What's My Body Shape?

All women have different body shapes. Weight is often distributed unequally in the body. Some women carry more weight in their upper torso, while other women are heavier in their hips and thighs. Whatever your shape happens to be, there is clothing that can hide your least favorite features and highlight your best features. This knowledge can be particularly helpful to plus size women, who often resort to wearing clothes that cover up their entire body with tons of fabric.

Women with an hour glass body type have an overall curvy shape with a defined waist. The shoulders, bust and hips are the same width. They have a medium to large bust, and fleshy, average size upper arms. The hour glass body type is also characterized by full, round buttocks and slender lower legs. The goal for women with an hourglass shape is to accentuate the waistline and lower legs, and balance heavier hips and thighs, which are the widest part of the body.

Women with an oval shape body, also called apple shape, have similar sized bust, waist and hips. They have an undefined waist, square hips and a small bust. They also have slim arms and legs, and flat buttocks. The goal for women with an oval shaped body is to minimize the middle and upper torso, where most of the weight is carried, and highlight slender legs.

The triangle, or pear, body type has a smaller upper half and larger lower half. These women have larger hips, thighs and rear, and smaller shoulders and bust. Triangle shaped women also have a defined waist, and fleshy buttocks. The goal for triangle shapes is to balance the upper and lower halves, and accentuate their waist.

The final body type, the inverted triangle, is characterized by a top heavy appearance, with a full bust, waist, and upper back. They are less full in the hips and have a flat rear. The hips, thighs, buttocks and lower legs are smaller in proportion to the top half. The goal for inverted triangles is to balance the upper and lower half and accentuate shapely arms and legs.

Dressing for your body type will help you choose clothing that will look better on you, and make you feel more confident and beautiful.

Women's Plus Size Swimwear: Finding The Most Flattering Style

As the weather gets warmer, we start to think about buying this season’s swimsuit for those summer days at the beach or the pool. But what style will look best? These days, there are many swimwear options for plus size women, such as the one-piece, swimdress, tankini and swimshorts. Knowing your unique body style will help determine which style swimsuit will be most flattering.

If your body is a triangle shape, then your hips are wider than your bust. Look for swimsuits with a pattern or light colored top with dark bottoms. Two piece swimsuits, such as a tankini, skirtini, or swimshorts work well with this shape.

If your hips and shoulders are balanced with a defined waist, then you have an hourglass figure. Look for suits that keep the eye busy, or accentuate the waist. Allover prints and suits with a pattern at the waistline work best. A one piece is an excellent choice for this shape.

The inverted triangle shape is the opposite of the triangle shape, so the shoulders are wider than the hips. Look for suits that provide support with an underwire bra. A swimdress or a two-piece with a skirt will keep the look balanced. Also, a wide, square neckline can narrow wide shoulders.

A rectangle shape means that you have equal proportions from your shoulders to your hips. Look for suits that accentuate the waistline, such as a trim or border around the waist.

Finally, you have a circle shape if your waist is larger than your shoulders and hips. Look for suits that draw the eye upwards, such as a halter or V-neck. A suit that has shirred fabric around the waist also works well.

Knowing your unique body type will help you choose a plus size bathing suit style that is most flattering to your figure.

Sale On Plus Size Swimwear At Fashion Bug

Fashion Bug is now having a 40% off sale on all their plus size swimwear, including It Figures! styles. Shop now for Today's deals in plus-size fashions from Fashion Bug and save on your summer swimsuit!

Flattering Plus Size Wedding Dress Styles

Every bride wants to look her best on her wedding day. For plus size women, finding a flattering plus size wedding dress style can be a challenge. Many plus size women have a tendency to choose dresses that cover a lot of skin. However, there are plus size wedding gown styles that are flattering to the plus size figure without having to cover everything up.

The A – line style wedding dress is the best silhouette for plus size women. This type of wedding dress has a seamless waist (also called a princess cut) that gently flares out, which helps disguise large hips and thighs. It draws the eye down and lengthens the body without drawing attention to the waistline.

An empire cut wedding dress is also a flattering style for plus size women. This style has a high waistline, beginning just beneath the bust, and a long full skirt that flows from the waistline. An empire waist dress masks larger waist and hips.

Another option for plus size women is to look for wedding dresses that accentuate the arms and neckline. Showing the arms and neckline can make you look smaller. A dress with a deep V neck, or a scoop neck, flatter full figured women. An off the shoulder wedding dress is good for large busted women because it draws the attention upwards, emphasizing the shoulders and minimizing the chest.

Where To Find Cheap Plus Size Swimwear

When shopping for plus size swimwear, it is important to look for a quality swimsuit that isn’t going to fade or get stretched out within the first couple of uses. There is the added frustration of not being able to find the right size. So where do you look for a quality plus size swimsuit at a reasonable price? These are five tips of where to shop for cheap (inexpensive) plus size swimwear.

1)Shop online. Today there are more and more online retailers who specialize in plus sizes – including swimwear. This creates more competition and drives the costs down, which means you will save money.

2)Buy in the off – season. Plan to find next year’s swimsuit at the end of this summer season. Stores will be wanting to clear out their summer stock, and you are likely to find great deals on a plus size swimsuit.

3)Shop at outlets. Look for an outlet mall near you. Top designers often have outlet stores that sell their designer swimwear at discount prices.

4)Shop at club or membership warehouses. Even though the availability at club stores can be unpredictable, they often carry quality swimwear in a wide range of sizes at near wholesale prices.

5)Keep an eye out for mid season sales. Stores usually start thinking about the next season long before consumers do. They have sales to make room for the next season’s merchandise.

Use these five tips on where to find cheap plus size swimwear, and you will likely find a quality plus size swimsuit that won’t empty your pocketbook.

Evaluating Your Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is an individual's positive or negative beliefs about being valuable and capable. It describes how a person feels about herself or himself. Self-esteem is the amount of pride in oneself.

Many factors can affect one's self-esteem, either positively or negatively. Some of the things that can lower self-esteem are feelings of self-hate, guilt, shame and embarassment. It can seem difficut to break out of the negativity of a low self-esteem because the focus is on aspects of oneself that are disliked.

Dissatisfaction with one's physical appearance is often a cause of low self-esteem. This can be an issue for plus size women, for we are constantly being bombarded by images of "beautiful" women who are pencil thin. I personally feel this is a very distorted view of people in our society. The images we see on magazine covers, television and in movies represent only a very small percentage of the population.

Raising your self-esteem requires a simple shift in focus. For example, if you are unhappy about your physical appearance you are focusing on those traits you don't like. Instead, look at yourself and pay attention to what you do like about yourself. Maybe you have thick, shiny hair, long legs, great cleavage, or a fabulous neckline. Whatever feature(s) you are most proud of, give all your attention to those positive aspects. Then, find clothing that accentuates your most valued features - a skirt that shows off those great legs, a blouse that hints to your fabulous cleavage, or a belt that shows your hourglass figure.

This simple shift in focus will slowly begin to raise your self-esteem and your self-confidence.

Dress For Success - Bras For A Cause!

During the month of May, Bare Necessities is partnering with Chantelle to support Dress for Success, a non-profit organization that helps low income women with career development and job retention. For every Chantelle bra purchased at Bare Necessities, Chantelle will make a 2% donation to Dress for Success, and Bare Necessities will match that donation!

Bare Necessities carries Chantelle bras in 8 different plus size styles, so support Dress for Success and buy your Chantelle bras at Bare Necessities today!

Shopping Online For Plus Size Clothing

The world wide web allows you to conveniently shop at home from your own computer. No longer do you have to fight the crowds at the department stores or make it to the store before closing time. When shopping for plus size clothing, the internet offers a wide range of prices and styles to choose from.

Online retailers are now carrying more styles in plus sizes, creating more availability for online shoppers. There are some designers that specialize in plus sizing, and most other designers include styles in a wide range of sizes. Regardless of your size or shape, there are lots of choices.

Shopping online for plus size clothing saves money. Online stores don't have the large overhead costs that traditional retail stores have. When buying online, you pay for the clothing and a little profit. Retail shores have to factor in employee salaries, rent, utilities and other extra costs.

There are a few things to keep in mind when ordering online. Make sure you are ordering from a reputable company. Look for a customer service number or "Contact Us" button on the website. If there is a problem with your order, you want to be able to communicate easily with the company. You can research the company at the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any complaints filed against the website. Also check the shipping costs, shipping time, returns and refund policies before placing an order.

Shopping for plus size clothing is easier with the multitudes of online retailers carrying plus sizes. There is more variety in styles and prices whether you are shopping for casual wear, a special occasion dress, a business suit or lingerie.

In the "Related Sites" section of this blog, there are links to many websites that carry plus sizes.

Measuring Yourself For Plus Size Apparel

When shopping online for plus size clothing, it is often difficult to decide what size is right for you. Here are some tips on how to measure yourself to ensure proper fit. All you will need is a standard measuring tape.

To begin, measure your bust with your bra on and your clothes off. Keep the tape straight across your back, and measure around the fullest part of the bust and under the arms. The measuring tape shouldn't be too loose or too tight.

When measuring your waist, make sure you are in a relaxed position. Wrap the tape around the narrowest part of yur natural waist. Again, it should be snug but still comfortably loose.

Next, measure your hips, inseam and sleeve. Stand with your legs and feet together and measure around the fullest part of your hips. Then measure the inseam from the crotch to your ankle bone. Measure the sleeve by bending the elbow, and stretch the tape from the center of the back of the neck to the elbow and down to the wrist.

There are two measurements to find bra size: band and cup size. To determine the band size, wrap the tape measure under your arms, high across your back and around the top of your chest. If this number is even, them that is your band size. If it is odd, add "1" and that is your band size. For the cup size, measure loosely around the fullest part of your bust with your bra on. Subtract the band measurement from the cup measuremnt. Each inch in the difference is a cup size. For example, if the difference is 1, your cup size is "A". If the difference is 2, your cup size is "B", and so forth.

Finally, make sure you check the size charts for each website you order from because they can be different from each other. Remember that if you are between two sizes, choose the larger size.

Hopefully, this information will help you find the plus size fit that is right for you. Check out the "Related Sites" section of this blog to start shopping for plus size apparel.