5 ms·

This all feels ... overwhelming. And the point about fit is nice but I am not fit. I, like many, perhaps most americans am overweight. clothes are made for nor

by sown 17y ago

This all feels ... overwhelming. And the point about fit is nice but I am not fit. I, like many, perhaps most americans am overweight. clothes are made for normal, maybe slender and fit people and it just seems like fatties need not apply. as a result, i hate going clothes shopping. in fact, i haven't done so in many years. it just feels like it is for the physically elite and i feel like i'm back in middle school getting stared at. this is my own problem but it doesn't change it.

tfh 17y ago
Lose some weight then, the hacker's way : http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html
- dkimball 17y ago
  The "Hacker Diet" is equivocating on the value of "in." What matters is not calories ingested, it's bioavailable calories ingested; see Gary Taubes' _Good Calories, Bad Calories_ for details.
tsally 17y ago
It's all about how you approach the problem. Since I am average weight and height, I approach the problem of fashion from that perspective. Since you are not, you need a different strategy. Take Kevin Smith for example. Directed Clerks, played Silent Bob, etc. He's a big dude. In fact, he recently got kicked off of Southwestern Airlines for being too fat. Now, you'll never look at Kevin Smith and think he's fashionable. But you wont think he's a slob either. His strategy is to take care of his face, choose glasses that fit his body type, get a good haircut, wear black, and wear layers. Examples: http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/19-kevin-smith-WI-0509-lg-88986506.jpg http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/19-kevin-smith-WI-0..., http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/kevin-smith-the-simpsons-movie-premiere-arrivals-0a0Uys.jpg http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/kevin-smith-the-simp..., http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Kevin_Smith/KevinSmith_Granitz_12346124.jpg http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Kevin_Smith/KevinSmit.... Not fashionable per se, but the dude goes to movie premiers and gets interviewed by the press like that. You just have to figure out what works well for you.
- illumin8 17y ago
  Sorry, but whoever told Kevin Smith to wear baggy shorts with sneakers and no socks to a red carpet function ought to be shot. I'll admit, his selection of glasses fits his face, but taking fashion advice from someone who's signature look is a backwards baseball cap, trenchcoat, and all black?
bigboned 17y ago
As someone who is also overweight, I feel your pain. But you just have to suck it up, grow up, and get out there and try on lots of clothes. This is where if you have some extra money it can be worth going to higher end stores. Their sales people are usually willing to spend time with you to find the clothes your looking for. For me, my legs are thick, so I simply cannot wear slim or regular fit jeans. So I have to look for relaxed jeans but without being too baggy. I usually run about a 15:1 try-to-buy ratio, even though I avoid slim/regular fit jeans. I also have wide shoulders and so I cannot wear untucked button-up shirts. Any casual button-up shirt that I wear untucked, and which fits my shoulders, ends up hanging to my knees. This is true even of shirts that are made short in order to be untucked. I just accept that I cannot wear that style and move on. You'll just have to find your way by trying on clothes and buying only the ones that fit well. Let me say that, even if you are not a clothes person, once you find a few nice pieces, it will feel good to wear them.
sambe 17y ago
It's not just overweight that's the problem. I'm normally a bit overweight. This is offset by being somewhat stronger than average in build - a t-shirt that fits snuggle around my chest but falls quite wide around the waist will hide a lot of my excess weight. But these are generally pretty hard to find. The bigger problem is trousers - generally it doesn't matter how fit I am, the size of my thighs (muscle again, played rugby from a young age) will stop any trousers from fitting me properly. Anything that fits around the thighs is guaranteed to be several inches too big around the waist (no, a belt doesn't solve this all the time: ruins cut and comfort). The problem is as much with the attitudes & economics of high street fashion as it is with you. I don't get as frustrated and depressed shopping when I'm in better shape physically but it's still a very unpleasant experience - and that's without even thinking about style. Most people say "go tailored" with all the obvious expense and silliness of asking for tailored jeans etc. Buying and adjusting is more realistic if you or someone you know can sew or wants to learn (or maybe affordable professionally). But again, sadly, many high street clothes don't have sufficient build quality or extra material (at least one tailor refused me on that basis). Always seemed to me that there is a business opportunity for providing web-ordered clothes. If the fittings were better than a single number, and were consistent, it would be a great service from the consumer point of view. Perhaps difficult to get started from the business one though, before the volume is large enough/process easy enough?
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- kingkongreveng_ 17y ago
  Same problem. 30 inch waist, but my thighs are bursting out of 30 inch pants. I typically buy 32 inch and have them taken in for $6 at the dry cleaner.
  - sambe 17y ago
    Unfortunately most conventional stores don't stock any sizes large enough. The three sizes on the rack is what you get, and if you move to a country with an average size smaller than you (or like something in a shop that treats male fashion consumers as rake-thin models just like the females), you're basically out of luck nearly 100% of the time. I generally don't find anything larger than 36" waist where I am and that's already got room to spare at the actual waist. Of course leg length is also an issue - anything bigger than 34/36 and you must have 2m legs, right? And then adjustment prices are high too :S
matrix 17y ago
Look no further than William Taft for an example of a larger man who is, to this day, widely admired for his sartorial elegance. Sure, you're not going to be wearing the ultra-slim fit clothes that are trendy with a certain crowd right now, but that's only one small segment of the population. The world would be a very dull place if we all dressed the same way. Learn what works well for your body, and it will help your confidence enormously. For example, a pair of properly fitting pleated dress khakis, and a nicely fitted blazer would be an easy look to do well no matter your size.
cmgarcia 17y ago
Another big guy reporting in. I tried a few different dress shirts and professional pants before I found one fit/type of each that I stuck with religiously. I used to have anxiety about clothes shopping, specifically for professional dress. Almost every article of clothing didn't fit well because of my belly. After finding 1 type of each (as mentioned in an earlier reply), I've never been happier with my wardrobe.
CWuestefeld 17y ago
clothes are made for normal, maybe slender and fit people and it just seems like fatties need not apply. I'm not sure that's true. I'm well within the recommended weight range (fat percentage ~20%-21%). But I have a muscular neck (too much head-banging in my youth?). Not too musculare, I don't look like a football player. But enough to make a difference, it seems. A shirt that I can button around my neck is always much too fat for me. Even a "fitted" shirt has a circumference at least 8" greater than my girth. It would seem that whomever clothes are fitted for, it's neither those who have a more ample size, nor even someone in the recommended range.
akgerber 17y ago
I'm a skinny twig & my problem is that most of the clothes on the market from mainstream brands have waaaaay too big of a gut when cut reasonably in the arms, shoulders, and legs.
kingkongreveng_ 17y ago
> clothes are made for normal, maybe slender and fit people Ha! How wrong you are! I am what I consider should be a normal, fit size but all the competitively priced stuff is made for fatties. I am forced to go pay more for proper fitting clothing.

by sown 17y ago

tfh 17y ago

Lose some weight then, the hacker's way : http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html

dkimball 17y ago
The "Hacker Diet" is equivocating on the value of "in." What matters is not calories ingested, it's bioavailable calories ingested; see Gary Taubes' _Good Calories, Bad Calories_ for details.

tsally 17y ago

It's all about how you approach the problem. Since I am average weight and height, I approach the problem of fashion from that perspective. Since you are not, you need a different strategy. Take Kevin Smith for example. Directed Clerks, played Silent Bob, etc. He's a big dude. In fact, he recently got kicked off of Southwestern Airlines for being too fat. Now, you'll never look at Kevin Smith and think he's fashionable. But you wont think he's a slob either. His strategy is to take care of his face, choose glasses that fit his body type, get a good haircut, wear black, and wear layers. Examples: http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/19-kevin-smith-WI-0509-lg-88986506.jpg http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/19-kevin-smith-WI-0..., http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/kevin-smith-the-simpsons-movie-premiere-arrivals-0a0Uys.jpg http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/kevin-smith-the-simp..., http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Kevin_Smith/KevinSmith_Granitz_12346124.jpg http://www.celebritywonder.com/picture/Kevin_Smith/KevinSmit.... Not fashionable per se, but the dude goes to movie premiers and gets interviewed by the press like that. You just have to figure out what works well for you.

illumin8 17y ago
Sorry, but whoever told Kevin Smith to wear baggy shorts with sneakers and no socks to a red carpet function ought to be shot. I'll admit, his selection of glasses fits his face, but taking fashion advice from someone who's signature look is a backwards baseball cap, trenchcoat, and all black?

bigboned 17y ago

As someone who is also overweight, I feel your pain. But you just have to suck it up, grow up, and get out there and try on lots of clothes. This is where if you have some extra money it can be worth going to higher end stores. Their sales people are usually willing to spend time with you to find the clothes your looking for. For me, my legs are thick, so I simply cannot wear slim or regular fit jeans. So I have to look for relaxed jeans but without being too baggy. I usually run about a 15:1 try-to-buy ratio, even though I avoid slim/regular fit jeans. I also have wide shoulders and so I cannot wear untucked button-up shirts. Any casual button-up shirt that I wear untucked, and which fits my shoulders, ends up hanging to my knees. This is true even of shirts that are made short in order to be untucked. I just accept that I cannot wear that style and move on. You'll just have to find your way by trying on clothes and buying only the ones that fit well. Let me say that, even if you are not a clothes person, once you find a few nice pieces, it will feel good to wear them.

sambe 17y ago

It's not just overweight that's the problem. I'm normally a bit overweight. This is offset by being somewhat stronger than average in build - a t-shirt that fits snuggle around my chest but falls quite wide around the waist will hide a lot of my excess weight. But these are generally pretty hard to find. The bigger problem is trousers - generally it doesn't matter how fit I am, the size of my thighs (muscle again, played rugby from a young age) will stop any trousers from fitting me properly. Anything that fits around the thighs is guaranteed to be several inches too big around the waist (no, a belt doesn't solve this all the time: ruins cut and comfort). The problem is as much with the attitudes & economics of high street fashion as it is with you. I don't get as frustrated and depressed shopping when I'm in better shape physically but it's still a very unpleasant experience - and that's without even thinking about style. Most people say "go tailored" with all the obvious expense and silliness of asking for tailored jeans etc. Buying and adjusting is more realistic if you or someone you know can sew or wants to learn (or maybe affordable professionally). But again, sadly, many high street clothes don't have sufficient build quality or extra material (at least one tailor refused me on that basis). Always seemed to me that there is a business opportunity for providing web-ordered clothes. If the fittings were better than a single number, and were consistent, it would be a great service from the consumer point of view. Perhaps difficult to get started from the business one though, before the volume is large enough/process easy enough?

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
kingkongreveng_ 17y ago
Same problem. 30 inch waist, but my thighs are bursting out of 30 inch pants. I typically buy 32 inch and have them taken in for $6 at the dry cleaner.
- sambe 17y ago
  Unfortunately most conventional stores don't stock any sizes large enough. The three sizes on the rack is what you get, and if you move to a country with an average size smaller than you (or like something in a shop that treats male fashion consumers as rake-thin models just like the females), you're basically out of luck nearly 100% of the time. I generally don't find anything larger than 36" waist where I am and that's already got room to spare at the actual waist. Of course leg length is also an issue - anything bigger than 34/36 and you must have 2m legs, right? And then adjustment prices are high too :S

matrix 17y ago

Look no further than William Taft for an example of a larger man who is, to this day, widely admired for his sartorial elegance. Sure, you're not going to be wearing the ultra-slim fit clothes that are trendy with a certain crowd right now, but that's only one small segment of the population. The world would be a very dull place if we all dressed the same way. Learn what works well for your body, and it will help your confidence enormously. For example, a pair of properly fitting pleated dress khakis, and a nicely fitted blazer would be an easy look to do well no matter your size.

cmgarcia 17y ago

Another big guy reporting in. I tried a few different dress shirts and professional pants before I found one fit/type of each that I stuck with religiously. I used to have anxiety about clothes shopping, specifically for professional dress. Almost every article of clothing didn't fit well because of my belly. After finding 1 type of each (as mentioned in an earlier reply), I've never been happier with my wardrobe.

CWuestefeld 17y ago

clothes are made for normal, maybe slender and fit people and it just seems like fatties need not apply. I'm not sure that's true. I'm well within the recommended weight range (fat percentage ~20%-21%). But I have a muscular neck (too much head-banging in my youth?). Not too musculare, I don't look like a football player. But enough to make a difference, it seems. A shirt that I can button around my neck is always much too fat for me. Even a "fitted" shirt has a circumference at least 8" greater than my girth. It would seem that whomever clothes are fitted for, it's neither those who have a more ample size, nor even someone in the recommended range.

akgerber 17y ago

I'm a skinny twig & my problem is that most of the clothes on the market from mainstream brands have waaaaay too big of a gut when cut reasonably in the arms, shoulders, and legs.

kingkongreveng_ 17y ago

> clothes are made for normal, maybe slender and fit people Ha! How wrong you are! I am what I consider should be a normal, fit size but all the competitively priced stuff is made for fatties. I am forced to go pay more for proper fitting clothing.