Lane Bryant

I come here often since there aren’t too many places for bigger ladies to shop. I think the quality of clothing has improved a lot in the last few years and the stuff is generally a lot less dowdy. I like the new active line a lot. The sales associates here are usually not great– there are a few friendly ones and a few not at all friendly ones. Recently I was there and there was a GREAT associate named Crystal who was so much help and she gave me some options to complete an outfit that I would never have chosen myself and that I really loved. I don’t know if she works at reston full time or if she was just there for the bra fitting event but she was fabulous, nice, helpful and had style– exactly the kind of person I want helping me. I hope she stays at reston.

I was there today and also found all the sale signs to be wrong. When I questioned them, I got tons of attitude. The salesperson also tried to tell me that my coupon was only good if I spent twice as much as I had; again, when I pointed out that the coupon said otherwise, I got major attitude. The salesperson only admitted the mistake when I said that I preferred to leave without buying anything at all. The store is really small and disorganized. I’d much rather drive a little farther and go to the Fair Lakes store than go to this location again.

Went here yesterday. All the sales signs were wrong. Supposedly one of the workers was supposed to change them the night before (this was 1pm). Spoke with the manager, she was unbelievably rude. Left 2 hours later mad as could be.

Ok, so I have slowly spread into that awkward area between «misses» and «womens» clothes and awkward really is the best word for it. Lane Bryant to the rescue since their sizes start around 14.
Pros:
They carry terrific wardrobe staples for work like their Cityology trousers and camis and blouses with various sleeve lengths.
The wardrobe staples tend to go on sale fairly frequently.
Cons:
The quality of their clothing isn’t ideal. Don’t plan on finding a wool gabardine in here. Adjust your expectations.
While we’re talking about quality, the price for quality is pretty crap unless you’re purchasing items on sale.
They still tend to stock «fat lady items» in with the trendy stuff and Just Don’t Do It. Really. You’re better than that tunic. Step Away From the Tunic!
Overall, I’d suggest sticking to staples and buying the better quality stuff (especially suits) elsewhere. As a woman with a large chest who carries her weight on the bottom, I’m learning a lot about my clothing options and it’s unfortunate that Elisabeth (the Liz Claiborne plus size store) closed their doors because they were my favorite.