I used to love fashion. Shopping was my addiction. I enjoyed the ease of going into Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe and being able to pick out anything I wanted just like all my friends. They always had my size. But in recent years, I have put on weight and I'm now an extra large which I can find in some places but if I want or need a bigger size, I can forget about buying that cute dress.

Now, I often face the always small selection of "plus size" items in Forever 21 that are in stores. There's a larger online shop. ($, Sizes 12-20 or XL-3X)

Plus sizes are available in select stores according to the Charlotte Russe website. Mostly, they go up to size 16 in most regular jeans and 14 in most of the colored jeans and their largest size is an extra large, in store. Online there is a nice selection of bigger sizes. ($, 1X-3X or 16-22)

Torrid is a plus size store for young women that has physical stores in most states but there is one location close to me but it is not open yet so if I wanted, I would have to shop online. You can also check to see if there is a location near you, here. ($$, sizes 12-28)

From this, we see that most shopping needs to be done online. The pros are not having to leave your house and it's faster than going through racks upon racks of clothes. The cons are, you can't try anything on. It's hard enough to find things in your size and at least with most stores you can try on a few things and know your size and then order online. When you're shopping plus, that luxury isn't there. And what if you hate what you ordered? Then you have to return it and sometimes even pay extra to ship it back.

Another issue plus size women face is that a lot of the time, clothes in our size is expensive. If you're in your twenties, you're most likely living on a college budget and only work part time and you don't want to pay $40 for a plain white t-shirt.

Nonetheless, I have compiled a list of plus size online stores aside from the ones already mentioned that have cute, on trend clothes for young women ready to flaunt what they got.

1. Ashley Stewart ($$)

Ashely Stewart has some really cute dresses and a nice selection of swimwear. Their sizes range from 8-26. They give the option to shop by outfit, as well. They also have stores in 22 states.

2. ASOS Curve and Plus Size ($$-$$$)

ASOS' carries sizes 6-26. They carry anything from casual wear to formal wear.

3. Eloquii($$)

Eloquii carries sizes 14-24. They also have addition section for sizes 26 and 28. They have a wide variety of peplum tops which I LOVE .

4. Carmakoma ($$$)

They carry sizes 10 through 24 but label 10 as XXS and 24 as XL. They have a more professional vibe but they're still very trendy and have some great jackets.

5. Fashion to Figure ($$)

Sizes 12 to 24 but sized as 1 through 4. Great dresses for nights out with the girls or date nights.

6. Simply Be ($)

They carry sizes 8-28. They have some really pretty tops for everyday looks.

7. City Chic Online ($$)

They carry sizes 14 through 24 and also label their sizes as XS through XXL. They have really nice selections for nightout tops and even some nice crop tops.

I hope that more physical stores open up around the country so that we can try on things before purchasing or maybe more stores will generally carry larger sizes and stop catering to the straight sized girls.

Online shopping is great and convenient but the search for quailty, high-fashion clothes can be difficult for tose looking for larger sizes. I hope this article helps you like it has me.

Happy Shopping!

**There are a few more physical stores such as Dressbarn, Lane Bryant, and Avenue that also cater to plus size clothing and I did not list them because they didn't have the fashion-forward items like the stores listed above. I do suggest them for more business-like, mature looks. They are better for select items in my experience. I highly recommend Avenue for boots if you have bigger calves.

If you'd like to contribute some stores I haven't mentioned, leave a comment below and let's help each other!