New Clothes, New Me?

In honor of my return to work on Monday, I purchased three new outfits. I love shopping online because it's fun and so convenient -- especially when you're recovering from a broken leg -- and I love when my items arrive, all neatly arranged in a big, brown box. It's like getting a present! (even if I did pick out everything myself).

Tonight my order arrived and I got to put on a mini fashion show for Jon. My outfit of choice for summer is a cute T-shirt and flowy skirt, so I got a lavender shirt with a purple floral skirt; a white T-shirt with a beaded design to go with a blue paisley skirt and a black studded T-shirt to go with a soft denim skirt. They all looked really nice, or well, as nice as any items of clothing can look on me. I can never ask, "Does this make me look fat?" because everything does; there's no hiding it. But these outfits at least fit well and look good on me, even if they can't hide my girth. Jon especially liked the lavender outfit, so I think that's the one that I'll wear to work on Monday and will then wear again to my friend Scott's party next weekend.

As I wrote in my earlier post, there aren't that many plus-sized vendors, but these days, most make decent-looking fashionable stuff. My store of choice is Catherine's (http://catherines.lanebryant.com) because their stuff is well-made and trendy, but classic. I like Lane Bryant (if you go to that site, you'll see links for Catherine's, Lane Bryant and Fashion Bug), but a lot of their clothing is a little TOO trendy. They'll sell belly shirts or tight skirts or snug T-shirts and while that might be "in," that stuff just doesn't look good on me. I prefer simple T-shirts and stylish skirts that don't look too young or old, and can work in business and casual settings. Catherine's stuff is perfect for me in that regard. Plus, their cuts just fit me well, which is important since I'm short and fat and have a big rack. I've gotten a lot of compliments on my outfits from this store, so I feel confident when I wear their things.

I can't wait until I can wear nice clothing that makes me feel good AND shows off my trim figure. But for now, I'll take stuff that makes me look the best I possibly can, even if my body isn't where I want it to be.