Dress In A Way That's Beautiful For You

Researchers have been investigating the way the clothes we wear make us feel for a long time. Their research has shown that our clothing can affect our mood in fundamental ways.

Take the research done by Professor Karen Pine from the University of Hertfordshire. She says that wearing specific types of clothing can dramatically change how people think about themselves and fundamentally alter their mental processes. For men, the biggest boosts to their confidence are things like freshly brushed teeth, a brand new suit and getting a new haircut. For women, it’s shaved legs, high heels and wearing a little black dress.

The problem, however, is that plus-size women rarely feel confident in what they’re wearing. But it’s not just about weight. It’s also about how the clothes fit and feel. The good news is that there’s plenty you can do, even if you think you’re “too big” to feel confident.

Bag A Cape Dress

In her experiment, Professor Pine investigated the effect of wearing superhero costumes on both men and women. She got people to dress up in Superman outfits and then asked them how much they thought they could lift - subjectively, of course. Before putting on the outfit, people estimated that they would be able to lift modest weights: 50 lbs to 100 lbs. But wearing the Superman outfit, they estimated that they would be able to lift a lot more. What this showed was that the clothes we wear can have a significant impact on our subjective judgments about our own capacities. In effect, wearing clothes that make us feel like superheroes cause us to act like them too. (Well, perhaps not the Hulk).

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This is why cape dresses are so interesting. Not only are they usually daring in their color scheme, but they even have a superhero cape feel. In other words, they’re just about the only way you can combine fashion with superhero attire without everybody staring at you as if you’re crazy.

Cape dresses have been worn by all sorts of celebrities. Perhaps the most notable time was when one was worn by Rebel Wilson at the 2015 MTV awards. Expect to get glances and stares, but for all the right reasons this time.

Go For Wide-Legged Pants

If you’ve ever watched an episode of Frasier, you’ll have noticed that Niles Crane, Frasier’s geeky younger brother often wears wide-legged pants to work. While this might not be a good look for a middle-aged male shrink, it’s perfect for plus-size women who want to feel elegant.

Wide-legged pants were a fashion must-have back in the 90s. Since then, with the rise of skinny jeans, they’ve been ignored. But they have since made a bit of a comeback. If you search for a Lane Bryant coupon, you’ll find money off these types of trousers available at modern fashion retailers. It looks as if the wide-leg really is back and we’ve finally got an alternative to the ubiquitous skinny jean.

Layer White On Top Of White

A rule for plus-size women in the past has been to avoid white at all costs. But white is great for the summer and gives you a clean, fresh appearance. So how can you make it work? One of the ways to make it work is to use lots of layers. White t-shirt paired with a white blouse, jacket or even cape can look great for a summer’s day at the beach. Try to choose clothes with long, elegant lines and buy high-waisted white trousers to pull in the mid-section.

Go Floral

When most people think of summer, they think about sipping coconut and mango cocktails by the beach. As such, summer is an inherently “fruity” season which is why you should include fruits in your outfits.

People tend to have weird misconceptions about larger women, such as they don’t enjoy their fruits and vegetables. So actually wearing a dress covered in pineapple shows that there are no hard feelings between you both.

Wearing a striking dress might seem a little “risky” since it will generate a lot of attention. But despite your fears of standing out, you can make it work. Start off with a pair of dressy shorts that can fasten around your waist. Make sure that they are relatively loose so that you can pair them with a short blouse to cover the shoulders. When put together like this, floral dresses can look elegant and stunning: perfect for a summer party or barbecue. Tropical dresses are on sales for as little as $45 from some retailers.