By Abigail Ali
Medill Reports

Finding and wearing clothes that accurately represent who you are as a plus-size woman can be intimidating. To make the process easier and more fun, consider taking the following steps: 

 

Create a mood board

Mood boards, a collection of images and text, create a roadmap for where to go with your style. An easy way to make one is through Pinterest, a visual discovery app in which users can save and organize images and videos for inspiration. 

To start a mood board on Pinterest, create a new board under your profile and add images  –  also known as “pins” – that align with you. Cassandra Sethi, the founder of luxury personal styling company Next Level Wardrobe, said to start by spending 30 minutes pinning colors, outfits and silhouettes you like.

“The only rule is that you can’t say, ‘I can’t wear that because of blank,’” Sethi, 40, said. “We have to train your mind to think of style as something fun, exploratory and creative. Being more intentional about what you like and don’t like is very powerful. 

 

Update your social media feed

Follow people whose bodies are similar to yours. Many influencers tag or share what designers they’re wearing and answer comments about them. Taylor Olsen, 30, said TikTok helped her learn styling tricks and find new brands. 

“Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask people,” Olsen said. “I know it’s intimidating to be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I love your pants. Where did you get them?’ But most of the time, they will answer you.”

 

Try on everything

Women’s sizing varies from store to store and sometimes from style to style.  Lifestyle and fashion content creator Alex Micheal May said she tries on anything if it looks like it might fit. “I would sometimes go into Zara, which notoriously never has anything plus size, and find a really stretchy knit top that would fit me even though it was labeled as a size medium,” May said. “It fit and looked amazing.”

This hack also works for thrifting, which some women prefer so they don’t directly support companies excluding plus sizes, save money and don’t feel the pressure of being a curvy person in a straight-size-only store. “You can buy things that maybe you would be too scared to try in a store,” May said. 

Before shopping online, ask a friend to help you measure your bust, hips and waist. “I compare my measurements to a size chart for any brand to know what size is going to fit me best,” luxury bridal stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz said.  

Some companies like Eileen Fisher use AI software to show how garments will fit on different sized models, but Sethi said she doesn’t find them helpful. “I think they’re a very long time away from actually being effective because fashion, clothing and style is so nuanced,” Sethi said. “Even two size 16 women could hold their weight differently. The only way to find clothes that actually fit you is to try them on.” 

 

Stick to basics and accessories

Women who don’t live in big cities may struggle to find stores that sell plus sizes. To dress up their look, they can use accessories like jewelry, hair pieces, a cute bag or sunglasses, May said. “Lean into style with those things you know are going to fit you, that won’t be as cyclical in trends,” May said. “I’ve always really relied on using my accessories to tell the story. The outfit is the canvas and the accessories are the art.”

Try tailoring 

Tailoring adjusts garments to a person’s exact measurements, elevating a look without spending a lot of money. This trick especially helps women whose measurements may vary from their bust to their hip, Hurwitz said. 

“I’ve never met anyone who’s a straight size all the way down,” Hurwitz said. “Most people are like a 16 at their bust, a 12 in their waist, a 20 in their hip, whatever it may be. You can get a dress at H&M or Zara, but if you tailor it to fit you, it could look like a $1,000 dress just because it fits better.” 

 

Hire a stylist

An endless number of possible styles, brands, colors and patterns can seem overwhelming. For some women, hiring a stylist can help simplify a wardrobe upgrade. “Many people think of style as something frivolous, like something that’s too indulgent to partake in,” Sethi said. “I always say [stylists are] just another form of a coach.”

Places like Nordstrom offer free online and in-person consultations, and Googling phrases like, “personal stylists near me” can help you find fashion experts in your area. Online companies like Stitch Fix, which offer up to a size 24W, provide services by sending curated outfits through the mail after a customer answers a range of questions about their fashion goals, size and budget. 

 

Practice wearing clothes outside your comfort zone 

Avoid buying clothes just because they are slimming or flattering. Instead, opt for comfortable items that “make you happy,” body-positivity influencer Isabella Davis said. If you are uncomfortable wearing a garment in public, wear it around the house first, she said. 

“See how you feel,” Davis, 28, said. “Push past that little voice in your head that’s telling you not to wear something and do it anyway. We’ve been made to think that we need to dress a certain way for our bodies, but we can wear whatever we want. If the tight dress makes you happy, wear it.”

 

Believe you are worthy of wearing fashionable clothes 

Mental barriers are often the hardest to overcome. Remind yourself that you can rock fashionable outfits, said Tess Holliday, a plus-size model, diversity and inclusion consultant and founder of the online community Eff Your Beauty Standards. 

“Be delusional,” Holliday said. “The key to my success is delusion, because there’s no way that a girl from a trailer in Mississippi ever thought that she would be a fashion model, but I did it. The only thing we are really limited by is our minds, and we live in a society that tries to tell us we’re not good enough or worthy and you just have to ignore it. Do your own thing.”

 

Allow your body to change

Most of Sethi’s clients are going through some sort of weight loss or weight gain because of normal aging, pregnancy or lifestyle changes and just want help navigating their new shape. “Everyone goes through body transitions, but no one really talks about it in a way that makes you feel OK with what’s going on,” Sethi said. “When we work with clients, we really aim to normalize it, like ‘You’re gonna have to try a lot of stuff on, and that’s OK. It’s normal.’”

 

Abigail Ali is a former magazine graduate student at Medill. You can follow her on Instagram and X at @abbymorganali.