On more than one occasion I have had women asking me to do a post on dressing for an overweight body, frustrated that most magazines center on stick skinny, long legged ladies….I am glad to oblige because I strongly believe that regardless of your size/shape you can still look stylish, professional, sexy and fabulous!……..Ginger was actually significantly overweight in her younger years….I remember her telling me that she often went to high school with her coat unbuttoned because she thought it made her look thinner…..regardless of her weight, she had bold style and was never waiting for the phone to ring….

While I have carried extra weight at times, it hasn’t been really significant so I can’t pretend to speak from experience on this issue. What I can do is give you some advice based on observations I have made in day to day life:

– First and foremost, FIT makes all the difference! Avoid hiding in baggy clothes, wear your clothes close to the body. Find a good tailor!
– If you are a ‘pear’, always accentuate your waist. Wear a skinny belt, a sweater that ties at the waist, or a jacket that is nipped in.
– If you are an ‘apple’, wear tunics that skim over your midsection and hit you at mid to top of your thighs.
– Black opaque stockings are very flattering and allow you to wear a fitted pencil skirt tastefully.
– Don’t shy away from bright colors and/or prints; wear them strategically to draw attention to your face or your best asset.
– Bold jewelry is made for you!
– ACCEPT yourself as you are NOW and shop/dress for your current body – do not put off looking your best ‘until you lose weight’. Look your best TODAY.
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Photos above are of Angela – a lovely woman who is the Office Manager in a building where my company rents space in Manhattan….she is an absolute delight and takes care of every detail to be sure we have everything we need to conduct business….Angela is clearly a curvy woman and I can tell you from multiple visits that she always looks great – professional, stylish, and exudes confidence….on this particular day I complimented her on how she knotted her pearls – it looked very ‘Chanel’ and made a simple yet bold statement….

With spring and summer approaching (hopefully!), so will beachwear……supposedly this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue will be featuring a plus-size model, seen above….who wouldn’t want to look like that??? While she may not be your average representation of most curvy ladies, I think it’s a step in the right direction to show a fuller figure……..now let’s have the ‘over 50’ set in the swimsuit issue too!