One of the things that I love the most about the way fashion has evolved over the last decade is that it has become more inclusive.  Before if you had a bigger figure you were regulated to very few stores and fashion that was nowhere near what was actually trendy.  Fast forward to 2018 and a larger woman has so much choice and can really wear almost anything as long as she pays attention to a couple of things:  The first is making sure your outfit is in the right proportion for your body and second, making sure you are hiding what you need to hide and accentuating what you want to accentuate.  If you have great legs, flaunt them!

This blog was inspired by the post I saw on Twitter that a store in Arkansas is now carrying clothes for curvy girls ( I love that everyone is calling it curvy instead of plus size!) and the picture was a girl wearing a great pair of shorts.  It’s from a store called Grey Suede.  And if you search Raven Gates on Twitter it is a video from her July 6 post. I can’t post the link, but please take a look.

So what do curvy women wear this summer to keep cool and confident? Let’s go through 3 types of clothes: Weekend, Work and Going Out and talk about proportion and how to accentuate the positives.

Weekend

So what does our typical Curvy woman wear on the weekend?  Well the first thing everyone, curvy or not, needs in their wardrobes is a great pair of jeans. These are Rebel Wilson X Angel Skinny Jeans, you can find them at Nordstrom Rack.  They aren’t too skinny and have a high enough waist that there will be no muffin top.  What I would also add for summer is a pair of white jeans, just make sure they are the right proportion for you and not see through. These are the Lucky Brand Emma Stretch Crop Jeans.  I love the cropped proportion for a curvy girl, especially if you are on the shorter side.  Also look for jeans that don’t hug your legs so tight, both pairs of these, while being fitted, just seem to float over the thighs and calves and that is what you want.   I am all for curvy women wearing shorts, you just need to be careful of how short they are. I like to see women in a pair that is a bit longer and almost knee-length or shorts that float away from the leg .

The top pair are from Sejour plus and the black pair are from City Chic and both can be found online at Nordstrom.com.

Those are pretty basic, jeans and shorts.  But please feel free to take things up a notch and have some fun.Maybe add a pair of Palazzo pants, these are Glamorous Floral Palazzo Pants at Nordstrom.  Perfect with a clean white t-shirt for any summer day. And Maxi dresses and skirts are a big YES!  This one is from Caslon and it’s their Stripe A line Maxi also at Nordstrom.  So perfect for anything from running errands to lunch with friends to a backyard BBQ. For weekend daytime keep your tops easy and fun. This Caslon Peplum Tee hits all the right notes for summer, stripes are trendy right now and the peplum floats the top away from your waist and would be fantastic over denim and shorts. Nothing works better for elongating your body than a ruffle or stripe going downwards.  This Ruffle knit Top also from Caslon at Nordstrom will do just that.  I love it in white but it comes in also comes in a peachy floral print, and the same stripe as above.  If you have good arms and a great bustline this top will accentuate that while hiding a bigger stomach and hips.

To take things up for a casual night-time.  I would stick with a denim bottom in either white or blue and add an off the shoulder top.  Be careful with off the shoulder, if you don’t have perfect posture you will look bigger.  But if you can hold your shoulders back and stand straight here are two tops that will wow everyone at a summer get together: This top I absolutely love! It’s by Lost Ink and it’s their Ruffle Tie Off the Shoulder top.  It’s light and airy fabric and long sleeve will float over your biggest areas while giving your shoulders and face a perfect frame.  Also if you don’t love your arms this is the perfect summer top to hide them with. This City Chic Cold Shoulder Tunic just is perfect for a summer date night or casual event.  It’s 100% cotton so it’s cool and comfortable and it hides the largest part of your arms and floats over your waist and hips, what could be better.  Both of these tops are from Nordstrom online.  You absolutely must wear a bra with these tops.  If you are curvy you have bigger boobs and yes your will be able to find a great strapless bra in your size.  Either go get fitted at a lingerie store or go to one of the department stores, they usually have sales women who can fit you too.  All you really need is one really good strapless bra and it can last for years if you don’t change sizes.

Work

There are so many fabulous place and websites to find work wear for curvy women it’s actually fun to shop.  One of my favorite places to find work wear at good prices is Whitehouse Blackmarket.  Now I believe WHBM has all their Plus size online only but check your local store.

For summer you may want to lighten up your usual work day wardrobe. Maybe add a fabulous wrap dress in a great summer color.  This dress is from WHBM and I love the color, you could wear this any day to the office and go straight out for drinks or dinner after.  Lighten up your suiting as well for summer. WHBM’s Classic Plus Size blazer comes in this beautiful shoreline color or a soft Grey in Linen. Pair it with either the stretch slim ankle pant or the plus slim crop pant and you have the perfect summer look. Another great office look for summer is a dress and long knit cardigan. Everyone gets more casual in the summer and the long cardi will replace your typical blazer. The sweater and dress are both from WHBM.  The long cardigan is also great because just because it’s hot outside doesn’t mean the air conditioning won’t be blowing inside.  Most offices are freezing, so keep something super sophisticated like this to throw over all your sleeveless and short sleeves and still look polished and professional.

I really encourage you to go online and take a look at all the Plus Size wear at Whitehouse Blackmarket.  Almost everything they have it regular and petite they also make in plus.

Going Out

Going out in the summer can be anything. And usually unless you are going to a wedding it’s just not as dressy as if you were going out in the winter.   Summer parties are more casual and usually have an outside component and even if you go our for dinner, chances are you are trying to sit on a patio and not in a dining room.  So you need to dress for those occasions by being prepared.

I love a great pair of white jeans in the summer to dress up and down.  Black jeans work as well, but if it’s hot, white is more comfortable. Slink Jeans from Nordstrom make a pair of stretch skinny jeans that show a little ankle and are great with any height heel.  These could be a great base for a flirty summer top or even a wrap dress Slink Jeans is showing this look with the jean above.  Perfect for any summer event. Or do a flirty summer top, this Sheer Ruffle Top is by ADDITIONELLE LOVE AND LEGEND and available at Nordstrom.

There are lots of other great looks for your curvy body too getting away from denim on the bottom. How about adding a floaty summer dress? This dress is from NIC+ZOE and it’s their Color Wave Maxi dress.  This dress floats over all your curves and is the perfect combination of colors for any summer evening. If you love your legs and want something a bit shorter, then try a floral print by Karen Kane, this poly and spandex summer dress can be worn with sandals at night or runners during the day, and the floral print is perfect.

One thing I love on curvy women is jumpsuits! Print or solid, cropped or full length, I think they really look good on everyone as long as they are in the right proportion for your body. This jumpsuit is by City Chic and it’s their Tropical Print Cold Shoulder Jumpsuit.  I love the straps because you can actually wear a real bra with this and it still covers the heaviest part of your arm and accentuates your neck and face. You could also go for a classic black jumpsuit that can take you anywhere. I wore my classic black jumpsuit to a Gala dinner and just added jewellery and heels to make it look super dressy. This jumpsuit is from Loveapella and it’s their Short Sleeve Wrap Top Jumpsuit.  I love the way the wrap top teases at the bust line accentuating your bust and drawing eyes away from your middle.  Nothing can make you look taller and thinner than black head to toe.

As a Curvy woman I am going to advise you to stay away from Rompers.  Leave those for younger women.  If you want to show your legs try shorts and skirts and if you want to wear a jumpsuit go long or cropped but not short.

Now if you do have a summer wedding or similar occasion to go to then by all means dress yourself up!I love this A-Line Chiffon and Charmeuse Dress by Komarov at Nordstrom.  It is cut on the bias which really makes you look smaller and the rest of the dress beautifully floats down to your mid calf.  This to me is a perfect wedding guest dress.  If the wedding is outside or a destination wedding then play with your look.  Try this floral maxi by Eliza J.  This is perfect for an outdoor or beach wedding or wear a fun jumpsuit like this fun print from City Chic that you can dress up or down with shoes and accessories.

If the wedding is formal you can go two ways.  Wear a great cocktail dress like this one from Adrianna Papell, I love the chiffon overlay.  It comes in 5 colors including black, but because it’s summer a great color like this Fuchsia with gold glittery heels will steal the show. Or you could go long and sophisticated.  Because it’s summer you can get away with wearing something with a great print instead of solid black or navy. Try something like this Standards & Practices Norah Maxi dress.  The chiffon sleeves and curvy fit will accentuate your perfectly and even show a bit of leg.  In the summer this could be as formal as it gets as long as it’s not your son or daughter getting married.

Everything you wear can be dressed up or down with the right accessories and shoes, especially when taking something like a jumpsuit or white jeans a little dressier for summer.

I hope this helped my curvy friends find their best summer looks.  Go on Nordstrom and Whitehouse Blackmarket’s websites and look at all their great outfit ideas for yourself. Keep in mind what looks good on your body and hide what you need to and accentuate what works.  If you are curvy stay away from anything so fitted that it looks like it’s about to rip, that actually goes for everyone.  I also think you should stay away from distressed denim, leave that for your daughter.

Questions or comments just email me.  I am happy to help you find what works for you.  My email is Suethefashionsita@gmail.com and I hope you are enjoying your summer!

Until next time…