Weighty Matters

(Thanks, David Bowie). I've worn plus sizes since my teens. But over time, I even went beyond those into what is now known as "extended plus" .... you can't find those in regular department stores or most clothing stores. They can be found in specialty stores: Avenue, Catherine's, for a while Lane Bryant, and so forth. For a long time, I got my clothes from a local re-distribution outlet for mall stores/catalog/outlet wear. Most of the clothing was from the previous year's catalog. That never bothered me, because I didn't care if it was a year old or not. It was inexpensive and (more importantly) in my size. But then it got to the point that their selection started to be kind of junky, especially in those larger sizes. Awful knits and ugly stuff. Then it was back to the more expensive specialty shops. It was then that I learned how to shop clearance areas for the best stuff my money could buy. As long as it fit and was marked down at least fairly reasonabl...