Hellobee

For the past five years, I’ve had the luxury of working in a very casual office environment. I’m very much a creature of comfort, so with the exception of one pair of dress pants for the occasional formal meeting, my entire closet is made up of jeans, TOMS shoes, cardigans and fun tees. As of this week, however, I am climbing the next step on my career ladder and starting a new job at a new organization that has a more professional dress code. That means that my wardrobe is in desperate need of an upgrade.

I’ve never been a particularly big fan of clothes shopping. As a size 16-18 (depending on the day and the brand/store), and someone that’s more a get-in-get-out than a peruse-and-shop person, shopping for clothing is usually more aggravating than it is enjoyable because it’s nearly impossible to go in, get what you need, and get out like a grocery store. And for plus sizes, that’s especially true because everything is sized differently store to store and even brand to brand; items sit differently, even within the same size – all in all, it’s just not a fun time. That said, it had to be done, and thankfully, I lucked out with a few fun picks that are also going to work for a comfort-first creature like me.

Pants

1) My favorite find in my shopping adventure were these Alfani capri pants at Macy’s. They come in a wide range of sizes and colors, as well as styles (button/zipper, pull on, decorative pockets, etc.), but the best thing about them is that they sit perfectly, even on a short person like me. Usually, I struggle with pants bunching up on me because everything is generally cut to a 5′ 4″ woman or taller, and I clock in at 5′ 1″ on a good day, and waistbands are either too low or too high on my frame. These, however, sat beautifully, exactly where I wanted them on my waistline, and they’re billed as having a bit of a control top, so it really smoothed out lots of unwelcome curves.

2) My long time favorite pair of pants, which I bought a few more of in light of this new professional adventure, are the Old Navy Pixie pants. Despite their great range of plus sizes, Old Navy pants never worked well on me, but the Pixie pants are wonderful. They have a little bit of stretch, so they feel supremely comfortable, they’re not too low cut but don’t cut into me by being too high up either, and they wash very well in the washing machine, though I do prefer to dry clean them for a more polished look. Once I get a read on how conservative (or not) my new office is, I may invest in one of their fun patterns in addition to the few solid colors I already own.

3) Most plus sized women know the term “chub rub” all too well. I avoided skirts and dresses for years, especially on days when I would have to do a lot of walking, but a few months ago, after I mentioned a particularly terrible case of chub rub acquired on our Caribbean vacation to a friend, I was introduced to Skimmies from Jockey and they have changed my life. They’re short enough to hide under most skirts and dresses, they’re lightweight and come in a wide range of colors to fit every need and style. And Jockey is constantly running sales on their website, so it’s not prohibitive to invest in a few pairs. I’ve worn dresses and skirts nearly all summer thanks to Skimmies so I wanted to make sure I share the tip if anyone hasn’t discovered them yet.

Skirts and Dress(es)

As a short woman with a lot of weight on my hips and fairly short legs, skirts and dresses are tricky because they have to be cut just right in order to avoid a boxy or too hippy of a look. Generally speaking, I lean toward fuller, A-line skirts and dresses that sit at my knee or right below, and anything that’s cut close to my natural waistline or right below my chest. Anything shorter and my legs are too exposed and uneven, and anything longer has to be a full maxi skirt or dress to avoid an unsightly cut at my calves that throws off my proportions. A few of my favorite finds came from a couple more favorite spots that cater to my larger size – New York and Company and Dress Barn.

4) These skirts from NY and Company come in solid colors and fun stripes and go up to size 18. They were a bit long on my short frame, hitting about mid calf, so I’m likely going to tailor them up just a bit. They’re fairly light and just formal enough for an office but not overly stuffy.

5) For more formal days, I also invested in this basic black skirt (and discovered that I have a similar one in a plum color from a few years ago still in my closet!) and this 6) chevron patterned flare skirt. Both are soft and have a pull-on waistband that makes them super comfortable as well.

7) When it comes to dresses, I have a bit of a love-hate dilemma. I LOVE how dresses look, and I wanted to buy multiple from various stores I ended up shopping, but they tend to be pricier ($75+) and I have a hard time making them versatile. After all, you can wear the same skirt multiple times in a week if it’s paired with a variety of tops and shoes, but it’s hard to do the same with a dress without looking like you’re wearing the same thing over and over (which I admit I care about more than I probably should). That said, I could not walk away from this cotton flare dress from NY and Company. The solid colors are vibrant and various, and I could dress them up with cardigans, jewelry and shoes, so it was an easy sell. Plus, because I’m shorter, they were a perfect length, hitting just at my knee, they were barely $20 each, and they have pockets, so really, it was a no brainer.

Tops

Tops were admittedly my lowest priority, because I’m not required to wear a suit (thank goodness), and in a business casual office, when worn correctly, it’s pretty easy to play up casual tops. And as I wandered around the Macy’s business wear section, full of very loudly patterned tops in silky materials (both no-go’s for me), I realized I’ll do best working with what I have and maybe adding a few more basics to my wardrobe. A few of my favorite finds were:

8) Tops like these and 9) these from Maison Jules (also at Macy’s) come in simple patterns and colors, go up to size XXL (though word of caution, the XXL is about equal to a size 14-16 at best so they definitely need to be tried on to see how they fit), and are fairly affordable. I have a few items from this line, which I truly adore for creative use of patterns, and will be on the lookout for more.

10) Cocoon cardigans from Target. I now own 4 of these in different colors and I have a feeling a few more will end up in my closet soon enough. These are amazing in many ways – lightweight, clean-cut, and are very easy to put over a sleeveless top or even a dressier tank top for a complete office friendly outfit.

11) Basic tank tops. As I mentioned, I’m very particular about patterns, but I also don’t want my closet to be full of just solid colors. Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s and similar stores have lots of very simple tank tops that can be layered or paired with a jacket or cardigan for an office look without much lift or cost.

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Where are your favorite stores to shop for plus-size wear?