#ICTD Part 2 Clothing

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Clothing - Flannels (Part 1)

Obviously, you are going to need some flannel shirts.

I bought a flannel shirt from Woman Within via amazon, in a black and white buffalo check print, because that is a pattern that the guys both like. It's all cotton and fits pretty much up-and-down, though it's a tiny bit lighter than some other flannel shirts I have encountered in the past (especially men's flannels). WW's sizing makes it easy to get something pretty large, though, and buying it via amazon meant that I didn't have to pay WW's bugnuts shipping costs.

I'm still working on trying to get one Western-style shirt (i.e., snap-front), which has not been as easy as I assumed it would be. I purchased one from ebay but was sent the wrong item, and decided not to try my luck re-ordering the item from them.

My only real interest in a snap-front is I thought it would be easier to dress immediately after surgery, and if I can't find one I have other options. I figure my top choice otherwise is to attach (by whatever method we can come up with that will allow us to remove it later) some velcro patches on the front placket and use the velcro to fasten it closed instead of buttons, and the WW flannel is probably a top choice for this venture.

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Clothing - Flannels (Part 2)

Multiple sources—both for cis men who do outdoor work and for trans men—have sung the praises of the Legendary Whitetails Buck Camp Flannel Shirt. In a world where a $50 shirt is pretty common, the Buck Camp shirt retails at $34.99 and goes on sale frequently. The LW website carries up to 2x and Amazon carries up to a 5x.

The shirts come in a very wide variety of colors (48 on LW and 31 on Amazon at the time of writing) and are quite heavy and warm for the pricepoint. And the pricepoint, especially on Amazon, bears little resemblance to the price you will actually pay. Because not only are these shirts quite heavy and warm, but if you're not concerned about getting a specific color scheme, the prices vary a lot between patterns and are often jaw-droppingly cheap.

I bought my first one for 24.74 a few months ago and thought I had gotten a really fantastic deal, to check my wishlists during the last round of Prime Deal Days to discover that a different patterned shirt was selling for 12.75 (I bought one, of course). Once something is lined up, I might try to purchase one more, but even just those two might suffice, and we're getting a decent amount of wear out of the one we already had. I even went down to a 4X for the new one because the 5X is that much larger than either of the guys.

LW also has a western-style shirt (with snaps), but they seem to never go on sale compared to the Buck Camp Flannel.

If you take no other advice from me during this entire project, if you buy from Amazon USE AMAZON WISHLISTS. It makes it so much easier to track prices and sales, especially during big sales events (that Amazon runs chaotically on purpose). Everything you are trying to buy is all in one place and easy to compare.

My other advice is, especially for clothing, click on EVERY option. They're very rarely all the exact same price, and the more options they have the more likely it is that one is running on a discount or has a coupon.

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Clothing - Pajamas (Part 1)

I did a phenomenal amount of legwork when it came to pajamas. There are tons and tons of websites out there that sell "plus size pajamas" and it turns out they go up to a 2X, also a 2X on their size chart is a US 16/18. Most of the search results for the first WEEK OR TWO didn't result in anything appropriate that was ALSO made of a tolerable fabric. I know exactly how long a recycled polyester pajama bottom is going to last, unfortunately. If this is a pair of pajamas that you likely won't use again after you've recovered, it's less of an issue, but I am trying to buy stuff that's a little more durable than that.

So you can imagine my shock and delight when I came across Land's End. I recognized the name, but I had never purchased anything from them, and this seemed as good a time as any to try.

Firstly, if you buy anything on the LE website and you're getting anything less than 50% off of the list price, you're getting scammed. They routinely have 60-75% off coupon codes, and usually there's a code already in effect on the website, a separate code for coupon sites (possibly multiples?), and a code for the mailing list at any given time. None of these three is always the best price, it will typically depend on what you're buying, and I highly recommend you try all of the codes at checkout to see if you can lower your total.

I ended up, if you can believe it, putting in THREE orders in a relatively short span of time (7 or 8 weeks, as I recall), mostly buying various clearance items to try them out. Not everything I bought was pajamas, obviously, but I'll highlight the pajamas that fit the theme here

I really loved the flannel pajamas, which are 100% cotton, sold separately as tops and bottoms, come up to a 3X and, inexplicably, fit me PERFECTLY. I'm used to clothes being wrong in at least one dimension, but their 3X is the correct length and everything. I love it so much I went and bought more pairs of flannel pajamas, and I got compliments on the pattern that I chose. It's a really warm and durable flannel, too, not like a lot of the cheap stuff most places use for pajamas.

They also have a flannel sleepshirt, which I also am quite fond of (especially as a light robe), that buttons up the front. I also bought, as mentioned before, a shirt/shorts set of their Tencel pajamas. They also have robes in a wide variety of fabrics, though I haven't bought any of those yet.

If you need to go larger, or find the patterns too feminine, they sell men's pajamas as well, up to a 4X, though I was less impressed with the men's pajamas pants that I bought. The flannel pants I bought in a 4X have been pilling already.

Unrelated to pajamas, though, I did buy some of their men's underwear (boxer briefs) and have been SUPER impressed with how comfortable and durable they are. If you're in the market for boxer briefs above a 2X (like I had been for years), they are definitely a place to look. I also bought a pack of cotton boxers from them, which were also really nice (though I wear them a little less often than the boxer briefs), but especially for surgery recovery (and especially wearing them as shorts) they are really great.

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I'm definitely going to see if the guys have a preference (both in what they would prefer to sew and what they would prefer to operate) in regards to this shirt, but I've struggled a lot with magnetic clasps in the past.

For example, I've nearly torn the fabric lining of my brand name purse because one of the pockets is closed by a magnetic clasp and the magnet is stronger than my hands most of the time AND stronger than the fabric lining (I've also bent the backing on the clasp once or twice). I have exhausted a bunch of other options and I think I am going to simply demagnetize it when I actually have time.

If that's what they would like to do and think it will work, I'm all for it. Unlike velcro, they might actually want to keep it on the shirt after this is all over.

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Clothing - Hoodies (Part 1)

The most obvious #1 thing that you need after surgery is some zip-up hoodies. I saw a lot of people on a lot of forums recommend "a huge size, like a 3XL"

Unfortunately, I wear a 3XL hoodie under normal circumstances, and the guys wear a 2X, so I needed to really look around and see what options existed that were substantially larger.

I will probably discuss putting these clothes on myself AT LENGTH over the course of this blog, even though I am not (currently, at least) slated for surgery. This is because:

I am taller (and wider) than both guys in question, so if it fits me, it will fit them and probably be the 'right' amount of oversized. I intend to post measurements for everyone when I get to it so you have a better idea, but keep in mind I intend to post measurements of clothing that fits the way we want them to fit after surgery, NOT body measurements, because that is the set of measurements I am using to buy clothes.

I will be the person who keeps these clothing items after surgery is done for the most part (though the guys are not afraid of wearing a super oversized shirt for funsies)

The very first thing I noticed is that Amazon is backordered on a LOT of 5X/6X men's clothing, especially their Essentials line. Not just a little backordered either, but using the same terminology they use for items that have been openly discontinued. I suspect it's supply chain issues combined with figuring nobody is buying them anyway, but I have to admit I'd buy Amazon Essentials 5X or 6X hoodies for some insane price like $26 and be very, very happy with it.

But it wouldn't have made for a very interesting blog post, either.

Fruit of the Loom, a perennial cheap favorite, only goes up to 4X, and Hanes stops at 3X for zippered hoodies. Dickies stops at 3X, and Carhartt, definitely nobody's cheap option, stops at a 4X.

In mid-weight hoodies, it pretty much left me with Champion, though not every style comes in larger sizes. I bought a Thermal Lined Hoodie in Heather Grey because it was dramatically cheaper than the other colors (though I paid 39.99 and it's going for a good bit cheaper than that now), but they also have a Heavyweight Hoodie without the thermal lining that's less expensive that I might buy in Olive so we have a second hoodie. There's other options, too.

Amazon sucks, but they're the only place I found carrying some of these sizes and styles (not even on Champion's own website), and they're carrying them for about 60% of the price of anywhere else. If you absolutely cannot do it, King Size catalog has a single Champion style in the right sizes for a lot more.

After all of that, how is it?

I have two big issues, both of which I'd say are solidly my fault

first, I was (somehow) unaware that a "thermal lined" hoodie would have a plastic-y lining in the sleeves to protect your arms from water and wind. Very useful as an outer layer (and I wish it was an options more places) but it'd SO loud and crinkly. So this hoodie is probably fantastic for running errands in the spring and fall, but it's less great when you're laid up after surgery.

second, my hoodie arrived with a zipper that's busted. The tab of the zipper is metal, but the teeth are plastic, so I have some missing teeth and some badly bent teeth, and now the zipper pull is bent as well from trying to get it unstuck. We'll have to replace the zipper to get much use out of it. If I had caught it sooner, i might have been about to return it, but the return window closed about a month ago.

Past the zipper, I have no issues with the quality of it, and it seem like a nice, fairly heavy hoodie otherwise. So once I replace the zipper, I'll be quite pleased with it, even if it's not ideal for recovering from surgery.

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Clothing - Robes (Part 1)

Robes might be one of the most important items for top surgery, but it ended up so far down my list because, well, looking for robes sucks. It sucks a lot. If you're over an XL, apparently you don't own a robe? Or want one? And if you're over a 2X, it's a nightmare.

I am going to stick to robes you would use for lounging, as a "bathrobe" made of terrycloth is a different can of worms entirely and probably not how you are intending to use it if you're looking at a top surgery blog.

It seems like the place to start is with Amazon's plus size waffle robe, a cotton/poly blend that comes in a limited set of solid colors and is available in up to 6X in men's and up to a 2X in women's (The women's robes have listings up to 7X, but nothing above a 2X has been available in quite some time).

Alexander Del Rossa is a pretty popular brand of sleepwear/robes that sells their full range of sizes on their website as well as on amazon. The hooded bathrobe is fleece and comes up to an 8X in several solid colors and patterns. The store's website is pretty upfront about the available sizes for various items, with most robes available in up to 4X and 6X to 8X available in some styles. Their sleepwear selection isn't nearly as robust (it looks pretty typical for a lot of clothing, mostly to XL for women with a couple to 2X and most men's stuff to 3X), but the robe pricing isn't terrible.

Unlike a lot of my other clothing recs, I haven't personally bought either of these (I already have multiple robes and neither of these are what I'd buy to replace what I have), but they come with a lot of user reviews both on amazon and in places like subreddits for plus-size fashion, so for the pricepoint/etc I think they are quite good options that don't require a huge investment.

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Clothing - Those #%*&^% Pajamas

I feel like progressing to Pajamas in this blog requires that I start out by addressing, on the whole, Eberjey Pajamas.

That is because if you have run even a single internet search for button-up pajamas for after a mastectomy, these pajamas (or one of their many clones) will appear, guaranteed.

The original pajamas are Straight Size Only (up to XL), so I can't comment on the quality or durability specifically, but I can synthesize data to decide they are almost certainly not worth paying Brand Name Prices for.

Since it's summer, I'm going to do all of these as shirt/short sets, but all of these come in shirts/pants, too.

Eberjey has several styles of pajamas in several different fabrics, but the ones in question are their Giselle pajamas, which look like this

These pajamas are 95% modal, 5% spandex and they START at $128 for a shirt/shorts set like the one shown.

Modal is, of course, a cotton alternative that is pretty much rayon with a different thickness/drape and a lot more ad copy about how environmentally friendly it is (the truthfulness of which is a bit beyond the scope here but there's a lot of resources available). Tencel, one of the brand name modal fabrics, has (allegedly) an even better weight, drape, and environmental impact than regular no-name modal. Eberjey's pajamas are made from Tencel, not unbranded modal yarn.

I realize everyone is different, but I bought a pair of modal pajamas and I'm not really a fan. It feels really slick compared to cotton (almost greasy), has kind of a strange weight/drape in between a decent cotton and polyester, and it seems to almost naturally be cold compared to ambient air, which might be an advantage to some people in some situations but it's not really ideal for me.

Unlike a lot of lower-priced dupes, the other pajamas available that are dupes of Eberjey are all made of the same fabric, give or take (I suspect they are regular modal, not Tencel. I'm unsure if a layperson wearing pajamas would even be able to notice a difference).

Target's dupe is a perennial favorite for recovery from mastectomies of all types, and it's easy to see why. It comes up to a 4x (which looks like maybe a true 4x, according to the sizing chart) and has a variety of patterns if you're not looking for a vaguely gender neutral solid-with-piping Eberjey clone, and the shirt/shorts set is less than $25.

Land's End also sells a dupe (allegedly a true Tencel dupe, not just a regular modal one) up to a 3X. They don't have quite as many sizes or patterns as Target, but if you watch for sales you can get them for a bit cheaper than Target's version. These are the ones I bought, and I paid about $17 for a shirt/shorts set. I'm not a huge fan of modal in general, but they are wrinkle-free, comfortable, and fit me well in the 3x. They'll definitely get worn even if I have to pick and choose situations where I'd like to be a little colder.

If you absolutely, positively need the largest size range in this product, Amazon has a similar-but-not identical cotton/modal/elastane that goes up to 7X (though you may only have 1 or 2 color options above a 2X) for a similar price as the Target or Land's End.

I was shocked to discover, in the course of my research, that none of the shops I normally associate with vaguely trendy plus-sized women's clothing have dupes of these pajamas! I'm not ACTUALLY shocked (I feel like they're run by people who pick and choose which trends to follow based on what they think will make money, not actual popularity and market deficiencies, but again, not the scope of this write-up!) but I feel like it's a huge missed opportunity to sell something that's super popular in straight sizes so you can "match" your siblings or friends or or whatever or just have something that's on-trend and feels semi-expensive.

There's other options in the mid-range bracket—I know Gap sells near-dupes of these pajamas as well up to 2X (though they are sold as separates if that is a plus for you)—but they're more like 50% of Eberjey's prices instead of 20%, and most of the blatant Eberjey clones are nearly identical in price to the original. A lot of the dupes don't have any increased size ranger over Eberjey either (so no larger than an XL), which is an interesting choice but I'm no longer shocked by that sort of clownery anymore.

Will these last as long as the Eberjey pajamas? It's doubtful, but if you can buy 4 or 5 sets for the same price, I'm not sure it's a real concern.

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Clothing - Hoodies (Part 2)

I don't know if we'll need a warmer sherpa-lined hoodie (it'll depend on the season of both surgeries I'm sure), but I found that Gary Com was running a sale on their sherpa-lined jacket in red marled, which I suspect was overstocked because it's, you know, pink. I got it for 29.31, which is a considerable discount.

Had I read the listing more carefully, I probably wouldn't have gotten it at all (since they recommend sizing up TWO sizes if you're a plus-size), but I bought the 3X and it's...fine? I don't think any smaller would suffice (and the sleeves are weirdly long). It's got enough space to layer stuff under it, and I suspect I'll wear it a good bit in that in-between weather. The zipper looks a lot sturdier than the Champion, too.

The last hoodie was a bit of a whimsical purchase that I discovered while I was looking for other clothing. It definitely fits the criteria of post-surgical clothing, even if it doesn't seem the most practical.

Woman Within's Long Hooded Fleece Sweatshirt Robe is a mind-boggling 53 inches (135 cm) long and is ankle-length on me, and that's the standard length. There's a "petite" that's only 50 (127 cm), and you have to get a similar-but-not identical robe to get anything shorter. (One of the guys wanted the 50-inch one in spite of being super short, like "127 cm is way too long" short, and he just lets it drag on the ground).

WW is a FASCINATING store. WW also has a unique clothing sizing system that I like immensely that makes every size about 2 sizes larger than they would be anywhere else. WW has an amazon storefront, and their own store. Their store often runs sales, but be aware they are currently charging $23.98 for regular ground shipping via their website, and there doesn't seem to be a price threshold at which that is waived. Their amazon storefront doesn't carry every product the website does, and doesn't carry clearance items, but you'll avoid that brutal shipping fee.

The stitching on the two robes we bought varies wildly in quality (one of them, the cuffs will probably need resewn at some point), and the lining also varies wildly. We have one that's been washed twice and looks brand new, and one that's been washed twice and lining is all pilled.

So this is the part where I tell you hate it and I spent $40 EACH on them and regret it, right?

Unfortunately, we love them. We wear them all the time. They're as warm as a hoodie but substantially lighter on the shoulders and neck, which can be nice if you have something like migraines and that weight makes a difference. They are partially synthetic but don't get stiflingly hot like synthetics tend to. The synthetic lining might pill a little but the cotton (or cotton blend) exterior still looks brand new. We have FINALLY retired them for the summer now that it's 28C most days, but I suspect they will come right back out if we get sick or get chilly from the AC.

As a bonus: a picture of the exact robe that I got. Tell me this doesn't look amazing.

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Masterpost

Top Surgery Categories

Part 0: Introduction

About This Organizational System

Part 1: Resources

By Type:

Nutrition Resources

Prepping References

Recovery References

Scar Care References

Shopping References

Surgery References

By Source:

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Strategist

wrenseyeview's google doc

Part 2: Clothing

Flannel shirts

Hoodies

Pajamas

Robes

Part 3: Entertainment

Apps

Books

Part 4: Quality of Life (No posts so far)

Part 5: Personal Care

Skincare

Part 6: Snacks (No posts so far)

Part 7: Miscellaneous

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