My Favorite Things (Tips & Tricks)

I have to warn you, shopping on the cheap isn't for the faint of heart, its time intensive, and a lot of work (and thats *before* trying to put an outfit together). But, I do what I can to help out, so here are some tips, tricks, and a few of my favorite resources (not all are "cheap/discount" but have good sales).

General clothing tips:
-The general rule for dressing is that you want to mimic an hourglass figure, so that your top and bottom half are in proportion.
-Dark wash jeans are flattering to curvaceous girls, especially pear and hourglass shaped ladies.
-Wear light/bright colors on what you want to emphasize, and dark colors on what you want to de-emphasize.
-If it doesnt have darts/seaming, dont buy it. 9/10 it will end up looking like a muumuu on you because the clothing won't fit your shape.

Tips for buying/acquiring clothing:
-Does your friend own a item of clothing you absolutely love? Try bartering for it. Offer a trade they may like from your own closet, or buy it at a discount (especially if they've worn it a few times, or its now out of season).
-Always check sales racks. If they don't have your size, try the size above, and a size below. Because of vanity sizing, the store's clothing sizes may not be the same as your true size.
-Most stores offer (FREE) discount cards, or if you sign up for their newsletters, they give you advance notice of sales, or sometimes members only sales (not too mention the discount you'll already be getting from the member's oard!).
-Thrift stores and bag sales are excellent places to shop for classic or vintage items. Dont spend a fortune on dress pants, when you may be able to find some in thrift (dress pants rarely come in colors other than a classic black, brown, grey, or navy).
-For buying new clothing, if it isn't a store brand, take down the product info, and search for it online. You can often find it much cheaper, but be wary of shipping, and factor it in to the price, otherwise you'll be in for a surprise!!
-Online, if a normal price seems too good to be true, it usually is. If you get stuck in a situation where the company isn't compliant after you've ordered, contact your local, and the company's local Better Business Bureau. They will often begin to comply just so the BBB doesn't get involved.



My favorite overall clothing store:
Fashion Bug / Lane Bryant

Other clothing stores:
Additionelle / Penningtons
Torrid
Forever 21+
ASOS Curve
City Chic
eShakti Clothing

My favorite corset/lingerie store:
Wedding Checklist
(highly recommended, I have bought from them a few times, excellent service)

Other corset/lingerie shops:
Bravissimo
Hips and Curves
Corset Wholesale
Big Gals Lingerie

Other clothing:
We Love Color
Plus Sized Qipao/Chengosam (check ALL, not just plus sized category)

Measuring Guide

First and foremost, one of the things a person should never be without (regardless of their size) is a measuring tape. The reason for this being that most brands have what we call "vanity sizing" (a ploy from stores to make customers feel better, and therefore shop at their stores more than their competitors) - So even though you may truly be a size 16, in some stores you may be a 14, or even a 12 in vanity sizes.

DO NOT FALL FOR THIS TRICK. Learn your true size that way you aren't crushed when you find out your size is a lot larger than you may have thought it was. Its just a number, and it isn't changing your actual size. Rather than trying to squeeze yourself in to a smaller outfit and end up looking terrible, know your true measurement and avoid this problem all together.

The second reason for knowing your measurements is for ease of buying - More often than not, brands carry what they call "Extended sizes" (ie. plus sizes) online only. Without being able to try these things on, the only thing you have to go on is measuring charts.

For ease of measurement, have someone help measure you (boyfriend/husband, mom/sister), because trying to self-measure is difficult. If you do try and measure your self, I recommend adding an extra inch to the measurement. To begin, wear a comfortable every-day bra and panties. No shapewear, no minimizing bra, and definitely no push-up bras! All of those things will give you incorrect measurements. To measure, keep the tape level, and taut, but not so tight that you're "squeezing" anything.



Bust:
Place the tape measure just under your armpits and measure across the fullest part of your breasts (usually level with your nipples).



Band:
This measurement is important if you're trying to fit for a bra. Measure just under your breasts (on your ribcage).

Doing a write up on bra's would be a completely separate entry, so I will link a guide I found to be quite accurate and informative, since they have all of the bases covered.
007 Bras



Waist:
Traditionally, this is measured at your "narrowest point", but for plus sized ladies, your narrowest point is often your ribcage. So, for the waist measurement, I recommend measuring across your belly button.



Hips:
Measure the widest part of your lower half. For me, this fell across the lower part of my stomach (just above my butt); but for others the widest part may be across your butt and thighs.



Inseam:
This is important to know for measuring pants. Starting at your crotch, measure all the way to the floor. If you wear heels with your pants, measure with your heels on, to just above the floor. You want your pants to hit just above the heel, so you wont tread on the fabric.

**Addendum from my mother, the seamstress: "Also measure for pants by the outseam. Just in case the crotch is longer or shorter, the outside seam is a good measurement." (Referring to the RISE of the pants).**