Low-priced apparel for the full-figured fashionista

by Nancy Sep£lveda

Daily Lobo

I'm fat.

Not fat in the newly celebrated bootylicious, real-women-have-curves way. I am simply overweight and wear a clothing size in the double digits.

This makes it difficult to dress fashionably. I am not one to proudly wave the "big is beautiful" flag, but I do think plus-size gals need not dress like tent-wrapped goat herders.

So, I set out on a mission to find attractive, reasonably priced clothes for the fuller figure.

No elastic waistbands allowed.

My first stop was Lane Bryant in the Coronado Center. It's the New York and Co. of the chubby world.

I was greeted by rack upon rack of stylish and trendy pants, skirts, shirts and jackets.

There were clothes that would appeal to many tastes and lifestyles - business professional, casual, formal, hippie-chic and athletic.

However, all the clothes had expensive price tags.

I bypassed the rows priced more than $50 and made my way to the back of the store.

I found the discount sale racks tucked into a corner - eureka.

I discovered boot-cut jeans in a variety of styles and color washes for $10. There were also colorful cardigans for $6 and gauzy gaucho pants for $11.

I made off with a pair of $12 pinstripe pants and a $9 bell-sleeved red chiffon blouse.

My next stop was Catherine's at 2645 Louisiana Blvd. N.E.

Catherine's, Lane Bryant and retail apparel store Fashion Bug are all owned by parent company Charming Shoppes Inc.

However, Catherine's was filled with floral-print muumuus and denim shirts appliqued with barnyard animals. It did not initially appeal to me.

I decided not to give up without a fight, so I flipped through a rack marked "just reduced."

I found a simple, white button-down blouse, perfect to layer over a basic T-shirt or tank top. It was a bargain at $4.

I also unearthed a pair of $12 flat-front gray linen trousers.

Finally, I snapped up a butter-soft tan suede tunic with intricate beading along the neckline. At 50 percent off, it was still $25, but I reasoned that I could pair it with jeans, slacks or a skirt to create several looks.

I left Catherine's with $43 less in my slouchy black-and-tan hobo purse, but triumphant, nonetheless.

Bigger girls rejoice - being stout does not have to mean being sloppy.