My best suggestion on coats is to buy a larger one and have it tailored. :yes:
Thanks, Ruffian12. I followed your link–those are really good-looking boots.
I love your post, Northern Child. I agree with you.
Nobody in the US has the larger sized boots (I have big feet too) in the wide calf, so I’m thinking about ordering from Europe. When you were going to order from sweden, were you going to get your boots directly from MH, or from a store there?
Hi everyone 
I make ribbon belts (I’m not advertising, because it’s currently more hobby than business). I recently made one in a larger size for a friend.
Being “womanly” myself, I’m often frustrated that the sizes of cute things in tack stores run small.
But then, like a lemming, I made tiny belts!
Do you think there’s a market for bigger fun accessories like belts?
yes, as long as they are flattering to the body. I put on a very cute looking white belt once and my DH said I looked like SATURN. 
We’ve posted on here a lot about different makes of breeches/tights and I’m now at the point where I’ve got to buy some new ones. This afternoon at the barn I noticed that the front seam of my Devonaires was coming unstitched. They’re about a year or two old so I guess this isn’t surprising, but since I had a couple of seams come unstitched in a brand new pair some time ago, I really don’t want to buy another pair of that brand.
So that leaves Irideon, Boink, and Body Chemistre (and On Course?) to choose from. I’ve read posts about the different brands and I guess what I wish is that we could do a sort of survey–who has tried these brands and which do you like best? (I got my Body Chemistre tights at State Line and I love them but the store is sold out and the catalog doesn’t have them. My local tack shop can order them, but for all I know I’d prefer another brand). So …
Which do you think is the best/worst? Irideon, Boink, Body Chemistre, On Course, other? Why?
I wear XL in Body Chemistre and Devonaire, and about 1X (22?) in jeans and trousers.
I’ve got some of the On Course full seats. They are a traditional looking breech (more a breech weight than a tight weight, with zipper and snap) and you can get them in knee patch style too. The full seat tends to not fit my, er, full seat, properly – it’s baggy. But this is a problem I frequently have with full seat breeches. I also have some older On Course pull on breeches. Although they don’t have the zipper, they are more a breech weight than the weight of pull-on riding tights.
I have some of the Boink full seat breeches, which are a thinner weight, more like tights, and the full seat material isn’t as thick. I wear these in summer because they are a lighter weight (but they aren’t the summer ones). They are pretty stretchy, and long, and, did I mention, they are pretty stretchy? That’s good or bad depending on what you like. Mine have some pilling on the front of the legs, because I’m not especially careful what I do when I’m wearing them. I also zipped the calf part of one pair of my Boinks into my half chaps, which made a lovely whole. Definitely a less traditional look in the Boinks (the pull on ones, at least; I think they are available with zipper and snap but I don’t have those). I have the winter Boinks which are fleece inside and smooth outside and I love 'em. Nice and warm, and because they’re smooth outside, hay and shavings don’t stick to them.
What suprised me the most is that I like the Irideon pull on breeches they are called Cadence) that have a corduroy look. They are mostly polyester, and I usually hate polyester breeches, but so far they are comfortable. We’ll see what I think when it’s hotter. They do already have some pilling on the front of the thighs, but they seem like a nice sturdy fabric that will last a long time. I like the Irideon Windpro too, for winter, but they are not as warm as the Boink winter breeches. I tried one style of the Irideon breeches that I didn’t like – I think it was the Powerstretch style. They are very stretchy and feel think, and I could have bought a smaller size. I ended up wearing them under my snow pants on a cold day, because they are fleece lined and feel cozy, but don’t feel like I’d want to ride in them.
I’ve looked at the IRideon Issential breeches in the store, and the fabric looks kind of icky, so I haven’t tried them.
Gee, can you tell I’ve spent a lot of time trying out breeches? So few styles come in my size, so I try to try them all and see what works best. I noticed that Ariat is now making some tights in size XXL. They are now making somem tops and jackets in that size too.
There are probably some other breeches that come in larger sizes (Dublin?) that I haven’t tried yet. Breeches are very frustrating for me. I wear a size 1X in pants (about a size 18?) but I have to buy size 2X or 3X in a lot of the breeches (especially the Irideon Windpros).
But I’m just happy that there are now breeches available in my size. When I started riding, about 20 years ago, I was about a size 12, and could only find one kind of Devon Aire breech that fit. How humiliating!
[QUOTE=Wellspotted;2321252]
We’ve posted on here a lot about different makes of breeches/tights and I’m now at the point where I’ve got to buy some new ones.
I wear XL in Body Chemistre and Devonaire, and about 1X (22?) in jeans and trousers.[/QUOTE]
Wellspotted, have a look on ebay, I have a listing you might be interested in.
I can’t offer a comparison on breeches, but I can comment on the On Course Shapelys. I adore mine - they’re the knee patch variety - but they visually resemble tights more closely than, say, the Tailored Sportsman sort. I don’t mind this, particularly since the material is heavy enough to eliminate most panty line, but I understand that the real show ring (ie. not the one at my home barn!) doesn’t favor the painted-on look. :yes:
I wear a size 38 in these and don’t find that they amplify my size or make me look disproportionate, which is always my concern when wearing stretchy pants in public. 
Pretty darn happy with them, and am looking forward to whittling down to a size 36 so I can get lots of colors.
Tried the Shapely’s… they’re okay but they just aren’t my favorite. They’re the ones I have around as a last resort. (well, I guess THAT says something, huh?)
I love, Love, LOVE the Irideon Cadence full seats. Did I say that I LOVE them!?!?! 
They stretch, they’re LONG enough (I’m 5’11") and the cord texture is very forgiving. I’ve worn them in the heat of summer and the cold of winter - well, for as extreme as So. Cal. gets, anyway. :winkgrin:
They go up to 3X (which translates to 22-24 in jeans sizes, I guess.)
(just be aware that if you order X sizes through Dover, they tend to be backordered often)
But do they have a Shapely-like cut? That’s what I do like about the Shapelys; I am not crazy about the fabric at all, but I love me a good Real Woman cut.
My experience with Boink is mixed. I ADORE my double-layer winter breeks which are polarfleece inside and nylon outside. I also am madly in loff with my other winter pair for comfort… they are the one-layer, but polarfleece inside/smooth outside… however there is little to no support or ‘coverage’ of jiggles and bumps. :uhoh:
The 2x are too big, but the XL are too small. I loved the winter ones so much I tried a pair of regular weight and just find them NOT cut right at all.
I have older On Course shapelys in a high cotton content that I ADORE for fit and wear… problem is they fade. The black always looks slightly dirty because they’ve faded. The “fawn” colour is wearing better, but I don’t have many things to match. :lol:
The Cotton Naturals in Plus-but-not-shapely are HUGE in the waist for me these days, and the full seats are baggy in the seat. I can teach in them (no chub rub wear, thanks to the fullseat) but I can’t actually RIDE in them. They tend to bind.
I’m with Coreene that I want a slightly smaller waist, but then I need ROOM in the hips (a LOT of room in the hips :uhoh: ) and roomy thighs.
I just tried on my size 16 jeans today, and we’re almost there. It’s more of a thigh and ‘apron’ issue than waist. Getting there. Slow but sure. My goal is to fit into and look good in a shad by the time Himself is ready to show that level. I think it’s fair and reasonable. Took me 10 or 15 years to gain it, should probably take 5 or so total to loose it. (3 down, 2 to go!)
BUT–even at my skinniest, best weight, I will STILL have boobs and hips. I was just born in the wrong time, I’m supremely Rubinesque. :sigh:
[QUOTE=ThreeHorseNight;2319499]
Nobody in the US has the larger sized boots (I have big feet too) in the wide calf, so I’m thinking about ordering from Europe. When you were going to order from sweden, were you going to get your boots directly from MH, or from a store there?[/QUOTE]
i was going to contact Mountain Horse directly, in Sweden. Their contact info is on the homepage. I think it is www.mountainhorse.se.
Good luck!
I think what I may do is wait 'til I have lots of money and then order a pair of each brand. I need a few pair of tights for summer schooling–and it is already as hot as summer here. :mad:
I don’t think there’s another schooling show scheduled 'til next fall, so I won’t need white breeches 'til then and Dover has one brand that has white tights in “plus” sizes. If I can’t show in tights I guess I just won’t show at all.
At least that’s better than the tack shop when I first started riding years and years ago–they did not have buff or canary or russet breeches or jodhpurs in my size; just bell-bottomed “Kentucky” jodhpurs. I really loved that style (I wasn’t wearing tall boots then, either), but I wanted the flared-top breeches/jods like the ones I saw at the barn. I love the modern fabrics but I do think the pleated, flared breeches might be more flattering to a rubenesque figure like mine. 
Thanks, everyone!
Wellspotted, the Irideon Cadence comes in white in plus sizes (1X, 2X, 3X) in full seat and knee patch. The On Course come up to size 40 in white, in full seat. You could show in either of those. The Cadence also comes in a willow color, which seems to be an off-white, almost light grey color. I used to have a pair of breeches in this color, and I loved them. More forgiving than white breeches, but they looked good. I am about to order a pair from Adams Horse and Pet Supplies because there is free shipping if you order $100 or more (the breeches are $95). Because I can’t find breeches in my size in local stores, I try to order them from online stores when they have a free shipping deal. Then if they don’t fit, I send them back, and it’s only cost me the return shipping. Not an ideal way to shape, but it’s the only way I can try on stuff in plus sizes.
Check out the Boink website too. Sometimes they have closeouts, including plus sizes.
Why not just cruise ebay?? As far as schooling and small shows, I liked TuffRiders and On Course the best. I don’t have the $$ for much else, but tried a friends Boink’s and Mountain horse ones and loved them. I didn’t feel so “fat” in them I guess, they sorta “held” The Tuff Riders were comfy, but felt too spandex-y(not a word, I know) The OnCourse ones were nice but the pair I had were too long in the waist. They were still comfy though.
I am not sure… but I can tell you that I have a shapely-like cut! :lol: There’s a picture of me next to the word “hourglass” in the dictionary.:winkgrin:
The thing about the Irideons is that they have amazing stretch, so they sort of hug you in the right places. I think they actually fit my very female form better than the Shapelys do.
(AND they’re on sale at Dover this week… woohooO!)
Another vote for equissentials…
I know other people have posted about their equissentials breeches, but I am posting to say I got mine in about a week and they are perfect!!! The derrskin is super grippy, the fit is great and they look like they will last a looooong time. I am so happy, plum breeches that fit like a glove!
Okay… I have completed my ordering/returning of every pair of schooling/show breeches known to man.
Firstly, in order to assist people who may be shaped similarly to me:
I am 5’7" and I think I’m whats called short-waisted. When I get low rises they fit me like normal. Most of my pants, jeans and whatnots are a sz. 16 though in some things I can get away with a 14 and in few things I’m an 18. I’m thick through the waist but not much extra in the hips/thighs. Typical problem I have with breeches is that they are too small for my waist but fit everywhere else, or they fit my waist but the crotch is hanging down near my knees and the knee patches are on my calves. So anyways… if that sounds like YOU - Here you GO!
For schooling breeches:
I ended up with the On Course Cotton Naturals Low Rise Knee Patch Breeches in size 34
For when you want to look kinda nice but don’t need to spend the big bucks like schooling shows, etc:
Ariat Sport Selec Side Zip Low Rise in size 36
For when you want to look fancy-schmancy:
Ariat Pro Circuit Side Zip Breeches Low Rise sz. 36
Also, I FINALLLLLLLLLLYYYYYY got the Devon-Aire Nouvelle XXWide calf boots I ordered. They’re pretty nice looking for the low cost and they do fit me. They’ll be fine once they drop. My calves measure about 17 1/4 and they won’t zip up but I can -easily- pull them on. Thankfully because they don’t have boot pull loops. Oh, and I got size 9.5
Sorry it took me forever to get back to this thread.
Joining in late… I had to have a pair of custom Vogels made to fit my 18 1/4" calves w/ zippers. STILL DONT $%)*$&% FIT!!! :mad:
Of course I get custom equissentials, because I’m a snob and love them so
