The Curvy Thread

[cupkate]

i wish they were the chloe boots! lucky you.
i got my boots a half size up and they foot isn't too big. so hope yours isn't either.

welcome back.

 

[kem]

I luvvvv this thread!! So what else would anyone suggest?? Im trying to change it up a bit . I usually wear just jeans and a shirt and runners , nothing spectacular at all. I have a pear shape size 8-10 .

 

[fashionista-ta]

Hi, kem, I wear a lot of separates & have actually always dressed that way. Knit tops and sweaters are forgiving if you're curvy on top. One of the things I like to do is to find a statement skirt and then layer lightweight (often silk) sweaters on top.

If you like jeans, have you tried some of the ones that are a bit more embellished? I'm not comfortable in jeans, but it may be that you're not comfortable in skirts.

How would you like to dress?

 

[kem]

curvy

I would actually like to start wearing skirts, i wear jeans all the time and its depressing. I am also a college student so im semi poor ( not for long ) . I would like to dress more feminine.

 

[fashionista-ta]

OK ... good skirt shapes ... I like long A-line, long narrow, skirts that flare toward the bottom, godet is good ...

You might check out Patagonia ... not only an ethical company, but their stuff wears like iron and isn't that expensive ... I have a couple skirts from there that I wear alot.

I also have pretty good luck at Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor Loft, and I consider those prices reasonable ...

Tell us if we're getting warm

 

[oceanharlot]

I like Barney's Co-op brand for coats... I have very broad shoulders and a decent bust, so everything usually fits at the waist then is way too small on top...

Also, just in general, not so low V-necks work for me, too low and I can't lean over.

 

[tinuvielberen]

Great thread!

On boots: Cole Haan, Stuart Weitzman and others make pull-on, stretchy calf boots. The calf of the boot is made of soft leather backed with lycra. Very comfortable, and it FITS.

A-line skirts are the best.

Pants are a constant problem. Banana Republic makes a few styles designed to flatter curves, and sometimes you can get lucky at Ann Taylor. Sometimes it's easier just to break down and have pants tailored, waist taken in, etc.

Armani Collezioni is definitely cut for curves, as is Donna Karan.

 

[Guessgirl96]

Yes...I have this too.And my calves are pure muscle...I cycle and run a lot.I like the shape of my calves;I don't want goats's shins,but it seems that boot manufacturers don't agree!!!

Are you talking about your Chloe boots cupkate?I have ordered the two-tone ones in a full size up in order to try and avoid this problem...hope the foot isn't too big now!!

I have the same problem, I have some extra muscle becuase I play DDR/ITG a lot, and some extra fat becuase of too much ben and jerry's, and I have so much trouble with boots. I've given up on my search for kee high boots until I loose some weight.

I'm not really curvy and I dont have problems buying clothes becuase of my shape, but like fashionista said, it's becuase it's all so boring and plain, especially what I can afford. My size alwys seems to sell out first as well, and I rarley find it on ebay from past season discounted clothing.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Check out Scarlett Johanssen on the cover (and inside) January US Elle ... It's nice to see some curves

 

[finalfashion]

uhh... anything stretchy will do.. baggy is not good.. they'll make u look fatter!..

Um, I'm not sure how this will be received from a skinny girl, but I've been thinking about this stuff. I used to freelance for a plus-sized designer, and we used to argue about this.

My theory: how to make a small girl look smaller? Put her in roomy clothes. And I really believe the same theory works for bigger girls. The illusion results in the contrast of the clothing vs. the body. When big girls put on tight stretchy stuff it seems to me like they look even larger because they're squeezed into their clothes. Whereas in larger, more appropriately sized garments the girl seems more natural and a lot less... um, bulgy, I guess, for lack of a more appropriate descriptive. As a flat chested girl I usually look boobless until I put on a tight top, so the contrast works the other way as well. Obviously you can't change your size just by putting on a garment, but if you select the garment to contrast specific things you can change the way your proportions are perceived.

Popular theory suggests that if you want to appear slimmer to wear black. But what if you want to appear more proportional? For a pear shaped girl it could mean wearing "receding" colours and fabrics on the bottom, such as black, or duller textures, and wearing a top that "pops", i.e., a brighter colour and a shinier texture to give the visual illusion of balancing the figure's proportions.

Anyway, I just cant stand the thin-centricality of the fashion industry, even as a thin person. I may not have any personal experience with curves but perhaps an outside perspective might help... or not. In any case I hope I haven't offended all you lovely ladies

p.s. I'm a big fan of Scarlett, too, she's got an amazing body!

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ It's an interesting theory, but I find it to be not true in practice

I find that the right relatively fitted garments make me look smallest. Now if I were silly enough to wear something tight that emphasized a figure flaw ... that would be different ... and indubitably bad Back in the days of stirrup pants, for example, whenever I wore this particular fitted pair people would always ask me if I'd lost weight because they created this long narrow line.

 

[QuirkyCool]

I totally disagree with finalfashion. Baggy clothes make bigger people look shapeless and enormous,not smaller.

Fortunately it's not a choice between baggy and skin-tight lycra.

The way to dress is to ensure that your clothes are the right size for your body,and that the style emphasises the good points about your figure while camouflaging the bad.

In my case,I am generally fairly hourglass shaped,and I like to wear clothes that showcase that basic silhouette without accentuating parts that i don't like,which i shall not mention here LOL.

There are women who are tall and lean but have a tummy;those women can emphasise their long legs and camouflage the middle by wearing empire line/babydoll tops (the right size,not baggy.). Pear shaped women can make the most of their pretty top half and small waists not by wearing sackcloth,but by putting detail up there.Women with bigger butts look so very bad in baggy pants. Seam-straining is not the way to go,but your trousers should fit you.

But i think that this thread is about women with a generally curvy shape,and not necessarily about plus-size women...that's another thread.

 

[Meg]

yeah i agree quirky. I don't think plus-sized should be confused with curvy. I'm a size 12 which translates to a US 10/12 but am petite and curvy, not plus-sized. And I think this is about working with curves

 

[finalfashion]

Ah, that's okay... just a thought. I've got a lot to learn

 

[fab_fifties_fille]

Nope I'm not plus sized either...but I'm curvy; even when I was a smaller weight...which I'm starting to return to...I was still curvy. I don't loose my boobs easily, and have a small waist in comparison to my derriere and legs I'd say I'm between hourglass and pear shape. I don't think baggy clothes look better on curvy figures...there's always odd exceptions to the rule, but in general I'd say fitted is better...and yes fitted as in shows your curves...but not what you had for dinner.

 

[Meg]

^
I like your comments on the fit. I think we have similar body types then maybe FFF?

 

[stilettogirl84]

never wear baggy-
never wear skintight-

to look your best your clothes should FIT

 

[ipeque]

i have to agree with the comments that were about women losing weight just for the sake of looking better in clothes... for a long time i was anorexic and wore all the tiniest clothes... i weighed 105 pounds for my 5'9 height and whatever i put on looked great... especially jeans...

now that i'm at a healthy weight, 130ish, i feel huge in jeans... i still have a relatively small upper body but i went from size 2 to size 8/10 in terms of skirts and pants...

it is so hard to feel confident, when i still face with the tiny clothes i once was able to fit in everytime i open the wardrobe doors, but i like myself better this way... almost everything that comes in size small, comes in size large as well.. so no worries...

 

[thovety]

I think this is a really good thread.
I have to get comfortable with my curves 'cause at the moment Im really not. Im very curvy, I have like marilyn monroe curves, wich can be pretty ennoying concidering Im only 15 and an indie kid. and all other indie kids are super skinny.
so it's nice with a thread for curvy people, it makes me feel less alone ... :b

 

[OpheliaLives]

I'm curvy and I go through phases of loving it and hating it. Wearing heels and a skirt or jeans and I love it. For some reason in a bikini I love it. But send me shopping and I instantly hate them.

I think it's like a couple of other people said, clothes (nowadays) appear to look better on skinny people.

Ah well...