Leggings - do or don't?

Today I took my first shopping trip post gastric bypass. I looked online at dresses at Kohl's because I was looking for a long sweater/sweater dress that I could wear with leggings and a belt around the middle. It's quite out of character for me as I have not worn leggings since I was in junior high and believe that heavier women should not partake in legging wearing. With that being said, I've completed my fair share of fashion education and decided to give it a whirl.

Before gastric bypass, okay even now, I get so disgusted with plus size clothing. There are so many things that could be flattering on heavier women and those things aren't flowered muumuus, shapeless blouses and corduroy-like sweat pants. There are young women who are plus sized and there isn't enough to wear for us. Oh wait, Lane Bryant and Avenue are the exceptions. Then you have the "plus size" clothes at places like Target. Their version of 2x is actually just a regular L.

Anyway, back to my story. Today was my first shopping trip. I found the dress I was looking for in the junior section. Ugh, I KNEW it wouldn't fit. I got the extra large and tried it on and guess what? It fit! It wasn't very flattering, but -- IT. FIT. I examined the clothes closer in that particular section and realized that they were not constructed to hold the - ahem - larger bust that women tend to have. I went over to the "misses" section and browsed. The clothes were better constructed and so I went crazy just pulling things. Everything I tried on in XL fit perfectly. Some things were more snug, some just didn't look right, but it's that way no matter where you go, right? For fun, I also pulled a 1X of something from the "plus" (plus what?!) section. It was baggy, frumpy and incredibly unflattering. I ended up with 3 new sweaters, and I found a sweater dress which I'd gone to buy anyway. It wasn't the exact one, but it is a pretty purple. I also bought a pair of leggings. Yes, I did. When I tried the entire outfit on at home and showed my hubby, I received a nice smile and "wow!"