I would rather pay more money for something I know is going to last a while, rather than a moderate amount of money for clothes that are only going to last one season.
http://www.doncaster.com
Have you looked at Igigi? They specialize in plus size dresses and separates. Pricier than most, but the pieces are quality and are sized up appropriately (not just taking a pattern and making it all over bigger, as I’ve seen some places do). http://www.igigi.com
Try eshakti.com – they have great selection, sizes 0-26W, and they are all customizable! Love that dress but wish it had sleeves? You can add them! Love that dress, but really want a v-neck? You can change it! Wish that dress was a little longer? Guess what, they do that too! You can even send them your measurements and get a custom fit. I love them, shipping does take a little while – it’s not overnight, but the prices are very reasonable.
If it helps at all, most department stores have much better selections of plus-size clothing online than in-store. I’ve found decent stuff online at Dillard’s, Bloomingdale’s, and Nordstrom – the latter two even use plus-size models. I’d also take a look at Zappos. Their clothing selection has slowly gotten better with time.
If you don’t mind shipping from the UK, there’s Pepperberry. It’s not a plus-size retailer per se; its focus is on fitting large-busted women, regardless of height or other weight considerations.
http://www.bravissimo.com/pepperberry/
Back in the day, Spiegel used to be a great source for this kind of thing. I’m scrolling through their selections today, and I only see one thing that meets the specs: this knit dress. But even this is described as “seasonless,” which clearly means: yeah, not winter in the concrete canyons of NYC. But maybe shoulder-season wear. The colors are sure pretty, though!
I know other commenters mean to be helpful with the ‘buy a sheath, wear a jacket’ suggestions, but to me, that’s Letting Them Win. You know, they-don’t-make-what-you-want-so-buy-what-they-make-and-make-do. No. I won’t spend money on stuff that doesn’t do. Done it already; it’s never been satisfying.
The only leverage I have is my wallet, and if [Retailer, designer] won’t sell me what I want, I won’t give them my money. I realize this isn’t exactly ripe for a grassroots swell of boycott, but it’s all I’ve got. (It should be, though. Rise up against the pocket-free oppressors!) I buy a ton of workout wear — all in the men’s department. (Yes, I need pockets at the gym. A girl has keys too, you know?) So if I have to search the whole wide internet, I will (and I’m totally poaching some of the suggestions here!).
I’ll second the recommendation for Dress Barn. Terrible name, but it’s really good for plus-size clothes of decent quality and variety.
I’m going to recommend eshakti.com (that is a search for all their dresses with pockets but the whole site is awesome) Basically, you can pick whatever dress, and change various things about it, including length, sleeve type, neckline etc. They also have you give your height, and bra size and custom fit the item to you. You can go further and send in your exact measurements and they’ll build the whole dress for you. I have become a bit obsessed with them in the past few months… Good quality (though maybe some things shrink a bit in the dryer, but in the end what was I doing drying my dress to begin with). My only complaint is that they are shipping from overseas so the items do take a bit of time to clear customs… but it is so worth it. I have 3 dresses so far and they’re all AMAZING and I get so many compliments on them… You can also search their “on sale” items, which are already made, so while you can’t customize you can get a good deal! AND when you make your first order (and every one after that) they send you a gift certificate for like $20 or $30, because they KNOW it will pull you back in, but it also meant I only paid $20 for one of the dresses… anyway, yeah… great company is what I’m saying.
I should also mention, I just checked that link, and it works but the site does load really slow… just, you know, so you’re aware.
Have you considered finding a tailor or local dressmaker? That way clothes can be made to your specific desires. Depending on where you live it can be financially comparable to buying (moderately expensive) retail. Trust me, I’ve done it. I like classic styles too and I’ve had too many situations where I literally couldn’t find the dress I had in mind in a store, so I decided to have it made. In fact, I learned how to sew and construct clothes after I got slightly broke for awhile and decided to take on the labor cost parts of the project myself.
Another idea would require you to live near a college with a good theater/costume-making department. I took costume-design for credit while I was in college and there are amazing students who would happily be paid under the table to modify an existing pattern, or create one entirely for your body.
Or, if you find something in a store that you adore and doesn’t have pockets, depending on the seam and line of the garment, they can be added after the fact. Something to think about….
I have a Geneva dress from Eliza Parker that has pockets, as do many of her dresses. Her clothes are very nicely made. I recommend taking a look: http://www.elizaparker.com/
Kiyonna.com has some very attractive dresses – not sure about pockets or quality, as I haven’t ordered from them.
Have to second dressbarn. I am plus sized, and can find separates in the usual shops, but dresses never work – my hips are a larger dress size than my torso, sigh. I went over three years without buying a dress. But in the last year, I purchased three from dressbarn, and they fit perfectly and are fashionable.
My sister is plus-size and she gets amazing things from here:
http://www.alight.com/
and
http://www.casual-plus.com/
Some of their stuff is kinda trendy, but they have a lot of great options and their prices are good.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for asking this question! I am plus sized and defintely looking for some tops and dresses for fall/winter and these sites have been a godsend!
If you’re looking for tops, Old Navy’s site really does have some good stuff–yeah, it’s not going to last forever, but it will for a couple seasons, and it’s good for “buy one style in several colors” price wise for matching separates.
(And oh, I hear you on the empire waists. Fuck empire waists and the clothehorses they rode in on. If I wanted the Ambiguous Preganant look I’d just get one of those fake pregnancy bellies and get a seat on the bus slightly more often.)
If the Nation doesn’t come up with enough choices, you might also try asking the folks over at Fatshionista.
Thanks for asking this question, as I am plus-sized and love sweater dresses (and am going back to work soon after maternity leave); this is awesome!
I had bad luck with eShakti a while back, but they do regularly send me coupon codes. Right now I have one for $20 off, in case anyone does want to give it a shot.
Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft should have some appropriate pieces as their fall collections come in, and they carry sizes up to 18. Here’s one example from Ann Taylor that might work: http://tinyurl.com/4yjmyx4
Hi – never comment, but I’ve gotten a few cute things from Asos.com – their Curve line is for plus-sized women and the clothes are cute.
Hahaha, Jen S 1.0, so true about the empire waists. It seems like Stacey and Clinton insist on empire waists for curvy types (on What Not to Wear) alllll the time. They make me look pregnant too. Embrace the waist!
I bought a dress from eShakti for my graduation. It’s gorgeous and I love it and I don’t regret for a minute. Next time I order from them, though, I’d send in my measurements. This dress has a zipper on one side from about my hip to my bustline to faciliate putting it on, since it has no stretch in that area (sequins!). Which I wish it had, since it was just slightly too tight there and I couldn’t zip it without the help of two people. Going up a size would have made it too big everywhere else, though. So, custom measurements, yup.
Of course, given your requirements, a seamstress could fix any imperfections in the fit of whatever you choose to buy, since, you know, no sequins. But custom fit is free the first time you order, so why not, eh?
I’ll also second Word_Wrestler on Fatshionista — everyone there is helpful and wonderful, and if you poke through the Outfit of the Day pictures, you can get tons more ideas.
I’m no help on answering the OP’s question, but I do love the fact that igigi.com shows its plus-size clothes on ACTUAL PLUS-SIZE MODELS.
I’m a VERY curvy 22 from the frigid Midwest, and 2nd the shout-out for Igigi. I got my wedding dress from them (although not their bridal collection – black lace & gold for me!), a number of dressy work dresses, and just ordered today since their Labor Day sale is going on.
However, you’ll have to check specifically for pockets. I’d say less than 50% have ’em.
You may also want to check out http://www.bandlu.com. There current dress selection is pretty limited, but they may restock soon as they just had their blow-out overstock/sample sale locally.
And I have to add, in between placing my order at Igigi and writing my post above…my order was packed in about 15 minutes!
I’m going to second the Talbots rec. Not the most thrilling, but quality, well fitting and they still use wool. Wool! Remember wool! And they have started using some plus sized models, so you can get an idea of what the clothes look like on a not-size-2 if you’re shopping online. Their sales are great.
Jessica London (and the umbrella site One Stop Plus) tends to be good for business/business casual. I always find them to be a little hit or miss with their color options (Burnt orange? Really?) but when I find things I like from them, I REALLY like them and wear them for years. http://www.jessicalondon.com/
Ulla Popken is pretty classic too – again, a little hit or miss for me, but when they have what I want it’s EXACTLY what I want. http://www.ullapopken.com/
Lane Bryant has a few shirtdresses in right now that meet most if not all of your criteria: http://tinyurl.com/3dtcwvr and http://tinyurl.com/3dacmym
I’ve handled them in-store, and the fabric is pretty sturdy. (And hey, look, pockets!)
A note if your size isn’t available online: go into a store armed with the style number and check with their stock. If they don’t have it, ask them to check their warehouse for you. LB’s inventory is, shall we say, complex, and the warehouses that supply the in-store shipping are COMPLETELY separate from the online warehouses.
I second the Asos (www.asos.com) recommendation if you don’t mind shopping at a UK store. I’m not plus sized but they have a curve section and a really helpful search engine. They also deliver really quickly, I live in Australia and receive my delivery from the UK within a week. They also have a really simple returns process.
I’ve had some great luck with the styles from 9 West (nine west? I can’t remember if they spell out the number) this season, because: pockets!! I’m plus sized and pear shaped, so their fitted-on-top, a-line skirt dresses are great for me. Depending on your size, they can be had pretty cheaply from TJ Maxx. I’ve also gotten a couple of good Calvin Klein dresses with pockets there (for a guy who popularized the stick thin look again, his cheaper lines are cut well for curvy girls!)
And don’t forget etsy – there are lots of independent seamstresses and tailors making good stuff. I searched for “dress pockets” and a bunch of stuff came up, including this lovely dress: http://tinyurl.com/3v9svzr
I’ve fallen in love with Boden — they have lots of wonderful dresses, including some for winter, and the upper end of their size range fits the lower end of plus-size, where I’m at. I don’t know about dresses with pockets, but surely some have some?
I also second Talbot’s — they are pricey, but the quality is good and back when I was a lawyer I got a lot of my professional clothes there, suits and work-casual alike. Again, can’t verify the pocket thing.
Check out cjbanks.com. They have lots of work worthy skirts, slacks, whatnot with good sizing and pricing.
“…because a polyester gave up its life for me.
Heh. That’s all, I’m sorry to say.
Oh dear, oh dear. I’ve been browsing eShakti for an hour now. The site is slow, as stated, but… but… there are clothes there I LIKE! And that look like they will work for my body type! And they take your custom measurements to make sure they fit! And they’re not so blinking expensive that I have to automatically rule them out! They’re not cheap, no, but they’re equivalent to things I see in stores that don’t fit right because I have huge boobs, big thighs and a small waist. (I haaaate empire waists. They hit me across the boob line, not under.)
… Sorry. :) I don’t have any suggestions beyond what has already been suggested, and I’m delighting in all the suggestions that are here for ME! :D
OneStopPlus.com is the place for me. They cover a lot of territory from just-a-little-past-Misses to how-many-people-are-going-to-be- in-this-dress? And I know this because I wear those very large sizes. The dress I have on today has pockets, as do most of my recent purchases, and it’s dressy enough for my casual office.
I’m going to enjoy browsing through everyone else’s suggestions, too.
I think you people made the Lane Bryant shirt dresses sell out!
Try http://www.kiyonna.com/. They can be a little pricey, however,everything I have gotten from them has fit beautifully. In addition, the clothes are quite cute without being cutsey, and not matronly… Also, the Michael Korrs plus size stuff is great. Ive had great luck in Macy’s plus size department as well.
Good luck!
i’m built like a tall skinny boy, so i can’t relate to your plight (believe me, i’ve got my own litany) but i’ve always coveted eileen fisher clothes– i think they’re urban, chic and ageless…and cut for curvier ladies than i: http://www.eileenfisher.com
I second (or third?) onestopplus.com. I have found many really wonderful dresses there! They have a great return policy, their site is easy to use and there are almost always coupons available online for them.
Man, there’s some eShakti love out there and I wish I could add my voice, but I ordered two custom-fit dresses from them and had to return both. Neither fit properly. Really disappointing because I have a lot of trouble finding things that fit (generously endowed in the bust).
I’ve been through a dress search lately and in the end ordering online just was too much with a hard-to-fit figure – I had to return 5 or 6 dresses that took hours of browsing and winnowing, and then long waits for them to arrive in the mail, all to try them on and know within 15 seconds they weren’t gonna work. I suggest spending a day at some stores with a good selection, like Lane Bryant, and investing in some try-on time.
LW here:
Thanks to everyone for so many great suggestions! I have a slew of stuff on order now, and I’ve bookmarked a couple of sites of which I was heretofore unaware. I’m giddy Sars used my question; I knew the TomNat would come through!