The rules about what curve women should wear have been around for far too long.
For years, women with curves have been given a very specific set of rules when it comes to getting dressed. The list is endless.
Wear black.
Avoid horizontal stripes.
Don't wear anything too fitted.
Don't wear anything too oversized.
Hide your arms.
Hide your tummy.
Cover your backside.
Give yourself some shape - Create a waist.
Don't wear big prints.
Don't wear wide leg Palazzo pants.
And whatever you do, don't draw attention to the parts of your body that are apparently supposed to be hidden.
Honestly?
Who decided all of this?
And more importantly, why are we still listening?
We say....
Wear a print, and a wide leg Palazzo pant AND show your tummy!
The idea that the goal for a curve woman is to look smaller.
This is the thing l hate the most.
The notion that every day l dress to make myself look smaller, is so ridiculous. It is so far from my truth but this framework has been woven into women's fashion for generations.
We often hear, dark colours will make you look smaller. Strategic draping will hide your tummy or your bust. If your body is a pear shape, wear this ....If your body is an apple shape, wear that....NO! NO! NO!
You are not a piece of fruit or a triangle. You are a Woman. You are you. And as long as you are happy with what you are wearing, nobody else's opinion really matters.
Having said that, there's absolutely nothing wrong with wearing dark colours or strategic draping if that's what you love wearing.
The problem is when they're presented as rules, because we all know that rules are a set of instructions that should be followed. Why are there rules? And who said we have to follow them?
I can tell you this: a woman with curves does not need to spend her life trying to make herself smaller by playing by these rules.
We might actually want to be seen.
We might want the beautiful coat.
The dramatic sleeve.
The oversized silhouette.
The print that walks into the room before we do.
Fashion should be about expression, not camouflage.
“Curve women shouldn't wear oversized clothes.”
This one always makes me smile.
Because oversized isn't the problem.
Proportion is.
A beautifully cut oversized jacket can look incredibly sophisticated on a curve body. A fluid top can create movement. A generous sleeve can add drama. A relaxed trouser can completely change the feeling of an outfit.
The difference is in the design.
Where the shoulder sits.
Where the hem falls.
How the fabric moves.
How the garment works with the body rather than fighting against it.
That's why designing for curves isn't simply about making something bigger.
It's about understanding proportion.
Where the shoulder sits. Where the hem falls. How the fabric moves.
“You should avoid horizontal stripes.”
Apparently, stripes have been plotting against women for decades.
But a stripe is just a stripe.
Its scale, direction, placement, colour and the garment it's used on, all change how it looks.
And sometimes you just really like stripes and want to wear them.
That should be reason enough.
Avoid horizontal stripes. No! We will not!
“Black is the most flattering colour.”
Black is a wonderful colour.
For me personally, I love wearing black especially with red lipstick. I treat it like a blank canvas. l can change the look and my vibe depending on the accessories l wear. And l usually wear what suits my mood on the day.
But black shouldn't be the uniform assigned to women who wear a larger size.
There is a whole world of colour, texture and print out there.
Olive. Chocolate. Toffee. Soft neutrals. Prints. Unexpected combinations.
And sometimes the best thing about a colour isn't whether it makes you look smaller.
It's whether it reflects your personality.
“You need to define your waist.”
Another rule that assumes every curve woman is trying to create the same silhouette.
Bodies aren't all shaped the same way and neither are our clothes.
Sometimes a defined waist is exactly what you want. Sometimes a straight silhouette feels more modern. Sometimes a relaxed shape feels effortless. Sometimes you want something with a little drama.
There isn't one correct way for a curve woman to wear clothing.
“You should hide your arms, tummy, hips…”
This is probably the rule I'd most like to see disappear.
Because once you start dressing by body part, getting dressed becomes a negotiation.
Can I wear this?
Is my arm too big?
Does this show my tummy?
Does this make my hips look bigger?
Should I cover this?
And somewhere along the way, we stop asking the most important question:
Do I actually like it?
Of course, fit matters.
Comfort matters.
Fabric matters.
Construction matters.
But those things exist to make the garment fabulous not to make your body something that needs correcting.
So what should curve women wear?
Whatever you like!
That's the answer.
Wear the print.
Wear the jacket.
Wear the wide-leg trouser.
Wear the fitted dress.
Wear the oversized shirt.
Wear the colour.
Wear the black.
Wear the thing you looked at twice because you thought, “ Can I wear that?”
Yes, you can.
And if you don't like it once it's on, that's okay too.
That's fashion.
It's supposed to be fun.
Maybe we have to throw the rule book out.
Maybe we shouldn't be asking:
“How can I blend in?”
Maybe we should be asking:
"What do l want to wear today?"
"How do I want to feel today?"
Confident?
Comfortable?
A little dramatic?
Effortless?
Powerful?
Or maybe just fabulously good in what you're wearing.
That's enough.
The old rules were written around making women look smaller.
We're more interested in designing clothes that let women take up space.
For women who expect more.
Designed for curves.
Kat xx
