Plus Size Outfit of the Day ~ July 31-Aug 6
The Big Win of the week was managing to NOT wear the J Jill linen shirt four of the seven days. Go, Me.
SATURDAY
Okay. Love. In reality, the pants are not as green/mustard as they appear in the photo – they’re more a mustardy gold. Still. Other than being like 1 half-inch too long, I really like the fit. I like the wide-legged silhouette in the very drapey linen. They’re zipper fly with elastic waist and an actual functional drawstring, which is the trifecta of perfect linen pant waist fit for me.
What you CAN’T see is that they’re pulled up practically to my bra, but that is typical of linen pants for me, and as long as my shirt covers that, whatever. Is it ideal? Is anything?
I wish I had some sort of slightly platformy sandal to wear with them but I don’t. I think they’d just drag the ground in the back with my Birkenstocks.
I do like the color of the pant with the navy Converse.
I enjoy the sloppy but not TOO sloppy fit/look. I feel like this outfit looks like my brain feels.
Win.
Linen Button-down: J Jill, 4x. 2018. Comparable. Comparable-ish in collarless style that I really like.
Linen Pants: Old Navy, 2x. 2021.
Sneakers: Converse Shoreline slip-ons
SUNDAY
Yes. Yes, I am wearing the same shirt as yesterday. YES. Talk about cost per wear – I believe J Jill now OWES me money.
And these PANTS! I’ve had these pants since like mid-2000s, I’ll guess somewhere in the 2005-2007 range. They were my first pair of cropped-length pants AND my first Tencel item. I was in love. But due to fit, they’ve been archived away (hee hee) in a tub for many many (many) years in the hopes that one day they would be wearable again.
THAT DAY HAS COME. Like the linen pants above, they have a zipper fly, elastic waist, and actual drawstring. Which is good because the elastic is old and crunchy (YKWIM) so the drawstring is crucial to cinch’em in so they don’t droop and become “crotch at my knees” pants. They were a little snug through the tummy/hip area so I had concerns about sitting in them, but they held up.
So proud.
And who made these magical pants that are still pristine and in-style after 16ish years?? They’re from the Liz Claiborne Elisabeth line, which is now defunct. I was a Big Fan of Elisabeth and had many favorite items of clothing from that era. Now I’ve been spiraling down the rabbithole of vintage Elisabeth items on Ebay and Poshmark and I could go a little crazy if I’m not careful.
Linen Button-down: J Jill, 4x. 2018. Comparable. QVC actually has the exact J Jill linen shirt I have, still in a few colors/sizes. I might get this tan/white stripe one.
Tencel Ankle Pants: Elisabeth/Liz Claiborne, 20. 2007? Comparable.
Sandals: Taupe suede Birkenstock Arizona sandals. 2020
MONDAY
Yeah. Monday.
NEXT!
Mixed-pattern button-down: Anthropologie. 22. 2021. This particular shirt is sold out but it’s typical of a lot of Anthropologie buttondowns. They’re a little pricey but I put the ones I like in my Shoptagr (now Karma) and wait til they’re 50% (or more) off.
Jeans: Gloria Vanderbilt Amanda, 20 short. 2021
Sneakers: Converse Shoreline slip-ons
TUESDAY
It’s that point in the season where I’m trying to wear some of my lesser-favorite items to get away from wearing like the same 10 things I keep reaching for every day.
I like the dress in theory: black and white stripes, always yes. The length is a little long and dowdy and it’s just slightly snugger in the belly area than I am comfortable with. In person, it’s also a little dingey from years of wearing and washing.
But the faded blue chambray + black and white stripe is always a favorite combo. I would love to find a turtleneck in this exact “evenly spaced black and white stripe width” pattern. Most things are either black on white or white on black and NOT this classic evenly spaced color pattern,
Why are seemingly simple things so hard to find?
Striped Dress: Old Navy, 3x. 2017. Comparable(ish).
Blue Chambray Button-down: Charlotte Russe, 3x. 2017
Sneakers: Converse Shoreline slip-ons (which are beating the Keds Champions in the “Favorite New White Canvas Sneaker” competition, even though they’re the less comfortable style of Converse)
WEDNESDAY
This is my Going for a Lithotripsy outfit of the day. Easy to change in and out of, easy to roll up in a bag and put back on afterwards and who cares if it’s wrinkled. No pressure on any part of the body so if I feel sh*tty afterwards, at least my clothes won’t be adding to the discomfort. AND sneakers that are easy to put back on without having to bend over.
It did its job well.
Linen Button-down: J Jill, 4x. 2018. Comparable
Nightgown Dress: Old Navy, 22. 2016. Comparable.
Sneakers: Converse Shoreline slip-ons
THURSDAY
The priority for the rest of the week is “easy to pee in.” And no pressure ANYWHERE.
The khaki linen camp shirt from Madewell was a risk as it was on clearance. And I’m not crazy about the fit. Will probably list for re-sale. The dropped shoulder and long dolman sleeve is not good on me, or I should say *I* do not like it on me, preferring a more defined shoulder (see Monday’s shirt above).
Black Swing Dress: That Which Shall Remain Nameless, 22. 2016
Khaki Linen Camp Shirt: Madewell, 3x. 2021. Comparable.
Sandals: Taupe suede Birkenstock Arizona sandals. 2020
FRIDAY
Venturing out to the camera store as the RU&%^!@ part is finally in for my camera so I can stop taking pictures with the cell phone. It’s a little further than I’d like (too long to go without a bathroom). There’s no better dress to wear if you want to stay cool and untouched than this Osei-Duro dress. I wish you guys could feel the lovely fabric. I’ve had lots of rayon items in my life, but this rayon batiste is just on a whole other level. Lightweight, drapey, almost silky. So lovely to wear.
White Converse are WINNING.
Green Polka Dot Dress: Osei-Duro, 3x. 2020
Sneakers: Converse Shoreline slip-ons
Hopefully next week will see the return of better pictures as the MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE THAN IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE (grrr) new wireless remote is here.
Pants may not return until after the hell-on-earth stent is removed next week.
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Daenel T.
Such great outfits – all of them. Those mustardy linen pants are perfect. That is probably one of my favorite neutral colors. And linen pants are always a big ol’ win.
bettyewp
Oh yeah, mustard has becomes my #1 in the last couple years. It’s so good with all the other colors I like to wear. And it’s saturated without being especially BRIGHT.
Sheryle
Hi there!!!! Love the easy look of all these|____and the great blending of unexpected colors!!!
I have questions for you:
How do you launder the linen items?
I made mistake and got linen pants that are above my ankles instead of full length— they look weird with a big flow top- and weird with a tshirt top. What to wear them with?
Can you share info and knowledge about k fashion?
I see so many cool tops on line—— can’t trust them to fit or exchange or refund honestly. How to know who to trust?
I love the float green obi-
something dress. Is that company easy to deal with and trustworthy? Worth the high price- cause I love it!
It makes my day when I receive your emails!!!
bettyewp
Ooh! So many questions! I love it! Seems like a whole blog post worth!
* Linen items: If I have access to washer/dryer and I DON’T want any shrinkage, linen goes in cold/delicate cycle, and air dries (no dryer), then I mist and press to resoften the dried (sometimes slightly crispy) fabric. Sometimes I DO want a little shrinkage, so I’ll put in a low dryer for a little while. If I don’t have access to laundry, I wash in cold water in sink, shake out excess water, roll into large towel overnight to absorb most of the moisture, then hang over something to air dry. I don’t usually hang on hanger cuz I feel the weight of the damp fabric weighs down the item and stretches it longer/thinner.
* Wide-legged pant lengths are HELL. Sigh. IN THEORY, a snugger-fitting top balances out a wider bottom. But sometimes a snug top is just not a good option. For myself, I HATE a snug top. I hate the way it feels against my body and I find it unnattractive on me. Maybe try a “little less than flowy” top with maybe a third piece over that to sort of…rein it in? If that makes sense? Like in my first outfit, the wide-legged mustard pants with the oversized white linen shirt…even though both pieces are wide/boxy, they stay within a stright up and down silhouette. The pants are wide but not SUPER wide. They’re more straight up and down. Also, to me, the shorter the (wide) pant length, the lower the heel. A flatform would work if you need some visual weight at the bottom to balance out a larger body. ALSO also…with the cropped wide-legged pant, try not to wear too LONG a top. I know that’s hard for me, cuz as sizes get large enough to go around my circumference, they get longer…and that, combined with a cropped length pant, just makes my legs look super short.I don’t know if any of this is helping, sorry. When in doubt, Try On Every Damn Thing in Your Closet, ha ha, and critically assess what works and what doesn’t.
* Oh gosh, K-fashion. Sigh. I think that has to be an entire blog post.
* Are the cool tops you see online from international brands? Cuz yeah, that can be tough – sizing-wise, quality-wise, true-to-description-wise. I’ve been known to take my chances with a questionable brand if an item is SUPER cheap, so little is lost if it doesn’t work out. I will usually do a search on YouTube of a brand name if I see something I like, cuz Many Times, if *I’M* seeing it, then someone has already purchased and done a try-on haul/review on some things and I can get a better idea if it’s worth the risk. I started a blog post ages ago about purchasing from international (specifically Asian) online sellers/ I’ll pull that back out and get it finished and posted.
* Osei-Duro 🙂 I’ve found the company to be reputable, responsible, helpful, and reliable. I bought a second dress this year, just haven’t shown it yet…but now that I have my new fancy intervalomater (what a word) I can start doing actual outfit shoots again.
So pleased you’re enjoying the posts, Sheryle! Things have gotten a little less consistent lately due to this and that…and have actually been considering taking the month of August OFF (except for the weekly OOTD post…and maybe week in review), just to finally have some downtime AND time to do some other things while it’s still summer.
Thanks for the great questions!
Pauline
Love most of the outfits, except Wednesday Too Pale. Love the gold trousers, like the length better than the blue, but perhaps like me you feel wrong if they are longer.
bettyewp
Yeah, Wednesday WAS pale. That was hospital day and the priority was ease and comfort, not aesthetics, particularly. It’s also a favorite hot summer weekend outfit as it’s just cool and easy and saturated colors be damned 🙂 It’s visually cool. Like in 4th grade when you start back to school right after Labor Day and it’s SO HOT and there’s no air conditioning and the teacher mercifully turns the lights off so it SEEMS cooler. This outfit is like that.
Pant length is always a challenge for me. I think overall I’m more comfortable with wider being longer and narrower being shorter. But I can only choose from what’s available to me so sometimes the rules get blurred. Like how you like Tall Men…but you actually fall in love with a guy who’s 5’8.” You can only choose from what’s made available to you.
🙂
Pauline
Hi I got the tall man 6’4″( may have shrunk a bit with age) Ha ha
bettyewp
Haha, you win!!!
Sally in St Paul
The big shirt + wide-leg pants combo is SO difficult to get right. I’m impressed by your white shirt + mustard pants outfit, that is manages to toe the line of slouchy insouciance without going over to sloppy mess (which I cannot do!).
Sheryle Birdsong
Thanks! Great answers!! I could read your answers all day and still be interested. Hey! I even love your laundry answers!!! The wide pants and suitable tops is a life mystery— I’m 5’5” but I believe I may have someone else’s’ legs.! They are heavy at thighs — but they’ve taken me to some wonderful places and have walked me out of the front door of several losers that I tolerated for much too long.
I wonder if your body and heart are whispering “take a break” — it’s no disgrace- it’s an adventure! And oh the stories you will tell us on your return!
bettyewp
Oh this week is an adventure, all right, but a stupid, not-fun one.