About a Sunday dinner and the Perfect Pair of Jeans.

[emmuzka]

On a bout of random, instead of my regular food I bought this huge slab of raw meat, with bones and skin and all, and a bag of carrots to go with it. A good thing that the meat factory believes in consumer helplessness since I actually found a recipe on the pre-packed meat. And a good thing that it's a sunday since three hours would be otherwise a rather lengthy time to wait for the dinner to get done.


And now for a bit of nostalgia. When I was a teen, I was the token fat kid of the class. I think that I was the token fat kid of the school, too, and as it came to the clothes, it felt like I was the only token fat kid of the whole fucking city.

This was a time before chain stores offered plus size clothes in Finland. The only places offering plus sizes were specialized XL stores, that asked ridiculously high prices and only offered styles that went for women over forty. The other place were the home shopping catalogs, where you might have found a few large clothes if you were lucky. I wasn't even *that* big, about European 52, or American 4X, but there simply wasn't clothes for young people that big, then, for any price. I guess that people that size learned to sew their own clothes or something.

Because of this, I have an existing obsession for jeans. Jeans were the garment that no plus size store or home shopping catalog offered. I remember one time when the teenager me had been promised by my mom that I could go buy jeans of any price.. and I couldn't find a pair that would have fit me. I searched the whole city through, and no place offered a pair that would have fit. Traumatic for a teen, no? Later I found and ordered this one model straight from the factory through a specialized jeans store, always the same model, until the line was discontinued. Those jeans cost like a bitch, 400 Finnish Marks, which was a huge price then. (Lewis 501, which were seen as the height of the current fashion then, cost 300 Finnish Marks.) But, there were no alternatives, outside going to school wearing some kind of stretched cotton jersey lounge wear.

Anyway, I think that my youth build up my affinity to plus sized jeans. If I ever see a pair that fits and is even somehow reasonably priced, I'll have to buy them. Especially now, when the current skinny-jeans fashion has mutated even the plus size jeans ill-fitting for us big-hipped, pear-assed ones, I'll just have to buy all models that fit. It costs money, but what is money in the end, when I'll get to soothe my inner teen, anxious to find the next pair of jeans before her only ones worn out to nothing.

Comments

[pikku-gen.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, jeans. It does seem like the modern jeans are designed for some kind of butt-less long-legged aliens, not a normal person. I have trouble finding nice jeans, what with my normal size behind and female thighs and hips, and even then I have to cut some ten centimetres off the length. And why do all the jeans end just below the hipline?

I'm sure my trouble is nowhere near yours, but it seems like nobody finds proper nice fitting jeans these days. What shape should everyone be, then?

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Forget places like H&M and go to Halonen or something. Or for shit and giggles, you should try out the Janina collection, in *tah dah*, Tarjoustalo! I read that the hit product of the Janina clothes collection were actually their jeans, since they were intended for the big-hipped Finns.

[pikku-gen.livejournal.com]

Haven't shopped in H&M since I started cleaning them. Guess why? They treat the cleaners like mindless little cockroaches who can be yelled at and mocked and humiliated. I may have to clean them every now and then but I'd never voluntarily give them money. Even if their clothes actually fit me, which they don't. /rant

Halonen - no chance. All their trousers are too long. Way too long. I think the Tarjoustalo brand might be actually the only fitting one - thanks for the hint. ;)

[anckyria.livejournal.com]

Halonen is where I've been able to find jeans that a)have long enough legs and b)are designed for ladies who are slim but actually have butts. I usually check out their sales for jeans.

[yavannie77.livejournal.com]

I was finally able to find long enough (36 inches) jeans from Stockmann a while ago. Actually, they're a bit too long for me, and I'm so happy I'll definitely not cut them. In other words, I'll return there whenever I need a pair. They're not too expensive, either ("only" about 80e).

So yes, I have a butt and I have annoyingly long legs, and it doesn't make for easy jeans shopping either...

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Oh, to have at least one pair of *good* jeans. *wistful*

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Oh, but there *are* options. you should look into plus sizes, their smallest size 42 might suit you. Look up the nearest plus size store and search brands like Zenshi, Studio and NP. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, search for Baby Phat on the net.

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

I'm lazy and have a weird body type.
*whine*:)

Hey, I'll be visiting Helsinki in few days, so if you have any recommendations? Store wise?

(I'm not phat enough for Baby Phat. Sadly.:)

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Lorella, if you dare to step in to the plus size store. There is one in Eteläesplanadi and one in Kamppi, next to Anttila.

Other place worth visiting is Hytösen puoti in Helsinginkatu, one block away from Sörnäinen metro station.

[dlasta.livejournal.com]

Thankee.:D

[maweisse.livejournal.com]

There is much I have issue with in my current country, but clothing for plus sizes is not one of them. Take Lane Bryant for example. Every time I go to the mall I drool at their stuff. The mall of course has the young trendy stuff. The strip mall in the opposite direction has stuff for the adult woman (who I am slowly becoming, nota bene).

I tried on a pair of jeans at Lane Bryant over the holidays, and the smallest size would have fit perfectly, but they were out of it. Sigh. They're not selling them online. Sigh. I have dreams of those jeans...

When you come visit, we shall make pilgrimages, right?

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous jeans! When I'll visit the States, dunno when, I'll have to bribe someone to take me to a strip mall tour ;)

In the end of this month I'l make a brief visit to London so here's to hoping that I'm able to find a plus size clothing store there.

[busarewski.livejournal.com]

I have the same problem in Sweden. Åhlens + used to make really good jeans but they changed their model last year and is pretty hopeless. I found a gorgeous pair of jeans for only 18 pounds at Evans in Sterling last year, but they unfortunately gave their last sigh this Christmas. Evans have started to ship their stuff to Sweden now though, so I might be daring and buy a pair online www.evans.co.uk and also, lots of Evans stores in London.

[emmuzka.livejournal.com]

Hey, I definitely need to check Evans now when visiting London. Thanks for the tip :)

[maweisse.livejournal.com]

O! Me! Me! Pick me! I'll make sure you get to a mall! Strip or otherwise.

[twindouble.livejournal.com]

One word: Ulla Popken. Okay, two words: Ulla Popken store. Okay, three words: Ulla Popken internet shop

www.ullapopken.com
www.ullapopken.de

[2ndbs.livejournal.com]

I am of the smaller XL size. Ulla Popkens smaller sizes were too big for me. The US fattie brands fitted better.

EDIT: US brand I am talking about is Lane Bryant. That's great!

[lorem.livejournal.com]

Minä taidan olla joku väliinputoaja. Stockka on ainoa paikka, josta löytyy minulle sopivia housuja. Mr Bigin vaatteet ovat liian isoja ja kaikkien muiden liikkeiden liian pieniä.

[2ndbs.livejournal.com]

Ah the shops of New York... They really know how to make beautiful clothes. One day (after becoming rich and stopping of being poor) we will fly to NY and shop till we drop.