5 rules dressing a fuller body type
A mood-board for my wardrobe experiments.
Firstly, that’s me!
As you can tell, I’m not a skinny girl. I love dresses. I always did. As a child, I used to dream of seeing myself in classy dresses when I grew up. A simple dream that I never achieved till I turned 25!
Why not?
Body image travesty of my life
I’ve always struggled with body confidence. I was the cutest kid, an insecure teen and a body conscious adult. Uptil age 25, I never bought myself dresses because I wanted to be the “right size” first. Social conditioning re-inforced this idea everyday. The consequence? Every year my friends inherited my “inspiration dresses”, 2 sizes too small to have ever fit me, while I was left with my uninspiring wardrobe of doom. I felt tormented and angry with myself. I quite regretted spending my school years this way.
Acceptance
One day, a little older than 25, I distinctly remember a personal experience that unlocked a realisation — I am already “right” sized, because there is no such thing. There is no one “right”. I am full, and yet beautiful, right here. NOW. Today. I can and should wear whatever I love. And so, the hunt for the “right dress” began. I started foraging for insight on dressing a fuller body and collated my findings. I had hits and misses with purchases, made friends wait outside trial rooms to give me feedback on fit(thanks, folks!), drew out designs and even got dresses custom-made that I wore quite proudly!
Over time, I’ve figured these 5 basic safe principles that almost never go wrong. This post is about that set of safe rules. It’s not exhaustive, but it helped me build my first ever dress-drobe and I’m hoping it can help someone else too.
Read full-y to know more…
TL:DR; The five principles are about Colors. Cuts. Patterns. Neckline. Accessories with a bonus wild-card rule in the end.
Body types can be classified into four categories. Most hacks described here apply to all types. However, for body-type specific tips- I’ll be referring to the four types as apples, pears, hourglass and rectangles respectively. I’m some mix of the apple-hourglass category.
#1. Colors
70% dark. Chocolate or wardrobe — To me, dark is classy.
Dark hues minimize, light hues accentuate. Darker monochromes and low contrast patterns on a dark fabric can suit everyone. I love colors though, and keep a heady 30% mix of white, nude and bright colors in the wardrobe too.
(Apples) Minimize heavier torso with dark hues
Visually reduce the top, widen the bottom through patterns and cuts. High contrast patterns at the bottom add visual weight, and accentuate the feminine shape.
#2. Cuts
You can experiment with cuts. The broad rule is go with stuff that cinches and flares at the right point based on your body type.
1. Wrap Dresses: An all time fail safe
Wrap dresses work for almost anyone (especially Pears)
2.(Pears) Fit and flare empress
Cinch at the right point- the narrowest point of your waist. Note that this is not ideal for an apple shaped body.
3. (Apples) Keep it simple with an A-Line/Skater
A-Line cuts with an empire waist just below the bust works better for apples. Avoid a waist cinch, or details anywhere except around the shoulders and bottom hemline. I pick this cut a lot. It’s simple. Basic. And great for work wear where I don’t want to stand out everyday.
#3. Neckline and sleeves
Deep is good!
Deep, V, Sweatheart necks. Stick to these, and their combinations and variants. Round, Plunge, Scoop would be the next best choices. Cowl and polo necks are avoidable in general. (I love statement high-boat and polo necks, and cheat anyway although I know that skinny girls rock that better!)
Sleeves — Short or long — Don’t in-between
Really short, or longer than the elbow. Avoid half sleeves or sleeves that end next to the bust. As a rule of thumb, one really can’t go wrong with 3/4th sleeves, with ruches near the elbow! I found a black wrap dress, that meets all these criteria and I think I look gorgeous in it! ❤
As a rule of thumb, one really can’t go wrong with 3/4th sleeves, with ruches near the elbow!
#4. Patterns
1. Keep it classy with small, muted patterns
Pick small patterns. If you like larger patterns, if at all, go in for ones with lower contrast and/or on longer dresses.
2. Strategic stripes add personality
Vertical and diagonal stripes guide the gaze along while horizontal stripes scream for attention where they are. A strategic combination can work like bespoke magic!
3. Smartly chosen prints can carve shape
Some prints smartly employ contrast and direction to carve out shapely countours. Like in the images below. There’s no rule really and you should pick patterns and colors that call out to you. But keep an eye out for perception distorting capabilities of dark patterns!
#5. Accessorise well
1. State it out loud with bold jewels
A definite advantage for fuller ladies is that we can flaunt bigger, bolder jewellery and accessorise with ease! And we should totally leverage that. What may look “gaudy” on someone leaner could look “statement” on us.
(I don’t particularly love all the jewels above, but you get the drift!)
2. Belts and ruches add character
Cinch the waist right. Belts to accentuate a curvy waist(pears), ruches to minimise waistline(apples)
3. Long jackets/shrugs can conquer all
These are my favorite. Longer shrugs, coats, jackets visually elongate the body and drive attention away from a heavier torso. Safe. Classy. And laziness fix!
#6. Bonus rule: Break the rules with asymmetry!
Asymmetry creates a bold break from the usual. This can be useful for both dresses and jackets. With dresses, you can experiment with asymmetric necklines and lower hemlines! Asymmetry piques curiosity and exudes confidence.
More examples combining concepts from above…
The examples I collected here combine two or more of the above mentioned principles of color, cuts, patterns, necklines & sleeves and asymmetry.
Don’ts —Choices to avoid
The right dress is a highly personal choice, however, there are some kinda cuts and patterns that are best avoided however pretty they look on the hangers. (Just my opinion!)
1. Horizontal Stripes
Avoid horizontal stripes. Especially on parts where you don’t mean to draw attention.
2. Ill-fitting cuts
Dress your size, no smaller or bigger. Ill fitting cuts spell lack of confidence.
3. Large Patterns
As a general rule- avoid large, high contrast patterns as they usually add uniform volume and take away from a shapely look.
4. Short jackets- except for pear shaped bodies
(Apples)Avoid short jackets or anything that visually cuts the body at the waist. They lend a stout look. Go for a minimum length of just below the hip.
Nope. Not these. I would avoid these completely!
But above all, wear what makes you feel the you-est! ❤
I figured that I vibe with auburn to pastel shades, wrap dresses, shirt-dresses and assymetric cuts and statement ear studs. Dressing well feeds my upward spiral out of my previously tightly held body confidence issues. I dress my size now(no tight torturous clothes), love my food and stare at myself in the mirror a little longer every time I pass one. On most days, I love what I see. I call out body shaming when I see it and pledge to stay away from toxic partners or friends who body shame.
As for the wardrobe, it’s always a work in progress! I continue to experiment as I go!
