If you’re having trouble finding modest clothes, we have some more links for you this week. Most of them are for larger women, although some of the sites have clothes for small, tall ones — and some of the links are for people who can just buy clothes off the rack in regular stores. We’re glad for all the suggestions, and hope they help you find modest, attractive things to wear no matter what your size.
As a small town gal in southeastern Arizona (where we don't have many shopping options), I have come to depend on the JCPenney catalog. Most of their women’s clothing comes in a wide variety of styles and sizes. Miss sizes 6-18, Petite 4p to16p, Women 14 to 24 are usual. Many come in tall. There are also many items that are women’s sizes 1X-3x and extended sizes 4x and 5x. In a quick survey through the ladies and women’s clothing I counted 15 styles of dressy dresses (skirt and jacket) in many sizes — prices up to $89.98. There were 28 businesslike chic outfits, and 58 cute blouses and tees casual to more dressy. All of them had sleeves and decent necklines.
There were 13 skirts that were longer in most cases, and knee-length in some cases. There were also 20 or more cute, modest exercise outfits. This is only in the fall general catalog. JCPenney has several specialty catalogs with many more styles and options. Many JCPenney stores have catalogs available in their retail stores. There are lots of mail order catalogs. It is worth checking into. Hope this helps some of you out there that haven't seen a catalog for a long, long time.
Catalog Shopper far from Phoenix or Tucson in Arizona
Thanks for the news, Catalog Shopper. I checked at the JCPenney site online (www.jcpenney.com) and wasn’t too impressed, but that probably doesn’t mean much. A lot of sites don’t put everything that’s in the catalogs online, and it only makes sense that the stuff that would be omitted would be the clothing for people of unusual sizes.
If you want to check out JCPenney without going to a store, order a catalog by clicking here.
I have been as large as a size 4x and for a number of years have purchased most of my clothing online from Lane Bryant (newly named Woman Within online http://www.womanwithin.com/) and Roaman’s http://www.roamans.com/ . There is a lot of affordable and stylish modest clothing online if you just do a search. I see things up to a 6x.
The same is true for tall clothing. Just do an internet search. This site has a list of places that sell clothing for tall women: http://www.tallwomen.org/clothes/usa/
Linda
Thanks for writing, Linda. Although we mentioned Woman Within and Roaman’s last week, a reminder never hurts. And that Tall Women site was a gold mine! Ladies, if you’re tall and in need of more clothing websites than you can shake a yardstick at, click here as soon as you’ve finished reading today’s Meridian.
What a question! I complain to virtually every woman I talk to about the difficulty in finding modest clothing. For example, I have looked for more than a year for a plain navy blue or black skirt that is long enough. And I am of average height. Places where I used to buy skirts have pretty much dried up because most people just wear slacks everywhere. So plain skirts are nearly impossible to find.
Anyway, I have had some success finding print skirts in a longer length at Christopher & Banks. They are in many malls and have a website. They are starting to stock some larger sizes, but not in all styles.
Other than Christopher & Banks, I buy virtually all of my clothing through catalogues — some at Lands' End and some at L. L. Bean. Their skirt selections are sparse now for the reasons mentioned above. For shirts I go to the above mentioned catalogues/websites or to sporting goods stores. I have had pretty good luck at Kirkham's in Salt Lake City for modest shirts. They do not normally come in larger sizes, however.
In my opinion, the low-cut shirts that are in all of the stores should not even be considered by LDS sisters. Even if the shirts don't seem too low, bend forward a bit and everything shows. I feel
sorry for our bishoprics who have to sit on the stand each Sunday and see so much, um, cleavage. I'm not sure that word is allowed on Meridian.
I believe that as time goes on, it will become more and more difficult for LDS women to
find commercially-made clothing that is modest and suitable for those who have been to the temple. This might be part of the prophecy made by Elder Neal A. Maxwell in the late 70's, wherein he said that the time would come when people would have to decide whether to follow the Prophet or not — that it would be more difficult to "sit on the fence."
I would love to be reasonably in fashion as much as anyone, but with the current styles of plunging necklines and the underwear look on the outside, that has not been possible. Such is life.
Stockings Please
Salt Lake City
Thanks for your comments, Stockings. Who would have thought to look at sporting goods stores for modest shirts? That’s a great idea! And be sure to go to the site for tall women mentioned in the previous letter. I’m sure you can find skirts there.
By the way, you can see I’ve cut out part of your letter. That’s because we’re going to run it as a mini-topic next week, when this topic has ended. We’ll see what people have to say about that!
I read your article today about purchasing modest clothing. We have three teenage daughters and find it difficult to find modest clothing. We live in the San Diego area and do our shopping in Utah.
I find that Dillard’s in Provo at the mall that is visible from the I-15 is wonderful. Actually all the Dillard’s stores are great. We were there two weeks ago and I bought our three daughters dresses in Provo. We bought Jody brand dresses, and each dress was on sale for $20. What a bargain.
In both Cedar City and St. George there is a store called Christianson's and we also find modest clothing in teen sizes and women’s sizes. You pay more for the clothing here than Dillard’s, but the quality is great! I wear a size 16 and can get clothes that are modest. They also have great sale prices.
Sometimes JCPenney stores have modest clothing — but not like they used to. Also, their clothing is now made in China and the quality is definitely not there and now I don't shop there anymore. I don't believe in paying a high price for poor quality.
I do sew, and it is not economical anymore to sew. I found a bargain place for fabric in a tiny Utah town called Enterprise. On main street there is a store called Cloves General Store and you go up the ramp and what a treasure of fabric! I just love that place! They have so much fabric stuffed into that small upstairs. And great prices. And what a selection! It is a dream place for those of us that sew. Enterprise is west of St. George (about a 45-minute drive). You pass the Mountain Meadow massacre site, past Pine Valley where that old church is built like an upside-down boat. Then you get to Enterprise.
It is also harder to find modest dress patterns to sew the clothing. But if you could take a class and learn how to redraft the pattern you can make modest clothing.
Judy
Thanks for the ideas, Judy. I went to the Dillard’s website to check it out, and saw that there’s a whole bunch of skirts, sorted by size and length. First I checked out the size range of skirts and saw there was a size 32. I clicked on that and saw, “Joe’s Jeans Pencil Miniskirt” — a denim creation for $152. LDS standards aside, no woman with a brain who is size 32 is going to be wearing a pencil miniskirt. But hey — if you want a denim pencil miniskirt in a size 32 and are willing to pay $152 for it, Dillard’s is the place!
However, I was really excited to click on “knee-length” and see that there is a nice selection of knee-length skirts in sizes 0 and 2. Click here to see them. I immediately dashed off an email to “Leggy in Lincoln” to tell her the good news. She’s going to be ecstatic.
My contribution is not an LDS website, but I always find something I would wear, in my size. If you are a knitter, http://www.knitty.com is a free online knitting magazine. Most of the women’s patterns are sized from XS to 3XL. And because it’s knitting, it’s usually simple to make something longer, or shorten it to fit.
If you are a knitter or crocheter, http://www.ravelry.com is a miracle on the order of the loaves and the fishes. You can search for patterns, keep a queue of items you want to make, show off your finished projects, troubleshoot with others who have made the pattern, and frequently find links to errata in published patterns.
There is also a Yahoo! Group for plus-size knitters; I am technically a member but rarely check in.
I am average height, plump, and short-waisted. Women’s petite clothing fits OK from the waist up but is miles too short from the waist down. I wear longish skirts, knit tops that are a notch or two above T-shirts in terms of style, and pray that I will never again have to buy an interview suit, since August Max Woman closed.
I laugh when I read the measurements for what Vogue Knitting considers “plus-size.”
Lynn Elliott Cary
Thanks for the links, Lynn. I’ve always wanted to be able to knit, but didn’t think knitting would be useful for anything other than sweaters. Come to think of it, I’ve seen a ton of knitted clothing in all sorts of styles; it just never registered in my little pea brain.
A friend of mine (of plus size) sent me a link to your article about the availability of modest clothing for the LDS crowd. I have heard these same sentiments for years, so this is nothing new.
Upon graduation from design school I still had my rose-colored glasses on. I've outlined only some of the difficulties:
I have my own criticisms about the retail manufacturers, modest or not, but the truth of it is, no one manufacturer can work for, or fit, everyone. Matters of style and fit and budget are so individual that even if there were many more modest clothing companies, it's unlikely they could meet everyone's needs.
The number one obstacle is money. New talent committed to modesty cannot emerge when most members are typically penny-pinchers. It costs a lot of money to get a company going, and the cost of manufacturing in the USA is high. Perhaps people would buy if I would manufacture in China, further increasing our dependence on that country. In that respect, the USA is not living very providently, and I fear it will come back to bite us.
The other matter is choosing a customer base. Older women can't find suitable clothing because they don't buy that much. If they find one dress, they will wear it for 5-10 years and rarely shop again! Younger buyers are less tight with their money, thus the reason why everyone designs for them.
Young or old, designers shy away from designing plus size because there are too many body shapes to count on a good fit unless there is no fitting at all. A manufacturer must chose one body type, and that is what they fit and design for up and down the size range. These women are left to buy t-shirts and skirts or stretchy pants for all occasions because designers aren't looking to design clothing attractive to their body type — only that they will make something that covers.
Having witnessed these struggles among all women, both large and small sizes, I've come to the conclusion that the only universal solution is to sew for yourself, as was common up until 100 years ago. Thus, the birth of my sewing pattern company, Sew Chic. I teach intensive fitting classes at my local community college in which there is a segment on how to choose clothing styles that compliment your figure.
Many women come back to tell me that they have never received so many compliments, and will never look at fit and style the same way again. Sewing does take time, but it is very much worth it. The clothing that fits and looks good on you is the clothing that you will wear again and again. It's the perfect investment.
Because there will always be those who want the ready to purchase option, I can recommend this website portal to all modest clothing, whatever your standard: http://www.modestclothes.com/
Laura Nash
Laura Nash, Owner & Designer
Sew Chic Patterns at Gowns by Laura
595 Dampier Dr. Philomath, OR 97370
541-929-9000
Thanks for a fascinating letter, Laura. There was a lot of meat in it.
First, I agree with you that, “No one manufacturer can work for, or fit, everyone.” You’re absolutely right about that. But there is definitely a shortage of decent clothing for people who are plus-size (and I’m not talking about size 16-18 here!). I firmly believe that if a clothing company were started that catered to the mega-size women with real style instead of just sewing two sheets together to cover them, it would find a lot of customers.
Second, that www.modestclothes.com website is a real winner — and this is for people of normal sizes. This isn’t just one place — it’s a site that will lead Latter-day Saints to lots of other sites, all of which feature modest clothing. This site is geared toward average-size women, but it will be a boon and a blessing for them.
Third, I was delighted to hear about SewChic. I googled it, and you, and I finally got some hits. There was a video on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFCQC_l0p7g) that gave a hint of the neat stuff your patterns produce, and I also found your website. As you’re well aware, though, that website is just being developed and isn’t going to help anyone until it’s finished.
Until then, readers, contact Laura at her telephone number above, or write to her at this address: info@sewchicpatterns.com.
Really enjoyed your article about dressing challenges for larger or off-size sisters. I am in my 50’s and have had this challenge my whole life. I am almost 6 feet, and when younger, was very thin. Time, children, gravity and lack of exercise have all taken a toll and I now run size 18-20 Talls. To top it off, or at the bottom, my shoe size is 10½ -11 Narrow.
As an endowed member, I can very seldom go into a department store and find something modest that fits. When I do find something, like pants, I buy multiple colors and note the manufacturer. Shirts are a little easier to find. How I hate it when they discontinue a line! I find that many of my purchases are made through JCPenney’s catalog. Watch for ads that give you free shipping. My return rate is 50% or more so I like not having to pay for shipping.
I would love to find a store that sells fashionable clothing (not the wild or ugly things they make for bigger women) at reasonable cost. My tastes fun more to what is in the petite section. Anybody know any good fashion designers we can influence?
Disgusted
I agree with you, Disgusted! I wish a reader with sewing skills would start a clothing company just for giant economy sized people who want modest but tasteful clothing.
I had an experience in Australia a long, long time ago. The blouse I was wearing was ripped almost off my back by a piece of metal in a department store escalator. The blouse had a hole in it you could put your head through, and I was an hour from my hotel. (Thank goodness the hole was in my back!) The store manager offered to buy me another blouse, but there was nothing in this particular store that would fit me. So she sent me across the street to a big-and-fat shop, with a voucher to buy a replacement blouse. All the blouses in the store were made of a fabric I had never heard of — polyester crepe. I hate polyester, but I didn’t have a choice, and fortunately this didn’t look like polyester. So I reclaimed my modesty with it and went on my merry way.
The reason I bring this up is that I bought that blouse nine years ago this week, and it looks exactly the way it looked when I first put it on. That thing is indestructible! It has not faded. It has not pulled. Stains come out of it instantly. It absolutely does not wrinkle. I could wear that blouse every day for another twenty years, and I’m sure it would still look exactly the way it looks today. Somebody could make a fortune designing a whole clothing line out of polyester crepe. Think of the possibilities for travel!
Ever since then, I’ve been thinking of Fat and Sassy clothing. Pity I can’t sew! Pity I know absolutely nothing about marketing or manufacturing! But somebody out there has got to be feeling that inspiration. Come up with a name you like and start your company.
I very recently had a very trying experience as I searched for a modest formal gown to wear to a local arts event. It was the most frustrating shopping experience I have ever had. I am in my early 30's, single, and an endowed member of the Church. I wanted something that would make me feel beautiful, confident, and (do I dare say it?) a bit sexy. I also wanted something that would fit the event I would be attending because I did not want to stick out by being under- or over-dressed in any way.
I searched almost every store in the area, numerous "LDS modest gown" sites and other bridal and dress sites as well as patterns. Of course on the non-LDS sites there were many beautiful gowns but they did not have sleeves. The problem I ran into on most of the LDS modest sites was that almost all the gowns were designed for young girls going to the prom or for the mother of the bride and honestly most all of them were just ugly. I could find nothing that I liked with sleeves that I felt would make me feel beautiful and confident. Perhaps I am just a fashion snob.
I finally found a dress, and $400 later I am extremely angry about this whole "dress experience." One dress with sleeves for $400 in order to stay true to my standards. I found beautiful dresses at other department stores ranging in prices from $45 - $150 that I actually think would have looked great on me (I actually tried one on and it looked fabulous) and I would have saved a lot of time and money by picking one of those instead and honestly, just because a dress doesn't go over the shoulder doesn't mean it is an immodest dress (my opinion).
I think I am mostly angry at these companies that take advantage of LDS dress standards by charging so much for a couple of extra inches of fabric. Keep in mind that I wasn't looking for a regular, Sunday church dress — finding those is not a problem at all. I was looking for something for a particular formal event. This entire experience was extremely upsetting and I have actually been in tears over it. I got to the point of saying I don't even care about the sleeves anymore and I would rather have something that actually looked beautiful and made me feel great and looked fabulous on me, than wear something ugly with sleeves that was made for a 16-year-old or for a mother of the bride.
I have told this experience to numerous friends, and many expressed frustration with finding fashionable formal dresses at some point in their lives as well. Many of them shared with me the same websites I had visited or suggested wearing a jacket or sweater over a dress which to me looks ridiculous (see, I am a fashion snob).
I just can't believe that I have been so upset over a dress! It has been time-consuming and costly — all for two inches of fabric that are supposed to symbolize a commitment I have made. It shouldn't be this frustrating. I have prayed about this and still have not been able to get over it. I am supposed to feel peace and happiness for keeping this standard and I don't at all.
Steamed
I feel your pain, Steamed. As someone who has a lot of trouble finding dresses at all, I know it often seems as though the effort just isn’t worth it. I’m glad you persevered and found the dress, even if it set you back $400. I don’t know how, but I’m sure you’re going to be blessed for your diligence.
I am a very short, overweight woman who finds it very hard to shop for clothes. My height seems to make designers think I must be young. I am no longer a teenager — by many years! I do not want to look or dress like a teenager. I like clothes that reflect my age and that don't make me look ridiculous, like I'm trying too hard to hang onto a period of life that actually I'm very happy was over long ago.
I buy things at a factory outlet near my home called Bon Worth, and I use online catalog stores for inexpensive clothing, called Bedford Fair and Blair (www.bedfordfair.com and www.blair.com). I find that they have a pretty good range of sizes, and the styles are for more mature women. Hope this helps someone.
"Old Marci” in Utah
Thanks for your links, “Old Marci.” “Old Kathy” went to the two sites and can report that Bedford Fair claims to have sizes up to 4x (28W-30W). When I actually looked around I found a couple of things for size 3x (24W-26W) and nothing for 4x, but I didn’t spend a lot of time there and maybe I overlooked something. Blair only advertised serving up to size 3x, and indeed I could find some things in 3x. Ladies who are 3x, feel free to shop!
Here are some short letters with some quick links:
Sorry I didn't see your posting for this topic earlier. Maybe you can include this link before your next topic, because the girls in our ward just rave about this one:
A FANTASTIC site for modest clothes for the younger set is
https://www.downeastbasics.com/index.htm
Helpful
Helpful, you’re as good as your name. There are lovely modest clothes at DownEastBasics for young girls. This isn’t a place where people of size can go, but if you’ve got a teenage daughter this is a site you’ll want to check out.
I found this website, www.hannahlise.com, when I did a search for modest clothing over a year ago. I now own several of the skirts offered there. They are fit me well, at the waist and hip, and are a modest length (I prefer my hem length to be well below my knees.) I am a 22-24 size and was delighted to have found this company. I hope it will be of some help to other women looking for modest clothing. This site has clothing for girls as well as women.
Barbara from Magnolia, TX
Barbara, this looks like a winner as well. I’m not sure how much they cater to plus-size women, because I clicked on plus-size dresses and got a note saying they didn’t have any, but there are certainly dresses there for normal-sized women and for teenage girls. Thanks for the link!
Three places for the large woman to find quality clothing are:
I also recommend www.silhouettes.com and www.ullapopken.com.
Online Shopper
Thanks for the links. I can’t wait to get an income again so I can get some of the custom clothes at www.pluswoman.com. Woo-hoo!
www.junonia.com
Junonia is a great website for the larger and tall size women’s clothing. They especially have a good selection of sportswear, and their sales are normally good.
There are other places: Avenue and Jessica London have clothing in sizes from 14W to 34W.
Just My Size (www.jms.com) has many plus size clothes.
These are a few of the websites that I have ordered from with good results.
Jenny P.
Thanks, Jenny. I had forgotten about Junonia, and JMS is a great place for, um, foundation garments. Thanks for sending the links!
I had two ideas for this subject which I thought would surely be mentioned, so I didn't bother writing in the first time. I have one idea that works for the thin and tall, and one that might help each group.
I have found that tank tops are a really important part of my wardrobe. They span the gap, so to speak. There are quite a few different shops that make these tops with or without sleeves. I buy some of both and anything that is too low-cut gets a tank top underneath. The cap sleeves are great for a sleeveless dress or under a cardigan you might want to take off later.
My favorite shop for these is the DownEast Outfitters. They have several styles with different sleeves, lace if you want it. But if you are too short, these can be too long. My sister is 5" tall and they were just too long for her — too much fabric to tuck in, and went down below her crotch. For me, I'm 5"5' (not tall, I realize, but still they are quite long) they are perfect. I often tuck them into skirts but just leave them out when wearing jeans or pants. The sizes would be small enough for the thin sisters, but unfortunately the sizes don't go up very far! I would think maybe to a 12?
I really wish they would continue making the same styles with larger sizes; it seems so unfair. Like one of the sisters last week said, such a large percentage of women wear larger sizes, yet they're completely left out of so many shops. Aren't they out to make money?
The other part of scanning of the gap is that unfortunate gap between pants and shirts that too often arises. For everyday wear, I have bought some men's A shirts — the tank tops also known as “wife-beaters.” Anyways, I am 5"5' and about 135 lbs. and can wear a men's small size. It fits snug, which is what I was hoping for. They are very long, white ribbed cotton shirts, so a great underpinning to assure nothing peeks out when I bend over or crouch down. They also come up high enough. Anyways, I was thinking that might help larger sizes because the men's sizes go up usually even further than standard women's sizes. Also, they are good for tall sisters in general I would think.
Good luck, and I'm looking forward to hearing more ideas!
Emily in SLC
Emily, it never would have occurred to me that wife-beaters would have any sort of place in a woman’s wardrobe, but you’ve convinced me. Thanks for an informative letter!
Thanks for writing about modesty! I have four daughters and one son, and I am glad to hear others who are concerned about this topic! If you are looking for formal dresses (prom, etc) or wedding dresses, there is a store in Orem, Utah called Allyse's Bridal and Formal. They have beautiful dresses, all modest, in a variety of sizes (0-24 I think). They also have stores in American Fork, Utah and in Las Vegas, Nevada.
I have family members all over the country and they are able to shop online at www.beautifullymodest.com for the same dresses (same company).
I have also found great bathing suits through a store in American Fork, Utah called Hapari. I have found modest swimsuits online at www.modbe.com. We should all support these companies who have made it possible for us to dress modestly and still look fashionable.
P. Nielsen
Thanks for your suggestions, P. I’m sure they’ll help lots of people in the Intermountain West.
Thanks for the swimsuit link, too. Another place for modest swimsuits (not for big people, but for people who are larger than about size 26) is Land’s End (http://www.landsend.com/). What a lifesaver it is!
Okay, people. I only have a few letters left on this topic, and it wouldn’t take too long to edit them. But if I don’t send this column off now, our webmaster is going to have to work on Sunday — and that’s not something that’s going to happen.
If your letter was scheduled for this column but you don’t see it here, look for it next week. And at that time we’ll introduce the next topic — the one that Stockings Please asked for us to broach after we discussed finding modest clothing.
Until next time — Kathy
“To be surrounded by beautiful things has much influence upon the human creature:
to make beautiful things has more.”
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
