I wear a dress with heels or sandals everyday in an extremely casual work place because that is what I want to wear AND what I look good in. I am plus sized due to boobs so I buy generously size cloths and always have them altered appropriately. I have to rigorously look for clothes but the key for me is alterations for perfect fit.

When I find a brand that is proportionate, I continue to buy that brand year after year as long as the quality, fit, and styling are consistent for my needs. When I find a store that has clothes my size that I like, I will continue to go there and praise the staff and selection. I will tell others when asked where I find shoes and clothes so that brand/store continues to prosper since they are catering to the plus sized market.

I refuse to buy clothes that I feel look bad or are frumpy because as a consumer I feel I deserve to be heard even if I wear a plus size.

Even though it is just me, I reject the casual workplace and reject frumpy because I want and need something different – something more. I don’t remember who said this but “elegance is the rejection of the inappropriate”. I also feel elegance is standing up for and being willing to search for the beautiful for ones self.

Also, it’s so hot here right now that I don’t just get dressed once a day. Most summer days it’s two changes of clothes (one for work, one for after during the week; one for staying in and one for going out on the weekends). I’d rather wait til I’m getting ready for a night out to put on some makeup.

Yes! No Crocs or pajama pants or baggy shorts in church, please. I know God doesn’t care but show some respect for the place and the people around you.

And alter boy who wore the t-shirt reading, “Eat sleep breath baseball?” I am talking to you and to your shirt’s copy editor.

A woman in Berkeley once snarled at me “Men always open doors for you” and one of the guys said “Cause the way she looks makes us want to open doors for her.”

But it is heartbreaking to shop….knowing what flatters you – and being able to find it in a plus size are two different universes.

Putting on some stylish, more dressy clothing doesn’t have to be expensive. Back to the orginial cooking analogy, the mark of a skilled chef is making a stellar meal from inexpensive ingredients, perhaps even something that was left in the fridge. Dressing with flair doesn’t require head to toe couture.

Despite the local casual look and a job (scientist) that is practically synonymous with bad dressing, I like to dress well. It makes me feel professional and is a good creative outlet for me. I started wearing heels in my postdoc at an institution that had many European, particularly Italian, female scientists. They were all so chic that I wanted to do the same. I get pretty positive feedback despite looking outside the norm around here.