Everyone here knows I have a special place in my heart for Macy's. It's where I've interned, it's where I'm going to intern this summer, and where I really hope to get a job when I graduate. I've long been a huge cheerleader of the store itself, mostly because of it's impressive plus size selection. Macy's has always sold better quality and more youthful looking plus size options than any of its competitors.
That is, if you go to the right Macy's.
And friends, the Birmingham Macy's is no longer the right Macy's.
If you are a straight sized gal (sorry guys..I don't know how their husky man selection is. But PLEASE do shop there. I'd love to see you all in Calvin, Polo, and Alfani. Specifically, Alfani Red. Mm.) you can shop pretty much anywhere, and find your clothing at whatever price point you can afford. That's because of the HUGE amount of competition in the apparel industry when it comes to straight sized clothing. It's a whole lot easier to make a top look good on a size 0 than a size 20. Let me rephrase that; it takes a lot less effort. You don't have to worry about curves, bumps, lumps, and whatever else a larger woman's body entails. But when it comes to plus size clothing, you have to really think. You have to make clothing that is going to look good on the vast majority of plus size women, and that is a tough thing to do. The problem, though, is that there really isn't much of an excuse anymore as to why we can't make fabulous clothes for fabulous, full-figured women.
Anyway. Let me get off my plus size soap box. I plan to revolutionize the plus size apparel industry in a few years, so we'll handle that then. ;)
So now you might ask, why isn't the Birmingham Macy's right anymore? Well, in the past few months, they have apparently remodeled, or rearranged their floor, and cut out over two-thirds of the plus size collections. Baby Phat (which I'm not honestly a huge fan of, but was pretty popular) is gone, most of the Alfani collection is gone, and the entire junior plus selection has been wiped out. What's left are Alfred Dunner, some Charter Club, and a few stragglers on the clearance rack from past seasons.
What's wrong with this picture? Why has the plus size woman been cut out of the Macy's market in Birmingham? (Sorry, for those of you who don't know, this particular Macy's is the one in the Galleria, technically in Hoover I guess.) In speaking with the saleswomen on previous shopping trips, I found that the plus size section was fairing very well. Granted, it wasn't as impressive as other Macy's stores I've been to (ex: Herald Square) but it had what I needed for interviews, presentations, and when I just needed a new outfit. My parents knew I frequented Macy's, and would often send me gift cards for there for birthdays and other holidays.
My go to stores tend to be Macy's, Ross, Old Navy, and when I'm absolutely desperate, Lane Bryant. (We will have to discuss my utter loathing towards Lane Bryant at another time.) Unfortunately, only Old Navy is actually in Tuscaloosa, and I tend to mostly buy sweaters and shirts from there. So usually, I ended up trekking up to Birmingham, only to come home extremely frustrated. After some time at Macy's, I would leave empty handed, and end up at Ross. Yes, you can find some nice designer stuff at Ross, but most of the time it's crappy knock offs that are done after a few washes. I've been looking for substantial clothing; pieces I can actually build a wardrobe around.
Well, friends, let me tell you that Belk can now be put at the top of the list for where to get high quality plus size clothing at a reasonable price.
The Tuscaloosa Belk has been completely remodeled, and today was my first time in there since then. I walked in through the jewelry department, noticing that they now carried a lot of Fossil, and as I made my way through the handbags, I noticed a beautiful shiny new Coach shop. Huzzah! They've really classed up the joint. As I made my way to the plus size section, I realized it wasn't just a section anymore; it was actually a DEPARTMENT. Called "Today's Woman" (which I will let slide, even though it's just a silly name), it includes a lot of the brands Macy's used to carry, including Rafaella and Ralph Lauren. I had four full floor sections of plus size clothing to choose from, including a junior plus section, which has largely been erased by most department stores. I thought I was in heaven.
I was in Belk desperately looking for a suit to wear to the Golden Key Induction this evening. I was frustrated, having been to several other stores, only to find awful options (I'm looking at you, $90 Lane Bryant awful man suit jacket.). After trying on probably 10 different suit options (and not finding a single one I absolutely hated) I came away with a full outfit, including a jacket, skirt, and top. I was then whisked away to an open cash register, and received an apology for my wait, which was literally less than 2 minutes. The girl was friends, sociable, and genuinely interested in my horror story of shopping for suits, and losing my one suit option. She signed me up for a Belk credit card, so I could get 15% off, put my things in a garment bag, and sent me on my way.
As I left, I was actually smiling. I have not left a store smiling in a while. I usually leave frustrated, then cry to my mom a bit before getting angry at myself, as well as my limited options. Just because I am plus sized, does not mean I don't deserve fabulous clothing at a fair price. No, Lane Bryant, I will not pay $90 for an ill-fitting suit jacket just because you are the only plus size store in town. (Yes, CJ Banks, I know you're there too, but I can't even count you because, well...you're just sad.)
So you see, my plus sized, fabulous fashionistas, you no longer need to drive to Birmingham, only to be disappointed by our once beloved Macy's. You can now go to our sad excuse for a mall, University Mall, and get what you need, what you want, and some things you don't need or what, but really must have.
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