Tad
Dimensions' loiterer
I’m pretty fortunate with clothes. As North America has been getting fatter, more stores have been carrying larger sizes. When I first started needing a 40” waist there were some trendy and youth oriented stores that did not carry it, while that was as large as department stores carried in most style. Now that I need a 42” waist I find the same situation, except that I see more styles in department stores going up to a size 44”.
I determined that most “Big and Tall” stores carry sizes as small as a 38” waist. So I don’t absolutely need to shop in “Big and Tall” stores, but I could. There are a efw reasons that I though I wanted to shop in such a store.
For starters, with my wife I had witnessed the fact that while a lot of places carried some women’s plus sizes, there was very little selection in them, but that specialized stores often carried cool, stylish, and even trendy clothes. On the one hand I thought this would be a good opportunity to maybe pick up some more stylish clothes that fit. On the other hand, I’d realized that the specialty retailers need regular customers to stay in business and keep offering that selection, so that for items that we could get elsewhere, if it was reasonable to pick it up from the specialty store, I would.
Then there is the fact of fit. I am NOT 6’7” and built like a linebacker, but this seems to be the build that many makers of 42" waist clothes seem to expect to wear their items. Despite being a little on the short side, my waist is that big because I have a fat gut. I also have a substantial butt, but a somewhat short inseam (a 31” is perfect, on the rare occasions I can find it), with an even shorter rise (distance from crotch to waistband). A lot of pants in my size either belt on over my rib-cage or else do a bit of an imitation of skater pants. (Oddly when it comes to shirts, my complaint is that the sleeves are often too short. Perhaps I’m built like a gorilla?) Worst of all are shorts, where if they fit my waist typically reach down onto my knee caps. I was hoping that these sorts of stores would have clothes fit to various heights of fat.
Finally, I admit, I just wanted to do so. I guess I’ve always felt that the ‘inner me’ was fat, and as the outer me has gotten fatter it has felt somewhat like finally moving home. Shopping in a big guys store seemed like an official announcement that yes, I was fat.
So that was what was going on in my mind. Then there is reality.
I’ve gone to maybe half a dozen different such stores (different names, not just different locations), some in Canada and some in the US. In every case the selection has been small and bland. I don’t think I’ve seen a single item that took fashion risks. Further the quality of the clothes was generally fairly poor. Not awful, there were wool suits and cotton shirts and pants. Overall I’d compare the quality to the low to mid-range clothing at Sears. But if you wanted that one killer outfit, forget it.
Then there was the sizing. I consistently found it no better than at any other store for someone my height. Actually, it was worse, simply because there was less selection, so less chance of trying a different brand and finding it worked better for me.
Fortunately a standard extra-large still works for me when it comes to underwear, so in the department store I have some reasonable selection. Because for the most part what I saw in the way of underwear was cheap white cotton Y-fronts, the kind I have not worn since I started buying my own clothes. There was one exception, an outlet in Sacramento CA, where I found quite nice silk boxer shorts. Guys, if you have never worn silk boxer shorts, I strongly recommend it. I bought a pair on the spot, then wore them until they died—and used them as sleep shorts once they probably should have been disposed of. Unfortunately I’ve not been back to Sacramento since then (that company folded before I had to go back to audit the sales office again), so I can’t tell you if that was a blip for that store, or start of a trend—but I can tell you I’ve not seen similar flashes of style elsewhere.
I’ve also been hoping to find good quality pajamas that would be loose and comfy—currently I find most XL pajama pants a little snug in the waist for comfy sleeping, and up here in the Canadian winter I do want full length pajamas some nights. But I’d like at least mostly cotton if not 100% cotton, but what little I have found there has all been high polyester content stuff.
As for feeling more like a fat guy, well, if anything the experiences made me think that I really did not want to grow beyond the ability of regular stores to clothe me. The staff was generally OK, but when I brought up any of my particular fit issues they were generally clueless. Further they were useless for feedback. I’ve done plenty of shopping with my wife in women’s plus sized stores, and staff there are generally eager to give positive feedback to shoppers who are trying things on, and the best of them manage to help guide you on style as well.
Over a few years I’ve picked up a few things at Big and Tall stores. The silk boxers that I mentioned before, a pair of pants that I could have bought (same brand and style and everything) at a regular store in the mall for $5 less, and a belt. I’ve been happy with all of those purchases. But overall my feeling on the quality, selection, and service in stores for fat guys is that they are all barely adequate at best.
Has anyone had any better experiences with shopping for big guy’s clothes?
Regards;
-Ed
[editted for clarity after initial posting. I gave the mistaken impression of being 6'7", when what I was trying to say was that I'm nothing like that tall)
I determined that most “Big and Tall” stores carry sizes as small as a 38” waist. So I don’t absolutely need to shop in “Big and Tall” stores, but I could. There are a efw reasons that I though I wanted to shop in such a store.
For starters, with my wife I had witnessed the fact that while a lot of places carried some women’s plus sizes, there was very little selection in them, but that specialized stores often carried cool, stylish, and even trendy clothes. On the one hand I thought this would be a good opportunity to maybe pick up some more stylish clothes that fit. On the other hand, I’d realized that the specialty retailers need regular customers to stay in business and keep offering that selection, so that for items that we could get elsewhere, if it was reasonable to pick it up from the specialty store, I would.
Then there is the fact of fit. I am NOT 6’7” and built like a linebacker, but this seems to be the build that many makers of 42" waist clothes seem to expect to wear their items. Despite being a little on the short side, my waist is that big because I have a fat gut. I also have a substantial butt, but a somewhat short inseam (a 31” is perfect, on the rare occasions I can find it), with an even shorter rise (distance from crotch to waistband). A lot of pants in my size either belt on over my rib-cage or else do a bit of an imitation of skater pants. (Oddly when it comes to shirts, my complaint is that the sleeves are often too short. Perhaps I’m built like a gorilla?) Worst of all are shorts, where if they fit my waist typically reach down onto my knee caps. I was hoping that these sorts of stores would have clothes fit to various heights of fat.
Finally, I admit, I just wanted to do so. I guess I’ve always felt that the ‘inner me’ was fat, and as the outer me has gotten fatter it has felt somewhat like finally moving home. Shopping in a big guys store seemed like an official announcement that yes, I was fat.
So that was what was going on in my mind. Then there is reality.
I’ve gone to maybe half a dozen different such stores (different names, not just different locations), some in Canada and some in the US. In every case the selection has been small and bland. I don’t think I’ve seen a single item that took fashion risks. Further the quality of the clothes was generally fairly poor. Not awful, there were wool suits and cotton shirts and pants. Overall I’d compare the quality to the low to mid-range clothing at Sears. But if you wanted that one killer outfit, forget it.
Then there was the sizing. I consistently found it no better than at any other store for someone my height. Actually, it was worse, simply because there was less selection, so less chance of trying a different brand and finding it worked better for me.
Fortunately a standard extra-large still works for me when it comes to underwear, so in the department store I have some reasonable selection. Because for the most part what I saw in the way of underwear was cheap white cotton Y-fronts, the kind I have not worn since I started buying my own clothes. There was one exception, an outlet in Sacramento CA, where I found quite nice silk boxer shorts. Guys, if you have never worn silk boxer shorts, I strongly recommend it. I bought a pair on the spot, then wore them until they died—and used them as sleep shorts once they probably should have been disposed of. Unfortunately I’ve not been back to Sacramento since then (that company folded before I had to go back to audit the sales office again), so I can’t tell you if that was a blip for that store, or start of a trend—but I can tell you I’ve not seen similar flashes of style elsewhere.
I’ve also been hoping to find good quality pajamas that would be loose and comfy—currently I find most XL pajama pants a little snug in the waist for comfy sleeping, and up here in the Canadian winter I do want full length pajamas some nights. But I’d like at least mostly cotton if not 100% cotton, but what little I have found there has all been high polyester content stuff.
As for feeling more like a fat guy, well, if anything the experiences made me think that I really did not want to grow beyond the ability of regular stores to clothe me. The staff was generally OK, but when I brought up any of my particular fit issues they were generally clueless. Further they were useless for feedback. I’ve done plenty of shopping with my wife in women’s plus sized stores, and staff there are generally eager to give positive feedback to shoppers who are trying things on, and the best of them manage to help guide you on style as well.
Over a few years I’ve picked up a few things at Big and Tall stores. The silk boxers that I mentioned before, a pair of pants that I could have bought (same brand and style and everything) at a regular store in the mall for $5 less, and a belt. I’ve been happy with all of those purchases. But overall my feeling on the quality, selection, and service in stores for fat guys is that they are all barely adequate at best.
Has anyone had any better experiences with shopping for big guy’s clothes?
Regards;
-Ed
[editted for clarity after initial posting. I gave the mistaken impression of being 6'7", when what I was trying to say was that I'm nothing like that tall)
