Those of you who see me, even infrequently, will know that I don’t wear shirts. The cotton-type button up the front variety, just in case of any language differences out there! This isn’t because I don’t like them. I do. A well pressed, well fitting shirt can really smarten up an outfit, whether it be part of a suit or teamed with a pair of jeans (another bugbear, shared by fat girl skinny jeans). Therein lies the rub. Well fitting. Can I find a shirt to fit me? I would probably find it easier to crawl to the shrine of San Diego Di Compostela, to be frank.
My quest for a well fitting shirt is a long and fruitless one. If it fits well on my bust it is far too big at the waist, if it fits well at my waist it is pulled across the bust, sometimes I am unable to fasten the buttons and let’s not even go there with the buttons not fastening at the hips. Yes, there is the oversized shirt option but they aren’t my style. Wearing baggy clothes makes me feel like a short, fat frump and let’s face it, there are enough issues on this planet without adding that one to my list of daily battles.
I have probably tried shirts from every high street store, I have even paid some, in my opinion, eye watering prices in an effort to end my quest (and I am secretly glad that those shirts didn’t fit or I’d only be owning one perfect shirt!)
I asked this question of Dearest Papa as he and I were going to the retail park so he could look at technology and I could return yet another ill fitting shirt (ironically called “The Perfect Shirt”). Dearest Papa doesn’t seem to live in the same world as we do half the time but he was certainly alert enough to reply that clothing companies make clothes for “women with no boobs and no hips.” This, alas for me, appears to be the truth. Those of you reading this who have what is politely termed “a boyish figure” may well be screaming that you would murder your own granny if it gave you boobs and hips, which goes to show that we women are never happy with what we have! Humans come in all shapes and sizes, and I celebrate that fact, I just wish clothing companies did. Why can’t they make clothes for different shapes? It’s no use looking at clothes for the fuller figure because their sizing is too big for me. Yes I have boobs that are at the bottom end of the big scale, yes I have hips that would send every man in Jamaica drooling, yes I have a defined waist and a belly that Buddha is deeply envious of but I can still (just about) get into a high street size 12 and I want to stay that way – with perhaps less belly!
Next on my list of brands to try are two that are aimed at women with a curvier figure – Pepperberry, who are the clothing arm of Bravissimo, and Biubiu which is a Polish company who ship to the UK and were recommended on Fuller Figure Fuller Bust. As I have my sewing class fees and two quilting/knitting shows coming up this month it will probably be next month before I can get around to buying any new clothes. Watch this space!
nursenancylou 