Buying clothes that fit. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I know what you mean, I have the same problem myself with slacks, just can't find anything that fits nicely... and who's idea was it to make hip-huggers, for me it's the world's most uncomfortable garment? Jeeze. I find I am at the mercy of doing my cloth shopping using catalogs hoping what I order will fit. At least the catalogs have slacks that sit at the waist.

Bobbi, my Mom sounds like she is built similar to your Mom... we gave up trying to find anything new for her to wear, doesn't matter if it today's at-the-moment fashion or not, just something new. Even knit pull-on pants don't work as even the petite sizes are too long for her :(

Unfortunately mom won't give up... I found her some nice legging like pant, but her girlfriend made a comment about her "tights", so now she won't wear them. And... She insists on trying to wear a size too small.

OMG! I have been dealing with this issue for years! I know exactly what you mean! My mom is 93 and at least twice a year she wants to buy slacks. Same body type as your mom. I just dread it; it is such an ordeal for both of us. I drag her to the store, she gets exhausted and cranky trying on pants. Finally, she might choose a pair which look okay, but not great. She gets them home and then hates them. Same with tops. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to return clothing for her. I wish at this point she would just wear what she has so we could avoid the frustration. Not sure what to suggest, other than a tailor.

Catbalou... Exactly!!! Same with shoes! Buys them wears them then puts them away because they don't fit. Same with the slacks. She'll finally buy a pair but once she gets th home and has worn them once or twice, she decides they are too baggy. I really wish she would dress for comfort and not worry so much about her appearance. At 94, you don't have to impress anyone! Being 94 is impressive enough!!

My mother will only wear skirts with elastic waists. Good luck in finding those. She cannot wear slacks or short, because she wears depends. She can barely stand these days. I did luck out and found four skirts by accident--two at H&M and two at Walmart. She is 97 and still likes to dress up a little.

Nansacola, 97!!! I wish my mom would wear a skirt! But her legs are so thin. You can see every vien. But her reason if you asked why is her feet are too big... Lol

Bobbi! Yes! Same with shoes! And the pants...that is exactly what my mom does...wears them once and decides they're too baggy, so we have to go shopping AGAIN! It is just SO frustrating. Other family members used to buy clothes for mom for Christmas and they would never fit. They are out of town, so guess who ended up returning them all? I finally had to tell them not to buy clothes for her anymore.

I hope it's OK to mention a store name here....my mom has fit issues with being short, thin legs, and refuses elastic waistband (!!!!). I did find a more tailored, woven poly pant with zipper fly (alas no pockets) at Target. They are called ankle pants but on her, they look like a normal dress pant.
The other place we have found slacks are Lands End, they have the traditional "sits at waist " style.
The reason all slacks look "baggy" around their hips /thighs is because their belly area is rounded and fuller.in front, so.the required larger girth in front of pants, is also going to continue down the hip/ thigh areas, so the pants will be bigger there too. Even if you hire a seamstress to draft a custom pattern for this shape, they will still have trouble tapering down from the waist area, down to legs. Nobody wants darts at the knees to eliminate the excess waist fabric. Wish I could insert a schematic here! I used to work in a tailor shop so know more than most people about fit issues. Knits could help a lot, but the main hurdle is the difference between waist & hip/thigh, coupled with a softer texture of their abdomen (no strong angle as in a man's shoulders, where a shirt yoke could fit nicely and then a slim taper to waist, all looks very trim, not "baggy").

Thanks everyone. Glad to know I'm not the only one going thru this. I just now ordered 8 pair from JJILL, hoping maybe one will fit. If not, she will just have to accept the fact that her body has changed and she just is going to have to comprimise..

I am so with you all. Mom's Parkinson's has made her body change and clothes don't work. And shoes?? Forget about it. They're too tight, they're too lose and shell be talking about the same pair!!!! And now that she has developed debilitating arthritis in her wrists and spastic hands to boot, putting her clothes on is no small feat. It's never-ending with new twists. Plus she's hot when it's cold and cold when it's hot. I spend lots of time going to the post office returning my mother's shoes. Imelda Marcos has noting on my mom!!

Meant to say loose, not lose

My Mom does the same thing with shoes...so frustrating. I think we've found a good pair but only to find out after purchase...days after...they don't really fit as well as they should. She gets impatient and will say anything to get out of the store when she wants to go home. ARgh. You might want to try some consignment shops. Some of them carry vintage things that can be kinda cool. For pants, my mom has taken to rolling them down a bit (instead of belts - they become a nightmare) at the waist. Thankfully, she doesn't care too much about what I put on her, but she does NOT like any shirt lately that has to go over her head. She panicks even when I try my best to talk her thru it.

My Mom doesn't like over the head shirts, either... I have found some really nice tops in a catalog called National, even I have ordered clothes for myself. Ten years ago you wouldn't catch me in animal print tops, but today I like them. Go figure.

Sizing is always a huge issue, nothing is *standard* any more. For tops with one vendor I buy size Small, but with another vendor I have to buy size large.

Ditto here! Mom has a big dowagers hump on her back. Clothes don't fit right. She absolutely refuses to wear pull on pants or pullover casual shirts, no sweats, no sweaters or anything loose or baggy. She will only wear slacks that button and zip, and only button down blouses with a long sleeve fitted blazer (blazers - nothing bright or pattern, no white, no beige). Anyone ever try to find a size 6 blazer to fit over a hump, and not be too long in the sleeves and doesn't ride up in the back? They don't make casual style blazers with lapels and buttons (unless you pay $75 for a suit jacket). So many of the more casual ones are 3/4 sleeve or unusual or have no lapels. We don't buy expensive clothes because she spills food all over herself and everything must be wash and wear. I spend a lot of time in clothing stores looking, but so far haven't found much to replace the ratty stuff she currently has. If it isn't just like what she has, she won't wear it. She doesn't care if its dirty, but if it isn't the style she wants she won't wear it. Maybe some day her dementia will cause her to forget what styles she likes and we can dress her more comfortably!

Could you get your Mom into boot cut yoga pants? I have a "bigger bootie and thighs" but I love the boot cut yoga pants! They stay up.. and fit well. If they are too long and you dont sew.. many dry cleaners will hem the pants for a reasonable price. I have an opposite problem with my Mom,, she is so tiny the last salesgirl recommend we try the girls department! But she still says she wears a size 10.. the last pairs we got her were size 4 and I can still "pants" her!

One thing to remember, if the elder has any problem with acid reflux they cannot have anything tight around their waist.

I have that issue myself. If I wear something a bit snug around the waist and bend down to pick something up, then there is a mad dash for the bottle of Tums or a glass of water to cool it down.

Makes me now wonder if that could be a problem with some elders who don't want to eat... that acid in the throat makes food taste blah.

freqflyer that is so true. Half the pants I have are uncomfortable around my waist. So much for lovely tailored slacks with buttons and "no give" to them. No bending over after eating, etc.

I love wearing knit pants. Unlike my mother, I dress for comfort. Guess were just a different generation. Unlike those who won't wear something that slips over her head, my mom won't wear any tailored blouses. All she want are print and pattered tops. Guess that's because that's what her girl friend wears. See too has a hump... We don't talk about that, unless she puts something on at it's hiked way up because of it. I guess getting that old is not at all fun for them. But just once, if she would just say thank you for all I do...i

Or you find something that you think is perfect for Mom, right color, it fits nicely, easy to care for..... and then Mom says "but it doesn't have pockets".... [sigh]

Thrift and consignment stores are the answer because the clothes need to be of good quality to fit well.
The hump on the back needs long sleeves because the hump takes up some of the length. Nothing too tight at the neck or waist.. Tops that button or zip in the front. A sweater with a zipper at the neck gives a neat appearance but with the zip open it slips easily over the head. If you go to the BA Mason shoe catalog you will find all widths and shoes sizes in national brands. As far as skirts are concerned has anyone considerd a wrap skirt. cardigans are easier to wear in cold weather than heavy sweaters that have to be pulled over the head. There are several catalogs that feature clothes for the disabled and elderly. Nice styles too.

My moms shoe size is 10.5 AA. Very hard to find, and most still don't fit.

Boy, I feel better about my mom's clothing dilemmas after reading about all of your issues on this thread! My mom is the opposite - she likes clothes so baggy, she has half of them pinned up with big safety pins. She's gone from 200 lbs to 125 and thinks she can still wear the same clothes (like 22 pants and 2XL tops).

I got her some pants (some new from Blair and some from Goodwill) that were a better fit, but she complained every time I put them on her. "They're too tight!" She wouldn't know a decent fit if it bit her in her keister! So I went back to Goodwill on many occasions and finally found her a pair of her beloved polyester pants (that would withstand a neutron bomb with no wrinkles) that are just baggy enough (that is SUPER baggy). She's happy, so I'm finally able to let it go, LOL.

I second shopping Goodwill. No great loss if the item has to be trimmed, gusseted, cut, pinned or whatever it takes to make it fit. I use a stitch-witchery product to easily hem pants (mom is short) or I've even turned them under and stuck duct tape on them in a pinch.

And check into maternity pants (also at thrift stores) - the legs are usually nicely tapered for those girl-ish legs but the belly is soft and roomy, either with a knit band or panel or they also make them with adjustable buttons on the sides. I cut the tags off most everything, especially if it's maternity wear.

Wow Blannie yet another use for duct tape.

Good tip Liz cuting the tags off. Tho most of our loved ones probably can't read the sizes anymore.

Bobbi the BA Mason site has an amazing number of siizes or ask a podiatrist for help especially if she is diabetic

Heck I love goodwill for myself sometimes too! I got 2 tops for $8 today.. chicos and dress barn! score for me! And I was looking for a big cooker for my daughter.. didn;t find that...

LOL...Ductape just might save the world one day. I LOVE shopping consignment and thrift stores. (that is when I was working and needed to update the wardrobe from time to time) You can find great deals...some stuff that rich people buy, never wear and "give away"..I usually find those at consignment. All great advise on fixing up for length and etc. $8 at Chicos retail might buy you a sock. One sock.....Lol!!

My mom worked 30 years in a very high end department store selling designer clothing. She's a bit of a snob. I wouldn't dare buy something at a thrift store...SMH... As bad as her eyes are (she has macular) she will still read labels. You guys are lucky you have workarounds.... Yesterday she complained her back was really sore. I explained it's because she was at the mall trying on 20 pairs of pants....
I looked at the Mason site. They had 136 styles in her size. Sadly, most she could not or would not wear, and the ones she would like, she's already tried.. Again...smh. She was at the doctor yesterday, and was so happy she lost 5 lbs. must have been all in her legs cause her tummy is still just as big.

I guess if the most worrying thing about caregiving was finding clothes that fit their loved ones there would be no need for this forum!!!!

On my gosh, the tummy... where in the world did THAT come from?.... thank you, menopause, NOT..... I've always been quit thin, was a gym rate, but when mid-life hit it seemed all the weight shifted over to my stomach then some added weight... what the?.... I am now shaped like a pear. So much for all those years being at the gym :P

Creates quite a challenge in buying clothes !!