It’s not easy living as a plus size woman. I know, I get it. Even though I have successfully lost weight after months of back-breaking exercise and appetite-reducing diets, I have been a plus size woman for the entirety of my life prior to 2020. And I am already turning 29 this year.
One of the biggest pains of being curvy in Singapore is the difficulty in dressing up. Hands up if you’ve never been able to find a flattering swimsuit that hugs your curves and hide those love handles! I see a sea of hands over there. Fret not, help is here!
I am dedicating this article in assisting you curvy ladies out there in dressing in style through the most challenging (and demanding) occasions. I’ve been there and done that!
1) Weddings
Oh boy do I use to loathe attending weddings? If it isn’t enough that I see tons of people looking great with their svelte bodies, it’s always a chore for me to prepare clothing for the wedding. I loathed going to shopping malls and trying all the usual boring occasion wear from brand names. More often than not I am going into department stores women twice my age shop at, and trying for the life of me to find something remotely trendy. I remember attending my brother’s wedding in a pink shift dress with 3D floral applique and pearls that looks like it was made in the 80’s. Thinking back on it still makes me shudder.
Thank (inserts all religious figures) for online shopping! You’ll thank me for sharing this store I found on the internet, Pluspreorder. They have the cutest and most flattering dresses you can think of. Secretly, I think smaller sized ladies get jealous of the dresses I get from them. The most incriminating evidence would be when I took a video at a cousin’s wedding and captured someone starring at my dress for the entire length of the video.
Go on, click on that link and I assure you that you will not only stop putting off that wedding but actually start looking forward because you know you can look good there!
2) Date Night
This was my second biggest fear in life! And I am not exaggerating! Date nights are definitely scary in general since all we girls want is to impress the guy on the other side be it with our witty dialogue or with our appearance. I used to be so self-conscious every time I went on a date (not like I went on many), but a bad dress could really pull my confidence down low. And, guess who I am going to recommend! Yes, that is right. Pluspreorder has really cute plus size dresses that will ensure you are comfortable through date night and look your best! I bought some of their wrap v neck dresses. They are flattering for women with curves like you and me. They are my go-to dress styles for dates!
3) Dinner and Dance
This is also another anxiety-inducing shopping event I had to encounter twice yearly because I was working for a company that apparently had an overflowing budget. So imagine the horror of shopping for theme dinners. Twice. Think of costume and vintage themed events. It was already hard enough for women of a smaller size to find those rare clothing items, much less a plus-size woman like me. Guess what I did? I came to a conclusion after weeks of preparation for the dinner and dance that I had only one choice; to customize my own clothing! You can either learn up sewing on your own (it is the era of free information on the internet, so you will easily find information online), or if you are not going to spend your brain cells on this, I would highly recommend just visiting the tailor at your nearby wet market.
Do not look down on those aunties and uncles working on their decade-old machines; these people have mad sewing skills! I remember my light bulb moment the first time I thought of the customization idea, and I went down to my HDB’s nearest hawker and showed the tailor aunty I have known for years an image of a 1920s flapper dress with heavy sequins allover. She just looked me in the eye in a calm and been-there-done-that demeanor, replying “Aiyah, this one easy la. No problem. I can make it for you in two days.”
The little girl in me had a mind blown moment when I realized I could make any design under the universe for myself, thanks to these nifty aunties and uncles. Two days later, I tried on the flapper dress she made for me and there was totally no need to make any amendments; it fit me to a tee! Ever since then, I have been a loyal fan and even now that I am slimmer, I ask auntie to make the dresses for my dinners all the time. Besides, isn’t it nice to support our pioneer generation?
4) Exercise
Joining yoga classes, or commercial gyms is like resisting food. You know eating more is bad for you but you can’t stop yourself from reaching for those chips. In much the same way, you know you probably look bad while exercising as you struggle with all the love handles bursting through your clothing, but you know you have to exercise and go ahead anyway if you want positive change in your life.
I made my life easier by guessing what? (I think this is tough to guess!) Wearing men’s exercise clothing! The sizing is generous, and actually they look pretty good. My staple clothing style was a loose half-length exercise shorts and dry fit tee shirts from the guy section. It not only felt way more comfortable than forcing myself into tight-fitting female styles, I know I looked good too.
So there you go! My nifty guide to dressing through the difficult occasions in life. I hope this helps you!
