Big Expectations

fatWell, that’s several hours of my life I’ll never get back.

I wanted to buy a plain navy blue t-shirt.

And that’s it.

Not much to ask?

I’ll admit, I’m big, although not excessively over the UK average.

Yet searching online I seemed to fall down a rabbit-hole of ghastliness.

I won’t bore you with the details of my ever-frantic searches, but suffice to say, if you’re a big gal, you bound to wear clothes with:

  • Ruffles
  • Huge dropped hems at the back
  • Sequins and cheap beads
  • Ridiculous slogans (no, I don’t ‘Blame It On The Prosecco’)
  • Garish patterns, swirls and side-ties (why?)
  • Lazy tailoring and all-round general baggy fits, i.e. sacks.
  • Lace. Lots and lots of lace.

Even at the higher end price range, the choice was dismal. Nothing was understated and elegant, or just … basic but well made.

In my job as a building project manager, I only spend one or two days a week in ‘normal’ clothes. More often than not I’m in steel-capped boots, cargo trousers and a hoodie. Hair pulled back in a ponytail and some lip balm for the chilly mornings. My other outfit is jim-jams as soon as I get home and fall asleep on the sofa.

So when I wear ‘normal’ clothes, it would be nice to wear something smart but casual. Well-made, classic. I’ve never been known for my fashion sense and never well be, but it’s refreshing to emerge from a cocoon of dust and mud with clean hair and no black bits in my ears.

Back to my tale of woe – a navy blue t-shirt. I dismissed the one with the sequinned pocket and dropped hem. The baggy one. The one with lace inserts. The one slashed in odd places. The one exposing bare shoulders.

Instead, I dug out my huge pile of ‘too fat to fit now, could possibly fit in the future’ clothes from my cupboard. And there, right in the middle, was a lovely t-shirt. Ok, so it has a scattering of tiny beads, but they’re so small I might snip them off.

If I breathe in, it fits perfectly.

I might not be able to talk much, but it makes a change from my hoodie?

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6 thoughts on “Big Expectations

  1. Joan (Devon) says:

    I’m no feather-weight either, but that’s only down to inactivity due to balance problems with MS and I’ve found this too. In the end I resorted to men’s plain t. shirts, both long and short sleeves.
    I have never been one for frills, flounces or sequins and don’t like clothes too tight as I like to be able to breathe and move around without feeling restricted.
    Some of the men’s t. shirts now have logos and stripes and it’s getting quite difficult to find good plain t. shirts in a variety of colours as men’s are usually just dark.

    • stumbling in flats says:

      A friend sent me a text yesterday recommending Cotton Traders – a lot of their styles are unembellished, and just good quality, plain t shirts and shirts! Plus in larger sizes too.
      Men’s sizes is a great idea and probably a lot cheaper than the women’s!
      x

  2. Liz says:

    ….always an interesting pleasure to read Barbara,

    Thanks,

    Liz

  3. Archie says:

    There’s a character in the Mighty Boosh that I relate to. I was looking for a nice short sleeved shirt with a stiff collar a few years ago and thought I found it in H&M. When I looked in the mirror I had to text my wife to say I looked like bloody Fossil. ?

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