There's a ton of plus-sized clothes out there that we can put on, but a lot of it is poorly made and often just plain ugly. And what is gorgeous is so expensive we'd need Oprah's style budget to outfit a closet. Many retailers, even ones we think are on our side (I'm looking at you Old Navy) put very little care or thought into their women's section. So, we have to look out for ourselves on the fashion front. Know your labels, try on everything, shop the sales, pull the coupons, and don't settle for another shapeless black tent, just because the shop calls it "plus-size fashion." Every woman has the right to feel good in her second skin.
As my little salvo in the war on fashion frustration, I have a few suggestions for your hunt for the clothes that don't just fit, but flatter.
Hands-down the best article of clothing in the world for a woman is a great dress. You have one thing to put on. Over your head, zip it up, and find your shoes. Doesn't get any easier than that, and you never have to stand staring into the maw of your closet, trying to figure out what goes with what. Sure you can dress it up, throw on some jewelry or a scarf, and--depending on how old school your office is or how cold the weather--you may need some hose, but for sheer ease and speed, a wardrobe of well-fitting dresses are a great investment.
One of my belts fell victim to my cat's bloodlust, so I took it to a shoe repair place to see if they could repair it. The guy fingered the leather for a minute, and said, "Sure, I can fix it right up. Your boyfriend will swear it's brand new." Now, I could have corrected him, but he was right about the fact that it was a men's belt. When I bought it, I needed a belt on short notice, and like most stores, while Target carried men's belts up to a size that would have enveloped Grover Cleveland, the cute, fashionable women's belts stopped somewhere shy of the waistline of a prima ballerina.
This is a huge frustration. The one thing you can count on ALL women to need in a hurry are accessories. A woman in sudden need of a quick and inexpensive look change will hurry into the nearest store and grab a belt, a piece of jewelry, a scarf, and come out looking like a new woman. To stock only a narrow range of sizes in accessories is not only a slap in the face for plus size women, but it's leaving money on the table for retailers.
Jeans are essential. They are air, they are DNA. However, most plus-size women can not buy jeans on the fly, in say, Target or Wal-mart. (For that matter, neither can thin women who are very tall or very short.) In the stores, they have the idea that all the women who come in are between 5-4 and 5-7, with some very specific body measurements. And sadly, a lot of places apply this same logic to their plus-sizes. Short-round apple is not the standard in plus size. Some of us have round tummies and flat butts. Some of us have mile long legs and thick torsos. Some women carry it all in the hips, some rock it all up on top. You have to be able to shop for well-made jeans that come in plus size petite, average, and tall, and its unlikely you'll get to do that off the rack at any brick-and-mortar store.