Help -- wardrobe makeover please!

[catnapper]

Oh boy.... lots of great ideas! I wish we had a Kohl's nearby. The closest is 45 minutes away and at $2.60 a gallon for gas, I'm not driving that far! LOL

I suddenly remembered about Burlington Coat Factory this afternoon so I drove by and bought a top..... talk about wardrobe makeover! TOTALY different than anything I ever bought! Its black, white, and tan satin fabric with graphic animal-type stripes (I'm gonna start looking more and more like my tabbies!), I'm totally in love with this blouse and wish like crazy that it also came in a few solids, because I would have bought every color if it did! I did see a VERY similar top at Lane Bryant yesterday in solid colors, but they were $19.99 each. Drat. Debbie, care to share one of those checks?

I also checked out Goodwill again.... I found myself saying "ooooh, I love this! I wonder if they have it in my size" oops!

PS: I thought I might mention that someone from freecycle was offering my size office casual clothes and she offered them to me. I responded to her offer and then nothing came of it. Phooey. BUT I'm going to pick up shoes from another freecycler tomorrow. She said its a big bag of miscellaneous shoes but most of them are business-like and in great shape.

[Craftlady]

Walmart had in ladies department, v neck cotton/knit shirts (t-shirt) (didnt stop to touch/feel) LOL for $4.88 something close to that price. Loads of colors.

[shais_mom]

Thanks guys!

I hate Fashion Bug -- that stuff is cheaply made and never fits me right. I guess I should have added "well made" to my list of demands!

Most of my clothes come from Fashion Bug and the only "problem" I ran into was a tank top I bought last summer and it had glitter/sparkly things on it and they fell off in the wash after several washings. And that would have happened regardless of where I bought it - or how I washed it.
Rarely can I leave from there without something in my bag....
I love Lane Bryant also but their clothes are way more $$$$.

[Lobodeb]

I did see a VERY similar top at Lane Bryant yesterday in solid colors, but they were $19.99 each. Drat. Debbie, care to share one of those checks?

I get them all the time, so when I do receive one, I'll let you know.

Also, what size shoe do you wear? I have some that no longer fit me if you're interested.

[pitc9]

There are shops on EBAY just for plus size.
And they are GREAT!!!

I love Layne Bryant, Fashion Bug and Target. Target never has a lot of selection in my department... but what they have there is always cute and it's priced to high either!

[Lobodeb]

Hey Kim!

I just received one of those gift cheques that I was telling you about. It's $50 off a purchase of $150 or more, $25 of a purchase of $75 or more, or $75 off a purchase of $225 or more.

Ya want it?

[cyber-sibes]

Do you have a C.J. Banks anywhere close enough to drive? I worked at ours here for 3 1/2 years. You would be AMAZED at how low the prices go on things near the end of a season. They keep marking them down till they hit 2.98, some go to .99. Considering these are great clothes (good materials, stylish, well made) and fairly pricey when they first hit the racks, you just can't beat the bargins. We always had a good selection of things in the 9.99, 6.99, 4.99. range. I still wear clothes I bought from them 6 & 7 years ago, they're very well made.

You mentioned Burlington - I loved shopping there when my kids were small, I could actually afford to buy myself new things too! My winter coat is going strong - I paid $35 at Burlington's for it 12 years ago!

[NoahsMommy]

Kim,

I've actually found some rather cute items at stores like Old Navy, Target, Walmart and Kohl's. They ALL have business atire sections and when on sale, are even MORE reasonable. They ALL have plus-size sections and tend to stay with the trends and also have more classic styles too!

Shockingly, Old Navy carries all that too. I really like their "professional" section and they go all the way up to 3X. When the sales hit - GREAT prices!

Kohl's is a lot like Mervyns or Sears - they have the same sections (professional, plus-size) and when they have sales, which is almost always, especially with Easter/Passover/Spring going on now.

Target and Walmart have the sections you need and keep up with the trendy and the classics. Their stuff is much better made than places like Dress Barn, Fashion 2000, Fashion Bug, etc.

Lots of luck! It just takes a bit of creative looking and the time to go through the sale/clearance rack. If you don't have the patience for it, make it a game. See how MUCH you can save and how many ITEMS you can get for your budget. Its kind of fun.

When I got my very brief job at Cedars Sinai, I had to quickly get a professional wardrobe as I had a uniform at the Hospital and scrubs at my other jobs. But, without a job, I had zero funds.

Mom and I went to Old Navy, Target, Macy's and Lane Bryant and got a ton of stuff on sale! Everything I found at Macy's was very well made and ON SALE!! I got the best stuff there! At Target I got a lot too...and all on sale. We went to Lane Bryant for some dark brown pants - as I couldn't find what I wanted at the other three places and found some nice pants on sale, again!! Its fun to see how much you can get for your budget - and most importantly, looking GREAT with your finds!

I can't wait to see how you did. Let us know.

Hugs, Kelly

Oh, btw! A good idea to make your wardrobe stretch is to get some classic pieces and then add to them so that you wear something new each day. Ex: I got 1 pair of black pants, 1 black skirt, 1 pair of gray pants, 1 pair of tan pants, 1 brown pair of pants, etc. - then you wear those bottoms and add the different shirts - that way you could wear a new shirt/top and have a new outfit each day! You get more shirts once you have your staple of bottoms. Does that make sense??