Fashion Tips for Plus Size Women

Now that you have a pretty good idea what you need to put into your plus size capsule wardrobe, as you work on your plus size closet, I wanted to give you some fashion tips for plus size women, that I think you will find helpful. These tips will help you define your rules, and help you make the purchases you plan to make more refined.

 

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Don’t Compare Yourself With Fruit

I’ve seen all over the internet, talk about apple shaped figures and pear shaped bodies. Don’t pay attention to these. They can be great guidelines, but nobody, and I mean NOBODY fits in any one category on these charts. See the chart on the right?  Since when have you seen women of all the same height?  My point exactly! You are an individual, and anytime someone lumps you into a category, you give up some of that individuality. The suggestions I’m going to make can work for just about anyone. Here again, trial and error will help you decide if these fashion tips for plus size women will work for you.

I Love Black! But I’m Not Stuck On Black

I saw a pretty funny meme once that said, “I will quit wearing black when they come up with a darker color!” I love this quote because I love black.  And I’m not the only one!  I like how I look in it. I like that I can find just about any garment in black. I love how it goes with everything. However, black can look harsh against some skin types, plus there are occasions, such as weddings and baby showers, where black is kind of inappropriate. Also, all black makes for a boring wardrobe, and that’s not what we’re about! I learned that there are other neutrals that look just as good as black. I’ve been really into chocolate brown, navy blue, and slate. These colors take the edge off the harshness of black, and add interest to your wardrobe.  Please see examples below of me in black, brown, and blue, and judge for yourself:

Emphasize the Waist

Whether you are tall or short, round or square, everyone has a waist. Your waist is your smallest area of your body. It’s not going to be in the same place as everyone else’s. Your best bet is to find it on yourself. In general, everyone’s smallest part of the body is right under your rib cage. A rule of thumb, for we round ladies, is to accentuate our narrowest part, at the bottom of the rib cage, and then let garments float away from the rest of our round attributes.

This can be done with scarves and belts, or with garments themselves. For example, blouses with a babydoll cut usually have a natural break above the rib cage and then a flowy bottom half that floats away from the belly and hips. Peplums also emphasize a waist, however they usually hit me wrong, so this is one fashion tip that does not work for me.

Take a look at these examples of me with and without my sash enphasizing my waist:

De-Emphasize The Hips (If You Want To)

Some of us feel like our hips are too wide, compared to the rest of our bodies, but some of us want to show off that booty! To me, it depends on the day. There are days when I feel like a wide-load elephant, and days when I feel like a curvy vixen. I’m sure all of you have those same issues, with everything in between.

Here’s how you de-emphasize your wide hips. If you are already emphasizing your narrowest part at the rib cage and letting the rest of your garment float away, wear a bottom (wide leg trousers or a maxi skirt) that has a straight line from the shoulder. This gives the illusion of an hour-glass shape and makes your hips look more proportional.  Here, see examples of emphasis and de-emphasis of the hips:

 

Draw The Eye Up to Your Face

Your prettiest part of your body is your face. EVERY woman has a pretty face. It doesn’t matter the trials and physical challenges you have been through, your face is a reflection of who you are, and it is the unique part of you. So if you don’t like your body, wear clothing and accessories that draw the eye up to your beautiful face.

This can be accomplished with V-neck garments, but also pretty scarves and jewelry. Vertical lines in a garment can also draw the eye upward. Anything you can do to create the optical illusion of vertical-ness will emphasize your lovely face.  Here’s examples of drawing the eye up to my face:

Show Some Skin

I know, as a plus size woman, that the animal instinct is to hide and cover up our flaws. However, I have seen that exposing your arms and legs can balance out a round tummy and large hips. It sounds really weird that this would work, but try it. It floored me when I saw the difference. It’s funny because now that I have started exposing more of my body (tastefully!) I long for summer when I can wear my dresses and shorts and can show more leg and shoulder.  Here are some examples of covering up vs. showing some skin:

Color, Texture, Pattern, Shine

Make sure your outfits have elements of interest. The mundane pants and shirt, pants and shirt, day after day, can create boredom in your wardrobe, especially if you are going with a small capsule wardrobe, where you have limited pieces to wear. So you will want to add in elements that make your outfits interesting.

You can do this by adding color, texture, pattern, and shine to your outfits. Add color with a solid color blouse or a scarf. Add texture in your neutral core clothing by varying types of textiles used to make the pieces, such as heavy denim or light twill or herring bone stitching. Also add patterned clothing such as a trouser in Glen Plaid (Glen Plaid is considered a neutral because from a distance, it looks like a solid color). And here’s another tip that might surprise you: metallics are neutral. You can add in a metallic shoe or scarf. And don’t be afraid to mix metallics. You don’t have to be all silver or all gold. You can wear a mix of both, plus add some copper or pewter in the mix. Remember, no other-people rules! Mixing in the elements of color, texture, pattern, and shine make your outfits as individual as you are, so go ahead and play!  Here’s an example of adding one item that hits the color, texture, pattern, and shine:

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Psst!  Where did you get those clothes?

My favorite stores are Amazon, Target, Walmart, Ashley Stewart,  Kiyonna, and Ulla Popken,

But here’s where I got the specific items for my pictures:

• Black 3/4 sleeve open cardigan – Walmart, off the rack
• Black maxi skirt – Amazon, in a two pack with a gray maxi skirt
• Black lace cami – Lane Bryant online (some items available at Amazon)
• Black ballet flats – Target online
• Chocolate brown blouse – Woman Within online (some items available at Amazon)
• Chocolate trousers – Just My Size online(some items available at Amazon)
• Brown ballet flats – Target online
• Chambray indigo blouse, pin tucked with mandarin collar – Woman Within online (some items available at Amazon)
• Navy blue trousers – Just My Size online (some items available at Amazon)
• Royal blue v-neck cover up with tassel tie back – Lane Bryant online (some items available at Amazon)
• Black jeggings – Walmart off the rack
• Black jersey scarf/sash – Amazon
• Black t-shirt – freebee from my office manager job
• Silver tone character necklace – sales prize from my old MLM company
• Navy blue burnout sleeveless flounce dress – Lane Bryant online (some items available at Amazon)
• Black striped metallic scarf – Walmart off the rack

Wear Anything That Makes You Feel Confident

If you like it, and you feel it looks good on you, wear it. Feeling confident is the whole purpose behind your plus size capsule wardrobe. However, if you want to try some of these fashion tips for plus size women, go for it. Feeling confident in your clothing is great, but using these tips can push your already strong confidence in some really great directions! So go ahead and experiment with these tips. And let me know how they worked for you!

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