Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Suit Jackets and Swimwear with Pockets & the Sizing issue

Thank you Colleen for your input! I did look into Talbots. I had already been considering some upper scale Plus size and petite jacket makers. Talbots is more reasonably priced than the Barrie Pace and Austin Reed jackets I was looking at! Talbots has a really good line of plus size petite. Where as the other two I mentioned often have misses, women’s or petite lines. But often lacking in plus size petite.

Fortunately I found I am mistaken about some of the Silhouette’s spring preview jackets I assumed had fake pockets! I called Silhouettes and found that the cropped jacket pictured here does have pockets under those flaps!

The one button shimmer jacket also has real pockets! It also has the back vent I like! The shimmer would really add a bit to my usual bland khaki cargo shorts. Assuming I can fit into them this summer. This jacket could be a bit long on my 5"1 ½” frame to wear with shorts. But it’s cotton / linen. Good for people like me who sweat!

Sadly even Silhouettes’ customer service can not find out if this shimmer collarless jacket has pockets. And none of them come in petite sizes.

All are machine washable and unlined. Machine washable is a plus for me in that I have a 7 year old daughter. There are markers and other stuff coming my way. Usually often. Though I prefer lined jackets. Thinking of summer in New Jersey unlined and machine washable has it’s advantages too.

What I was thinking of regarding tiny zip pockets in women’s swim wear was all these Skirted bathing suits. Like Miracle suit’s skirted one currently pictured here. Which is a one piece. And the It Figures Skirtini pictured below it.

Granted in a gather skirting what I was thinking of would be harder to pull off. I was thinking of in most lie flat skirtini skirts. A pocket. Tiny. Sewn in just where the waist of the skirt meets the attached swim brief. Between the swim brief and the skirt. Discreet and accessible!

I doubt anything will come of it unless lots of women start writing a place like AlwaysForMe.com
I know they listen to customer feedback. That’s why they brought back the above mentioned favorite It Figures plus size skirtini. And why they carry cup sized full figure swim wear.

I also realize, being short, that for a petite women, plus size skirtini swimwear has it’s disadvantages too. But the Always for Me swim wear line has lots of these great mini swim dresses! These mini swim dress comes in a multitude of ever increasing colors and prints!

Again a place where the pocket of my dreams could go. But till then, a swim skirt that does not hang to a petite women’s knees!!

Junonia
has some styles of full figure active wear with built in inner pockets for keys and valuables. Perhaps that is a start!

But as for the pocketed suit jacket issue. I did run across this multi pocket jacket in sizes up to 20. Click on it’s picture and hit the “more about this product” link to read about all those inner pockets!



By Orvis. They have neither full figure or petite sizes. Which brought to mind the whole sizing question. What is the difference between a size 20, and a size 20W in a jacket?

AlwaysForMe.com
spells it out in each of their swimsuit’s descriptions.

I thought Talbots was going to spell it out for us. I saw mention of biceps and thigh measurements in their women’s verses women’s petite sizes. Then when I went to find the comparison of biceps and thighs measurements in their misses size charts. Well it was just bust, waist and hips.

Well I guess that is why online stores have lenient return policies.

I understand men’s apparel has pretty standardized sizing. When will women’s?

Monday, January 08, 2007

Spring full figure Suit previews and further questions

Now you’ll find beautiful plus size suits at Silhouettes Spring fashions preview. I have some of these suits and suit separates pictured here here. And here on my ladies suit page.

But I am continue to wonder about the functionality of these women’s suits. Or, as my question of last week, is it just me. Do any other women want pockets.

I’ve been reading:



This book brings up how upon women getting the vote, the skeletal, 1920's flapper look becomes fashionable. Female dieting and a preoccupation with thinness ensue. Page 52 of my paper back copy. One question posed by the book is:

Is this new look for women an attempt to keep women weak regardless of their ability to vote?

Is the current ultra thin, anorexic look a result of people not really wanting women to have equal rights? Equal pay, power things of that ilk. Is it an effort to control women with rights? Kind of crumy when women don’t usually get equal pay anyhow.

On a lighter side, although one that effects me, what’s with this lack of pockets thing?

Am I suppose to have one hand and or arm occupied all the time?

Sure I like handbags. A little. But for daily wear I want my wallet in my back pocket. A pack of tissues and perhaps a pen, pad and some cough drops on my person too.

For me the result is not buying. More searching. I did find a nice array of high quality plus size women’s suits. I feature them here. Many come in petite sizes. But I will have to dig deeper to find out if they have at least my 2 required pockets. Still, at present their prices are a bit forbidding too. Still I’d rather wait a bit, pay more and get what I really want.

I love the classic look of these jackets. The fact that many are available in plus size petite women’s sizes. But it disturbs me that a mention of lining and pockets is missing in their descriptions.

Is it that at those prices, it’s a given that they come at least with lining? Is it that because it’s women’s apparel, it does not matter?

What do you want? Granted I do not fall for that, I must get thin thing. But I do want to know why women’s apparel is not more functional. Women’s swimsuits never seems to have a small zipper inner pocket for your locker key and a bit of cash. What’s up with that? Is it ok to steal a women’s stuff while she swims?

Are women’s fashions functional enough for you? Or is it just me who has a problem with this?

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

A Question to other women out there

While researching plus size suits this past fall, I found several jackets I really liked, for me. I’m picky about little things in a suit jacket. I want it lined. I want a back vent. I think long looks better on me, and other short women. I have since seen that short suit jackets on full figured petite women actually look great. But I’ll get back to that.

The one think I won’t budge on. A JACKET MUST HAVE POCKETS!
Preferably an inside, check book deep pocket in the lining as well. I needed just that 2 weeks ago. The checkbook pocket. I’m not holding my breath waiting to find one of those in jackets made for a woman.

And I prefer pockets with flaps. I knew, even before my daughter came along, that you will end up with your jacket draped over your arm. Things will fall out of those pockets.

I found out that jackets I were looking at that even said they have pockets, did not. Unless they are patch pockets. As the nice people at Silhouettes
online store informed me.

I had my eye on a suit jacket at Avenue’s online store. Went to their local store and found, flaps with no pockets underneath. That’s when I called Silhouettes and when they informed me about that this is usually the case. Only patch pockets are not faked to seem as if they are pockets.

Now here is my question:
Is it just me? Does any other woman out there want the pockets?