Beauty in Curves
Beauty in Jeans caters for curvy ladies
Beauty in Jeans were created especially with the curvy lady in mind
Autumn/Winter 2013 celebrates the sophisticated allure of the ‘real’ woman with hourglass curves
Hourglass figures are in luck, with the new Autumn/Winter collections celebrating curves and elegant womanly silhouettes. Local fashionistas dressing the fuller figure say that this reflects their customers’ growing demand for stylish and flattering clothes that really enhance the female form.
Nicky Allen Founder of plus-size retailer Box 2, is finding an increasing number of customers seeking a sexier and more curvaceous look, embracing pieces that skim over the body’s curves.
Indeed, the leafy London village boutique’s new ‘curvy fit’ Matchbox 2 range brings a hint of sexy glamour to sizes 14-24. Its jersey wrapover tops, ruched-front dresses and fitted jackets chime in well with the hourglass brief.
Carol Palmer of Riche of Ewell Village suggests three ways of flattering your curves. “The pencil skirt is perfect with its fitted shape and long outline. Wear with a belted winter coat or trench with epaulettes. Or you could try the 1940s cinched-in-waist look with a skinny belt worn over a cardigan.”
Riche’s Michaela Louisa dress is a fabulous choice for those embracing the curvy look. As a wrapover dress with a ruched front, it flatters larger figures and elegantly skims over those curves.
Carolyn de la Drapiere creates all her handcrafted designs in her studio in the South West London borough of Barnes. Having been every size from an American size 0 to 24, and now happily settled somewhere in the middle, Carolyn appreciates the importance of feeling good in what you wear.
“Curvy women enjoy wearing clothes that enhance all the good parts and subtly hide the rest! It is important to buy well-cut clothes that drape beautifully over the body and have been designed with curvy women in mind,” she stresses.
Pair one of Carolyn’s pretty blouses with a pencil skirt to create that long outline. Alternatively, try her belted jacket with the collar turned up to create a flattering deep V-neck.
Camberley based online retailer Curvety showcases a great choice of dresses for the larger figure. The retailer advises investing in a dress or skirt with ruching around the middle, which is the perfect way to hide a multitude of sins.
“A well-placed pattern, or a vertical strip on a piece of clothing can create
a slimming effect,” the retailer advises. Curvety’s Umiko winter florals dress does this brilliantly.
Australian plus-size label Taking Shape has landed in the UK and opened stores in Kingston and Horsham. It recommends incorporating one of this season’s multitude of prints into your wardrobe to give personality. Patterns distract the eye from trouble spots, creating an overall proportioning effect for your figure – check out the label’s Sugar Plum lush velvet winter floral coat.
Frustrated with trying to find fashionable, flattering jeans, Daily Mail ‘big girl in a skinny world’ columnist Alice Dogruyol founded her own jeans range, Beauty in Curves. With savvy tailoring, she says, “even curvy girls can wear skinny jeans and look stylish and elegant.”
Along with hidden panels to flatten, firm and smooth your tummy, lift your bum and slim your thighs, her jeans are designed to sculpt a streamlined figure – whatever your size. “Boot-cut jeans, in particular, balance out curvy proportions,” she says.
Finally, remember that it frequently pays to obtain a second opinion. “Find a retailer whose opinion you trust and who will be honest with you,” says Ali Cohen of Box 2’s Wimbledon boutique. “Don’t be pressured into buying! You will only ever wear what you feel happy in,” she advises.
Beauty in Curves, beautyincurves.com *Special readers’ discount. Quote: LOVEYOURJEANS at online checkout.
Box 2 West Wimbledon, 267 Coombe Lane, West Wimbledon , London SW20 0RH. Tel. 020 8947 9797.
Carolyn de la Drapiere, tel. 020 8288 8919. drapiere.com
Curvety, tel. 0845 094 1848. curvety.com
Riche of Ewell Village. 87 High Street, Ewell Village, Surrey KT17 1RX. Tel. 0208 393 2256. richeofewell.co.uk
Taking Shape, tel. 020 8549 7187. takingshape.co.uk
