Not looking fatter than you are is important..!

Now. Where do I start. And nobody say the beginning, don’t be ridiculous.

I watched a group of women cross the road today. All shapes and sizes, heights, widths, everything. And one lady stood out. She looked really, really large in comparison to the group. As a largest in the group type girl {I am 5’11 and a size 22+} there was something screaming that this wasn’t quite right with this picture.
Her t-shirt fluttered in the breeze. And fluttering suggests room. I pondered. There was room under that expansive t-shirt. Hmm. And as I sat stopped at the lights I watched as she put her hands on her hips, cinching the t-shirt in at the same time. And she was about half the size she appeared to be! Average sized at most. 
This realisation got me thinking about all the times growing up I covered up, baggy shirted it up and generally layered it on to HIDE my size. When I think about it now. It was just making me look bigger. badly selected shapes and sizes and types of clothing that did nothing for me. So while shopping this evening {online, finally, hello my newest darling ASOS} I put it into action. This theory.
And yes, I know these drapey, flowing things maybe be fashionable but look what the do to THE SAME MODEL {for the dress one, anyway}. They make her look much bigger than she is. And she’d be what, at 14/16 at best. Here’s what I mean. 

See what I mean? I have resolved to clear my wardrobe of the saggy, the baggy and the drapey and make a clean break for structure, tailored and shaped. It really is about the confidence to wear and choose items that suit your body. About knowing your shape and size and wearing clothes that work with you. Rather than against. 
Are you wearing clothes that flatter your body and shape?
You know, the one you have NOW. 

16 responses to “Not looking fatter than you are is important..!”

  1. So true. I wish I hadn't been a teenager when grunge was the thing. My hourglass figure never stood a chance against those baggy clothes.

  2. Yes. I've always dressed to show that I have a shape [yes it's fat and big BUT there IS a shape there].I hate big baggy clothes that may be look twice as big as I am. It is for this reason that I hate places like Big W who's big gal clothes tend to resemble tents!Ugh!!Great post!~x~

  3. When we first started dating, my husband used to wear these (hideous) oversized shirts. I slowly convinced him to start wearing t-shirts that were a bit more fitted, an easy job when the first time he wore one out in the public, someone complimented on how much weight he'd lost!!Do it, you'll never regret it :) P.S SPINNING ME OUT that your blog is switched around. It looks great, just sending my little fRiday afternoon exhausted head into outer-space :P

  4. I've been trying to tell women that for years, thats where the post title "embrace your curves" came from, I used to say it all the time. Loved the post :) You should do another showcasing the pieces you kept and the others you tossed and why… include photos :PPS: I'm not demanding… right:P

  5. Wow! Great examples there!

  6. Excellent post, and excellent examples. I have done away with some less flattering and less shaped pieces for this reason. Some very unsightly photos made me do it. All curves are gorgeous, they should be shown off and if you dress confidently then your own confidence follows.

  7. Actually (totally embarassed to admit it) but I heard this same piece of advice on trinny and susannah! And they are absolutely right! I never wear anything that bags or sags – knowing that saggy clothes don't actually hide anything, they just make it worse really does give you confidence to try something 'slimming'. And seriously, how much nicer is that black dress anyway!!xxxCate

  8. Brilliant post! And I loved your last paragraph ;)

  9. You rock. This is a post I wish I wish I wish I had written! xx

  10. Yay! Thanks for the encouragement. I keep saying that I need to go on "What not to wear" to figure all this out, but maybe I just need to keep checking your blog! :)

  11. GREAT post. I am looking at the top I am wearing and, yup, I am so guilty of this… Will have to do something about this, I think. Thanks for the inspiration.

  12. This is so true! Even at my size (24) I've noticed that if I wear something with a bit of shape instead of a sack people think I've lost weight! lol And that makes me feel good, then people notice that I'm confident not hiding in a corner in my sack and yeah. Shape is good. Whatever our shape may be

  13. I've worn saggy baggy t-shirts for years, because I'm more comfortable in loose clothing. But they've been wearing out to the point of falling apart, so I bought new ones, two or three sizes smaller, so they're definitely t-shirts, not something that could be mistaken for a nightie. More colourful too, most of the old ones were black, so as not to show stains from the shoe factory spray booth.

  14. I thought the same thing when looking at asos. that pinkish number is hideous. My thoughts were more along the lines of: if it even looks shit on a model then I aint buying it.

  15. Hey Mel, not sure if you've ever looked at http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/pinupcouture.html? I saw you were interested in modcloth and thought you might like to take a peek if you haven't already :)

  16. Just found this post and I love it! I've been making an effort to dress better lately, and this is the key point! I've been self conscious because I'm carrying around 5-10kg more than what I'd like (small in the general scheme I know, but makes a difference clothes wise when your wardrobe was bought for the smaller size). I did fall into the trap of wearing baggier clothes to hide the lumps and bumps, but find that if I wear a semi-fitted top with a cardi over, I look much better and its way more flattering. Thanks for the great examples above – its great to see a model who's not a size 6-8 stick figure as well! :)

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