I know from my own experience just how difficult it can be to find dresses that fit properly if you have rather generous curves. Items that fit the waist are too small for the boobs and the hips, and everything creases or rides up when you sit down. And yet women with a full hourglass figure, as I do, often look their very best in dresses - particularly slinky ones in drapy fabrics. In the past these have been rather hard to come by, and I have had to hunt them down and grab them when they are available.
So imagine my delight, when I visited Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre today, to discover row upon row of lovely slinky jersey dresses in a range of colours, and not just in one shop but in every shop I visited. I particularly liked the dresses in the Per Una range at Marks & Spencer, which come in more than one length (good for me as I am tall), and in Wallis. Wallis and Dorothy Perkins also have shorter-length fitted jersey dresses that work well over leggings or skinny jeans, or even (for the less brave) over palazzos. I also liked - and bought - a lovely knee-length fixed wrap jersey dress in a black and white rose print from Monsoon, which is great with opaques and boots or over leggings.
If your curves are more the rounded variety than the hourglass, jersey dresses will still work for you. Not all the dresses I saw were fitted at the waist: some were unfitted, swinging straight from the shoulders, and others were fitted underneath the bust - a sort of empire line style that is great on anyone whose waist has migrated upwards with the years!
If you don't feel like braving the stores at this time of year - and I can't say I blame you - then it is also worth looking for jersey dresses online. Artigiano is my favourite - wonderful range of excellent quality jersey dresses and tops. They have a sale at the moment which I mustn't look at or I will spend loads of money!! For larger ladies, Artigiano has a sister company called Spirito which also does a good range of curvy clothes, and Simply Be has a range of jersey dresses and long-line tops in different styles and colours for sizes 14+. Alternatively, check out the major retailers online - most of them have websites and will deliver either to you or to a local store for you to pick up.
And finally - the only drawback to a jersey dress, given the current weather, is that it is not the warmest fabric in the world and it is awfully tempting to opt for a bulkier, much less flattering but oh-so-warm sweater dress instead. Ladies, you deserve better than that! There are hundreds of lovely warm shrugs and wraps out there which are great with fitted dresses: on rounder figures, opt for some of the beautiful waterfall cardigans around. The stores I visited today had lots of knitwear suitable for wearing over dresses - I particularly liked Wallis's ruffle-edged wraps and Per Una's waterfall cardigans. Why not treat yourself to a whole outfit for Christmas?
If you're not sure what your body shape is and what style of dress would suit you, or would like to know more, then do call me on 01634 725515 or email me on fmcoppola@aol.com . A style consultation costs £100 and until the end of January I am including in the consultation a copy of Colour Me Beautiful's wonderful new book, Colour Me Slimmer, which is full of clever ideas for dressing your body shape.
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