By
Rachel Fanconi
Last updated at 11:32 PM on 30th March 2011
If you’ve ever tried to tug a poorly fitting pair of size 16 jeans over your hips in a changing room before collapsing in a dejected heap on the floor, you are not alone. One in four British women is now wearing a size 18 or above.
But as Radio 4 presenter Jenni Murray admitted in this paper last week, it is almost impossible to find clothes that are both big and beautiful. So is hiding away in shapeless sacks the only solution? It most certainly is not.
As a fashion stylist who has dressed celebrities of all shapes and sizes, I’ve discovered that every – and I mean every – woman can look good. If you know where to look, there are some fantastic companies, both on the High Street and on the internet, that have finally woken up to the fact that curvier women don’t just want to crawl away and hide.
My number one rule is to ditch the
hard-wired belief that plus-size means frumpy. Brave the High Street and
(politely, of course) demand to be noticed. There are plenty of chains
that go up to your size, from Marks Spencer and Evans to
Debenhams, New Look and Monsoon.
If you can’t face the tyranny of
badly lit dressing rooms, there are countless online stores that you can
peruse from the comfort of your living room. Simply Be, Marisota, Duo,
Anna Scholz, Beige Plus and Ann Harvey are a few of the best – and even
trendy boutique ASOS.com has launched a fashion-forward plus-size label,
ASOS Curve. So here’s my pick of what’s on offer, as worn by our gorgeous model Nina (bust 36DD, waist 36in, hips 46in).
USE LIGHT AND SHADE: Highlight your body as you would your
face. Put the darkest colour on your heaviest area, or use colour to
create a slim panel down the centre of your outfit.
This can be done
with a dark cardigan over a lighter shift dress – but this flattering
frock does the work for you.
Camel and black dress £60, Star by Julien
MacDonald at Debenhams; jacket £40, Dorothy Perkins; ring stack £7.50,
Daisy Eve at Evans; shoes £105, duoboots.com
DON’T BE AFRAID OF TRENDS: You can wear stripes, capes and
slim-fitting trousers – it’s just about wearing them well. All stripes
work, whatever your dress size, if they’re broken up with layering. Team
them with darker trousers and try a cardigan on top. Or wear under a
fun and playful cape like this one, which hides larger hips.
Cape £70
and jeans £30, both Asos Curve; striped top £8.99, New Look; necklace
£125, Bulatti.co.uk; sunglasses £123, Miu Miu at David Clulow; shoes
£120, Ted Baker; bag £60, vivaladiva.com
PLAY WITH PRINTS: This season’s catwalk featured a lot of
print – and there’s no reason for plus-size girls to be left out. Prints
are a nifty way to disguise lumps and bumps. Tall girls can pull off
large, bold prints, but something subtler like this suits everyone.
Break up the print with jackets or cardigans in plain colours.
China
print long dress £75, Evans Collection at Evans; white shrug £19.50,
Evans; necklace £10, Daisy Eve at Evans; sandals £19.99, New Look
LAYER, LAYER, LAYER: Do you have slim legs, but worry about
your hips and thighs? You can still do fitted trousers like these
combats – simply layer longer pieces over the top to disguise problem
areas. This lightweight parka is thin enough to wear in summer and
completes the combat look. Parka
£42, simplybe.co.uk; trousers £28,
Indigo Collection at Marks Spencer; yellow sleeveless shirt
£19.99, New Look; belt £6, Dorothy Perkins; scarf £89, Epice at Fenwick;
earrings £6.50 (part of a multipack), Daisy Eve at Evans; ring
£69, Lola Rose; shoe boots £120, duoboots.com
GET OUT OF THE LEGGINGS RUT: Harem pants are a super-comfortable
alternative to leggings. You have to be fearless to wear them as there
will still be volume around your hips and bum – that’s part of the
silhouette. But if you keep the top half short, you’ll emphasise your
waist. If you’re concerned about the jersey fabric revealing wobbly
bits, wear control tights to smooth them out. White jacket £139, Anna
Scholz; blush lace top £39.50, Limited Collection at Marks
Spencer; trousers £50, Monsoon; necklace £118, Lola Rose; earrings (part
of a multipack) £6.50, Daisy Eve at Evans; shoes £120,
duoboots.com
GO RETRO: This is a fantastic shape if you’ve got a
big bum, and it’s everywhere at the moment thanks to Mad Men. This
dress has a lovely V-shape neckline which helps slim a big bust, and
volume in the skirt to skim over your hips and thighs. With a dress this
perfect, you can get away with a daring pattern like these thick
stripes on the bottom half.
Red dress £59, Per Una at Marks
Spencer; cardigan £48, Monsoon; shoes £89.95, modainelle.com
Pictures: Joel Anderson. Model: Nina Hartley/excel. Hair and make-up: Katie Reedman
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Hmm – I wonder if that model’s a size 18? I think not.
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Looks like you’ve got a size 12 model wearing size 18 clothes there…
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I’m a size 18 and I HATE it…am on a diet at the moment. Despite what some overweight people say, big is not beautiful…I hope to be a size 12 again soon!
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You CAN look stylish at a size 18? Like it was previously thought to be impossible because what, size 18 is so massive and unattractive and shops stop at size 16? This patronising article smacks of trying to hide your size as if not being a size 10 is something to be ashamed of. Cop on to yourself DM, it’s possible to look stylish at any size! Jenni Murray is only one woman, she might not be able to find clothes she likes but that doesn’t mean no one else the same size can’t.
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I never knew you couldn’t look stylish at size 18?
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If everyone had a gorgeous face like hers I don’t think size would matter! Lovely face, lovely shape, I’ll eat my feet if she’s really a size 18 by the way she looks like a 16! No tummy buldge and legs aren’t that big…There’s a big difference between 16 and 18…..
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