Buy It Big

This post is more about individual style, however if you love the drape and flow of ladies pants worn in the 20s, 30s and 40s, this could be about faking vintage

…oh yes I do that…

 (The women who buy plus size clothing are going to be very mad at me right now).

Just sayin’….

I’m always raiding the plus size racks when I shop for myself  --myself is a size 6--always in thrift shops.  I seldom shop retail.   It’s all about the fabric.  This only works if the fabric is soft and drapey,  nice and flowy.  (I think I just made up two new words).

A pair of nice drapey pants in a good drapey fabric, in a big size, can sit so well on the body when you tunnel-in some elastic, so they fit at the waist.  The end result is wide leg, palazzo type pants that are comfy and yet still look pretty good….OK, VERY good (but only if it’s your style).

How to tunnel-in elastic:

You would need some elastic in the right width.  Then you look at the inside of the waistband on the pants and cut a slot big enough to put the elastic through.  Find the biggest safety pin you can and attach the pin to the elastic and poke it into the slot you made and then you push it through, inch by inch until it comes out the other end.  Then you sew it together and sew up the slot  (or, if you are lazy like me, you can knot it).  Just make sure that the “waistband tunnel” goes all the way around, so you don’t bump into a seam before you get to the other side!

Pictured below is a pair of flannel pajama pants (in leopard----hey, I’m from New Jersey) that were given this treatment:

See what I mean? 

I have tons of summer floral pants in the right fabrics that got this treatment too.  They look good with tight tops and with loose flowing tops.  (especially on women of a certain age….).

Speaking of loose tops, this is also a style to consider.  Drape-y knits in 2x or 3x sit so well on the body and hang low, so you can wear them with skinny pants as shown here:

This also comes in handy if you like to cover your butt.

I have spoken to so many women that say they prefer tops that cover the derriere and this is a good solution.

THEN there’s the huge sweater effect.  Below is one of my favorite sweaters.  It’s from the 80s, a cotton/ramie knit.   It’s full of holes and imperfections but I wear it all the time and I just love the rattiness of it. 

It’s HUGE!

…and comfy

…and drapey

Of course, I wouldn’t wear it out to dinner.

Here  it’s shown with skinny pants:

Lastly, we have the effect of both the flowing pants WITH the long full top.

Which is also a good look for women of a certain age…..

Remember what I talked about in my post about fedoras?

THIS is a good time to take out and wear one!:

A word of caution:

Be careful of this look if you are 5’ 3” and under .  However if you are vertically challenged, it would work better if the top is open, like a flowing jacket or cardigan with a tighter top like a tank underneath. 

OK?