Plus Size Cocktail Dresses

Everywoman dreams of finding the perfect cocktail dress that will make her feel confident, sensual and self assured enhancing her best features and disguising her less loved ones. Unfortunately, when you wear a plus size, things get complicated and the hunt for the perfect cocktail dress to leave your friends speechless can quickly become a nightmare.

Going shopping with your slim friends, seeing them trying on small sized beautiful dresses when all that is left for your size are black shapeless dresses can leave you close to depression. But there is no need to despair. Thankfully more and more designers and shops are now catering for those of us who find it difficult to find a dress that hugs our curves in the right places. These days, mainly thanks to the internet you can find lovely fitting dresses in plus sizes for every occasion and budget.

Hundreds of women are discovering the delight of buying their plus size clothes online.  Unlike your local mall which caters mainly for small sizes, online you can find virtually hundreds of stores exclusively carrying plus size fashion apparel and accessories that look good and that are available in your size. 

Over the years the amount of plus size stores available online has grown tremendously, and the quality of fashion available has improved. Plus size stores online are now able to satisfy all tastes, occasions and sizes.

• Choose curve hugging designs that enhance your best areas and disguise the problem ones. For example, if you have a prominent and firm bust, but you don’t have a defined waist; the best design for you is a figure hugging one on top and loose at the bottom. Like the Empire dress on the right. The empire design will bring attention to your bust and take the attention away from your waist and hips.
• Use different materials to enhance your good areas when choosing a dress. For example a small bust can be enhanced with a ruffled top or a beaded top to bring attention to your upper body.
• If you have flabby arms it is better to wear dresses with a sleeve to hide the problem area. There are several lengths and styles of sleeves to choose from.
• When deciding on the colour, try to stay clear of white. If you like light colours go for a slightly tinted one rather than plain white which is harsher on your silhouette.
• Stay clear of bold, big patterns. I once bought myself a beautifully cut flowery dress. The dress was in the right size and it looked fantastic on the mannequin but when I wore it I was completely drawn by the big red roses that formed the pattern. I looked as if I had immediately gone two sizes up. The lesson to be learnt from this? Be careful when choosing patterned dresses. The pattern can make all the difference to your overall look. If you like to wear patterns it is better to wear small patterns like animal prints or very small flowers preferably in one shade of colour rather than multicolour.
• Avoid anything that attempts to hide your figure; it will only make you look bigger and shapeless.
• Don’t be a fashion victim. As a full figured woman you cannot follow all the latest trends in fashion (let’s be realistic here, no one can follow all the trends). Try to find those trends that translate well into larger sizes and flatter your shape. For example, if you have an hourglass figure, dresses in vintage 50s inspiration are going to work wonders for you. Avoid the 80s inspired shoulder pads if you have a heavy top but go for them if you have a small top and a heavy bottom as they will balance your figure.

I love the halter neck style in a dress because it provides excellent support for heavy breasts. The green halter neck on the right is perfect for women who have a round bust and a relatively small waist because it enhances the bust line, shows off a trim waist and falls effortlessly over the hips. The cut has the added bonus that it makes you feel really sexy as soon as you step in it. You can wear it for a cocktail party of even for a more special event. You can wear it with a matching scarf to cover your arms if you are worried about them.

Looking effortlessly chic need does not require effort. Simple yet elegant elements such as a faux wrap silhouette and 3/4 length sleeves could be the foundations of a flattering dress.

The Vivienne cinch dress on the right is made in a distinctly dressy fabric in richly hued colours.  The well-placed cascading ruffles, draws attention from problem areas and allows you to keep accessories to a minimum.

If you like prints, this animal print dress is perfect in all sizes.  The little print allows the eye to perceive the pattern as one solid colour –with an slimming effect- while at a closer look, the animal print adds wilderness and modernity to your look.

This is another of my favourite dresses. I love its goddess style empire bust. Perfect for plus size women with a small bust. The dress is made in a flattering stretchy material and for those who are not fond of the monochromatic look it offers a perfect balance of black, white and shades of grey.

A few months ago a friend of mine gave me one of these control dresses as a present. To be honest, as soon as I saw the dress I thought I would look like a sausage in it. Much to my surprise, once I tried it on I looked like a sexbomb in it. The dress had an amazing hold that held all my bits in place even without undies!

I have not yet tried this leopard dress but if it is like my red strapless control dress I recommend it. The leopard dress claims to work because of a power mesh slip that slims and smoothes your figure. The power mesh and lined bodice with shelf bra for bust support promise to slim you from midriff to knee thanks to its strategic seeming for beautiful shaping. You can find this dress in sizes going up to 24W (3X)

If you want to buy plus size dresses   Be Beautiful, Be Bold, Be You, Trendy Plus Size Women's Fashion at Torrid.com is the best place to find fashionable clothing for young women size 12 to 26.  With Torrid style, size is no limit to how fabulous you can be.

Torrid has a unique women’s plus-size fashion line inspired by fashion icons, runway shows, music and pop culture.  Now, they have also added to their own collection styles from hot labels like Betsey Johnson and Jezebel. Torrid is the destination for trendy plus-size fashion.