Size 14 Is Not Fat Either... It's Invisible

Blogging is a new thing for me.  I am learning as I go, and have just started to tell a few of my closer friends that I am doing it.

As you can probably tell, I am trying to keep my blog fairly anonymous.  That may change down the line somewhere, but the main reason for that is my identity.  My parents are both European, and although I was born in Cleveland, Ohio,  I have a very unique name as a result.  Chances are, if you Google my name, you’ll find me.  Heck, if you were to Google my first name with some key words, you’d find me.  So anonymous it is!

The few friends that are aware I have a blog have asked what the name, Beautifully Invisible, means. 

When I started this process selecting a name was actually one of the toughest things for me. 

I wanted something that would reflect the content of the blog, but also reflect me, as a person.   The name came to me one evening as I was exploring a few sample sale sites.  It seemed like every time I clicked on a skirt, pair of jeans, or dress I was interested in, the sizes stopped at 10. 

Me?  I am a pretty consistent size 14 with the occasional 12 thrown in.

At my smallest, I was a 9/10 and that was back in my college days.  And I thought I was big back then. 

Today I am confident in myself and who I am.  Could I stand to lose some weight?  Yes.  But I regularly work out and eat healthy, and it isn’t happening.  I’ve grown to accept the 14 I am now.  I know I am nice-looking, and being a size 14 doesn’t take away from that.  In fact, I am a curvy size 14, and I think that just adds to my looks if anything.  If I lose weight down the road, I won’t complain, but I am happy in the skin I am in.  Usually.

 

I haven't read this novel, but I love the title!

Back to the title of this blog.  So there I was, trying to spend my money on some gorgeous new clothes with no luck because of my measurements. 

The same thing has happened to me while checking out certain pieces on shopbop, net-a-porter, intermix and countless other sites.  

The same thing happens when I walk into certain bricks and mortar stores (especially boutiques!).   

I am out-sized of so much of the great, fashionable clothing I love. 

To make matters worse, there are some great sites out there for plus-sized woman, but my measurements are generally too small for the items they sell.  Seriously? 

So here I am, your average American size 14 wannabe-fashionista, and I can’t wear half the things I love and lust over. 

 

I love you Alexander McQueen Cashmere and Silk-Blend Sweater Dress

I am completely invisible.  How does that happen? Is this only  my imagination?

I started doing some research online and came across a great Los Angeles Times piece by Emili Vesilind that addresses this every issue:  “Fashion’s Invisible Woman.”

Turns out it’s not my imagination after all.

This quote is from the LA Times piece:

“ When Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld, who spent most of his adult life battling a serious weight problem, created a capsule collection for H&M in 2004, the newly svelte designer was incensed that the retailer manufactured the collection in larger sizes. "What I designed was fashion for slender and slim people," he said. And in an interview in the March issue of Harper's Bazaar, he sniffed, "The body has to be impeccable . . . if it's not, buy small sizes and less food."

This, my friends, seems to be the philosophy that too many of the designers out there follow today.

Yes, there are designers out there who DO have lines for us “bigger” girls.  But not enough. 

Yes, there are non-high fashion brands I absolutely adore out there that sell size 14s.

Like H&M and Ann Taylor Loft for instance.  But make sure you buy what you want ASAP because that size 14 will be out of stock very quickly.   

I love shopping at Nordstrom, but I am usually sized out of items in their high-fashion Savvy Department.    

There are some great boutiques in the Cleveland-area as well, like Banyan Tree, but again, I am often sized out of clothing because the designer simply doesn’t make the item in my size.

There are so many blogs out there that I admire, and blogger’s whose style I admire, but sometimes I am too afraid to even try to buy from a new source because of the sheer possibility I will be disappointed.  

So I stick to what I know works.  And I have mile-long lists of things I want to buy but can’t because I am invisible.

Guess I'll have to stick to spending my hard-earned cash on accessories and shoes! 

 

 





I love you Proenza Schouler PS1 medium leather satchel.

I love you Yves Saint Laurent Tribute Suede Sandals.

(All images either from google images or net-a-porter)