Today’s article is dedicated to all our plus size ladies and curvy girls who are looking to adopt modesty in dress with taste and style! Below are three tips plus some inspiration to stop putting it off and look your best every day!
Learn more about your body
Regardless of your weight or height, there are five standard body shapes: hourglass, rectangle, oval, triangle, or inverted triangle.
This doesn’t necessarily dictate what you are going to wear or not wear, but it can help you understand why some clothes change your body shape, why certain styles make you feel more beautiful and confident while others distort your body.
Do you understand your style?
Get to know your likes and dislikes. Go into your closet and see what clothes you like to wear. Notice if you follow people on social media whose style you admire. Look on the internet for style inspiration of things you actually like and would actually wear.
This research may take a while, but that’s okay. Each step in the process of understanding and finding your style is important. Once you understand yourself better, you will know what to look for before buying clothes or maybe ordering a custom-made piece since it’s not always possible to find clothes that are modest and fit our personal taste.
Once you’ve amassed quite a bit of fashion inspiration, check out this article on how to properly use fashion inspo to ‘translate’ them into looks you will wear!
Practical tips for getting dressed
Once you’ve discovered your body shape, there are some tips you can use to highlight the parts of your body that you like and disguise those that bother you.
- If you want to draw attention away from your shoulders, choose V-necks (here we refer to the shape of the neckline, not about showing cleavage).
- If any part of your body is larger than the others, generating a certain visual “imbalance”, wear dark hues in this region, and invest in prints and lighter hues for the other regions. For example, if your hips are wide and your shoulders are small and that bothers you, then wear darker skirts with patterned tops. It’s a small trick that can help you draw attention away from regions that you don’t want to highlight. If you prefer to draw attention to the hips instead of the shoulders or bust, try to define the waist and bet on round skirts, like the circle, A-line, or pleated shapes.
- If you have an “oval body shape”, where the waist isn’t very evident, try to define the waist with your clothing. Create a waist with skirts and dresses that divide top and bottom approximately 4 fingers above the navel.
- If you want to appear thinner or taller, wear monochromatic looks with dark hues underneath and perhaps a flowy sweater or scarf cinched at the waist with a belt. Vertical striped prints are also an ally.
Remember, these are merely tips. You should feel happy in the clothes you wear. You don’t have to limit yourself to these tips! There’s nothing more stylish than a woman that’s happy in her clothes!
Real life inspiration
When I spoke to Priscila Devai, the project leader over at MCP (Ladies with Purpose in Christ), to learn a little more about plus size modest fashion, I discovered how plus size girls are often repressed in the church context and the importance of representation.
Priscila’s trick for plus size modesty? Tailored pieces that are made or altered specifically for her. Tailoring is often inexpensive, and the pieces will last for years.
Regardless of your body shape, it’s important to respect and never belittle yourself. Understand that every body has a specific shape and that not every clothing will always enhance your outward appearance. That’s why it’s important to know yourself and understand which style suits you best, agrees with your taste, and makes you feel good!
On the importance of knowing yourself and your tastes, Gabriely Salas, one of TGW’s travel writers, says:
“I have often felt insecure with my body, but not with my clothes. To me, fashion isn’t about adapting my tastes or my body to the current style, but adapting styles to my taste. Regardless of fashion, I like to feel beautiful, elegant, and I don’t sacrifice comfort.
I think you can wear everything, you just might need to use a few tricks to make them work. For example, I love stripes, but I know that horizontal stripes can cause the impression of being ‘bigger’, so I wear them vertically or diagonally. If it makes me feel beautiful and comfortable, I think it suits me. ”
