Hello :)
I just started shopping for women’s clothing, mostly pants. I am AMAB, but I’m on the smaller side. I’m 5’7, 135lbs with a 28in waist. I like my clothing I be pretty tight and form fitting, but I’m not sure which department to go shopping in. I started in the Women’s department, but wasn’t really impressed. Would the petite or misses section serve me better fitting clothing? I was hoping to find some skinny or slim fit pants that are shorter inseam, like capris, or a little shorter :)
Any advice?
Thanks 👍
Cis woman here. Based on your dimensions, you’re going to struggle with the sad phenomenon that is vanity sizing: get ready to try on a lot of poorly-fitting clothing and walk out of a lot of stores empty-handed or with clothes that are just meh. I don’t know where in the world you are, but if you’re in the US my recommendation is to start with stores that cater to the teenage and 20-something crowd. Unfortunately most “women’s” stores and departments sell clothes tailored for overweight/obese women, and may be baggy and ill-fitting on you. However most fast fashion places (eg Forever 21) will probably have clothes that fit, and some of the trendy mid-scale places like Express should work too. You might also find success in the teen-oriented sections of department stores (Kohls, Macy’s). You are definitely not petite, so don’t bother there. Trends have also veered away from form-fitting, especially winter clothes, so you may struggle to find exactly what you’re looking for, at least at first.
Oh, and if you want to jump on the long-socks trend, sockdreams.com is my recommendation.
Thanks for the help! I am super leary about going to stores that cater to teens or early 20s, as I am 37. I really don’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable, or draw too much attention to myself. I’m going to try some thrift stores in my area soon :)
As a fellow millennial who feels ridiculous still shopping at teen stores because they’re the only clothes that fit properly, I feel ya. You could try and shop at quieter times when there are few other customers: the silver lining of the death of shopping malls is that there are a LOT of times you’ll be nearly the only one in the store, especially on weekdays. Best of luck!
