Over the weekend, I checked out Montrelle Green’s post on MN called Phat and Fabulous: Our Top 10 Plus Size Clothing Sites, and I got kind of excited…and a bit depressed at the same time. Excited to finally have some good leads on nice clothing for women over a certain size, but a bit depressed that it seems the only place I can find this clothing is online.

It’s been a while since I’ve been shopping. Since I started my new workout routine and sort of a healthy diet, which includes working out regularly, cutting out all the sodas, juices and other sugar-laden drinks and preparing 90 percent of my meals at home, I am proud to say that I have lost a couple of inches around my waist. Unfortunately, it also means that most of my clothing is a little too big for me. So to celebrate my slimming physique, I decided to splurge and buy a new outfit, or two – or five for the summer.

So this past Saturday, I got in my car and headed straight to the mall, ready and willing to burn through my paycheck and leave with a couple of bags of new gear. My first stop was at H&M. I was sifting through the racks, picking and choosing what items I wanted to try on when I noticed that at this particular H&M, none of the garments had sizes larger than a size 12. Now I know I haven’t been shopping in a while, but I do recall that the store used to have larger sizes. “Maybe this 12 compartmentalizes sizes where a “large” now means 12 and above?” At least that’s what I kept telling myself as I loaded my arms up with all the size 12 garments I could find. Can’t give up hope, right?

So I found a pair of hot pink linen capris and some seafoam green skinny jean pants that I really wanted to fit. Imagining all the color and style options I could have if any or both of these pants were graciously enough to be incorporated into my wardrobe, I kept pulling at the fabric, hoping that the two-percent spandex would be enough to maneuver the pants over this size 14 frame. However, when I got into the dressing room, I was in for a rude awakening. The seafoam green skinny jeans were a complete disaster. I couldn’t even get them up past my thighs. And the hot pink capris? Well, I got them up, but they were so tight that you could see every dimple in my a**, and I was wearing underwear.

Disappointed but not dejected. I left the H&M and headed to a few more stores. Perhaps this was just a fluke. We all know that the average size of women in the US ranges between 12-14, so maybe the other average size ladies got there before I did and bought out the store. It happens. But after the third store, I kept running into the same situation. Most of the department stores I went in had sizes extra small up to large, and while the large was size 12, it actually fit like a size 8 or smaller. Suddenly, I no longer felt actively welcome in the mall. So I took my paycheck and we went home.

As style icon and designer CoCo Chanel says: ‘fashion fades, but style remains the same’; and there are some women who have patented their own style for others to follow. As the Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week comes to a close, we’ve come up with our own list of stylish women who frequently ‘rip the runway’ with their everyday style. Whether you’re a fan of their dress or not so much, these fashionistas have made their mark, and we love it! From daring and bold to soft and chic, check out our list of five of the most stylish modern-day mesdames.

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