Because of problems inherent in shopping for clothes online (like no fitting room), retailers know that it’s extremely important that you have a positive experience when visiting their store. The five following points are what I, as a retailer, wish all my customers knew before shopping with me.

Know your Body Shape Know your positives Know your measurements Think Vertical What to look for when choosing plus size clothing stores

Know your Body Shape: Shopping for plus size clothing online without knowing your body shape is like taking a trip without a map. Designs that fit a pear shape looks terrible on an apple shape and vise versa so you need to know your shape to know which designs work for you and which designs work against you. For example if you are a pair shape you have narrow shoulders and smaller bust but larger more pronounced hips while an apple shape has large shoulders and bust with an average to small hips. So the idea is that a pear shaped woman should build up her upper torso while playing down her hips while the apple shaped woman is exactly the opposite. To learn more about your body shape I would recommend looking at Igigi.com’s shapestylist page.

Know you positives: Some women have great shoulders and bust while other women have a curvaceous waist and nice legs. Provide a focal point. Whatever your positive features are you need to select clothing that accents your positives while keeping the body parts you want to keep hidden top secret.

Know your measurements: One question I hear frequently is “Are you clothes true to size”.  First of all there is no such thing as “True to Size”. When you try on X brand in size 1X and then try on Y brand in 1X you soon realize that “true to size” is a myth. You should know your measurements especially while shipping online because you can’t try it before you buy it. After you know mostly your bust, waist and hip measurements you can look on the size chart to see if this item will fit you. Some stores like ours actually offers both a size chart and actual garment measurements so the customer can make an informed decision.

Think Vertical: Or as I like to call it “Trick the Eye”. The idea here is to choose clothing that draws the eye of the beholder up and down in a vertical fashion instead of side to side. Some savvy glamazons achieve this by dressing the entire length of their body in the same color hues. But if you know how to use prints correctly you don’t have to limit yourself to solid colors especially if you choose a print whose patterns flow up and down. Be careful not to dissect your body into little square boxes which is something I see far too much of.

What to look for when choosing plus size clothing stores: First do they have a selection of designs that work with your body shape. Secondly are they friendly and courteous and willing to work with you to resolve any problems that might arise. Does their prices match the quality of the items they are selling. And most importantly do they have a good return policy. As I said before you can’t try it before you buy it and even with the above information you can still end up getting something that don’t quite work for you so a good return policy is key. The best return policy will make a way for your to get an exchange or refund.

If you will follow these five simple steps before you shop for plus size clothing online you will save yourself a lot of headaches and money. Once you find a store or two that meets these requirements it can become a lifelong friend to meat your plus size fashion needs.