# Classy BBW clothing?



## Tarella (Jan 20, 2006)

I was wondering if the people of the board know of different classy BBW clothing stores? What are your top picks for great clothing even if it costs a lot?


Tarella


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## moonvine (Jan 20, 2006)

http://www.peglutz.com

My favorite, no question.

Also http://www.kiyonna.com/

http://www.persephoneplus.com/


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## BBWDREAMLOVER (Jan 21, 2006)

moonvine said:


> http://www.peglutz.com
> 
> My favorite, no question.
> 
> ...




I LOVE Peggy Lutz!


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## MissToodles (Jan 21, 2006)

zaftique. I've purchased a lot of pieces to wear as a student teacher. Although the dresses are high quality they are made out of polyester. My one complaint!


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## Boteroesque Babe (Jan 21, 2006)

MissToodles said:


> zaftique. I've purchased a lot of pieces to wear as a student teacher. Although the dresses are high quality they are made out of polyester. My one complaint!


Yeah. What's up with the polyester?

I follow pretty much every clothing link I see on the boards. Always have. But even the places folks here rave about seem to sell mostly or exclusively clothes made of synthetics. It's near impossible to find styles I like made with natural fibers. Silk and wool would be nice, but I happily settle for cotton. Happily. In fact, I've bought pretty much every 100% cotton item I've fancied, and still they're too few.

Yes, I know about Making It Big. I used to worship at their feet. But I now prefer things more fitted and feminine. In recent years, I've tried to acclimate, especially when I find styles and colors I like (kind of a rarity). I've bought acrylic sweaters, 50/50 pullovers, rayon blouses, and poly-knit dresses. And except for a couple of Peggy Lutz pieces, I usually wear the thing once and never again. 

Am I alone in my disdain for synthetics? I know the naughty see-through things I love can only be made of poly, and I can appreciate what a smidge of spandex does for cotton, but any more than 10% man-made, I find icky. Where's a fat girl to go for natural fabrics?

In the words of Miss Toodles (a long time ago), help a bitch out.


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## AnnMarie (Jan 21, 2006)

I like cotton as much as the next gal, but I rarely find it styled enough to fit well, or hold it's shape. It's just a fact, Jack, so I think that's where a lot of the synthetics end up topping the charts.


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## MissToodles (Jan 21, 2006)

Don't get me wrong, the zaftique polyester dresses are really nice polyester and are lined but I know I'm going to be drenched in sweat at the end of the day. That's why I returned some of my ulla popken order and bought two MIB skirts on ebay. They are cool and flowly and made out of natural materials. 

Tencel isn't a natural fabric but I can breathe in it. I ordered these pants from junonia :

http://www.junonia.com/detail.htm?style_id=306424&styleName=Tencel%20Basic%20Pants%2042%25%20Off&shortDesc=

They aren't terribly wide legged but not tapered to the legs either.


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## Carol W. (Jan 21, 2006)

I guess quality is in the eye of the beholder to some degree, but I'll be glad to share some of my fav companies. In no particular order: 

Plus Woman. Catalog and online. 

Ulla Popken. Also printed catalog and online. 

Making It Big. (but I agree with BB that most of their clothing is a little too tailored for my taste. However, their quality is superb. )

Persephone Plus. I know it's already been mentioned, but her dresses are so incredibly beautiful they can take your breath away. Some come in knee as well as ankle length. She will custom for you, too! Online only. 

Silhouettes. Again, paper catalog and online. But most of their prettiest stuff stops at size 26. I haven't bought from them in awhile for that reason, but again, quality seems good. 

I hesitate a little to mention Sanctuarie. (online only) There are some pluses here: the owner is VERY nice, accommodating; their sizes go up to 9X, and they do have pretty things. I have several of their Goth Wear line items. But quality and sizing can be inconsistent. I generally have to go bigger and longer than what their measurement charts would indicate. Also, last Fall I ordered one gothic dress and was sent another!! As it happened, I liked the one I got even more than what I ordered! and I kept it, but normally, I would have been rather unhappy over this mistake. 

Hope this gives you some other choices to look at!


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## Jes (Jan 21, 2006)

Boteroesque Babe said:


> I've bought acrylic sweaters, 50/50 pullovers, rayon blouses, and poly-knit dresses. And except for a couple of Peggy Lutz pieces, I usually wear the thing once and never again.
> 
> .



And once, you bought a table cloth to wear. Remember that? Good times!

love,
smartass


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## EvilPrincess (Jan 21, 2006)

Boteroesque Babe said:


> .
> 
> Yes, I know about Making It Big. I used to worship at their feet. But I now prefer things more fitted and feminine.


 
I used to shop exclusively at MIB on line, and have even made a trip to their outlet store in Cali. Ever since they changed their sizing I have been incredibly unhappy, things are either too boxy too short or just not flattering. I live in their rayon, wash it and wear it, and am dreading when my many seasons ago MIB pants wear out. **sigh**


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## Boteroesque Babe (Jan 22, 2006)

Jes said:


> And once, you bought a table cloth to wear. Remember that? Good times!


True dat. When disappointed by the Lane Bryants, Igigis, and Zaftiques of the world, I hit Bed Bath & Beyond. And head straight for the Beyond department.


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## Carol W. (Jan 22, 2006)

....don't know how I could forget two other wonderful companies:

Love Your Peaches. Really gorgeous stuff. Plus and supersizes. The owner is an absolute doll, too!

Designs by Sandie. Owned by Sandie S-R, a Dimensions regular. Also has beautiful things, and they go well up into supersizes. 

These two women know their stuff. Getting something from them is like opening a present on Christmas morning: really special! I still have the "Everything" dress from "Peaches", and it is probably the most versatile and becoming dress I have ever had.


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## Tad (Jan 23, 2006)

Boteroesque Babe said:


> Yeah. What's up with the polyester?
> 
> <snip much BBgoodness>
> I've bought acrylic sweaters, 50/50 pullovers, rayon blouses, and poly-knit dresses. And except for a couple of Peggy Lutz pieces, I usually wear the thing once and never again.
> ...



You are not alone! 

There are some 70/30 cotton/poly oxford style shirts that I can tolerate, and to my amazement last summer I did find a pair of artificial-fiber pants that are OK (I would not have bought them at all if they were not ridiculously discounted). But in general I avoid artificial fibers like the plague. When I wear them I feel icky, get cranky, and even if Im just sitting at my desk all day by 4pm I get this paranoid sense that Ive developed some strange artificial fiber BO. What drove me away from wearing PJs at night was that except for the really expensive ones, they are all about 65% polyester, which approximates the feeling of sleeping wrapped in plastic (or so I imagine).

Except for the sort of exception that you mentioned, I wont buy them for my wife either. Which does rather limit the shopping options. Fortunately Cotton Ginny & Cotton Ginny Plus havent totally forgotten their name, and still carry most of their clothing as 100% or something close to it with a bit of lycra.

Someone mentioned that you cant achieve certain cuts with cotton. True, but you can manage most of them just fine with silk! It frustrates me to know end how rarely I can find silk anything, and how good quality and nice looking silk is even rarer, and on top of that of course even rarer in plus sizes, and on top of that a lot of silk clothes run around a size smaller than most north American clothes do these days. When I see something good, and a good match for my wife, in silk these days Im inclined to buy it on the spot, not waiting for sales, not caring if there is any particular occasion coming up to explain a gift or not. It is silk, it should be on her 

-Ed


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## FitChick (Jan 24, 2006)

MissToodles said:


> zaftique. I've purchased a lot of pieces to wear as a student teacher. Although the dresses are high quality they are made out of polyester. My one complaint!




I LOVED Zaftique! About 5 years ago, I bought a gorgeous black and deep purple crushed velvet gown for 25 dollars, that was on clearance from 100 dollars! It was in size 3x and I still have it, waiting to take it in somehow.


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 25, 2006)

AnnMarie said:


> I like cotton as much as the next gal, but I rarely find it styled enough to fit well, or hold it's shape. It's just a fact, Jack, so I think that's where a lot of the synthetics end up topping the charts.



I'm with you on that. If I find something in cotton that fits well it's only good for one wearing. After that it never looks the same again.

I'm a slob. I bump into things, spill stuff on myself, get caught on door jams, I sit in gum. I can't spend a lot of money for clothes or deal with anything that requires a lot of extra maintenance. If it can't be thrown in the wash with all the other stuff I can't use it. I have fancy stuff to sing in that I take excellent care of but the rest of my gear is all dispensable synthetic. If I really like it I'll buy two and when one gets damaged it's thrown in the garbage. And I refuse to spend over a certain amount of money for something made out of polyester. That's just not in me.


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## rainyday (Jan 26, 2006)

I detest synthetic. I feel like I'm walking around in Saran Wrap or some evil weight-loss-by-sweat torture device. Sadly Making It Big just started doing part of their clothes in polyester--think it was last season. I was aghast and wonder if they've been bought out. 

Plus Woman sometimes has some very nice rayon fabrics, but for some reason they show most of their clothes in dowdiest fabrics in their selections. I've gotten pieces from them that I love, but it takes a lot of squinting at those little fabric squares and trying to imagine what it's going to look like.

Some of my favorite pieces--a black velvet button-up-the-back jacket and a beautiful filmy see-through pink shirt--have come from Love Your Peaches. The pink shirt is synthetic, but it's so pretty and feminine it's one time I haven't cared.


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## ripley (Jan 26, 2006)

MissToodles said:


> Tencel isn't a natural fabric but I can breathe in it.




I'm not sure, but isn't Tencel made from a wood fiber (therefore natural)?


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