Stripes Rule Everything Around Me!

Every time I hear a so-called fashion expert throw in his or her limited three cents about plus-size fashion, he or she will always point out that big girls should never wear stripes. (Yes, I’m looking at you, Stacey London. I broke up with “What Not to Wear” two seasons ago. Stacey is just ridiculously mean and she and Clinton give the same advice over and over again!). I LOVE big, bold, and beautiful stripes and I believe that ANY woman can carry them off if she knows how to do it right. Now, I don’t want anybody, lean or plus-size, walking around with a striped maxidress from the early 90s (think Janet Jackson’s “That the Way Love Goes” or Salt-n-Pepa’s “Shoop” videos), but you shouldn’t fear adding a few stripes to your wardrobe when the mood hits you. In today’s post, I will give you a few of my rules about sporting stripes and show you some classic and trendy ways to wear stripes with confidence.

The Stripe is Right

When selecting a striped piece for my wardrobe, I use the following guidelines to help me pick pieces that will flatter my figure:

Horizontal Stripes: Horizontal stripes need to be wide and uniform across the entire garment. I like for my horizontal stripes to almost look like neat, tidy paint samples. (That’s my obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) talking. Don’t mind her!) The one area that I will agree with the fashion experts on is wearing a top with horizontal stripes across your bust line. You do NOT want to create a uni-boob! I do, however, like stripes that fall directly under the bust line like in this beautiful color block dress from Igigi ($138.00). This fun and flirty tie-dyed striped dress from Ashley Stewart ($49.00) is also a nice way to wear horizontal stripes tastefully.







Vertical Stripes: Vertical stripes are a little bit kinder to plus-size gals and they can be worn either wide or skinny. I especially love a good pinstriped or seersucker pant or jacket for the summer. The only caution I have about vertical stripes is when the pattern includes too many colors. A stripe can quickly go from good to bad when it is swallowed by a rainbow of color. I don’t want any of you to look like you escaped from the circus! These pinstriped gaucho pants from Lane Bryant have a perfect balance of thin vertical stripes ($49.50) and are a classy addition to your professional wardrobe.









Diagonal Stripes: Diagonal stripes can also be worn both thin and wide. These stripes are perfect for tops and blouses because they take attention away from the bust line and help to create the illusion of a small waistline. Similar to vertical stripes, you also want to be cautious of diagonal stripes with too many colors. This blue, black, and white dress from Lane Bryant ($69.50) is a perfect example of good diagonal and vertical stripes used well together to highlight this model’s beautiful pear shape figure.

When Good Stripes Go Bad

The following stripe patterns should be avoided at all costs:

• Super thin horizontal stripes (Creates a bad optical illusion for plus-size figures)
• Multicolored vertical stripes (I hear the circus calling!)
• Sailor stripes (The worst uni-boob maker EVER!)
• Horizontal stripes on a pant or skirt (Save this pattern for your PJs ONLY!)
• Squiggly stripes (Only Charlie Brown can rock the squiggle stripe)
• Stripes with animal print (Just say NO!!)

Don’t let anything stop you from showing your stripes. Wear them BOLDLY, ladies!

Until next time,

Stay curvy and fabulous!