No Longer the Queen of Craigslist?

New pic in front of our new townhouse. Rudy took this yesterday when we got back from the beach!

I'm noticing something interesting which, as I was telling Rudy, is indicative of how challenging and expensive it is for plus-size women to find cute stylish clothing.... Remember how I mentioned that I was posting lots of my clothes on www.craigslist.com as I was going down each size? The first was a lot of size 22-26's, then more 22's, then 20/22's, then 18/20's, etc. Now I'm down to 14's in pants (with the exception of some stores where I need a 16) and L's or M's in tops. (Exciting!)

So when I was posting lots of these clothes (not "lots" as in "gobs", but "lots" as in a bagful), minutes after I would post it I would get 4 or 5 emails saying they want to take the clothes. Over the next few days there would be probably 15-20 women calling and asking if I still had the clothes. I would literally have waiting lists - women I told I would call back when I had the next lot of size 18/20's, for example. I was indeed, as my subject line says, the Queen of Plus Size on Craigslist. Women loved my clothes because they were stylish and current and in good shape.

So a few days ago I posted one lot of size XL's and another lot of size L's. And holy crap... first of all, I only got 4 replies total. Secondly, they were asking all these questions ... "What material is the skirt made of?" "Can I buy individual pieces from the lot if I don't want them all?" "How much are you asking for just the red baby doll top?" "I live really far away - can you meet me halfway?"

Jeez.

So these "regular size" women are picky little bee-yotches. The plus-size women were just so grateful to have a way to buy cute clothes inexpensively ... but now I'm serving a whole difference audience, and they are pissing me off. :)

But this does say something about plus-size clothing. Mr. Clothing Manufacturer, make them more stylish. Make them easier to find. And most of all, make them cheaper! There is a real opportunity to serve this market - the younger woman who may be heavy but really cares about how she dresses and presents herself. And we're not going to find those clothes at Catherine's, for God sakes.

Some stores and designers are getting it. Sarah Jessica Parker, who I've already praised in a previous post, has her Bitten line (all items are priced under $20) and the sizes goes up to 20. Another great store for plus sizes is Marianne, which is divided literally in half - go to the right and you are in plus sizes and go to the left and it's sizes up to 14. And they have the same styles in both sizes. The prices are right, too. Check it out - www.mariannestores.com
They say that they are "stylish clothes for the Latina woman", and the flagship store was in San Juan, Puerto Rico. So good to know that the Latin culture recognizes that women with some meat on their bones want to dress well too.

Sure, some designers like Dana Buchman and Ellen Tracy are making plus size clothing. But if you look at what they make - A) it looks like a age 50+ woman would wear most of it and B) it's ridiculously expensive - MORE expensive than her regular line. A Dana Buchman nylon top? List price $195. A Dana Buchman "Boho vibe silk skirt"? $315 Her denim jacket? $400.

Do you know many (or ANY?) women who regularly pay those prices for clothes? If you do, then you travel in a different crowd than I do. (And if you do, can we hang out sometime?)

So I say You go, Ms. Sarah Jessica Parker! Go, Old Navy! Go, Target! Go, Marianne! Even Lane Bryant ... keep putting out plus size clothing that women who were born after Nixon resigned can actually wear.

Okee dokee, new update!

Original pounds to lose: 140
Pounds lost so far: 87
Pounds left to lose: 53

AND ... this is super exciting ... remember how I had lost 15 lbs. a few months before the surgery? So that means that I've now lost over 100 pounds in all- 102 to be exact!!!

Go, me! :)