Plus-size summer clothes?

[Justalittleblackraincloud]

What the frig am I supposed to wear?!

I'm a size 20, with huge thighs and calves, and bingo wings to boot :(

Last year I ended up in linen trousers and t-shirts and I know I just looked horrendous. I cannot get my legs out in any shape or form, so it's trousers all the way really. I ventured into long skirts briefly, but I'm so bloody overweight that my thighs rub together and hurt [fat & minging emoticon]

Do I have any options other than staying at home with my head in the oven?

Please bear in mind I have the budget of approximately fuck-all. So any ideas will need to be well represented in the the likes of Tesco & Asda.

I should give up now shouldn't I?

Have you tried Asos Curve or simply be.

OP - I feel your pain. I am an 18/20 and lived linen trousers with a big top last year. I did buy some cargo style trousers (mid calf) for a holiday.

I just don't look in mirrors so that I don't realise how ghastly I look

I'm a 22. What about tunics from M and S Autograph, with leggings or cropped trousers/ jeans, or tunics or dresses from Boden, which goes up to 22, when they have reductions on ? Asos Curve look promising too.

Lots of shops go up to a 20 or 22 now - Monsoon, New Look, Wallis...

blackraincloud have you tried wear like legging or shorts under big skirts decreases the chaffing

im a 20/22 3 quarter lengths

combats

Ugh. Simpy Be are frumpy, Evans too. Bought a couple of things from Asos curve, but I don't think they understand how to make clothes for plus size women TBH. It's like Evans, they always cover up the plus size lady's biggest asset (her boobs ) and cover the rest of her in a mumu smock of shame! Last item I bought in a UK plus size shop that I was happy with was a shirt from H&M's plus size dept, but I'm not sure they even do bigger sizes anymore, the website only has a few rubbish looking things on it.

I'm lucky enough to visit the US regularly and buy my clothes at the excellent plus size stores Lane Bryant and Torrid, dunno if they ship internationally but if you can swing it, I would recommend you spend your money there. Also look at the Old Navy website, they also do cheap plus size clothes and do ship internationally though I would add the caveat that it's worth reading customer reviews of an item as their sizing is wonky. I'm a UK 26, but sometimes can fit their normal range 1x and 2x, to give you an idea of how wrong it can be, so I usually make sure I read the reviews and take on the comments of previous customers.

I love the way the H&M site uses a decent plus size model so you can see what the clothes look like on. Agree that Simply Be can be a bit frumpy although you can occasionally find the odd useful thing on it. Frankly, pretty much all plus size clothing is fairly frumpy.

Curvety.com is another source, but not that cheap.

All UK plus size clothing is frumpy. Really recommend you check out the US sites, it's a whole new world .

I'm a size 20 and just bought some things from BHS, M&S and Dorothy Perkins.

Agree in UK specialist plus size retailers are frumpy - which is why, if I were a 20 I'd buy in the 'ordinary' retailers mentioned Autograph, Boden, Monsoon, etc. As i do as a 22.

Thanks everyone.

I really don't know if I can get away with cropped trousers or leggings with these legs

Good idea about the leggings under a dress...but I do wonder if I'm just going to look like a tent in a maxi dress. Would I be better off with seperates? Floaty skirts & a top of some kind?

You can OP

i'll wear legging but on a bigger girl like moi i make sure my thighs are covered, if anyone says owt there obviously sad enough to be looking that hard.

lol

As for styles to wear, I would always encourage a bigger lady to avoid the summer mumu of shame temptation, find something that shows off your boobs by defining underneath them, like this, or even something like this.

You just need to brazen it out with the bingo wings, try and get over it because at a size 20-22 I can't imagine they're as bad as you think they are, and an overheated, sweaty and irritated mumu draped plus size lady is far less attractive than one feeling comfortably cool, showing off her assets. Really. I got over it during a particularly hot and humid summer overseas, temperatures in the high 30's, and honestly utterly impracticable to wear anything other than this sort of thing. No-one cared, I felt a whole lot more comfortable, and actually a lot of people said it looked good on me, so go figure!

Maxi dresses are a very bad idea for bigger ladies, they are absolutely a mumu in disguise. Would steer you well clear of 'em.

Go with capri's, they're a good compromise.

I'm a couple of sizes bigger than you OP, and I'm going out tonight wearing leggings with a dress over the top....I actually like Next for larger sizes, they're just their normal range, bigger :)

I have a friend who is prob about your size and she always looks gorgeous in long hippy skirts, more fitted tops and short sleeve shrugs to cover arms. Could you find some short cotton cycling shorts to prevent the leg rubbing under skirts??

skirt
vest
shrug
sexy knickers

As an alternative, to go with the skirt
these tops
shoes
and a navy shrug.
Am I close?

Sorry, the vest doesn't show the colour, it was the kingfisher.

anti chafe

baby liquid talc v good too

I've worn cheapo mens boxers from Primark under dresses to stop chafing.

Also if you don't want to wear extra clothes underneath I have found putting something oily on my inner thighs helps with the chafing, like almond oil. It won't last all day but if you keep some in a small bottle you can apply it again.

Hey

I love this thread, it's so true. shifting between a size 20 and 24 i spent years of wearing frumpy bin bags from some of these shops but I recently found that there are a lot more online than i realised. I know some are slightly more expensive like Evans and Asos Curve but there are also some brilliant deals on at the moment. Check out these nautical items from George at Asda

I have also found that although they are a little more expensive, plus size maxi dresses seem to hide a multitude of sins but you can still make them look femine and gorgeous. If I had an endless pot of money, I would buy as many as i could find :)

These Plus Size Summer Must Haves are some of my favourites for this summer and for all occasions too :)

sorry, that was really helpful wasnt it - links not working - try these:

Nautical stuff from george - bigbeautifulfashion.co.uk/plus-size-summer-dresses

Plus Size Summer Must Haves - bigbeautifulfashion.co.uk/summers-plus-size-fashion-must-haves

Hope this helps :)

Something like this will liberate you for the summer. No chafing, smoothes lumps and bumps and you can wear your own bra. Stick a dress over the top- maxi dresses are fine as long as they are waisted and not too full. Something like this.

yeah. maxi dresses are good when they cut in under the bust - then they flow out nicely and hide the tummy. This one is lovely It has a seam under the bust but doesnt sit too close :)