Tag Archives: size 28

Review of Plus Size 28 or 4X at Target

Posted on by

I am always interested to see what I might wear from one of the big box stores, and their largest size. Target carries up to a Size 28 (see Size Chart below).

Of the dresses above, I could wear most of them and be happy about it. I tend toward sleeveless, strappy dresses, and I was surprised by how many of those there are.

I was also impressed with the array of bestselling tops in a size 28, but these top sellers were much more casual than the dresses, but included several cute styles.

Target Size Chart

Target Size Chart

I would definitely call these choices a win, and even the Mossimo Brand size chart looks quite generous, especially in the waist, where I am quite large.

Maybe it is time to check out Target.

Peace…affinity

Photo: Leori Gill Photography

Review of Plus Size Gold Lace Skater Dress From Yours Clothing

Posted on by

Best Yours Clothing Gold LGLast Thursday night I went to a Fun-d-raiser for the 65 foot Truth is Beauty Sculpture that is being built to be installed at Burning Man this summer.  I wore this femme little gold lace skater dress that Yours Clothing was kind enough to send to me. They sent me a UK size 30-32 which is a US size 26-28 and it fits really well (and now they only carry a U.S. Size 24), and might be able to be worn by someone a little larger than I am.  Everyone loved it and it was fun and easy to wear.  I feel like I could wear this to lunch with the girls or to an evening out since it has such a casual yet dressy look.

better back gold YC LGI also loved the cut out back which covered my bra perfectly and adds a little extra sex appeal without actually revealing anything. And in case you have not been following along, my tattoo says affinity in Sanskrit, or actually “kindred” which was the closest iteration.

tib Marco JuliaThe event was at Marco Cochrane’s studio, and he did a live sculpture of his wife Julia while we were there.  Marco is the first person I had ever seen live sculpt, and it is a mystery to me how he gets what he sees through his eyes made into a clay, or a 65 foot steel sculpture.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/62843802 w=600&h=338]
photos of skater dress: Leori Gill
photo of Marco and Julia: JRH Photography

eShakti Clothing – A Plus Size Review

Posted on by
Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

Cat Oake

I have been watching eShakti for awhile.  It is everywhere in my Facebook Groups. I am thrilled, these buyers had posted their candid photos (I love that they take their own photos with their phones)  and they are willing to let me share them.  Because of that you will be able to see the range of clothing that eShakti sells, and they look fabulous.  And then, fellow blogger XXELLE put up a coupon code up for eShakti that is good until March 10th, (those details are at the end of this post) so I knew it was time to review eShakti.

eShakti carries sizes 0 – 36, they offer customization, they do not keep any clothing in stock, they cut to order and their clothing is made in India.  You have two choices, you can order clothing according to their sizing chart, and then have minor customization, or you can order custom sizing specifying all of your measurements. Customization is just $7.50 for both custom sizing and custom styling, and it is free with your first order.

I had never ordered anything from them because my personal experience with custom made clothing has not been very good, I tend to buy online and then have my clothes tailored.  But I ordered a dress last week, completely custom and we will see how it goes when it arrives in several weeks.

Per Cat Oake recently:

I had been buying items from eShakti and adding several inches to the bust and waist as well as saying I was 5’11” tall when I’m actually only 5’5″. Well, things were coming larger and larger. I think they have been finally figuring out that they need to add extra ease to the garments for fat people.

Anyway, I recently changed my ordered measurements to be just an inch larger in bust and waist and VOILA! Perfect fits in the last two garments that arrived. No need fix ’em with the sewing machine or just live with the extra volume.

In addition, I loooove the fabric in the dress shown. It’s a eyelet using silver threads. (That is the dress at the top). You can only customize using the options on the customize tab with eShakti and fabric is everything, when you buy their more expensive pieces the fabric is better and they look better.

Madelyn McWilliams

Madelyn McWilliams

Madelyn McWilliams said:

I pretty much ordered a size larger than I usually wear.  I usually wear a size 26 (22/24 top and 26 bottom) but I got a 28. The way it’s cut at the top i could use a little more room but it’s not bad.

Here are some more photos of other fabulous women wearing eShakti:

Aimie Thomas

Aimie Thomas

Katie Bot

Katie Bot

Cardigan: Annex Woman
Dress: eShakti
Tights: We Love Colors
Shoes:: Payless
Necklace: My grandmother’s

AnnMarie Elle

AnnMarie Elle

Cardi: Old Navy
Top: eShakti
Jeans: One Stop Plus
Headband: Sephora

Good luck to all of you if you make any purchases.  Consistently I saw the suggestion to buy a larger size than you usually wear and to add some inches to your height, the clothing tends to run short.  Thanks to everyone on FatToo Anonymous that was willing to share their photos with you and me. They look fabulous don’t they!
Peace…affinity

Torrid CrossBack Dress Review

Posted on by

18083_10151330547716280_1498661911_nI went to my fabulous tailor this week, Barbra Hume, who is also a designer. She was altering a dress for me to wear to the Hot Couture: A Fusion of Fashion and Fire, fashion show I was going to and we discussed why I feel like I need to wear one dress or another for a particular occasion!  That turned out to be very interesting because that afternoon this Torrid dress arrived in the mail and I knew I had to wear it rather than the fabulous Simply Be dress that I am going to save for The Bay Lights Opening Ceremony on March 5th.  Why, because I could not wear this strappy, too revealing, form fitting and short for an old fat lady, to an event the Mayor of San Francisco and the Lt. Governor of California are going to attend. But I love it, so I wore it to an evening of boundary stretching fashion.

The photos of me in this dress are not very good.  I promise to reshoot and post them soon.  It is the best fitting strappy dress I have ever tried on. The straps fit perfectly, the waist is long enough and it is just fun. I was sure it would be too small but just that little bit of spandex made it work in the waist and yet not tug anywhere. But, I cannot seem to get a great photo of me in it to share with you. I am so happy I took a chance on it after looking at it for a couple of weeks before I took the risk, rarely does anything this fun last that long on Fattoo Grand, the Facebook online resale page.  I love it.

Here are the deets:

Dress: Torrid – Size 5X – purchased thru Fattoo Grand

Coat: Lane Bryant – Size 24 – Double Breasted and pulls a little if I try to button all the buttons  Here is a similar version  I cannot tell you how many compliments I got on this coat!   Purchased from Jessica Kane on Fattoo. How fun is that?  Sometimes you are in the right place at the right time.

Tights with studs (glued on): Lane Bryant – Size 26-28 – Way too large – purchased through Fattoo

Regarding Leggings: I tried on some Avenue Size E leggings that I had but I could not even get them up my skinny legs.  Since I am 5’5″ and weigh 275 lbs. I was very disappointed when they did not fit. I guess I will buy some Size EE while they are on sale.

Avenue Size Chart

Avenue Size Chart

Shoes: Lane Bryant – Size 10W – my most comfortable flat

photo: Gary J. Wilson

photo: Gary J. Wilson

IMG_2627IMG_2635

IMG_2637

I thought you might like to see some photos of the show:

This was my favorite dress of the evening with the windowpane design

This was my favorite dress of the evening with the windowpane design

photo: Brittany Schell

photo: Brittany Schell

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

Screen Shot 2013-01-12 at 3.28.59 PM

photo: Ed Jay

photo: Ed Jay

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

photo: Will Bucquoy WB Photography

A stained glass gown and a dress bejeweled with images displayed in LED lights are just a few of the pieces of evening wear made from steel, wire, leather and other industrial materials that will be paraded down the runway this weekend at The Crucible in West Oakland for the Hot Couture fashion show.  Brittany Schell

And Rose Nisker Aerialist did a beautiful performance with a live violin accompaniment

740999_10151337756677591_1596841012_oAll in all a very exciting evening.

01/18/2013 Update: An Oakland Local Blog review of the event.

Peace…affinity

Plus Size Yoek Review – Alphabet Top – Fashion Failure

Posted on by

IMG_2580

I have always loved to read and thus have always loved words, letters and fonts. Even my Affatshionista logo is made up of words.  So when I saw Skorch Magazine’s post by Bellas Styles that she had purchased an Alphabet Skirt from Yoek in the Netherlands, I had to have one.  I am not much of a pencil skirt girl, I like my skirts short and fluffy or pleated so I opted to an Alphabet “Tunic”.  And I cannot even tell you how much I loved that the letters in the print were in curvy lines, so fun.  I hope it is long enough to wear with tights.

I love that Yoek’s Plus Size is a size US 28-30, and the description of the item says This shirt has a flare fit.

So the top has arrived and it is just not very becoming.  In general I do not wear flowy clothing and it is 95% Polyester and 5% Elastic.  I am going to return it since it cost $113 Euros, which is about $150.  I do love the print but it is unlikely I will order from Yoek again.  Do you think it might have looked better if I had ordered a smaller size?

Screen Shot 2012-11-29 at 2.03.18 PM

Ciao Bellas…affinity

Beth Ditto – My Fatshion Hero

Posted on by

I have a new Fatshion Hero – Beth Ditto, a wild and rule breaking fatshionista.  She is an American singer-songwriter, most famous for her work with the indie rock band Gossip.  Above is the cover of her brand new book which I am going to put on my Kindle today.

But on to her clothes.  She had a fashion line with Evans in 2009 – 2010, and I have fallen in love with some of her pieces.  I am not going to post any photos yet, I think her book cover speaks for itself.  But I am starting to acquire some of her clothing and am definitely claiming her for my own Fatshion Icon.  In the video below Beth speaks how she developed her style. Watch this space.  Ciao Bellas…affinity

[brightcove vid=46926461001&exp3=8558003001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=1568114478&pk=AQ~~,AAAAAF13hy4~,k-0ZIL64dAd–E4Uss2ll130zYPVMSNK&lbu=http://www.style.com/video/fashion-moments/fashion-moments/1896809784/beth-ditto/46926461001&w=300&h=225]

Update: On Thursday I posted on Beth Ditto band’s (Gossip) Facebook Page and they shared both my Facebook Page and Blog on their Page.  It made my little heart swell.  YAY!

The Fat Girl’s Guide to Living: a life hacker for the full-figured set

Posted on by

How could I not love a blog that is named The Fat Girl’s Guide to Living: a life hacker for the full-figured set. This was an epiphany for me.  There is a group of women out there checking things out for women my size.  YAY!

After I discovered this blog at 2am, I woke up with this post in my head/heart, so here we go.  I was skinny until puberty and then I started to gain weight and diet, I had boyfriends, I married right out of high school, always trying to lose weight.  I did Weight Watchers, Thin Within, and then I went to college and law school.  After that I started swimming at the Richmond plunge at a women’s “fat” swim (we rented a pool and only women over 200 lbs. were invited – you remember that era of divisiveness, 1982.)  I was mid size by their standards, at 275 lbs.  Yes. I have weighed 275 since at least 1990, per my Dr.’s records. And during that period I became radicalized.  I could love myself just the way I am.  Perhaps eat healthier and by then I was exercizing often with either Dr. Deb Burgard or Cinder Ernst, but it did not have to be about my weight.  I had a couple of periods of weight loss, when I fell in love with MonkeyBoy and one winter when I had the flu, but the weight returned.

So that is how Affatshionista evolved into a pragmatic guide to making clothes work at just a little larger than standard plus sizes.  The standard for “Plus Size” is a Size 24 or a 3X.  I am a Size 26 – 28 and a 4x, as I have been for over 20 years. So the blog’s question has become, how do I find clothes that work for me and you?

But size and mobility touch every part of my life.  When I was 45 years old and exactly this size and weight, it was just a social inconvenience but that is no longer true.  It is now a mobility issue and although it has not manifested, perhaps a health issue.  I chose a funny time to give up exercising which I have done for the last two years.  But there is a segue in here, that is where the The Fat Girl’s Guide to Living: a life hacker for the full-figured set come in. I love their ABOUT page, asking questions about all the things I might choose not attempt because I am fat.  I bet you have seen me do that, but you also see me living large.  Which is really interesting since MonkeyBoy and I just had a LONG talk about the viability of going on a cruise next fall for my 65th birthday, longer and harder than the one we just came home from.  I had thought I was going to have my knees done this winter, but that has not worked out.

But somehow I feel some relief that there are these young women out there to speak the things I am up against but not verbalizing to the world.  What is the workaround for? What do I need to know about before?  Thanks for being there for ME!  Yep, that is why my AFFINITY photo is the lead, this resource feels like it helps me and my peeps.  Check it out. Ciao Bellas!…affinity

Plus Size Sheer Stripes

Posted on by

I posted recently about the Cult of California purchases I made and that my favorite was the stripe tank, that even has a little pocket, how cute is that?  When I went to volunteer at the Burning Man office this week I decided to try something a little different.  I am still looking for a racerback t-shirt to wear under the shadow stripe tank that will complement it and make the outfit look a little more put together.

I am usually a match-matchy girl, or I just use black as my basic if the other colors are not all the same, but I am trying to break out of my box.  So what do you think of the colors in the tank, the skirt and the tights all being a little different?                   Ciao Bellas…affinity

Black Shadow Tank: Cult of California, Temple Tank – Size 5
Brown  Cami: Avenue Size 26-28
Black and Tan Tights: We Love Color – They are quite snug, I do not think they would fit anyone larger than I am at 280 lbs. and 5’5″
EGO Necklace: A gift from the artist, Laura Kimpton
Ballet Flats: FatToo Accessora, thrift site on Facebook- Size 10

Domino Dollhouse – After a Swim

Posted on by

I have been waiting for a chance to wear my sheer shirt from Domino Dollhouse as a cover up.  I am sure there are other uses for it but that has been my vision since it is cut very generously.  Sometimes I cannot wear their 4x because I have such a large waist and many of their clothes have more of an hourglass shape (which I love).

Well last weekend we went to a fabulous party in Healdsburg and it was 100°, so I waited for the shade to come over the pool (I hate the sun) and spent several hours in the water. It was fabulous.  And then I was able to make my exit in my coverup.  Ciao Bellas…affinity

Coverup: Domino Dollhouse – Size 4
Bathing Suit: Size 24 – 10 years old, my first ever Bedazzler project

American Rag – A review

Posted on by

Until recently my interest in fashion had been on hiatus, thus  finding fun clothes in a size 26 -28 was difficult.  So I started reading Skorch Magazine, and one of the first things I saw was a layout with Tiffany from On the Fat Walk, in this size 3X American Rag tunic.  So I stole her look. I figured she would not mind helping the new kid on the block put a look together, since she looked so fabulous in it. It is one of the most comfortable outfits I have ever worn, so I will wearing on the  plane to Venice Italy tomorrow morning.  Thanks Tiffany, for helping me get started…affinity