The apprael and shoe market do not market to those of us with a larger bone structure. Instead I have to go to certain stores in the Bay Area, where various national stores do have clothing and shoes for women with "full figures".
What the heck? My feet don't seem that much bigger, it's just that my ankles are swollen. And I do already have certain types of shoes I can't wear. Wedge shoes for instance, My sense of balance is poor, so I can't wear wedges or stilettos, and if I ever did were those, I'd probably end up in the ER with a broken ankle. You might be curious since I am in a wheelchair, why I couldn't wear those. Because if I have to get in or out of the car, or go to the bathroom, I need to be able to make the transfer. When I tried to find a pair of good looking shoes that would be appropriate for a black-tie wedding, I could not find any locally that were even close to what I needed. It seems that once a style like wedges has been introduced in one type of shoe, the industry proceeds to make wedges in ALL of its product line.
I remember in the 70s when wedges were popular, and I begged my mother for a pair, she said "only if you can balance in them," because in those days I pretty much walked everywhere. We finally found a pair of wedge platforms where the wedge was across the entire sole.
My feet have grown as I've aged, my arches were never high, but now they've fallen. I cannot possibly be the only woman in Oakland wearing a size 11 2E! It's not like I can starve and diet my feet down to a 9 M. Real women need as much a selection in clothing and footwear as skinny girls with no curves have available!
So after two dismal days of looking locally, I took my search online. Even the stores for large ladies didn't have a lot of choices for those of us who can't wear wedges. Nevertheless, I ordered four pair from two places, hopefully at least one pair will be suitable and fit me correctly.
As far as clothing goes, it never ceases to annoy me that stores don't have much, if any selection beyond an 18-W and that if I am to find clothes that fir my larger frame, I have to find it only at certain select stores, or go online to the larger ladies catalogs. You see I am not FAT. ost of the tops at these places are too big for me, so I have to order tops from still another store. Even if I were really overweight, why shouldn't I be able to pop into a store locally and have something other than sweats and big shirts available? This is just a refusal on the part of the stores, designers and manufacturers to acknowledge that there is a whole range of sizes that they should be providing and promoting.
I have been thin most of my life, usually 130 LB and a size 12, but I was NEVER a size 9. I will NOT purchase shoes that are too small and narrow. I now weigh about 165 lb. Where are the clothes?
Stores, designers, and manufacturers should acknowledge that people who are overweight, or have larger bone structures and larger feet need and want to have the same opportunities to look cute, and beautiful as our skinnier friends!
Tamar Raine
2 comments:
Tamar have you tried Zappos.com? They're a big online shoe retailer and as far as I know they should have a good size range, but the big advantage is that shipping is free and returns are as easy as can be.
Kate, I have ordered from zappos in the past, and you're right, they have a big selection, but I didn't find what I needed this time.
I ended up returning two of the 4 pair. One that I kept was a croc-look flat in a color that goes almost exactly with my dress. it's too long for my shorter foot, and I want to try a heel pad in it. The one that fit me best, surprisingly, was a fancy, high heel (for me), sandal with silver studs that matches my shawl. The way it is designed, it fits very well and has a bit of support.
Hmm. I though I had posted another post here. I need to find it!
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