clothes fitting survey

I am sure many of you have had this same situation, regardless of weight. I was trying on a really cute shirt and took my typical size in that store back to the dressing room. It looked *perfect* on, but just felt too tight through the shoulders and back. When i went up a size, it felt good but looked like I was swimming in the shirt. (I am going to ask you guys to trust me and realize that I do know what looks good and what is so tight it would make me look like a hussy).

So what would you do? Would you buy the one that looked good but felt a little tight? Or would you buy the one that felt good but looked too big? I'll tell you what I did when I get some feedback.

Thu. Jul 13, 10:40am

Sorry - OP again. Or the last option would be just not buying the shirt anyway. But let's say that's not an option. Make up your reason why.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 10:42 AM

I'm sure this is not the answer you're looking for (you probably want a yes or no type of answer), but if it were me, it would matter what the shirt was going to used for. If I was wearing it at work, I would go the more conservative route and purchase the larger one, however, if it was to wear with blue jeans and just hanging out, I'd purchase the smaller one. In addition, I'm often uncomfortable in too tight a shirt, so I'd have to take that into consideration also, would I even wear it, if it was toooooo tight.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 10:53 AM

Get it tailored?

Only if it's worth it. I think it's useless to compromise on the fit of clothing. I'd probably buy the one that felt a bit tight if I knew I were going to lose a bit more weight. If it's a fabulous, high-quality designer, I'd buy the larger one and have it tailored.

Wearing clothes that are too big just looks sloppy. You are here working hard on improving yourself and you deserve to look good.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 11:00 AM

can you toss the shirt in the wash? if so, i would buy the larger one and then wash it in hot water to shrink it a little bit.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 11:33 AM

I agree that wearing clothes too big looks sloppy - however wearing clothes too tight looks trashy ;-) Thus I agree with the tailoring suggestion (since not buying it isn't an option - I must make the assumption that it's worth it). Tailored clothes will rock your world if you ever start down that road. Clothes off the rack are simply not going to fit every body type out there and tailoring will give your wardrobe a subtle sophisticated edge. There is nothing that boosts your confidence more than knowing your clothing fits perfectly. I am spoiled by having acess to a wonderful tailor and would highly recommend it to anyone.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 11:43 AM

I don't buy things that don't fit. Period. Im super super picky about cut and fit of clothing. No crew necks, square necks, or turtlenecks for me. No just past the knee skirts (like those silly boho skirts in style now- no thank you). No flood pants, no cuffed pants. Nothing with pockets on the breasts, and nothing with flap pockets on the butt (I mean really, do I need to add volume to either- no.)

If an item is good enough quality and will have multiple uses or is guaranteed to be a wardrobe essential, I may get it tailored. But otherwise, it doesn't matter how cute the item is on the hanger if it won't be cute on me.

(And if technically I had to buy it for a uniform or something, than that thing is gonna be tailored to fit like the designer was thinking of me when he made it)

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 12:17 PM

I am 5'4" and last year I was in that weird in-between size of too tight in a 14, but swimming in a 16 (and trust me, finding a 16 petite that wasn't a Women's Petite was next impossible when it came to pants--for some reason, Junior sizes go from ultra tiny to ultra huge with very little in the middle!)

So, I went ahead and bought the 16s anyways. Well, everything just looked frumpy and bad...

Since then i've lost some weight and come down to about a 12-14 range...

My advice, Don't buy the too-tight shirt unless you plan on putting it in the closet for a while.

As for the bigger shirt, I think I'd buy it, but only get it tailored if it's worth the extra cost. If you're swimming in it, and it makes you look frumpy, I'd say, skip it all together.

Moral of my story... Now, I have all of these clothes that are barely worn, but way too big for me! (not a bad dilemma, except in the pocket book!

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 12:26 PM

It depends on the fabric, too. If it is mostly cotton it WILL shrink, and if it was a little tight to begin with, you have wasted money. If it has polyester, rayon, lycra or something like that, it will keep its shape better. I personally have no luck buying things too tight or too loose. I end up hating both and never wearing them again.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 2:51 PM

I buy clothes based on how they look. If it looks good, I buy it, even if it feels a little tight. If, though, the tightness is uncomfortable, or it's itchy, or rubs, etc., I won't buy it, b/c if the clothes are uncomfortable, I won't wear them. I definitely don't buy clothes that look like they're too big - that's never a good look!

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 4:40 PM

hey all - OP here - i just wanted to fill you in on the rest of the details. i posted this just because i know i was not alone in my situation, but i also had no idea how others approached the issue. so here was my reasoning behind why i picked the smaller size.

the shirt is one of those peasant tops, so i can wear it with nice pants to work, or with jeans for a night out. it is a good investment since it is very versatile, but it is really just a passing trend, so i didn't want to bother with tailoring. it is also very flattering and makes me look small where i need it. the smaller size looks and feels like it fits perfectly when i just stand or sit with my arms down. when i reach my arms across my chest, it pinches in the back. however, i am a swimmer and this is how most clothes fit me. when i go up a size, the chest is just droopy and really shows that i have a small chest. so i went with the smaller size. in addition to that, since losing weight this kind of fit has been less of a problem. hopefully the trend will continue.

Thursday, July 13, 2006, 6:32 PM

Glad to hear it worked out for you.
I tend to have a similar problem with my pants... I have muscular thighs so what fits me in the thighs doesn't fit in the waist (at least when I was thinner!) But, it really depends on the cut of the pant--I've determined that I'd rather go with a little tighter fit than to have everything just hanging off of me!

Friday, July 14, 2006, 4:11 AM

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