Argh, clothes shopping

Thank you re shoes. I have got them previously (expensive too but can get reduced sometimes) from a website as rarely my size in shops as give instep support but recently I can't get wider ones. I will look them up as I also have narrow heels.

I like long cardigans and they don't seem to put buttons on them any more.

I wonder if a supermarket or clothes shop is looking for people to advise on what we are looking for. I am over 60 so perhaps there is a lack of styles for my age now. 

TheCatWoman said:

most of my warmer weather clothes are falling apart and worn out

How about checking the brands of the ones you like and try the new versions? If they fit then there is a better chance of finding something you like,

An alternative is to take an item of clothing that you like but is worn out, take it to a tailor and get them to reverse engineer if for you and give you the pattern - you can then get it made again if it all works out and chose the fabric you like.

If you ever overcome the relationship issues with sewing machines then you can make your own since you have the pattern.

If you don't like the feel of the clothes then consider layering more often - get a vest top from Primark or similar and that will remove the issue where it is in contact with your skin - you may need a long sleeved vest but they are not so hard to come by compared to everything else.

Personally I would get some relationship councelling with your sewing machine and mend some fences.

Hi Cat Woman

I have the opposite problem - I'm a tiny kitten with an inside leg measurement of 27 inches and most trousers and all maxi skirts are too long for me. Also most T shirts are very long on me. I need soft fabrics and don't like most patterns, hate these new shiny satin slip skirts and agree with you about some sleeves being too tight. Oh, and bras used to be a nightmare too. I have now found solutions though, which surprisingly may help you too:

M&S - this is where I buy underwear, trousers & skirts. All of their standard length trousers come in 29, 31 & 33 inch lengths, and some also come in extra short - 27 inches - and extra long - 35 inches. I have bought their joggers, which are quite soft with an elasticated waist, and currently they are selling linen mix wide leg trousers - both are available in your length of 33 inches. Their midi skirts are 30 inches long (I buy that length as they are maxi on me, which I like) but they also do maxi ones if that's too short for you. For underwear, I like their packs of cotton briefs and they now do packs of soft cotton non wired bras - most comfortable bras I've ever worn! 

Primark - this is where I buy t-shirts and cardigans. Their stretch short sleeved t-shirts are comfortable but feel a bit tight in my usual size and a bit long, so I buy a size up and tuck them in. They also do some long line t-shirts and vest tops (which I use as night dresses) Their cardigan sizing is all over the place - I've had to buy extra small in some cardigans and large in others, but it's quick to try a cardi on in the shop without the hassle of the changing rooms. 

I don't buy dresses or blouses so I can't advise on that - I only like to wear t-shirts with soft trousers or a skirt, and a cardi - but hopefully this might be helpful.

TheCatWoman said:

who really has arms like broomsticks?

My ears are burning.

But yeah, I hate clothes shopping. I get those kinda paranoid thoughts that people are looking at me and judging me, so I want to melt into the background with the most generic clothes ever. 

TheCatWoman said:

Being a cat in a human body I quite like shopping as its as near to hunting as I get

This sentence has cheered me up significantly

Being a cat in a human body I quite like shopping as its as near to hunting as I get. I would like shopping more if the shops wern't so loud and busy. I feel like many shops, particularly clothes shops are saying 'not for you' too, I wish I could shop online but I have as much trouble with that as i do shopping in a shop.

I hate clothes shopping. Well any shopping actually. Something about the way shops are designed seems to be saying loudly “this is not a place for you”.

I do as much of my shopping as possible online now.

I have problems with shoes too, my feet are shaped like flippers, really wide across the toes and really narrow at the heels. I get most of my shoes from Moshulu now, they a British company and make shoes for British sized and shaped feet. They're not cheap, but are very well made and last me longer than any other brand has so it works out cheaper in the long run, check out their website, they make returns really easy too, which is a godsend.

I too tend to wear short dresses with trousers, I love three quarter length sleeves, but they're hard to find and thats assuming I can actually get my arms in them because the sleeves are so narrow.

Another thing I don't understand is why I can get linen trousers in my length at supermarkets, some of them are a bit to long, but in winter the same shops sell trousers that are way to short!

Cardigan shopping is a nightmare, nowhere seem to do nice ones anymore and I can't knit my own now either.

I am with you in that one. I was wishing recently I had bought spares of my favourite clothes for when they wear out. 

I used to sew, but my eyesight now makes it too challenging. Sounds like you have the same problem as me with sleeves. I now buy three quarter length where possible otherwise I have to turn up cuffs. In respect of the length of tops I too hate them if they are not long. I have worn a short dress with trousers for this reason before at home.

I mostly buy cotton clothes. However I find cardigans wear out more easily and the place I often buy trousers has stopped doing the easy fitting and softest material I really like. 

I wonder if you also have a problem with shoes. That is something I have always struggled with because my feet are big and wide. For casual shoes I sometimes buy mens as they are made wider.

I don't get on with any sewing machines, they all hate me, I'm not sure I would be able to afford to get someone to make clothes for me, the clothes I have are beyond mending. I have very few clothes and fast fashion isn't and has never been an option for me as I'm to tall, I'm 5'10" with a 33" inside leg measurement. I've been given tops that are huge in the shoulders and don't fit around my bust and the arms are for broomsticks not people.

I get told to try mens stuff, but I'm woman shaped and mens trousers dont' fit me even if I can get them long enough, I have to get them so big in the waist to fit my hips that when I sit down the front rides up and swallows my boobs whilst the back slips down under my bum, they wear me rather than me wearing them!. My son and step son have similar problems both being well over 6' tall, my son has two shops he can relaible get trousers from because the longest most mens trousers go is a 31" leg.

It seems that with the internet where you're supposed to be able to get anything from anywhere in the world, we've actually got even less choice, you can get the same dozen things from any country in the world and this seems to go for anything, not just clothes.

You're not alone in some of those problems! Quite a few years ago I decided to opt out of fast fashion. I started with charity shops but I ended up with a huge collection of nearly but not quite right clothes and a few I do actually wear. It took me an embarrassing amount of time to work out I never wore the nearlies and have sent most of them back to charity shops, many still with their labels. I also wear a lot of really old clothes that I have had for decades.

Then I took up sewing, as I do not have your problems with sewing machines and fortunately for me the kind of clothes I like to wear are easy to make. Is it only electric machines that don't like you? I used to love sewing on my old hand cranked Singer, much less to go wrong and they can still be found in working order, some people enjoy refurbishing them. Or even hand sewing can be quite relaxing - before the 1850s all clothes were made that way! I struggle with hand sewing now, arthritis, but I used to enjoy it.

If you have enough budget you could pay someone to make clothes for you? Or to mend the ones you have if you can't mend them yourself. Mending, visible or otherwise, is virtually a craft hobby in its own right at the moment!