Most brands and fashion stores have beautiful dresses for slim women but if you are a woman with generous curves, good luck with finding a fashionable dress. Though the situation is changing somewhat, it’s still an uphill task for curvy women to find clothes that don’t look like sacs or plain old boring. We bring you ten tips to shop right the next time you plan to buy clothes that accentuate your curves and make you feel live a diva.
- Start from inside-out: When you dress great inside, you will look great on the outside too. So, invest in well-fitted undergarments and shapewear that will help you to camouflage your bumps and lumps. Dressing from the inside out will make you win half the battle.
- Choose clothes that skim, not hug tightly: You may be inclined to wear tight fitting clothes but remember to invest in clothes that skim your body, not hug you so tight that you find even breathing a tough task. You could buy wide, high-waist, trousers, and flared or A-line skirts. You may even wear body skimming knits (in colors like metallic hues) to break myths that top-heavy women should stay away from them. It’s also wise to buy cotton clothes, not polyester ones as the latter make you sweat a lot and stick to your curves.
- Don’t be ashamed of your curves: Buying bigger, oversized clothes to hide your generous curves would only make you look bigger than what you really are. They may even make you look like a walking-talking pillowcase. So, choose clothes that draw attention to your curves like shorter, fitted jackets that flatter your waist and legs, knee-high dresses that make the legs longer etc.
- Know your body type: Curvy women can have different body shapes – from inverted pyramid, diamond and hourglass, to apple- or pear-shaped. It’s important to know your specific body type as that would let you have a clear idea of which assets your chosen dress should highlight and which body features should be camouflaged. For instance, women with a diamond shape who have slender shoulders can draw attention to their shoulders with a beautiful scarf or a necklace, while pear-shaped women can wear wrap-around dresses that flatter their small upper body and minimize their voluptuous derrière.
- Rock the horizontal stripes: Curvy women are often told to wear vertical stripes and stay away from the horizontal ones as the latter is believed to make curvy women look larger. Break the rules today by sporting horizontal stripes but use colored pants or a blazer to break the pattern.
- Wear peplums the right way: Peplums are thought to add volume to an already generous frame but you can choose a streamlined pencil skirt having a peplum as that would help showcase your hourglass figure.
- Don’t shun patterned pants: You may have heard that these pants draw eyes to a heavy bottom but when you team them up with a blazer or a solid top and let high heels complement the entire attire, you would stand out as an attractive woman. So don’t let myths keep you away from beautiful patterned pants.
- Experiment with sizes: Remember that a size 16 isn’t a 16 across various brands and outfits. Sometimes, the sizes may range from single digits to double digits in case of some brands. So, don’t shy away from trying different sizes to find your right fit. Don’t be afraid to try on a 14 just because you think it won’t fit. It might!
- Play hide-and-seek with crop tops: Some believe crop tops to be fashion disasters for curvy women but they look amazing if you can play a bit of hide-and-seek with them. Show a little bit of your tummy and ensure just the right amount of curves are on display. Cover the rest to leave it to the imagination of onlookers and you will have a winner on your hands. Women with fuller figures look beautiful in crop tops if they can work these dresses the right way.
- Don’t be afraid to wear knee-highs and thigh-highs: Instead of wearing those average ankle socks to make your legs look longer, you can wear thigh-highs or knee-highs that will add some style quotient to your legs. To make your thicker legs look awesome, you may even combine some mesh tights with your thigh-highs.
Several fashion experts and self proclaimed fashion enthusiasts have a long list of do’s and don’ts for curvy women, many of which are nothing but myths that need to be taken head-on and broken. As a curvy woman, you don’t need to feel ashamed of your body. Rather, celebrate your curves and wear your dresses with confidence and a smile. When you are confident of your body, love it and are ready to celebrate it, even what the popular fashion deems disaster can be something that you rock in style. So, use the tips above to up your fashion quotient and complement your attire with an extra dose of confidence to make the world take notice.
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