I just went to Target to get milk and to see the carnage. They had about 5 things left. A kids dress, the bikini bottom Tamb posted, 2 shirts and a pair of the eyelet shorts. I overheard a sales assoc. telling another lady some woman spent $900 yesterday morning. The sweet old gentleman who checked me out (who is always there) had no idea there was even a big release yesterday. He was all, "Oh yeah, I saw the sign. Come to think of it it was busy yesterday!". I love him.
It seems like what really sucks is that Lilly Pulitzer can't be bothered to make clothes for plus size women unless it's a limited release discount line. I don't know why you'd give a company like that your money.
My first thought while reading this was that maybe this will show LP that they need to and would get a good return in the plus size market. But then I realized I was dreaming.
Here's a plus size LP for Target dress, if you're willing to spend $255. link
I do understand, though, that if you wear plus sizes (or whatever the fuck "fashion" decides is plus size) then this might have been your opportunity to get something fun that isn't usually available. It really sucks that 1) Target only offered it online and 2) Target has the worst website I have ever seen for a mass market retailer.
I find myself shopping there less and less these days.
It seems like what really sucks is that Lilly Pulitzer can't be bothered to make clothes for plus size women unless it's a limited release discount line. I don't know why you'd give a company like that your money.
Because we just fucking want cute clothes. Not this shit:
So yeah. Its not about being ok with being treated like this, its about not having a lot of other options.
Ugh. The comments about plus size girls just looking elsewhere is pissing me off.
It can be hard to find stuff you like. I actually like the fun, bright, happy prints of LP. I might actually buy dresses from them occasionally if they carried my size. Me not buying a dress I like isn't going to make a damn bit of difference to either target or LP.
Maybe the popularity of the plus size stuff will give LP a heads up that there is a market there.
The other thing is everyone is working under the assumption this stuff is going to fit nicely (all sizes, but esp. plus size since it was online only). Which sucks even more for the plus size ladies bc NO ONE has gotten to try this shit on yet. Everyone is paying these huge marked up prices for items that have not been delivered to the seller yet (since it was online only). It could fit like crap, no one knows yet!
At the risk of sounding snobby, I will say this. What I did see/touch at Target today was way more Target than it was LP. I don't own a stitch of her clothing for myself, so it's not like I am looking down on the Target version. It was like any old thing they have there. The eyelet shorts esp. I thought the Mossimo brand of similar style seemed nicer.
Post by thebreakfastclub on Apr 20, 2015 14:57:51 GMT -5
I am in buying, so I find this all to be fascinating. litebright made some really good points about limited release collections and the lift that LP can expect to get to its full-price business. Sometimes creating scarcity can generate demand, or at least encourage people to buy early rather than wait when new events come up down the road.
As far as the plus-size situation, if LP is not in the plus-size business, I can see why they didn't want to take a chance with in-store inventory. It just costs so much money to invest in a presentation in x1000 stores, vs what you need to own to show up on-line.
If there is no history of what plus-size means to the LP customer, it's hard to justify putting it in stores as an untested concept. Target has just come off of closing in Canada, so I am sure there isn't much appetite to spend more than absolutely necessary on inventory - especially when you need it to sell out in hours.
Post by runforrest on Apr 20, 2015 15:03:32 GMT -5
This is off-topic, but won't the plus size clothing, if returned, end up on display in the stores? All of the online-only stuff does if it is returned, yes? So hopefully when some of the stuff is inevitably returned, people will have a chance to try it on and see it in person prior to purchasing.
The whole eBay thing still baffles me, though. I STILL want the Missoni mixing bowls and the last time I checked for them on eBay, they were still WAYYYYYYY marked up from the Target retail...and the collaboration was like 4 years ago!
It is. The same way bathing suits are hard for all women. And the way pants fit differently on all women. We all have disparities and weirdnesses; we all have issues with one part of our bodies or another that make it difficult.
No. I used to be thin and now I am obese. Buying plus-sized clothes is considerably more difficult. Yes, all women are shaped differently, so even if you are thin, finding things that work for your particular body is a pain. However, there are way, way more options in the 0-14 sized clothes than plus sized. The quantity of available clothes makes finding something that works for you easier or sometimes just possible. Add in that many stores only carry plus-size online and plus styles are either designed for skinny women and sized up or just straight up tents, and it just becomes even more difficult. Shopping for plus-size clothing is just harder.
Post by revolution on Apr 20, 2015 15:33:54 GMT -5
I waltzed into my target about 10:30 yesterday. There were a few things left for women. Not much, and that surprised me around here. I did get a pair of flip flops. A good selection for girls still though and I got DD a cute dress.
And there were still a ton of make up bags, I didn't think they were very pretty at all.
I think some of her stuff is cute. Target price cute. Not over $100 cute.
I do understand, though, that if you wear plus sizes (or whatever the fuck "fashion" decides is plus size) then this might have been your opportunity to get something fun that isn't usually available. It really sucks that 1) Target only offered it online and 2) Target has the worst website I have ever seen for a mass market retailer.
I find myself shopping there less and less these days.
It seems like what really sucks is that Lilly Pulitzer can't be bothered to make clothes for plus size women unless it's a limited release discount line. I don't know why you'd give a company like that your money.
But this could be said for a LOT of companies. Ann Taylor, The Gap, BR, AE, NY & Co, and many more don't offer plus size clothes. If they started to, heck yeah I would start shopping there. I'd love for more/all retailers to carry PS, but Lilly is hardly the only one guilty of not doing so. And I was under the impression from articles I read that the PS only online thing was more of a Target decision than an LP one.
ETA: And I would love me some plus size White House, Black Market.
I had to look up what all this was when I saw so many posts about this. I can't get into a design that looks like Lisa Frank threw up on a Georgia O'Keefe painting.
So while I think the clothes are fugly as shit, I do understand why people are pissed off. Target handled this terribly. They had the same issue when they collaborated with Missoni however many years ago, and apparently didn't learn shit. If you know you're not going to be releasing anymore of the product (and you already freaking knew that before they even went on sale), you should have taken steps to ensure that people wouldn't act like they acted, and you wouldn't have shit like this going on right now.
I think they did learn something but they just aren't using it the way people want. They learned that people will bombard the store for something like that and they learned that they can sell every last thing because someone will buy it for one reason (for themselves) or another (resale). Regular people lost out if they weren't there a the crack of dawn. They hype was big, the buzz worked, Target moved their product and in the end what they learn is that it absolutely works and that next time most people are just going to try harder in an effort to not lose out.
How did we get to "well fitting" plus sized clothing? Because that sure as shit isn't happening at Target, EVER (and I'm a Target clothing lover).
My bet ; three weeks from now people are going to start bitching about cheap fabric, pilling, fallen hems, etc. Let's face it, this is Target.
Somewhere the all the people involved in the Missoni debacle are laughing hysterically at us.
Sent from my Fortress of Snatchiness
I completely agree with you. That is what I was trying to say before -- can you imagine bidding $250 on a dress, getting it and having it not fit? It's not like a plus size lady can saunter into the LP store and try on a shift dress to see what size she is. For Christ's sake LP hasn't ever made one so chances are they are going to f' it up. Because we all know "just take the regular dress and make it bigger" doesn't work. The shift dress isn't exactly forgiving and it has no stretch. It's taking such a chance. Once time progresses, they'll be online reviews (works for bottom heavy/top heavy, fits generous through the bottom etc.) but right now there is NOTHING!
I kind of have a feeling there's going to be some returns in store in 2 weeks and pickings (at retail prices) are going to be a lot more plentiful.
Post by RoxMonster on Apr 20, 2015 16:50:11 GMT -5
So I have been searching for a floral plus size maxi dress that isn't matronly or cheap or obnoxious for months. I have complained to you all on here lol. There is not a ton. There just isn't. I found so many cute regular size options but the moment you tack PS onto it, they apparently think we are all over 60 or want to hide in our clothes. I liked one of the prints in the LP collection so that's why I was a little bummed aboutit selling out and only being offered online. Saying that there are other websites that offer some plus size things that aren't even really that close is not a great alternative.
I hate all forms of martyrs and do not want to be one for plus sizes. But I will just say I was a size 12 at my thinnest. Am a 22/24 now. It is 20x harder to find places that 1) carry your size 2) don't cost a shitton (looking at you Lane Bryant) and 3) don't regulate us to hideous pieces. I found one dress for instance online that came above the knee for regular sizes but for the PS version, it came to mid-calf. The short LE dresses I looked at online that were supposed to hit above the knee were made a full 3" longer for PS women--the same length as the tall version! So sure I will boycott companies that are straight up unethical, but my body can't afford for me to stand on principle and boycott companies that only choose to sell PS as part of a discount line, because what the fuck is left?
Post by RoxMonster on Apr 20, 2015 17:01:59 GMT -5
And though I am neither short nor tall, I have a ton of sympathy for people who wear petites and talls because there isn't very much out there for you all either without spending a bunch of money on tailoring things. Anyone who isn't of an average size--for many retailers--kind of gets the shaft.
I think it's obtuse to say that it's just as easy to find plus size clothing as it is to find regular sized clothing. I've never been plus size, but my mom has almost all of her life and I've watched her struggle with this. It's getting better, but it's still nowhere near the same. Not even close.
I could have written this, word for word.
My mom has just recently started wearing a 14/16 and has said the options open to her are SO much more than when she was firmly a 1x or larger.
Anyway, I just want to report that at least for the shift dresses, they are better quality than typical Target. I've got a bunch of Target dresses (I live in SoCal so I live in light cotton dresses almost all year round) and the Lilly fabric is much more substantial and thick. I'd compare to quality at Banana Republic. Probably not as high quality as non-Target Lilly, but not "big box" quality either. I was also pleased that it was true to size. I had heard rumors they ran super small and I didn't find that to be the case at all. All in all, totally worth the $38 so I bought it.
I also tried on this dress and was totally unimpressed. Not flattering and the fabric was very Target-ish.
I got my 5 year old daughter two bathing suits and a romper. The bathing suits were adorable and $16. A bargain. The romper is very summery and good quality. My 5 year old loves the bright pattern (and is much more pink obsessed than me).
Anyway... Just in case anyone wanted a review from someone that was actually able to try on and feel things instead or rack clearing and buying everything in sight . Since the plus sized debate is ongoing, I really wish they had those sizes in the stores. Shift dresses are tricky. I was fully expecting it to look like crap (I'm pear shaped and usually don't wear the shift style) and it actually looked very flattering. But I would have never ordered one online.
Post by Jenniatonu on Apr 20, 2015 18:12:28 GMT -5
A thin person can walk into any clothing store and walk out with something that they can wear.
A fat person can walk into the same store and literally not find a single thing that even goes over their hips or bust.
This excludes 'fit' and 'form' of clothing. The point is, it is hard to find well-fitting well-made clothes, period. It is infinitely harder for plus size person, because we are already excluded from many places to even find something to even get pulled on, let alone buttoned/zipped, etc.
Post by sewpinkgal on Apr 20, 2015 18:12:33 GMT -5
calmcosmo - I tried on both of those dresses, too, and I agree with your thoughts about quality with both of them. Had the shift dress been about 2in longer, I would have bought that one, too.
calmcosmo - I tried on both of those dresses, too, and I agree with your thoughts about quality with both of them. Had the shift dress been about 2in longer, I would have bought that one, too.
I agree on the length. I put it on for my husband and he was like "damn, girl!" - In a good way so I think he liked it. But I'm usually more conservative. And I'm 33. So I'm in this battle with myself about what is "too young" looking.
I've been working really hard on my body lately so I figured that it is okay to show off my legs a little bit for a date night. And I'm a total basic-bitch former sorority girl so LP isn't that much of a stretch from my normal style .
Huh. I do think it's a little...something....for a slim person to claim that it's just as easy finding clothes when you're plus sized. Hell, I am a 12-14 and find it more difficult to find cute stuff than I did when I was an 8. If you're bigger than a 12-ish, there are some companies (LLL!) that just straight will tell you you're too chunky for their image.
It is literally more difficult to find stuff in sizes beyond a 10. When I worked retail (at several different stores), we would usually get only one 12 and one 14 in a run of any particular style. There were a couple 2s, 4s, and 10s, but the bulk of a run would be sizes 6 and 8.
What's with the sigh? Do you see how you're telling other people that something they struggle with is not actually a struggle? And you haven't been in that place yourself?
I usually get a snort in place of the sigh, but it usually means no further explanation will be provided. Maybe we could talk about gluten next and how that's all in our heads too!!
Shopping as a fat chick is the bane of my existance. Even for jeans. JEANS, DAMNIT.
Ugh, I feel like jeans are the worst. They're either tight in the stomach or about seven sizes too big in the legs.
Yep exactly! Plus size pants--both jeans and dress pants--are the hardest thing for me to find. I've started just wearing skinny jeans tucked into boots or rolled up in the summer because even "slim cut boot legs" have ginormous thighs and calves and are super unflattering. Pretty sure I tried on every style of jean Lane Bryant had this past winter.
I gave up on dress pants this year. JCP's plus size dress pants were oddly incredibly short (and I am 5'6" so not super tall) and the waist came up almost to my boobs lol. I tried some on at LB but the averages were way too short but the talls were too long to even wear with heels. The ones I tried at Torrid had the opposite problem of JCP and were oddy low-waisted, sitting at my hips and gave me muffin top. I ended up wearing tights or leggings with boots and dresses all winter instead of pants. I miss being able to fit into The Limited and Express--I loved their dress pants.