body shaping

[pleatedplaidskirt]

Hello all, just joined the forums. Its nice to hear from down to earth people about real world problems and other topics. Also nice to hear from significant others as well, thanks for joining. My question is. I am a larger guy. I am 5'11'' tall and weigh about 200lbs. I am 27. I am a bit on the fat side, but have already lost 40lbs and am on the road to losing another 20 or 30. I have tons of skirts...and I mean tons. My gf is jealous, but loves wearing some of them too. I have n't got much issue with my legs, but I have a problem though. I am a broad-shouldered, big chested man. I have very few tops. Dresses rarely fit. I am not looking to be passable, but I do want to enjoy wearing nice tops. Mostly girly stuff doesn't fit, and if it does, its too old womanish for me. I love pvc/rubber stuff. Schoolgirl look is hot. Also big into the goth look. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions or links to places where I can find cool tops for big chested guys. Girls get all the fun stuff. Also, does anyone have any suggestions that would help me reduce my upper girth? I am not a body builder, just naturally a large build. Thanks. Pleated

[DonnaT]

I'm 5'9" and 245lbs, so don't tell me you're fat :cheeky:

I have a 48" chest and broad shoulders from swimming. I wear women's 3X tops, that I get from a number of places. Dress Barn, Fashion Bug, Hecht's, JC Penny, Macy's, Lane Bryant, etc.

I'll even try on the tops that button right there by the clothes rack. Some stores will even let you try on in the dressing room. Dress Barn, Fashion Bug, Lane Bryant, in most locations.

Welcome to the forum.

[ReginaK]

http://www.danglybitz.com/ They carry larger sized PVC, vinyl, and rubber stuff.

Plus Hot Topic (www.hottopic.com) sells plus sized stuff too up to 2X. They have a couple of nice corsets, skirts, and pants. Not old womanish at all. (unless you're a really cool old woman)

As for as losing upper body size, it's pretty hard. It's mostly bone and muscle. There are ways to camouflage it though. This thread had good tips. http://crossdressers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21380

[Sedona]

Hi,

I'm roughly your same size, but a little taller (and perhaps leaner), and have had the same problems. With dresses, if they're cut for women (I don't go for ones made for CDs), you're probably never going to find the right fit. Put it this way, if you're like me, your upper body (chest, shoulders) might be a size 16-18, and as you're a guy, you probably have no "hips" to speak of, so your bottom might be somewhere around a size 10 or 12. Get a tape measure and measure yourself (use an online sizing guide like this excellent one from saks: http://www.saksfifthavenue.com/html/popups/w_sizechart.jsp

The only dresses you'll find that might look somewhat decent are ones with a LOT of stretch. It'll feel tight on top, but it'll cling to your hips like you'd want. If it isn't made in a really stretchy material, get used to it feeling like a tent, assuming the top is sized correctly for you. One alternative is to use hip/butt pads, but I don't like this personally.

If you or your gf is good with a sewing machine, you can alter a cute size 18 dress that fits great up top to create a nice fitting size 12 bottom half.

But, your best bet is to go with separates, that way you can get say, a size XXL top, and a matching L skirt.

As far as losing weight, sure, it's always a good idea to shed excess fat (don't overdo it!) for health reasons. Unless you spend six months in a body cast (i.e. wasting away), your upper body will probably still have some muscle to it (not so bad really, as your gf probably likes it), so you're stuck there. When you exercise, stay away from doing any upper body work (duh).

As far as shopping, you might try: alloy.com, or gojane.com, which often have larger sized tops that go with skirts/pants. newport-news.com has some good stuff, but a lot of it is junk in my opinion, so buy carefully. For goth stuff, I like lip-service.com. You pay a premium, but check their closeouts section regularly.

Good luck!

-Sedona

[pleatedplaidskirt]

Thanks all for the wonderful advice and the links. I finally found a white schoolgirl pvc shirt that will fit me! thanks so much for the link to http://www.danglybitz.com/. Its great. :)

[pleatedplaidskirt]

Thanks Sedon. I really appreciate your help! Rachel

[pleatedplaidskirt]

Thanks ReginaK love the site...thanks for your help!
Rachel

[nikkicd63]

Also try Torrid, www.torrid.com, they have alot of younger looking plus size clothing.