Style snub for size 18 plus very busty women?

[Traveltart]

Can one ever look stylish and cool in middle age as a size 18 plus with enormous (GG) boobs?

If so, where do I find these clothes? The majority of ‘in’ styles have never suited me. Wide legs make me look even more enormous. I can’t wear anything with a high neck or thin straps.

Terrible legs so can’t do short anything. The only large influencer types I know tend to wear garish colours or are much younger than me.

In an ideal world I would waft around in classic clothes made of fabulous materials but these just don’t work for my budget or size! Would love to be able to afford Victoria Beckham style clothes but they don’t stretch to my budget or size.

I need to get out of my Boden jersey dress rut…My go to styles tend to be wrap and scoop or V cross over necks.

I tend to wear day dresses all the time or frumpy leggings or black trousers with a top that covers my tummy area. I do have a waist but also a stomach.

I have nothing to wear to drinks or a meal out.

Will spend up to £150 per item if I have to but would love some ideas ahead of the summer sales so I can swoop when ready.

My colour palette is supposedly warm autumn but I tend to buy a lot of high contrast black and white clothes which may not suit me.

Cool people: please point me to stylish shops and outfits that go up to my size or to accounts I should follow for style tips. Am late 40s…

I think my problem is I like an elegant classic look that looks amazing on a size 8 but dreadful or at best plain on a bag of lumpy coals like me!

Apologies if I've missed it somewhere, OP - what height are you? And by size 18 plus do you mean your boobs sometimes make you a size 20? Or that it depends on the style/brand?

Also - are you fine with your arms uncovered; it's just thin straps you don't like?

Lagenlook has become a bit of a default term used, I find, for anything a bit oversized that comes in a 16+!!!

And if you're a warm autumn, what's your hair/eye/skin colour?

You say you wear lots of dresses, but do you want to branch out into separates too? Is there anything in your existing wardrobe that you DO really like - if so, what, & what is the make?

Have you got good underwear sorted (feels a bit weird asking this of a complete stranger ... 😁!!)?

I'm a size 18 with big boobs and 5 foot 7. Maybe not your style but I love White Stuff. I particularly like their Annie shirts and Tia cropped jeans.
Pretty much this look.

I'm autumn and like similar chic neutral colours to you OP. It's possible, I promise!

Don't throw out your favourite solid black and white pieces, you can still make them work by mixing them with your warm neutrals (especially near your face) or just tweaking your makeup to brighten your complexion. I can get away with white if I'm tanned.

I wear black with mostly khaki/olive, beige/cream and certain shades of denim in summer. Tan or off white accessories. Chocolate and some shades of burgundy/plum in winter.

I agree Anna Cascarina will be a great influencer to follow. She's lost some weight but if you scroll back awhile you'll see she's made her look work at bigger sizes.

I know she's bigger but I've had a lot of good inspiration from Laura adlington on Instagram. She does a same look different bodies series too which is great.

I'm a soft autumn, & would say the same - I wear lots of black (as well as navy). Usually wear my favourite bright warm red lipstick when I do, so that my strawberry blonde hair & pale skin & red lips contrast against it. And will often mix it with other colours such as red/off-white/tan. Jewellery, scarves, cardigans etc all work to bring a warm colour near my face.

Like a bit of white too - when enough freckles merge (cant really claim a "tan"!!), it looks better on me than cream/beige, which I don't really wear. Love lots of greens & warm/dark reds & burgundies. Inky darker blues. Probably a rich rather than neutral-led palette as I love colour.

Also agree that Anna Cascarina is good - though that great long mane of dark hair helps make everything look stylish! I also like Erica Davies - completely different in that she's much more eclectic & mixes patterns & colours, but I like that! She takes the fear out of it (though sometimes gets it a bit wrong IMO). Both quite a bit thinner than they used to be ... but hey, I'd like that too!

I follow @fabfatand40plus on Instagram, she's 48 and wears gorgeous clothes. X

Oh thank you so much all of you! You have been amazing with your insight and ideas.

To answer a few questions en mass (sorry I prefer to do it individually when feeling less under a deadline!):

I’m five foot 7. Dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Sallow skin - pale but a bit yellow with annoyingly flushed cheeks at times (age!).

On a good day I’m an 18 when there is stretch. If it was something stiff I would say I’m a 20 due to my bust. I look enormous.

Someone up thread said I had the opposite style to them as they love Scamp&Dude. My favourite dress is from there! But it’s one of their few monochrome designs. It is cut beautifully though!

When I was thinner and richer, I had a couple of (outlet sale purchased) Dianne von Furstenberg dresses.

I love Kirstie Allsop’s Tucker dresses.

I do love a good plain navy or black well cut dress but I also have lots of that sort of thing…

Although I like the cut of some of the White Stuff and Seasalt stuff, I find the colours and patterns very ageing and drab on me (sorry!). It screams ‘ethical, middle aged, community-minded volunteer’ which funnily enough is exactly what I am but I am in denial.

I have looked at Adlington and follow her but find her style is too short and upbeat. I admire body positivity but could never wear short things at my age or with my legs.

A previous poster said they don’t like the classic style as it’s the sort of thing that suits just thin people and I think they’re right. Perhaps that’s why I covet it?

I once bought a beautiful silk-type patterned dress from Masai (or was it Sahara?). Slightly ‘old fashioned’ brands in many ways and a few of their things are ageing but the cut was good. Sadly the dress was worn to death and has a tear which is too big to repair and the fabric is threadbare now.

Love The Fold but SO expensive! I have in the past looked at Mango but always assumed it would be too small.

Ive never bought from Mint Velvet as their stuff only goes up to an 18 and I always figured that that meant it probably wasn’t flattering for people at the top end of that.