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Getting Harder to Find comfortable clothing!

belize44

Senior Member
Messages
1,662
This is more of a rant: I am finding it more and more difficult to find comfortable clothing, unless I shop from catalogs like LL Bean, or Vermont Country store. I basically live in either sweats, loose fitting jeans or cords, knit tops layered with flannel shirts or sweaters, and sports bras, cotton underwear and comfy socks. For the rare times I dress up, I like to wear long skirts with a top or a long dress that isn't tight fitting anyplace.

So we are planning to visit my aunt for Thanksgiving, and I am looking for something semi dressy to wear for the few hours we will be there. We have also been invited to a Christmas party at DH new job, and provided I am feeling well enough, I would like to attend that as well. But online shopping (which I rely heavily upon because of the low energy expenditure) yields mostly stuff that would appeal to very young and skinny women who live in a hot climate, because why else would you go around half dressed like that? I'm no prude, but the styles of today seem either downright ugly, or too revealing or made of very uncomfortable synthetic materials. It is very frustrating!
 

whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
Dunno what your budget is like, or if you're very firm about wearing only natural material, but you might try Coldwater Creek. They have a lot of classic styles and might yield you something. It's a lot of business/dress clothes for career women, but they also have semi-dressy casual stuff. Most of their clothes are quite comfortable although many are synthetic materials. I shop there quite a bit. It's not as great as it used to be, but still quite good.
 

whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
@belize44: the Shaker turtlenecks are uber-comfy, although not natural material. Very soft, though, and seem to wash and wear well. They're a good weight that can go chilly fall or winter. Not blizzard heavy but not Spring light either. Nice easy tunic fit, can dress up or down. I wear mine with jeans as well as with office slacks or skirt + boots. They also go well with cargo pants. ;)

Another place I get catalogs from but have never bought (generally speaking they're a little pricier than I like to pay) is "Soft Surroundings". I have my eye on a couple things from them, though, and will probably purchase something in the not-too-far-off. Reason I mention them is that their clothes look very classy and most of them look comfy. Some of the tunics have "jumped the shark" but that's a trend I've been noticing all over, anyway. It's like clothing makers are trying to "out-tunic" the tunic or something. Do we really need shirts that hang down to our knees and can otherwise function as dresses? :rolleyes:

Anyways, good luck! :)
 
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belize44

Senior Member
Messages
1,662
Soft Surroundings has some really nice things! Thanks! BTW, what does "jumped the shark" mean?:redface:
 

whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
BTW, what does "jumped the shark" mean?:redface:
Well, I may have dated myself with that reference. ;)

It's a reference to the very end of the series "Happy Days" from the '70's. When it first started out in the early '70's it was a very good, very funny show. Then as it became more successful and the series became more about "The Fonz" and less about conveying the sense of an era in America (the '50's, if you never watched it), it became progressively more silly and stupid and unwatchable (actually, this was what happened to most shows in the '70's, now that I think about it :lol:). The producers kept hyper-emphasizing some aspects of the show and trying dumb gimmicks to keep people watching, instead of letting a good show die a dignified death.

One of the seasons near the end of the show's run had an episode where the main character, Fonzie, had to water-ski-jump over an enclosure with some kind of (presumably man-eating! :nervous:) shark in it. And he did it with black leather biker 'hood jacket on. :rolleyes:


The whole premise was so ridiculous everyone made fun of it and basically quit watching the show. Ratings went entirely in the tank and I think it was cancelled soon after. It was like "jumping the shark" perfectly illustrated the stupidity of taking things too far, past their usefulness or where anyone wanted them to go.

So when I say tunics have "jumped the shark", I'm talking about the trend where the length of the tunic keeps dropping and dumb frills, billows, or embellishments are added to them in ever-dumber attempts to make them new and attractive. A tunic is by and large a shirt. A long shirt, but a shirt nonetheless. It's fairly plain and serves a timeless, classic purpose. At what point does it cease to be a shirt and become an actual dress? Etc.

Does that clarify?

YMMV on the tunic thing, BTW. It's just a peeve of mine. ;)
 
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barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
Well, I may have dated myself with that reference

No, you haven't dated yourself, you are just knowledgeable. I say this often but maybe I've jumped into the river Nile about my age!:lol:

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I call FM the "Princess and the Pea" syndrome.

Now if someone could invent a comfortable bra, I would really be a happy camper. I'm inside so much I don't often wear one. The one thing I like about winter is that you can wear a coat when out shopping. That doesn't always work though as I get hot easily. Sigh.



Barb
 

belize44

Senior Member
Messages
1,662
@whodathunkit: Wow, thanks for explaining it! I love learning new things like that. :) I agree that tunics are getting progressively dumber looking. I like to wear a longish shirt over jeans or a skirt, but some of the styles are downright comical. BTW, I used to watch "Happy Days" but got exasperated and quit watching after a few seasons. Probably why I didn't see that particular episode about the shark! :D
 

belize44

Senior Member
Messages
1,662
Thanks to all for the suggestions. I call FM the "Princess and the Pea" syndrome.
Now if someone could invent a comfortable bra, I would really be a happy camper. I'm inside so much I don't often wear one. The one thing I like about winter is that you can wear a coat when out shopping. That doesn't always work though as I get hot easily. Sigh.
Yes, that is it exactly! Since my body can't regulate temperatures, I have to be ready to shed or add layers at the drop of a hat. And I long to find comfortable bras, but no success yet. I even tried going up a few sizes in Sports bras, but they still pinch unbearably. I have taken to wearing men's sleeveless undershirts under certain outfits; they are tight enough to provide some support but are still not the ideal solution.
 

whodathunkit

Senior Member
Messages
1,160
I used to watch "Happy Days" but got exasperated and quit watching after a few seasons.
I had actually quit watching some while before the shark episode, too. But after I heard how bad it was I made it a point to catch the episode in re-runs. Gah. I had to wash my eyes for *days*. :p
 

Effi

Senior Member
Messages
1,496
Location
Europe
@belize44 I found out that clothing brands that cater specifically to seniors (I'm talking 75+) have very comfortable clothes (elastic and softer fabrics, extra comfy waistbands, etc.) When you mix them with 'younger' clothing items no one will ever know you're wearing a seniors brand! Don't let the the granny gowns put you off while browsing.;) Focus on jeans: they look like regular jeans but feel like sweatpants (at least 3% elastane + 72%cotton/25%polyester). (I'm in Europe so I don't know the US brands but I'm sure there's online stores there too.)

@barb There's this thing called the genie bra. It used to be on my local shopping channel all the time. No idea if it's really comfy or just another shopping channel fantasy product though... If anyone has tried it, I'd love to know if it's really a genie or just another liar! ;) https://www.geniebra.com/cart.aspx

@whodathunkit I used to love Happy Days! (didn't see it until the nineties though :whistle:)
 

Strawberry

Senior Member
Messages
2,107
Location
Seattle, WA USA
I found a pair of pants last week that I wish I could find more of! The tag in the waist band says "Gloria Vanderbilt all around slimming effect", and they are black on black plaid dressy slacks that feel like yoga pants. I was hoping I could find something nearly identical on the internet, but there are too many. :( Maybe all Gloria Vanderbilt are like this though?
 

barbc56

Senior Member
Messages
3,657
Tags. I hate them! I either cut them out or get clothes where the information is imprinted in the material.

The pants sound classy! I've added them to my list.