|
Going to the office, in plus-size style
23 comments
Get DRESSed
20 comments
Scarf tying 101: A photo essay
18 comments |
       |
You May Also Like
 Are You a "Closet Clutterer"?
Betsy Fein, Clutterbusters | 20th Aug 07  A Breast Pump Primer
Boston Mamas | 28th Jan 7 Tips to Help You Control Your Children's Clutter!!
Betsy Fein, Clutterbusters | 17th Aug 07  Maximize Your Compensation
Jo Miller | 31st Aug 07  Clean Out and Clean Up!
Jamee Tenzer, ACC | 1st Mar |
Not all bodies are created equal — some girls, for example, get the curves, while some girls don’t. And of course, as with all things about our bodies, we typically pine for what we don’t have (curly haired girls want straight hair, and vice versa) instead of working with — and appreciating — what we have.
Fashion media focuses on skinny girls — the models, even for plus-sized clothing, are wee little things without hips or breasts. But most women are not twee stick figures; real women come fully equipped with breasts and hips and thighs, and translating fashion trends from one extreme to the other can be tricky. The secret is not to start with the trends, but with your own shape. Rather than trying to smash your curvy self into skinny jeans and a tank top, learn to make fashion choices that make the most of what you have.
Today: Five basic tips for dressing your curvy best.
Photo courtesy of Lane Bryant
1. Boost your bust. The toss-away statistic is that 70% of women are wearing the wrong size bra. If you have lost or gained weight in the past six months or so, or if your body has gone through any other changes (weaning a baby, returning to the gym, menopause) it’s time for a bra fitting. And really, even if you are consistently the same size and weight, it doesn’t hurt to have your bra size checked every year or so, just to be sure. Go to a reliable fitter; many department stores offer fitting services, as do boutique lingerie stores. Nordstrom is THE place for bra fittings, though, just so you know.
2. Fit the widest parts of your body. Anything that pulls across your hips or breasts will make you look bigger; be sure that blouses and skirts and dresses fit your curves without gapping or stretching. The waistline can always be tailored. Jackets should button comfortably, even if you will never wear them that way.
(I want to stop here and say something about sizes — about the numbers on the tag. Too many women wear pieces that do not fit because they are caught up in the numbers game — by god I am NOT a size 18, I am a size 12 and that is what I am going to buy. It’s not just the curvy girls who do this, by the way; I was in a dressing room recently and overheard a sales woman offer to bring a customer the same skirt in a size 6. “Oh no,” the customer said, “I wear a 4.” But the 4 didn’t fit, see …
Look at the FIT, not the SIZE; you can always cut the tag out when you get home. Because wearing the wrong size, one that is too small OR too big, will make you look BIGGER, which is not what we’re going for, no matter what size you wear. If you have to go up a size — or two — to get the jacket to button across the chest or to get the skirt to lie flat across your hips, then do it. Please.)
3. Create a waist. When you are curvy, your waist often gets lost. Look for pieces that accentuate your waist: wrap tops and dresses, jackets and blouses with princess seaming, V-neck sweaters and tops, and trousers that fall from the widest part of the hip. Avoid empire waistlines and baby doll styling; that high waist makes your boobs melt right into your hips and thighs and leaves you looking rectangular. Experiment with three-quarter or bracelet length sleeves, too, which draw the eye to the waist rather than the hips.
4. Extend your leg line. Avoid cuffs, which cut off your leg at the ankle, and cropped pants that hit any higher than the ankle bone (and even then, choose a leg that falls straight from the widest part of your hips — absolutely NO tapered pants). Stick with mid-rise, flat-front trousers; hem them either for heels or flats, but keep the hem on the long side. For the longest possible line, wear pointy-toed shoes, or shoes with a square toe box. With skirts, match shoes and tights for a long, lean look; pair sheer black hose with black pumps, for example. Or match your hose to your skirt and add a pair of pointy shoes in a complimentary color — black skirt and tights with eggplant or plum shoes.
5. Carry the right size bag. Your bag should balance your body’s size and shape. If you are tall, you can carry a long, rectangular bag, while a petite woman might want to opt for something more square. Curvy girls should avoid wee tiny bags that tuck under the arm, as these will get lost behind your boob. Think about a hobo bag, or even a more substantial handbag or an over-sized clutch.
What’s YOUR secret for making your curves work for you? And where do you shop for great curvy girl clothes?
This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 at 5:21 am and is filed under basics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Tags: bags, blouse, clothes, flats, Gap, handbag, jacket, jeans, Nordstrom, pumps, shoes, sweater, Target
March 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
oh how i love this! i am ‘curvy’ and have a tiny waist (in comparison!) but not the HUGE boobs that most of the ‘bigger’ clothes tend to assume you have… this makes buying things like bouses tricky as my hips require at least a size larger that what fits my shoulder/chest. Generally i am lazy and dont get things tailored and just kind of go with it… it would look better if i got them tailored. sometimes i luck out and the cut works and i wear those pieces weekly until they are worn out LOL
summer is tough at work because i can’t really wear t-shirts to work! suggestions? other than tailoring blouses? (how does one find a good tailor?)
as for resources - i have had good luck with www.oldnavy.com online as they have a ‘womens’ line (the sizing overlaps their regular cloths which goes up to 20 but is cut smaller than the ‘womens’ which has larger sizes)
i also like Lord and Taylor’s womens section as they are more ‘classic’ but pricy (though have good sales!)
Lane bryant is good too, but sometimes they are a little too trendy and i wonder who wears some of those things!
I am not a fan of Talbot’s women - very boxy with no defined waist!
March 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I’m short and curvy (5′2″, size 18/20), and have a terrible time finding tops that fit my short torso. Pants I can find — Lane Bryant has been my go to for pants for the last couple of years — but skirts are nearly impossible. That being said, I’ve had good luck recently at Macy’s. The store closest to me has a decent-sized women’s plus department, and they have additional styles online that I didn’t see in the store.
March 4th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I’m 5′9, size 18/20 but I do have a 32 inch inseam so fitting is a challenge.
I do like Talbot’s but I agree they can be boxy in the jackets. Those always need to be tailored for me. But the pants fit me perfectly. I have long legs and it really helps.
Bloomingdale’s in Manhattan has a really impressive women’s section. Whenever I am in NYC I shop there and have everything shipped to my house. I’ve gotten great deals on beautiful dresses, also Eileen Fisher and other designer Gear. Eileen Fisher makes gorgeous pants that are soft, and easy to wear.
Lands’End is also a great place to shop for basics, the value is excellent for the money.
I just loved the seven for all mankind jeans they used to carry at Lane Bryant. I am sorry it was discontinued there. I have been forced to scrounge on eBay looking for pairs left over.
Lane Bryant in general though seems to now carry things for college and high school girls rather than professional women. So lately I’ve been migrating back to Saks for higher quality Ellen Tracy, Pendleton, etc for suits.
March 4th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Thank you so much for writing this! I am a curvy chick, and I end up sticking with the same boring pieces all the time because I can’t seem to figure out what works with my figure… post-babies, it’s even worse. But this is a huge help!
March 4th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Melinda! thanks for the tip on designers for suits! i am tall too (5′10″) and wear anything from an 18 - 22 depending on the style (so annoying to bring 3 sizes of the same thing into the fitting room… but i digress)
i have been SEARCHING for a good suit that actually at least comes close to fitting as pants always seem 1/2″ too short and jackets about 3″ too short! (what is UP with short jackets right at my widest hip point? hate that!)
i am so excited to look for these designers! LaneBryant is good for pants, but whole suits… not so much…
March 4th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Oh my goodness, Kate, I’m exactly the same way. I’m 6′1″ and have had the worst time trying to find suits. I’m also usually 2-3 sizes bigger on bottom than top, so I can’t buy suits in sets. It’s just a nightmare, isn’t it?
March 4th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
Susan, I love that you’re writing about this, and that you seem to be able to do it in a respectful way, your own slender point of view notwithstanding.
Total aside:
I wish that we could find a better euphemism than ‘curvy’ for those of us that left slender in the dust when we had babies. (OK, fine, when I hit puberty). Because there’s a difference between big and curvy. I am big/fat/big-busted/heavy/plus-sized/chunky/insert your favorite description here; I am not particularly curvy. By which I mean that my waist and hips are quite close to the same size as they have been since I was a full 40 pounds lighter than I am now. My bust is barely bigger. So was I curvy then? (big-busted) Or am I curvy now?
I appreciate the sensitivity of not wanting to just come right out and talk about style for fat girls, but I think there has to be some better way.
—– end totally off-topic rant
I’m all about the casual wear, so no suit advice from me, but I love Eddie Bauer. And I like the Levi’s jeans with numbers so that you know what you’re getting (as opposed to “slim fit”, for example, which can mean one thing one year and another the next). I’ve had pretty good luck at Target, Old Navy and Gap.
For dressier things, I like Ann Taylor — we have an outlet nearby, which almost makes the prices palatable!
Not that I WANT to be bigger, but I find myself in that awkward awkward spot where an XL is sometimes not quite enough through the bust (or tummy), but a 1X is just huge all over — the arms are too long, the armholes too big, I look like I’m swimming in it. Because I’m very short, being an XL+ means I do care about styles that flatter, but I’m not quite in the ‘right’ size for that. Frustrating.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:07 am
I always have trouble fitting dresses due to my curves. I’m only 5′4″ on a tall day and with 34-36 F breasts, if you get anything to fit the chest, it never fits everywhere else. Obviously, I do lots of separates! My hips are larger post-children (size 10-12ish bottoms today) and while I’d like to change my overall curviness via exercising, I will admit to being damn lazy, too!
My husband thought one of my bras the other day was looking a bit tattered and I told him that I didn’t want to buy new ones because I *was* getting on the treadmill and if I lost weight in my chest, I didn’t want a bunch of new bras that no longer fit. He actually said to get some new bras now and if necessary, some new bras later. Through the store Intimacy’s website (as seen on Oprah) - www.myintimacy.com - you can find good bra-fitting places in the event you don’t have a Nordstrom near by (we don’t in Tucson - weep).
March 5th, 2008 at 12:08 am
Jamie, your husband is my HERO.
Good man, that one. Good man.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I discovered “Chico” has the best jeans!
They are fit for real women and also come in trendy colors and trimmings, and they always have the classics! I highly recommend this store–even if you think that’s not your style or it’s for ‘plus size’ women. The BEST thing about Chico’s is that they have short cuts and long cuts in pants, and lots of casual/elegant and wearable clothes for busy moms!!! Lastly, they have super duper sales, you can’t beat that!
P.S. Their sizes start at 0 (a comparablel size 8, think)–that’s great for the psyche!!!
March 5th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
As a woman who has and is working her ass off (literally & figuratively) to be healthy and energetic for health, family and, YES, vanity cum self-love/esteem I am frustrated and fed up with obese &/or overweight women referring to themselves as “curvy”. Let’s cut the crap ladies, we would all feel alot better about ourselves if we took a few minutes a day to look after our health by exercising and eating consciously. We have all the resources at our fingertips so let’s call a spade a spade and start calling things as they are.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Elana, while I agree that women — ALL women — should make their health a priority, I take issue with the tone of your comment. You are pretty clearly implying that women who are overweight are lazy. You also imply that women with curves, be they fat women or healthy weight women with breasts and thighs, are fooling themselves by accepting their shape, and that they would be better people if they were more like you.
A healthy lifestyle is incredibly important, but eating right and exercising religiously isn’t a guarantee that you will wake up one day and be a size two. And I will tell you, from my own experience, that being thin does not guarantee that you will be happy, or that you will feel better — or even good — about yourself.
Finding the right clothes for a body with hips and thighs and a stomach and breasts can be difficult; this post is about strategies for dressing that body. My assumption here is that women who have curves — or, as Jan said, are fat or chunky or plus-sized or whatever you want to call yourself — those women still want to look their best. Berating them about their size is completely inappropriate and doesn’t do anyone any good.
I am tired of hearing women pass judgment and make character assumptions about each other based solely on what our bodies look like or what size we wear. That is not what this post — or this blog, or this community — is about.
That is all.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Susan you are so good!
I have to add, even if you are healty and work out and eat right (i am currently vegan and work out about 3 days a week) you can not always fit into the smaller sized clothing and yest i still want to look nice and portray a good image. one day i will be 140 lbs and a size 8 but until then, i find this advice very helpful!
btw, my sister is and has always been very thin (size 0 or 2) with big hips and has as much of a hard time finding clothes as i do! she is just on the other end of the spectrum. (also her diet consists mostly of cheese fries, potato chips, hamburgers and hotdogs and regular soda. go figure)
Bottom line is that we all want to feel good in the clothes we wear regardless of the size. Clothes and styles change and we just come here to find out how to incorporate those new styles into our clothing, taking into consideration our current body shape, whatever that may be!
THANK YOU SUSAN!!!
March 6th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Susan,
You have done a great service to the “curvy” gals by posting this topic, and we thank you.
As a young svelt teen and college student, I was a size six who still had, as my grandmother put it, “bodacious ta-tas,” measuring in at a weighty 36 DDD. This made for some fun shopping and dressing. Now after graduate school, marriage and the birth of my now eight-month old daughter, I’m between a size 12 and 14 (depending on the brand) and well, my ta-tas have only grown. Currently, I’m a 36 I, as in immense. I’d like to take this moment to say, Nordstrom does not carry “I.” I have to go to a specialty boutique in Tacoma who specializes in the very large; thank goodness this store exists.
I agree with your points on the clothes, although I have a heck of a time finding things that fit on a budget. I have had some luck at Macys, but fair warning, you can’t put anything in the dryer, ever, if you want it to last. I now have a nice parade of clothes hanging in my shower, drip-dry style. Also, I have had some really good luck at JC Penny’s, (their Worthington stuff is pretty good for the curvy gals) but again, I have learned the hard way, nothing in the dryer or it wears out. Perhaps I’m new to the whole nothing in the dryer concept?
Finally, Gap has a new line of jeans out. Or perhaps I’m new to it. Either way, let me plug their “Essential” jeans. They are a bit pricey, $59.50, but they cut you mid-rise so they aren’t super low, but not really high waisted, so they help in preventing the weird muffin top thing. They also have a wider leg opening and hang more like a trouser so they’re good with both boots or sneakers. I find they work really well to balance the hips and the ta-tas. Just thought I’d add my two-cents.
March 6th, 2008 at 1:00 am
In a way, Elana is making my point (albeit rather rudely) — ‘curvy’ is not the same as ‘overweight’. In fact, while I believe there is some overlap, I don’t believe styles that work on curvy are necessarily the best on bodies with extra fat, nor vice versa.
In high school I wore a size 2 jean, had about size 6 shoulders and needed a 14 across the bust. THAT was curvy. (Also: I have a friend who describes this body type as ‘tits on sticks’, which cracks me up.) A size 10 bust and hips with a size 6 waist is curvy. But wearing a 20 doesn’t, in an of itself, mean your body is curvy by definition. Does that make sense?
The only problem with using ‘curvy’ as a euphemism for overweight is that in this fat-hating culture (see Elana’s comments above), it then becomes impossible to discuss the curvy-but-not-overweight body because nobody wants to call anybody else overweight unless they do it themselves first (and often not even then) and then they daren’t describe a body as ‘curvy’, even though it might be.
I’m sorry if this is coming off as argumentative. I think it’s worth discussing, though.
Now I’m sitting here considering changing my username to “TitsOnSticks”.
March 6th, 2008 at 2:48 am
By the way, about the Gap jeans I mentioned before, they have them in petite, average and long. I don’t know if they always have, or if this is a new phenomenon, but for my short little legs, this is a very welcome phenomenon.
March 6th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Wow! Thanks Susan for interjecting there–I am really surprised to read some of these comments. Do we need a dictionary? LOL!
Oh my, I want to add my two cents–curvey girls come in all sizes from the tiniest to the tallest, and everything in between! The scale doesn’t determine it, nor does the size–it is proportion to me. I truly believe that is clearly stated in Susan’s recommendations for dressing a curvey figure.
Prior to having a baby, I was a curvey 6/8 size. After a year, I am a size 12. What an adjustment! Where to shop? As if being curvey wasn’t challenging already, now I am ‘in between’ a regular department store and plus sizes. As my body slowly shrinks, I find I can wear regular cothes at target, and such. It wasn’t like this for a long time, and can be really discouraging when you feel like the only place you can shop is the Motherhood store! A discussion like this, helps moms find stores that may bring back the joy of shopping and help them feel lovely and wonderful again. A good thing!!!
Lastly, I want to reiterate, curvey proportions are found from the tiniest to the talllest, and everything in between.
March 6th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Jan, I agree with you, and I appreciate, always, your ability to express yourself clearly and without being argumentative. I found this especially provocative:
“The only problem with using ‘curvy’ as a euphemism for overweight is that in this fat-hating culture (see Elana’s comments above), it then becomes impossible to discuss the curvy-but-not-overweight body because nobody wants to call anybody else overweight unless they do it themselves first (and often not even then) and then they daren’t describe a body as ‘curvy’, even though it might be.”
I want to mull that some more, but I wanted to say thank you for being thoughtful and rational and smart.
So thank you, Jan. And TitsOnAStick is the funniest thing I’ve heard all day.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:17 am
[…] thinking, well then you really don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, do you? Tuesday’s post sparked some interesting discussion about the terms we use to describe women’s bodies. I […]
March 7th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Hi Susan,
Great, thought-provoking post and comments. As always, your language and approach are respectful and kind. I am a short, small mama with a very curvy lower half (size 6 or smaller waist, size 8 or larger hips) and I find that I complain about how difficult it is to find clothes that fit as much as my larger, heavier friends do. Interesting that folks have had such a reaction to the word “curvy”–I understand what people are saying but I despise the few disrespectful comments. You make a very good point that eating “right” and exercising is NO guarantee that one will be thin (or even “average” sized). Genetics and biology play a very large role in weight, body shape, and size—not for everyone, but for many. I wish we could all be kind and respectful of each other’s size and shape no matter our sizes, and, like you say, understand that no matter our size, we all want, and deserve, to dress stylishly.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
susan thank you so much for this post!
i’m a petite curvy person which is tough. because my waist is like hidden because of my short torso. argh!
but what’s ultimately become my best friend is finding pants that flatter my waist, hips, butt and no matter how long they are. and then i take them to a tailor. and she hems them up no problem. she even does this for jeans! i’ve found that fitting my curvy areas makes it easier and i’m not squeezing myself into something that’s uncomfortable or unflattering.
March 8th, 2008 at 4:03 am
A petite curvy girl here (and when I say “petite,” I don’t mean short, I mean small. As in not at all overweight, but still curvy. Curvy does not mean overweight, thank you.) Another tip for us curvy girls — especially those with big busts — is to wear v-neck, button down or lower cut tops. Crew- or boat-necks can give you that lovely uni-boob look. And if you do wear a crew or a turtleneck, consider wearing a jacket or button down sweater over it to break up the uni-boob.