Trials and tribulations of shopping

joanlawson

I read somewhere that most women find shopping for jeans/ trousers a stressful experience. Well I tried it this morning and it certainly stressed me out :shock:

First of all, the sizes vary tremendously from one shop to another, or even within the same shop. I had to take at least two sizes into the fitting rooms, and still they often didn't fit. They were either too long/too short/ too narrow/ too wide/ or they didn't come up to my waist properly ( I don't like jeans/ trousers which sit low on the hips ) If I saw some I liked, they didn't have my size, and if they had my size, I didn't like them anyway.

Then some of the fitting rooms are very small, with nowhere to sit. It's like trying to get undressed and dressed in a cardboard box in some of them :roll: With my dodgy knees, I find it difficult to balance on one leg while I put the other into the leg of the jeans, so I nearly tied myself up in knots a few times with nowhere to sit down.

After struggling and getting hot and bothered in several shops, I finally found some trousers which actually fit me, but I must have tried on about ten pairs by then. What a nightmare :!: :shock: Is it just me :?:

Joan

rugbygirl

Hi Joan

It is definitely not you. Stores dont seem to cater for disabled. I think that this needs to be looked into further.

Hmmm Next Gok challenge me things

joanlawson

The worst thing is that to try on trousers you have to take off your shoes, so that makes it even more difficult if there is no seat in the fitting room.

I chose a very warm day to go shopping ( silly really :roll: ) and some of the small fitting rooms were really hot and stuffy. I wasn't in the best of moods after about an hour and a half of trying on numerous pairs of trousers :roll:

valval

there are certain shops i will not even try to buy clothes in as know they will just have made size 10 bigger not allowing for the fact i have a shape unlike most size 10s so will never get my rump in comphy love stretch jeans for allowing one to move joints do not like the stiff ones val

jillyb1

Hi , Joan , quick tip ~ Marisota on line shopping ! They do different lengths from petite to very tall , always good for me anyway and it saves you from the awful struggle round the shops . Jillyb

dreamdaisy

I wear skirts most of the time, they cover a multiutude of sins and are easy to try on! Having said that I do have three pairs of jeans, and if trouser shopping is on the agenda then footwear is Crocs (easy to get on and off) or, if it's all just too much, I go to either Sainsbriz or Markses - you can buy, try on at home and take back. I know exactly what sort of trouser I need, wide-legged, high or just below the waist. If the labels don't tell me that I don't even look at them. I empathise, Mrs L, the changing rooms are horrendous - sometimes, however, I am given the disabled one (the crutches help on that front!) and they are lovely and roomy! Good luck with the next expedition. DD

constable

I hate shopping for myself. I always buy something, take it home and try it on then if it doesn't fit take it back. I refuse to use the shops changing rooms. But today I am taking my youngest out to get some new clothes, and NEW LOOK have younger clothing now, but, of course it's upstairs. Not looking forward to that.

My daughter is 13 in Jan, but looks like a 9 year old, so it makes fashion for her more difficult. Wish me luck


Karen xx

tkachev

Hi Joan. I have given up with clothes shopping in stores for the reasons you have stated. I now order everything on the internet and struggle to try them on at home. It is a pain having to repackage the unwanted items for return but definately better than struggling in stores.

Elizabeth

joanlawson

Thanks for your replies everyone. I suppose that mail order is one solution to the problem, although judging from my experience yesterday I would need to send off for lots of pairs of jeans/ trousers in order to find a pair which fit. Then there's the bother of returning the ones which don't fit, so I can't win either way. Perhaps I'm more difficult to fit than the average....I don't know, but I began to feel like a freak of nature yesterday

Anyway, despite all the aggro yesterday, I did eventually find a nice pair of linen trousers which fit me very well, and also some cut-off trousers which are ideal for the warm weather. I was so relieved to find these that I bought three pairs in different colours. I was shattered when I got home though, so will be making do with my old jeans for the time being.

Joan

NinaKKang

I never try things on in shops, I'm too lazy, to be perfectly honest! I have a wedding to go to on Monday (I'm SO excited, I've bought a fascinator!!!) and I bought a beautiful deep purple dress in the Laura Ashley sale. The sizes start at 12, so I thought I'd be OK with a 12, except my daughter and her friend were insisting I tried it on. I didn't... I tried it on at home... and it was too small! So I took it back on Sunday afternoon and tried on the 14... then the 16 which fit! (I'm a size 10-12). The changing rooms were very nice, though!

Joan, I would imagine you'd have trouble finding trousers that fit you as you are lovely and tall. They tend not to make clothes for statuesque ladies Mail order is a good idea - you get to return stuff for free, it's no problem at all... or internet shopping at your favourite stores, that's always good too.

Me, I love shopping, as do my girls (I have brought them up well), so we love to shop in person. I wear trainers so my feet are comfy, whatever the weather, and will continue to do so for as long as I can!

Nxx

joanlawson

Hi Nina

Your experience with the sizes at Laura Ashley bears out my grumble about the way they vary from one shop to another. You are never in a million years anything like a size 16 so L. Ashley must have their own set of measurements which are different from anyone else's.

They tend not to make clothes for statuesque ladies

A statuesque lady :?: Who, me :?: :shock: As in Venus de Milo. of course, except that I've got arms I don't mind being put on a pedestal though



I actually do prefer to go shopping but it was much too hot to be trying on trousers yesterday. I must have been mad :roll:

PS Enjoy the wedding on Monday and I want to see the photos

Ankyspond

Don't get me started on this topic, all I can say without getting wound up is I agree. X

NinaKKang

Oh go on, Anky, we love a good rant on here

Joan, you ARE statuesque! And we will take lots of photos - get yourself on facebook!

Nxx

valval

all i can say is if you take 16 in there it not worth me going in usually a 18-20 so goodness knows what size would be in there will stick to bonmarche at least have to go smaller size in there bless them

constable

Val, snap I'm a 18-20. But desperately trying to get rid of it. Thats another reason why I wont go into the changing rooms in shops, feel very bad about my size.


Karen xx

tkachev

I'm also different sizes in different shops. Like Joan if I find a pair that fits then i'll buy lots of the same style. I do the same with the children as have 1 very skinny and 2 plump!

Elizabeth x

joanlawson

constable wrote:

Val, snap I'm a 18-20. But desperately trying to get rid of it. Thats another reason why I wont go into the changing rooms in shops, feel very bad about my size.


Karen xx

Karen- another Venus de Milo :!: Don't feel bad about your size :!: According to Nina, we are statuesque ( better than being a stick insect anyway :!: )

joanlawson

Hi Del,
In general, I don't think that men have body image problems to the same extent as women, and a large number of men are happy for their wives to shop for their clothes. ( see the link below )

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1394689/How-half-chaps-wardrobe-bought-half.html

According to this, women spend an average of two hours per month, 24 hours each year or 40 days in a lifetime shopping for clothes for their husbands and boyfriends.

In comparison, men spend far less time picking out pieces of clothing – 50 minutes a month on average or 16.6 days in a lifetime.


Not me, I hasten to add. I have enough trouble shopping for myself :roll:

NinaKKang

Nothing wrong with being a different size, it would be a very boring world indeed if everyone was the same size. And most wimmin have some gripe or other about their bodies - me, I would love to be taller and have thinner arms

The reason why men never go shopping? Because we do it all for them! I used to shop for my dad and brother and now shop for my husband.

Nxx

joanlawson

delboy wrote:

I do my own clothes shopping and a lifetime of it would be about 4 hours. into the shops as they open and away before the assistants are awake.

And very stylish you are too, Del, so your strategy has obviously paid off

It always seems much easier for men to me though. There isn't quite the same pressure on men regarding body image and fashion, and men can get by with fewer clothes than women.

tkachev

Del you are right about the mens clothing sections tucked away in corners or up stairs/basements. I have noticed that too. Its the same with catalogues where the womens clothing section is prominent and is usually five times the size of the mens clothing section.

However I am sure you put a lot of thought into your biking clothing if not your everyday items.

Elizabeth