I am done buying clothes.

OneEyedDiva: I'm so glad you still wear slips. When I was young we always called them petticoats. I was only looking for some new ones and asked the girl in the underwear department if they stocked them. She looked surprised and didn't know what I was talking about. She asked a senior saleslady who said they were called slips. I did find one slip in a white but when I tried it on it came down to my calves. Can't seem to find them anywhere.
Well if you want shorter ones, Walmart and Amazon have them! I like mine to be at least mid calf because I wear long dresses and skirts.

@Pepper You said: "I have mixed feelings on obese women deliberately displaying their rolls of fat."
Well, I could be considered fat and I don't have mixed feelings about it...I think it looks terrible! I went from a skinny to chubby child and all growing up, those of us who were chubby cleverly hid our fat. We would have died if we had to dress the way fat people are dressing these days! We looked neat. My mother always used to say "Look presentable!" Displaying rolls of fat is not IMO presentable nor does it look neat or attractive, but it seems to be the in thing to do these days.
 

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In the military clothes came in 2 sizes, too big and too small.
Sounds like the one-piece gym suits we had to wear in high school phys ed classes. Puke green and it came in two sizes.....either the crotch of the suit was down around your knees or it was all up in your business, depending how tall you were.

I still have the gym suit my grandmother wore in the 8th grade in 1914. It was the cutest little one-piece bloomer suit made out of navy blue dotted swiss with a knee-length skirt that buttoned onto the waist.

In college, we were required to buy the "approved" outfit from the bookstore. It was an ugly white camp shirt with snaps and an equally-ugly pair of ill-fitting navy blue shorts. You had to show up in them the first day and then they said, "OK, after this you can wear anything you want." Just a ploy to get more money out of us. Luckily, I was able to sell it to another student the next year for half-price so that SHE could wear it once.
 
Well, I could be considered fat and I don't have mixed feelings about it...I think it looks terrible! I went from a skinny to chubby child and all growing up, those of us who were chubby cleverly hid our fat. We would have died if we had to dress the way fat people are dressing these days! We looked neat. My mother always used to say "Look presentable!" Displaying rolls of fat is not IMO presentable nor does it look neat or attractive, but it seems to be the in thing to do these days.
I don't know if you're referring to girdles. But I know from my mother and my aunts that they were overweight too but always wore girdles to be in good control, on formal occasions even firm all-in-ones. And it was no matter of age, my cousin's wife was only 20 and wore long leg girdles. Even a fat (I can't avoid this word) fellow student of me at the university wore long line bras or all-in-ones every day. But with well fitting flowing clothes on it, she had a very nice look.
 
I don't know if you're referring to girdles. But I know from my mother and my aunts that they were overweight too but always wore girdles to be in good control, on formal occasions even firm all-in-ones. And it was no matter of age, my cousin's wife was only 20 and wore long leg girdles. Even a fat (I can't avoid this word) fellow student of me at the university wore long line bras or all-in-ones every day. But with well fitting flowing clothes on it, she had a very nice look.
I wore girdles (and slips) clear into the 1990's and my co-workers couldn't believe it because I was thinnest of all of us. Since I was a teen my mother would give me her stretched out long leg girdles, because I didn't like them too tight, but they would give me that smooth look under my pencil skirts. Also it saves you from having to hold your stomach in after lunch. I never went to the long line bras but I wish I had them now because they give good back support.

Sounds like the one-piece gym suits we had to wear in high school phys ed classes. Puke green and it came in two sizes.....either the crotch of the suit was down around your knees or it was all up in your business, depending how tall you were.

LOL I love that phrase. My friends always wanted to wear jeans everywhere because they wanted "to be comfortable." Not for us taller girls. I've been known to stand up all night.
 
I wore girdles (and slips) clear into the 1990's and my co-workers couldn't believe it because I was thinnest of all of us. Since I was a teen my mother would give me her stretched out long leg girdles, because I didn't like them too tight, but they would give me that smooth look under my pencil skirts. Also it saves you from having to hold your stomach in after lunch. I never went to the long line bras but I wish I had them now because they give good back support.

You're right, there were slim women wearing girdles too. I remember it from my teachers at high school. It seemed to be more or less mandatory at that time. If I'd been a girl my mother would have handed down her girdles to me too, I presume:( . As a boy I escaped from it:) .
 
You're right, there were slim women wearing girdles too. I remember it from my teachers at high school. It seemed to be more or less mandatory at that time. If I'd been a girl my mother would have handed down her girdles to me too, I presume:( . As a boy I escaped from it:) .
Only if you wanted very light control. Women get that now from "Spanks." They're the very same thing, but I saw the "inventor" on TV and she's made a fortune selling girdles with a different, cuter name.
 
I've wondered why Ross and Marshall's and their ilk don't have a bigger selection of clothing for larger ladies. They're missing out on a demographic that has disposable income and would absolutely mob a store that offered fashionable clothing in size 20 instead of navy blue and little-old-lady-print tent dresses. Hmmmmph.
Unfortunately, the frustration is real for older women of all sizes. I range between an 8-10, ladies medium, and nevertheless find clothing shopping a pain in the neck.

My first job in the apparel industry circa 1975 was for a women's coordinated sportswear company's new line for larger ladies. The company's regular sized lines went from 4-20, our division ran sizes 36-46, some styles went as large as 52. My grandmother was a large sized lady, so I knew about Lane Bryant and other large size specialty stores mostly peddling black, navy and small prints.

What breath of fresh air this company's line of clothing was... pants, skirts and jackets in lilac, rose, sapphire, spring green, ivory, etc., with blouses to match. New sets of colors four times a year including jewel tones for the holidays. Coordinating blouses included large geometrics, whimsical African animal prints and so forth.

I remember an early conversation with the sales manager like it happened yesterday. She saw my confusion at this very bright apparel - so different from what my GM and most large ladies wore. She herself was a large sized lady and said to me, "If YOU (even then I wore an 8-10) want to hide a few pounds, black or navy will do the trick. But a woman who's a size 42? Dark colors can't do more slimming than maybe a 38, so not much help there. But remember, women are still women, regardless of size. And women like to wear PRETTY THINGS." (Her emphasis.)
These days, I see her attitude through the eyes of age: In my early 50s, with the right makeup, clothes, hair coloring and attitude, on a good day I could pass for my early 40s. But now that I'm in my early 70s, who's kidding who? Chasing lost youth can be a slippery slope.

By the way, the apparel line was a smash hit in all the big department stores along with Lane Bryant and its ilk. I don't know how, why or when that attitude mostly changed, but it seems to have done so. .

It sure would be nice if there were PRETTY clothing lines designed with older women in mind, but I've yet to see any.
 
Remember when we got panty girdles. So fancy. Then came L’eggs. So very fancy.

You couldn’t pay me to wear Spanx. Panty hose are sort of ok, for a special occasion. I’ll just continue to look chubby.
Men complain about wearing ties. They should try wearing a boa constrictor wrapped around their lower body in the Florida heat. The hospital system I worked for had a dress code that required "leg coverings". I didn't wear anything on my legs. I was willing to get fired before I'd wear panty hose or even knee or thigh-highs in Florida.
 
I really, really wish I could unsee the Walmart photos that have been posted in this thread. 😄

You would think tho' that Walmart would care that it must be costing them customers in certain demographic areas who refuse to shop there knowing people who are filthy are touching the food...

Some of the more over the top Walmart shopper pics these days are staged. I dunno which is worse ...to dress so badly unintentionally and make the list or to want to make it intentionally.
 
The problem is the price, if you find them.
yes..there's that ...but like here.. those stores or department that sell clothes predominately aimed at older women... they're still stuck somewhere in the 70's. Floral tops.. polyester trousers ( pants)... polyester blouses .. horrible... it's like they've forgotten that there's people like us.. who are young in thought and deed despite being 60's and 70's and even 80's..they're produccing clothes for people..like this...

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when so many of want clothes like this...


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Our department store carries petite sizes like your first two photos. Now they’re putting in more large sizes like those. I’m old, but not mentally that old.
I wear the bottom clothes I actually have all of those.. . I have about 8 pairs of crop capri's . My granny as wearing the top pictures when I was a kid, I remember we would buy her a lilac cardigan exactly like those at Christmas.... that was 60 years ago...and designers have not moved on for the affordable ranges...... to buy most modern looking clothes for an older person then the prices are significantly higher... which is ridiculous...

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