You would think that after spending the past 17 months exercising and dropping 94 lbs I would really look forward to shopping for clothes. Not so! Especially not for Dan's wedding.
Oh, it began with some excitement - anyone that knows me knows I love to shop - but all it took was going through the dresses available at one store to realize that things hadn't really changed between the size 28/30 me to the 16/18 me. I'm still carrying 45lbs too much and realistically that will not just disappear in the next few months. All the dresses I looked at are designed for the size 2/4 figure and then they just make them bigger to fit the larger sizes. Needless to say, it's alot like pressing the zoom button - the picture enlarges but it looses something in the end.
Today my friend, Doreen, and I went dress shopping again. It's the end of February and all the stores tell me it is really pushing it to try to order a dress in my size and expect to get it by a June 12 wedding. Of course there is no such thing as buying one off the rack! The interesting thing is how they expect you to 'try on ' dresses that are at least three sizes too small and make a decision which one looks best on you. I actually had a saleswoman today tell me 'just put your arms through it so you can see how it will look." My arms didn't FIT in it and how could I see how it looked when it was just a bunch of material hanging in front of me? But they expect me to not only do that but to then fork out $500-$800 for a custom fitted dress that I have never even seen on myself.
To add insult to injury, these 'mother of the bride/groom' dresses are so matronly it's appalling! Who decided that bolero jackets were chic and looked good on middle aged women, especially those with any bustline to speak of? And where do they find the lace for some of those things - rejects from the tablecloth factories? Really, people, how many women wearing large size dresses look good with the flappy arms swinging around in sleeveless and, worse still, strapless dresses?
The highlight of the day was meeting the owner of Sydney's Closet, a store specializing in bridal and prom dresses in sizes 14 - 44. She was busy and we didn't have an appointment but she found the time to bring out a number of dresses for me to try on and even brought out a new design that is not in production yet. This original design was the best I've seen yet and she asked our opinions on changes to make to the dress to make it better before the final design goes to production. She is the first person I have met in any of these specialty stores that is interested in making formal clothes that fit and flatter the larger figure.
Since that dress is not in production there is very little chance that I could get it for the wedding so I am back to square one. It's frustration and depressing. 17 months of exercising 6 days/week and eating right, losing all that weight, and going from the high of being proud of my accomplishments to the low of being the fat girl that can't find anything nice to wear. Really stinks but it is what it is. I'll just keep looking.
BTW, Doreen is a saint. She spent the entire day with me, at four different stores, and offered to go again next week!
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