curves_r_us

There's a sale on at Nomads. I love this supplier for being fairtrade, for bold colours and prints, and for the way their clothes fit my shape. For me clothes can make the difference between voluptuous and dumpy. Trinny and Susannah seem to have fallen out of favour but I learned a lot from Susannah's tips on dressing for curves. One of their books shows her in 'the best t-shirt' which has a wide neckline and a huge bold print, inspiring me to buy this in black and this in green. They've just arrived and I'm so pleased! I can't wait for cooler weather so that I can start wearing them.

You can find out here.

I've just suggested this community to another LJ Friend, then I came over to change my posts here to 'public' instead of 'members only'. Perhaps I'm not the only person who might want to do that.

Obsessed with clothes? Moi? Or it might be just that I've been stuck at home a lot, due to disability, and today I've made it out on a shopping trip.

I don't often go into Bon Marche because I'm not in its target age range, but I went in today looking for bedroom slippers. They didn't have any I liked. But I came away with ten - yes, ten - colourful vests. I'm so pleased! I chose them because they're not too revealing at the neckline. I like to layer tops and dresses over vests because I don't want people staring at my cleavage, but most of the vests I see in womenswear shops are too skimpy to serve that purpose. Not so these Bonmarche vests. Also, they're modestly cut at the armholes. One of the few things I don't like about my body is the bulges under my arms so I avoid skimpy tops. It's a nuisance on hot days, especially when my job requires me to wear a lab coat over my clothes and to be in a room where machinery kicks out heat. I think these vests (with one of my nice colourful Bravissimo bras under them) are going to let me stay cool at work.

PS I'm English, so when I say vest I mean camisole or singlet - I don't mean waistcoat.

I've just discovered thirty_twod.

When I posted about knitwear recently, one LJ Friend noticed that Bravissimo sells swimwear as well as daywear (and, of course, underwear which is their main line). So I'd like to remark on why I don't buy Bravissimo swimwear. Styles with bra-like support that come in different cup sizes are appealing, yes. But for me, all the styles there are too revealing of midriff and bum. They're also too tight at the hips. Bravissimo have been selling swimwear for some years and I've watched the range expand, so evidently it's popular. Perhaps for women who are quite slim overall but with large busts.

Where I go for swimwear is Land's End. In fact I've got several of their one-pieces and their tankinis, more than I ever get around to wearing, because it was such a relief to find this range. Before that I'd had only one swimming costume for 20 years. The Land's End range caters for my bust size (E cup, although this is one of the suppliers who calls it C cup.) It includes one-pieces with ruching at the waist and tankinis with high-waisted bottoms, even with the option of a skirt or shorts to swim in. I don't like it that men get to swim in trunks that look like shorts, if they want to, whereas women are rarely offered anything but revealing high-cut legs.

I like the way I look in ordinary clothing. I like the way I look in my ordinary underwear, as it happens. I don't think that swimwear should make people like me feel fat or frumpy.

It's sometimes difficult to find clothing that suits my shape. My measurements say that my hips are on the small side compared to my bust and waist, but if I wear a t-shirt or jumper that fits my hips, it tucks in under my belly. What works is to wear tops that are quite short (high hip length) or that flare out to be loose at the hips. Tailored blazers suit me well. But casual knitwear is hard to find.

A huge step forward happened when Bravissimo clothing became available. The cardigans in their current range are lovely and flattering to my bust and waist, but I still have to leave the bottom 2 buttons undone to allow for the curve out to my hips. The best knitwear I've found is from Woolovers. Not every item suits me. A lot of their styles are baggy at the waist and close-fitting at the hips, making me look dumpy. But I'm in love with this, this and this. It was a big change for me to wear something called 'frilly' or 'girly' because that's not my usual style, and because frills down the front of my body can add too much bulk. But I've discovered that frills around cardigan hemlines are great. These cardigans fit and show my curves in a nice way.