Okay so the opinions I share below are just mine. I am no professional in the dressing yourself world. My only prerequisites are 1. I like to shop 2. I have been dressing myself since I was 2ish and 3. I have an opinion. Please feel free to comment and discuss. I think we all learn by communicating!
Today we are dressing the tall, proportionally plus size woman. She is young, and wants to look trendy, but tasteful. You can find some great stuff online, at plus-sized specific stores, but you can also find stuff at major retailers and department stores. Here are some rules we (G and I) follow when we are shopping.
1. Throw the numbers out the window and shop for fit. One horrible gripe I have regarding women's clothing is there really is no baseline in this country. A size 16 here fits like a size 12 there. So do not get hung up on the numbers!
2. Try things on....unless you are a tortured soul who live in the wilderness like G, please try on. Take a friend with you and hopefully she is honest enough to tell you when you look like a chubby hooker in that silver bandage dress.
3. Go for universally flattering shapes. For the plus size that is going to be fitted, not spandex, but you will not want to wear a garbage bag either. Empire waist on a top or dress is ALWAYS going to hide a fuller midsection!
4. A straight leg/boot cut/trouser jean is going to show off you assets (longer legs) in a very natural and appropriate way. A flare is going to break you up and make you look shorter.
Check out some of these looks below!
First up, Shorts/Pants!
The first photo, is a pair of jeans with a boot cut leg. They are working great for this model. I like the second picture, because if you are going to do a Bermuda type short, make sure it hits high enough above the knee, or a few inches below. The middle picture the model is wear shorts that are an modest length, and if you are in the south like I am you need to have shorts as an option. Please notice they are not cuffed. You DO NOT want a cuff accentuating your thigh area...The wrong picture, should be obvious when you see it in the line up, but these shorts are tight, and cuffed (ew) and they chop her poor legs right off at the knee! Finally, we have what should be a staple for summer time. A nice length Capri. No matter how tall or short you are, this is where you should aim for your Capri pants to fall. They look great without cutting off the body!
Tops
All the tops on the top row are working! The tops on the bottom are clearly not working for the models, and they will not work for you either! Look at the shape of the top row. They have a empire waist (this is magical on anyone!) and the first top, while it doesn't have the same waist as the other three, it clearly draws the eye to the narrow, dark ruffle that is surrounding the neckline and then cascading down with some rouching. Rouching in the right area is magic, over use it and you have trouble! That being said, let's talk about the losers...The first, no shape...you will look like a lumpy pillow. Stripes...listen, I know this is a trend this Spring, and I want to tell you that you can use strips, just not jailbird ones skewed half-hazardly across your body. Now the peasant top is making this model (who in my opinion is not "plus size" anyway) look like a fluffy little marshmallow. Finally, the last atrocity, this all over pattern is not working AT ALL! If you are going to use a pattern or print, the size is very important, either go with big graphics or go home!
Dresses
The top two are realllllly working. The print on the first one creates a beautiful optical illusion! The empire waist is pulling in her middle and giving her a very nice shape. You can do prints, just do them right! The pink dress I wanted to show you because not only is it empire waisted, look at the straps...the way they are cut with draw in a broad shoulder and make it appear more narrow! The blue dress, well...she is just encased in this periwinkle tomb of blueness....it is not doing anything for her! If you do long, please break up the colors/textures...if not we will all be thinking (wow that is A LOT of blue fabric!!!) And the final dress I chose because it is color blocked. And although colorblocking is in, this is just not designed to be flattering on anyone!
I hope that you have enjoyed! What do you think? Am I right? Am I wrong? Do you know a great place to find plus sized trendy clothing that is not just the same shirt designed for a size 00 they just enlarged it to make you think it is wearable?! Please share!!! I want some feedback....I will be addressing some other body types, but honestly these rules are pretty standard across the board!
XOXO--Shanna
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