Plus size fashion - is it that much different?

My best friend in the whole world is classed as plus size. I don’t know if I’d agree with that… sure, she is a little bit bigger, but I would just call her extremely curvy. Curvy in a very nice way – she’s got a proper hourglass shape. You could say I’m a little bit jealous actually… ;)

She has got a bum like an African lady (her own description), and quite a large bust, but with a tiny waist. This makes it quite difficult for her to find well-fitting clothes. When it comes to tops she can buy them in most stores, but when it comes to trousers and some dresses she sometimes has to buy them in the plus size section of a shop. She was a bit reluctant to this at first, but I’ve been with her on several shopping trips and we’ve both realised that the plus size range is not that much different from the stores’ normal collections. Plus size clothing has really improved a lot in the last few years, and gone are the dark baggy clothes that used to fill the shop shelves. Nowadays, plus size clothes are just the same as the current high street trends.

During the years my friend (who by the way is running her own fashion blog over at All Fashion Babble) has learnt to dress very well for her shape, and she really makes the most of it. She has been kind enough to share some of her tips and tricks with me. Let’s see if I can remember them all…

Marked waist

The key ingredient to a plus size outfit is to mark your waist. This enhances your bust but takes inches off your belly! Some great examples of garments that are perfect for this are these dresses above.

High waist

Another trick to make your belly look smaller is to wear trousers with a high waist. Again, this marks the waist, at the same time as it tucks in and hides the belly.

Flared skirts

A way of decreasing the look of your bum and upper thighs – wear dresses or skirts that are flared. But make sure to wear a tight top with it as your outfit will look too baggy and shapeless otherwise.

Layers

Wearing a layered outfit can also help marking and shaping your body in the right places. Again, make sure that the clothes aren’t too baggy, or you’ll just end up looking like a bag of potatoes!

Heels

Heeled shoes are great for making anyone get a better posture, and super sexy calves! Something that is very welcome in a plus size outfit. Stores like New Look even have a range of wide fit shoes available.

I just have to add that I’m so proud of my friend who during the last 6 months has managed to loose so much weight! She looks absolutely stunning now, and as well as looking slimmer she also looks a lot healthier.