An apology and some summer pics

I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post. I've been unable to buy clothing for a while, which limits my fashion blogging potential a little (or at least the ability to post pictures of myself wearing cute stuff). I have also been having a lot of difficulty finding clothing that's decent for petite plus-sizers, or at least those who are built like me. Don't worry--I'm not giving up! I'm sure I'll have plenty of new blog fodder soon, when I actually start exploring the Fall styles.

Here I am on my mom's birthday, May 30th. Yeah, it's been a while since this was taken, but this is one of my favorite tops so I thought I would share. It's made by Daniel Rainn. I'm wearing a size 1X, but it turns out the XL also fits. In fact, the XL is a completely different fit, with a much shorter high-low hemline. I'll get a pic of myself in that one eventually. Anyway, I like the relaxed fit of this one, too, so I've kept both! It is a semi-sheer shirt, but I haven't found that I need to wear a camisole underneath, at least not if I'm wearing a nude-colored bra.

(This top is also on sale in my eBay store now through Sunday at 20% off. Here is a link if you're interested.)

And here I am the next evening, ready for date night with my husband. I'm wearing an Old Navy ruched-neck t-shirt in Petite XXL. I have this shirt in a rainbow of different colors. It was very inexpensive and I love the fit, and it's great for hotter days. I haven't been brave enough to go sleeveless this summer due to big stretch marks on my upper arms, but these are close enough to sleeveless to be comfortable. (I've seen some blogs preach body acceptance to the point of "loving" your stretch marks, but I'm sorry, I'm just not there yet and I don't know if I ever will be!) The skirt is actually a size XL from Max Studio that I bought a long time ago, and it always fits because it's got a very elastic waistline and a loose fit. It's made of a heavy cotton.

My usual Clarks sandals in both pictures!

Re: my last blog post, I am still trying to lose weight (I'm down a few pounds so far). It's a struggle because I tend to binge eat and I don't exercise much, but I'm working on those things. My goal--which I will try not to beat myself up over if I don't meet--is to be down to a size 16 again for my cousin's wedding next June. I hope that's realistic for me.

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?