Shopping surprise: Dress Barn Woman

My husband and I were out shopping the other day, and the gigantic strip mall we were visiting happened to have a Dress Barn/Dress Barn Woman store. I was not very excited about going in there--I've found very few stores that have clothes I like that are affordable and actually fit me--but in we went. Toward the front of the store were some very casual clothing that I wasn't interested in at all, and some really nice fancy dresses that I don't need (no dress-up-worthy events for a while). Then we got to the career clothing, and the sale stuff in the back of the store. I was still not sure how much I liked/would fit into what I was seeing.

My husband found this black and white striped seersucker blazer in a size 20W and insisted that I try it on:

Much to my surprise, it fit beautifully except for a little extra length in the arms. This was a coup of sorts, since regular blazers almost never fit me right--usually they are too long and have too much room in the back, and those are the regular-size ones, not even the plus-size ones. I had expected to be swimming in a plus-size blazer of any size, except where my boobs and belly were concerned. I was so glad to be wrong! And hooray for my husband for finding it!

Then, we found this "butterfly" skirt, which is probably supposed to be mid-calf length or thereabouts but came about down to my ankles:

The butterfly print is much prettier in person. Purple is my favorite color, followed by blues and greens, so I really like this skirt. There was something a little strange going on with one of the seams in the back a few inches below the waist, but since I almost never tuck anything in, that probably wouldn't have been an issue.

I tried it on with a pretty purple shirt in a 1X that fit me perfectly. (I am much happier when a 1X fits me than I am when I need a 2X. LOL.) I really wanted all 3 items, but I stopped myself. I don't want us to wind up in debt because of my clothes shopping habits. I couldn't decide what, if anything, to buy, so I left empty-handed. There's always the website, though...

I do think Dress Barn Woman is doing pretty well with making things that fit and flatter the average plus size woman. Some plus petite sizes would be nice, but since I did manage to find good stuff anyway, I can't complain too much.

Anyone else have positive/negative experiences with Dress Barn?

A few current fashion trends I love

Like I said in my last entry, I'm not super-trendy. I do, however, keep track of the trends when I can. I also go to stores, and of course I do some people watching. And really, trends are unavoidable, unless you want to just wear old clothing all the time (in which case you probably wouldn't be reading a fashion blog!).

Here are some of this season's trends I really like:

Polka dots. Small (but not too small), tasteful ones, like on this shirt by Lane Bryant (photo from their website):

(I own the shirt. The sleeves are a bit of an awkward length for my short arms, but I love it anyway.)

Florals (depending on the color and size of the print). There are some really nice bright floral prints around this season. No rules here - big or small flowers are fine with me, as long as they're pretty.

Peter Pan collars. Need I say more about this one? I just think they're adorable.

Blues and greens. Cobalt blue and emerald green are really "in" right now, and I love them. Oh, and yellow, too.


What trends are you into this season (if any)?

Soon to come: an entry about current fashion trends I loathe. ;-)