Wednesday 29 February 2012

Who can wear which dress Wednesday: vintage for the curvy girl!

I stumbled upon this fab new Etsy shop specialising in vintage for curvier ladies this week. Well Rounded Vintage! It was opened earlier this month by the lovely Charly, otherwise known to the cyber-world as Landgirl1980. (Catch her blog here!)
Well Rounded Vintage, Etsy
Charly specialises in finding gorgeous peices 'with the plus size in mind'. A great concept and a fab shop, so if you are a gorgeously curvy girl, pop on over and have a squizz!

All girls are gorgeous and deserve to feel gorgeous (ideally in a fab frock or gorgeous gown) so I wholehearedly applaud Charly's passion to source things specifically for this market. Feeling that we look good is part of the continual confidence battle we ladies face and finding something which fits like a glove is the icing on the confidence cake.

Knowing what suits the more curvy of us is also really important. I blogged a while back about capsule wardrobes for vintage looks and whether you are a vintage purist, a repro-diva or in fact happy with the High Street, there are some basic hints and tips if you are busty.
1950s ad for becoming curvier!
A lot of what I'm about to tell you, you probably already know but I'm going to remind you anyway! Basic rules 1. and 2.- avoid necks which are too high, and doubly avoid sleeveless tops where the neckline is too high as your boobs can all too easily become a sort of shelf. Wearing something with some detail at the neck is best if you just have to have the 1950s sweater girl look (If you do try a What Katie Did bra underneath!)

Why not opt for a V neck, wrap top styles or scoop neck as these are much better on a bigger bust and there are plenty of vintage styles like these. Heyday have some stunning wrap vintage style tops and they're on sale too. (We can all look like Kitten Von Mew!) I have this one and it is fab.
Heyday Vintage Style srap top on sale at £20!
Accentuating the waist is always a good idea when bigger busted- that's why the Fit & Flare full circle skirt dress is always such a mainstay of retro glamour. Even if you aren't an hourglass and don't have the hips to balance your bust, a circle skirt dress hides them and you will look in proportion (great news for those of us who are triangles or inverse pears!)
Vivien of Holloway circle Dress £80
 Just be a bit weary of the forties shirtwaister if you are very busty, unless it's exactly the right size those buttons will gape! Learn to measure yourself properly, bust, waist and hips; all good online shops will be able to give you accurate measurements for their items and a good size guide is worth its weight in gold. It takes me an absolute age to measure all my dresses for website listing but it's so worth it when someone is considering buying something they haven't seen!
How to measure yourself correctly
 So if you are a curvy girl, look good, feel great and know that you are utterly gorgeous, inside and out. Remember, it's not what you wear, but how you wear it!
                                   x

2 comments:

Knight'sEclectic said...

Great tips, I always measure for online shopping and now I know how to do it right x

Ange said...

Thanks Lisa. I only wish the shop sizes were standard!!!