I need a cute dress, why can't I find one to fit???
Hi
I have an event coming up, my daughter's baptism. I want a really cute dress to wear, but I'm having a horrible time finding one, and I just want to rant for a minute, if someone will listen.
Why do you have to be thin all over or fat all over???? And why do they not make room in dresses for boobs?? Am I the only one with them??? I wear a (gulp) 18/20 in pants, and a 14 top. I have no shoulders to speak of, my arms and back and neck and from my waist up is like a normal size. My stomach, hips, butt and thighs are ginormous. Really, I have a 13 inch difference between my waist and hips. And i wear a 36DD bra. Who the heck designed me? I can't find dresses to fit!!!
I know I just need to give up and wear a skirt and top like I have my whole life, but I wanted a dress!!
Okay, I feel better. Thanks for listening
This is the year of the skirt. Lots of really cute skirts and tops to match out there now. A perfect solution when top and bottom aren't the same size.
Our stats are very similar, infact so similar its spooky, so I know your problem. I have a 14" difference from my waist size (34") to my hips (48"). In the UK we have a shop called Bravissimo which although mainly sells underwear for 'curvy' women also sells a range of clothing in three different fittings for each size: curvy, really curvy and super curvy. I have some of their tops and the fit is fantastic (I'm at the top end of really curvy, small end of super curvy). See here where it describes their sizing. As it shows prices in dollars I believe they will ship to the US and there maybe a similar store over there anyhow.
It sounds like you are a classic pear shape, where you carry most of your extra weight in your lower body. Yes, you have boobs, but your ribcage is pretty small around (small framed) compared to the lower half.
Apple figures are the opposite-they are smaller framed in the lower body with small hips and thin legs, and usually have fuller bellies, larger shoulders and ribcages, etc.
Clothing is made for an hourglass figure type, proportioned nicely and evenly on the top and bottom...when you body varies from that proportion quite a bit, you have fitting issues. There are really only two things you can do:
~Sew your own dresses, or have someone sew one for you. If you have a dress pattern, for instance that you bought in a size range of 10-16, you can literally make the top half of the dress to fit a size 10, and the bottom to fit a 14 if you need to-connecting the two sizes at the waistline.
~Wear separates. Buy a size medium top and a large bottom, etc. if you need to. They have started selling 2 piece bathing suits as separates for this exact same reason. Women are often not the same size on top as they are on bottom.
Don't fret-I am also a combo of an hourglass and pear shape. (Sortof in between the two.) Rather than the standard 10" difference from the waist to hips, I also usually have a 13" or more difference there. I can easily wear a size smaller in tops than I do on bottom, and I have trouble finding jeans that fit well, because if they fit my hips, the waist is too big.
If you haven't yet tried them, look for a wrap dress (not a faux wrap dress, an actual wrap dress). Because you can adjust them, you can get a more custom and more flattering fit with this style. I know Igigi sells them that some people have raved about.
Also...sometimes it pays to invest in a dress you can wear to multiple functions, buy it to fit the largest part of your body, and then have it tailored to fit. It can get pricey, but it is worth it for an article of clothing that you can get good use out of.
I used to weigh 110lbs (5'2"). Even then I couldn't find a dress to fit. I see all of these adorable dresses and nothing for me. It is really very frustrating. I feel your pain. I am going to try making something, but I have had lots of experience sewing, so if you want to try, be sure to start with something that isn't too difficult.
I don't have exactly the same measurements, I would say I am more of a true hourglass, but I have always found my hips drastically larger than my waist and top. My top is normal and my hips are just giant! It's crazy. I remember one time when I was able to find a top in the children's section which fit me whilst buying my pants in the plus size store! Anyway, I always find that obviously lycra is your friend if you can get it (particularly the cotton lyrca blend as that will not make you sweat), and that it is good to have something which does fit your body rather than a tent.
But, a good thing you can do if you all you can find is a tenty kind of dress is to belt it (either with an actual belt or scarf) around your waist. This has always worked for me to accentuate my best features (waist, bosom) and draw your eye away from the really large bits.
I did always struggle immensely with finding nice dresses to fit when I was that size though, the only really good ones I ever found were some lovely black cotton/lyrca dresses from Target a few years ago.
If your bottom is more than your top-you are most likely pear shaped.
An hourglass proportion has a full bust measurement, and a hip measurement that are almost the same, or the same-with a defined waistline.
If your bust would measure, say 40" at the fullest part, and your hips would measure 38-42" then you would be considered hourglass. However, if your fullest bust measurement was 40" and your hips would be 43" or larger-then you get into the pear shape.
Pear shapes have a defined waistline, like an hourglass, but the hips/thighs are bigger in proportion to the upper body. A woman who wears a 10 top and 12 or 14 bottom would be a pear.
I need a cute dress, why can't I find one to fit???
