Has Lane Bryant Turned Over A New Leaf?

I hated Lane Bryant for years.

As a chubby teen growing up in a town with one mall, I had to do a lot of my shopping there while my skinny friends bought clothes at the Body Shop (a forerunner to Rave and Forever 21) or Belk-Lindsey. I wasn’t all that big, but this was before clothing designers realized that young women over a junior size 12 might not want to dress like their moms.

LB didn’t exactly carry the Benetton/Esprit/Guess-inspired outfits my pals were wearing. I was bitter.

My weight waxed and waned over the years, and there have been times when LB was the only option. With the exception of the jeans, I hated everything. I don’t wear T-shirts with glitter on them, and I have no interested in announcing to the world that I am “thick and fabulous.” The clothes were so trendy and desperate it hurt, and there was a dearth of natural fabrics.

Thanks to the Internet and a lot of exercise, I haven’t had to visit LB in a while. But a post over at Fat Stylist about the store’s new catalog and style re-launch intrigued me. While it appears that polyester still reigns, the clothes do seem to be more sophisticated and streamlined than I remember. I’ve always preferred a pared-down, classic aesthetic, and I have a strong aversion to lace. Still, there were a few items that were quite pretty, like this ruffled wrap blouse and this denim/hippie skirt combination. It’s still not quite my style, but what a vast improvement.

Now if only Lane would step away from the polyester. In Florida, it is not a good thing.