Posts by Amanda Fisher

I’ll take a look—hit up every single shop on the list.

I’ve always been a size 8 in both top and bottom. Maybe an 8 if I was feeling extra generous, or a 6 on a good day.
But now, since I’ve packed on a little extra weight, I’m realizing I actually have to start accounting for the difference between my upper and lower body.
As for what those actual numbers are? God knows. I guess I’ll find out today after I try on the next 500 items of clothing in the desperate hope that something actually fits. 🙂

Last time I bought a bra, I was a 36D.

Thanks for the advice, but honestly, I don't think it's my actual weight—or the number on the scale—that makes finding a dress such a nightmare, it's more about these specific trouble spots.
Like, you see curvy women who don't have much of a bust, whereas even back when I was at my thinnest (around 112 lbs), I still had a large chest—so imagine how it is now that I'm nearly 65 lbs heavier (😲 which, frankly, I just realized myself).
So, yeah, the bust is my first major hurdle when I'm hunting for a dress.
The second thing would be trying to pull off a skirt and blouse combo, but that’s a whole other headache. My second—and let's be real, biggest—problem area is my stomach. It’s always the first place I gain weight, it's always there, it's incredibly annoying, and I constantly feel like I need to hide it. Now, those trendy high-waisted dresses that look like a top and skirt combined? I like the look, but they do absolutely nothing to mask my midsection. And wearing a loose shirt over a skirt feels ridiculous—it's like I'm dressing like a middle-aged lady from a sitcom. But if I tuck the shirt in? Forget it. It just looks like I'm intentionally highlighting my stomach (the lower part is definitely my Achilles' heel).
Seriously, at this rate, my only real option is to get something custom-made to fit my specific proportions. I'm actually jealous of people who can gain weight evenly—they can still find clothes that fit. I am definitely not one of those lucky people.
Anyway, I'm heading out to hit some shops on Fifth Avenue later today, so I'll let you know if I stumble upon anything decent.

P.S. I actually found a dress at Macy's recently, and it actually looked okay on me. The problem was the color—it was black, and it just made me look washed out. But hey, take a look there, they really do have some good stuff sometimes. A few years ago, I picked up a red one there—a Taifun brand—and it had everything I look for: sleeves, a nice neckline, an empire waist, and a great drape.


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Hey everyone.
I spent the entire day wandering around a massive shopping mall today, hunting for something a little more formal to wear—a dress.
I managed to find exactly... zero.
In one shop, a dress looked fine hanging up, but you couldn't squeeze into it if your life depended on it.
In another, you couldn't even get the thing over your hips, let alone your head.
Then at a third store, I hit the plus-size section and tried on some size 14 pants—even though I'm usually a 12—and I couldn't even button them? Are you kidding me??? Is someone playing a joke on us??? As if it wasn't enough that I've been loyal to Triumph bras for ten years while all my friends, and even my sister, just head down to the local flea market (or those cheap discount outlets these days) and pick up all sorts of gorgeous bras for $5.00 each. Meanwhile, I’m stuck paying premium prices for $83.
It also makes me realize that most American women actually have normal builds and importers are supposedly catering to that, but what else am I supposed to do? Enroll in fashion design school just to fit into my clothes?
Honestly, I'm over it! Especially since I don't even fit neatly into one category anymore. I used to be a solid size 8, but I've gained some weight recently and I have no clue what my size is now—but suddenly, nothing fits in the "regular" sections, and finding anything in the plus-size aisles is even worse.
Anyway, no dress found. But after daydreaming about the perfect dress that would hide all my flaws, I've landed on two specific cuts that I think would be absolutely perfect.

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Not a single store I checked out today had anything remotely like these cuts. Everything is either way too short, or knee-length without sleeves, or has sleeves but is cut so tight around the waist it's ridiculous... It's just frustrating. If things don't change soon, I might just dive into fashion design myself. I've had enough.