The Plus Size Thread - All are welcome!

[classic1908]

I like her attitude! I know that since I have put on weight (mostly due to medication that I will need for the rest of my life) I put a lot more thought into my daily dressing. Heels or chic flats always. A handbag that makes me feel great. The best cuts and fabrics that I can find. And most important of all, a no apologies attitude. I am the size that I am, I love to look good and I'm not going to feel intimidated because I'm not slim anymore!

That's a very positive attitude. Although I have gained quite a bit of weight in recent years, I'm still a "tweener" who can still wear the higher end of straight sizes, as well as plus sizes.

With full fashion, I am more cautious about what I buy and train myself to look for higher-end pieces in natural fabrics. I'm lucky because I live in SoCal and have access to various resources.

 

[classic1908]

Courtney Arnot at a Carolina Herrera event, from NYSD.com:

Court later in the day:

And another "thick" social, Cricket Burns (center). I would have worn a looser top:

 

[classic1908]

I need to make a quick correction: It's Mrs. Arnot. A NY Times article says she's married to Dr. Bob Arnot of CBS News fame.

 

[Luxx]

I have a question for you ladies

I often hear people saying that plus sized women should look to the past for clothing inspiration. How does everyone feel about this? I am torn on the subject. On one hand curves were the main focus in the past and most of the clothes back in the day were very curve accentuating which is good. On the other hand there is a part of me that does not want to look to the past at all. I think the vintage style that its always mentioned consistently some sort of 1950s va va va voom caricature or worse yet something overly romantic in nature. Neither ideal appeals to me. I've seen it look good on some but I feel my personal aesthetic is very modern when it comes to clothes. I've no great desire to dress like a Marilyn Monroe throwback or some such nonsense.

Just wondering how others feel about this.

 

[classic1908]

^^
Well, I'm not a straight vintage gal, but I do like some of the silhouettes of the past. Some of the 1950s and early 1960s-inspired, fuller-skirt, luxe-esque gear are among my favorites.
I know that there's a Website in particular, I forget its name, that always calls for fuller-figured women to wear boho/romantic stuff. That's not my style, so I bypass. I still like good tailoring.

Here is Marjorie Raein from NYSD, at American Ballet Theater, in what appears to be a past look-style:

 

[LaurieAnn]

Luxx, that's a good question. I think that those of us who are plus size should look to our body shape and personality in a similar way that a model size woman would do. Some vintage styles may suit us well and we can incorporate them into our look if that fits our aesthetic values. Just because a certain look is of the moment, or supposed to work for our more generous figures doesn't mean that we need to move adopt it if we don't like it.

I find it more rewarding to work on developing my personal style which I feel expresses more of me then just my dress size. Granted, I feel it's more work to do when size ranges and styles are limited. I also enjoy experimenting with styles that I wouldn't ordinarily think I could wear. If something looks good and I feel comfortable in it, I'll look for ways to incorporate it into my look.

I tried to upload a look of a young lady wearing vintage/vintage inspired fashion for reference. I hope it works. I think she looks great; I might wear the dress but not the coat.

 

[LaurieAnn]

Oops, forgot to post my source on the photo: thesartorialist.blogspot.com apologies!

 

[LaurieAnn]

I sure didn't mean to offend, but I truly do find more clothes that I would like to purchase available in sizes 2 through 10 then I find in sizes 16 and up. (Notice I'm talking about myself here.) And I certainly don't blame other women, I'd like to see more designers be willing to expand their ideas of what body shapes they will dress.

 

[kanita]

I have a question for you ladies

I often hear people saying that plus sized women should look to the past for clothing inspiration. How does everyone feel about this? I am torn on the subject. On one hand curves were the main focus in the past and most of the clothes back in the day were very curve accentuating which is good. On the other hand there is a part of me that does not want to look to the past at all. I think the vintage style that its always mentioned consistently some sort of 1950s va va va voom caricature or worse yet something overly romantic in nature. Neither ideal appeals to me. I've seen it look good on some but I feel my personal aesthetic is very modern when it comes to clothes. I've no great desire to dress like a Marilyn Monroe throwback or some such nonsense.

Just wondering how others feel about this.

50's style can look great etc. But it is not my style. I don't want to forse myself into a box because I am 'plussized'. I like fashion and I like to dress fashionable, I see new looks and I like to try them. Which can be quite an challange (or struggle) But I try, some things really don''t work (no mini skirts for me) and some are surprisingly falttering, like straight legged (almost skinny jeans)
So my advice Luxx; try new shapes and see what works for you (this could lead to some stressful times in the fitting room, but when you find that perfect piece, it is worth it )

 

[kanita]

The 50's look really doesn't look good on her in my opinion.

 

[classic1908]

The 50's look really doesn't look good on her in my opinion.

I think she looks OK. She has less of a defined waist than, say, I, so it's not super-flattering. I love the color and the silver sandals/bag.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ My least favorite feature is the satin trim--but maybe it's just in the photo that it looks odd. At this size, flattering is a bit relative ... but the tunic pictured above on her is definitely more so ...

 

[stilettogirl84]

because she doesn't have a very defined waist, that dress is very unflattering on her. With some kind of jacket to define the waist, she would look better

 

[classic1908]

I love MGR. But this one is, err, difficult. I think the print throws me.
NYSD.com, w/oilman hubby Reza Raein:

 

[classic1908]

Been a while, but here's Marjorie Raein in Chanel couture, which I think is truly ironic considering the Kaiser's attitudes about bigger people. Or perhaps mean green trumps snobbery. :

On this dress, I'd like it better if it were green, rather than this yellowish stuff:

 

[mais]

what is a size ten american?

i get confused because in some places they go 1 3 5 7 in others its 2 4 6 8

is plus sized anything more than euro 44?

 

[Meg]

no definately not. Euro 44 is not that big - prob. a US 10 but with italian sizing 44 can be not that large. With italian and french sizing i would take a 46-48 which is a US 10-12 or a UK 12-14 and these are both quite 'average' sizes I believe.

 

[stilettogirl84]

I don't really like her clothes- the chanel espescially looks bad- and the pink bow ruins that evening gown for me- and that orange print dress is way too busy

 

[classic1908]

I don't really like her clothes- the chanel espescially looks bad- and the pink bow ruins that evening gown for me- and that orange print dress is way too busy

The pink bow was definitely out of place on the gown and her Chanel needed better corsetry to pull in the tummy. Generally, though, I've seen her in more tailored stuff and like her style. It's not for everybody, as I've said before, but it appeals to me.

 

[stilettogirl84]

I like classic clothes- just not the pictures I've seen of her posted on here- maybe some of her other looks are better