Last year, Fashion Bug announced that it was closing the doors on their chain of women's clothing stores.
Over the years, my wife and I did a lot of shopping at Fashion Bug; so much so that one store assistant manager asked me if I would like to be a model in one of their seasonal fashion shows.
I bought some very nice tops, sweaters, and dresses at Fashion Bug and they almost always had my size. Also, their sizes were very consistent; Size 12 fit the same no matter what item you tried on.
My favorite Fashion Bug purchase was a cocktail dress (see photo) that I found on a clearance rack. It was beautiful and I always received compliments when I wore it.
I miss the Bug and now I realized another one of my favorite clothing stores has fallen by the wayside: Newport-News.
I go way back with Newport-News --- so far back that I bought frocks from their mail-order catalog when they were called “Avon Fashions.” The first time I attended a trans support group meeting, I was wearing a Newport-News dress and over the years, my wardrobe has included many dresses, skirts, tops, and shoes from Newport-News, which I purchased at very reasonable prices.
Spiegel basically absorbed Newport-News and although it still uses the Newport-News brand at its online outlet store, Newport-News is essentially dead. Their URL (www.newport-news.com/) sends you to the Spiegel website, where you will find nothing new in the Newport-News line.
Like the Bug, I miss Newport-News and I also miss the old Spiegel. Their prices were always higher than Newport-News, but not sky-high as they are today. And worse, their sizes now run small --- so small that their largest sizes no longer fit me.
C'est la vie!
Contestant femulating in the Covington County (Mississippi) Hospital womanless beauty pageant, 2012.
Wearing Armani.