Put your Best Foot Forward

Women come in all shapes and sizes and, fortunately, so does clothing. When I hear someone say that they can’t find anything that suits them, I know it is because they either have not looked hard enough or because they are not willing to try new things. I remember when three quarter sleeves became very fashionable a few years ago – I was hesitant to try them on and only did so because my brother pushed me to. At the end of the day they looked great and became a staple in my wardrobe.

When it came to looking for plus sized clothing, I naturally decided to be a little more adventurous than I would previously have allowed myself to be. I completely ignored all the big, baggy tops and dresses because I felt that they made me look frumpy. My first foray into the plus sized clothing was something of a disaster though. Trousers were the worst – if they fit around the hips, they were too big at the waist. I almost despaired of finding any plus sized clothing that fit me properly when I learned a simple trick – tailoring. Tailoring the garments meant that I could get the perfect fit, not too tight or too loose. I think that, as ladies, we don’t often think about tailoring our clothes – men, on the other hand, have done so for years. It is time to take a lead from the men in our lives on this one.

Of course, I did find some great plus sized clothing once I realized that I really only had to fit it to the largest part of my body. Wanting a somewhat different look, I instinctively went for the more fitted and form-fitting outfits. I did try on some of the looser plus sized clothing but found that it really didn’t look quite as good. Contrary to what one would think, the more form-fitting plus sized clothing actually makes you look slimmer.

I also decided to steer clear of impulsive fashion purchases and spent my money on more expensive items. To this day, I still have a number of these garments and they still look great. For work-wear that has a good lifespan, you have to choose natural fabrics. My weakness is for skirts and jackets made out of pure wool. I make sure that they are fully lined when I buy them and find that I get tired of them long before they begin to wear out. A great argument can be made for quality over quantity here. The same goes for shoes – I only buy leather shoes now. They look better and your feet can breathe a lot better in them. My best advice to you is to follow my example – don’t settle for second-best when it comes to clothing.