Calling All Curvaceous Cuties!

This is a Curvy Girl Special! 

And no that's not 'Plus size' It's Curvy Girl...
Those beautiful girls who aren't skin and bone!

 But Hailie, what is the difference between a curvy girl and a plus size girl?

In the UK, most clothing stores consider a woman who is above a size 16 to be a plus size, but considering the average dress size in the UK is a 14, this seems a bit unbalanced and incorrect to me and therefore I have decided to use the term 'Curvaceous Cuties' instead. It sounds a lot nicer and more correct I think!


A Little while a go, a good friend of mine, Claire, asked me to help her with some ideas on what she could wear.

Claire is a UK size 18-20, 5'9" Tall with narrow UK size 9 feet and broad shoulders.
She's training to be a primary school teacher, and she's struggling big time with what she could wear on her 'school days'.

It needs to be:

•  Sensible - Sequins are pretty but lets get serious...getting children aged 4-11 to focus is hard enough anyway without their teacher looking like a disco ball. (Although... that could be one way to grab their attention? Hmm...)

• Modest - absolutely no bum, belly or boobies on show. Ever.

• Sophisticated - She's a smart and classy young woman so she should look like it!

• Age appropriate - She's in her 20's so she wants to look her age and not like a frump!

• On a budget - She's a student at the moment so the price tag needs to reasonable!
  
  
  This is definitely a challenge for me as I'm a UK size 10, 5'2" Tall with UK size 3 feet. There's only a FEW differences between us right?!
  
  
  Go for large prints and chunky jewellery, and make sure the material of your outfit skims over the areas you want to hide.
  
  Choose solid materials and colours, avoid lots of laces, glitters, pictures or horizontal stripes. Avoid chunky knit jumpers because they'll make you look bigger than you are.

 Longer length skirts look better than shorter ones. Go for something below the knee, small pleats, nothing too high waisted. Avoid wide waist bands too.

 Longer length blazers are a fast way to smarten up a plain top and trousers. Leave it open and have a darker colour under a light colour.

 A wide crew neck, large bold monochrome pattern and light floaty material is a successful combination when it comes to dresses. It's feminine, sophisticated and the bold pattern is a little playful making you look more your age. 

 For now, I would suggest she chose V-neck or big U-neck to expose her neck area and do not wear baggy outfit which won't flatter her at all.

Sticking with lighter feminine shades are a good idea as they add some colour to a plain pair of black trousers or a figure hugging pencil skirt. The split on the sleeves will help soften the broad shoulders as well.

 Loving Lace? Again the V-neck on this 3/4 length lace top is ideal for someone with broad shoulders. it opens up the neck making the chin look slimmer, as well as having some 'openess' on the shoulders making them seem less bulky and harsh.

 Bold pattern, looser fitting tapered trousers look fantastic on ladies with a bum to be proud of! And best of all, you'll look smart and sassy whilst having everything covered. Swap your everyday 'sensible' pumps for some sexy sandals and you can enjoys a few cheeky cocktails on a Friday after school's out!

 These straight leg trousers are flattering and smart. Wear with a light weight material top and some bold jewellery for MISS I-MEAN-BUSINESS.

 Kaftans are a great summer time wardrobe essential. they look great with both jeans and Smart trousers, come in a variety of colours and styles and they take no thinking about if you're running late! The Children will never know!

 Pencil Skirts are a must have. And get them on trend with a bold tartan print...steer clear of red though...try instead navy, dark green and mono chrome.

 Wrap around dresses are literally perfect for the curvy cutie! They accentuate all that needs to be accentuated, they hide all that needs to be hidden. Best of all - the different materials, colours, lengths, patterns they come in...you're sure to find one to suit your style.

I found a lot of websites claiming to cater to Claire's size were either too expensive or aimed at women much older than herself. New Look had some okay choices, but not much variety.
After a lot of looking about and research I found one of my own favourites to come up trumps in terms of suitability, price, age range and general inspiration. 

'Asos Curve' definitely came up trumps this time!

I seriously struggled with her shoe dilemma. But fear not... I wont give up just yet!

If any of my readers think they could help locate some stylish UK size 9 women's shoes that don't look like drag queen cast offs and don't cost the earth PLEASE SHARE!!!

So Claire...How did I do?

Hailie

xo


P.s I would like to add that since writing all of this Claire has actually Graduated and I'm extremely proud! Hopefully my advice will still come in handy either way!
Well Done Miss Teacher :)