How to Find the Perfect Dresses for Fat Women

Many people in countries all over the world are struggling with their weight. According to the World Health Organization, by 2022, there were more than a billion people in the world who were obese. Perhaps another billion were overweight but had not reached the BMI required to be considered obese.

Many people are at least a bit overweight and more people are at risk of becoming overweight in the coming years. How should these people dress if they are unable or unwilling to lose weight? Should they dress in baggy clothes to hide the extra pounds?

We will answer with a big fat NO! People should not be ashamed of their body type. Plus-size women can mix and match colors and patterns with various dress designs to help accentuate their curves. We researched how to pick the best dresses for fat women so we encourage you to read on!

Should Heavier Women Wear Dresses?

Curvy bodies are not meant to be hidden in baggy clothes – they need to be celebrated and embraced. There is no such thing as an “ideal” body, so you should not be ashamed if you do not fit into someone’s “standard”. You are beautiful the way you are, and you must remember that body positivity is possible and even beneficial for your health.

You should also remember that there are things that can make your body look better. For example, plus-size dresses are the best thing for heavier or curvier people. There are various types of these dresses, including casual dresses, maxi dresses, and evening gowns.

If anyone asks us if heavier women should wear dresses, we will say YES, YES, YES! In the following sections, we will discuss some of the best dress shapes for plus-size women and how you can choose the best dress according to your body shape.

Best Dresses for Fat Women: Top 5 Styles

The first order of business for anyone who wants to find the perfect dress for their heavier body is to look into the most flattering dresses for heavier people. There are several such dresses – some are more suitable for casual events while others are great for evening events, weddings, and parties. 

Here are several different dresses that look great on big and beautiful women:

Empire Dress

The empire dress is a type of dress that accentuates your upper body. It is often completely fitted from the shoulders to your bust and follows your curves. Under your bust, there is a section where the dress tightens only to become loose under that section. This section functions as a belt to the dress. 

Depending on your preference, you can select the lengths of the dress, the color, the pattern, and whether it will have long, short, or no sleeves at all. We know that whatever you choose will look fabulous on you!

Peplum Dress

The peplum dress is an excellent idea for evening events. This type of dress is more elegant than casual. It’s perfect for overweight people because of the ruffles on the waist that help hide the belly. 

Like the empire dress, this dress has a fitted top that can feature any sleeve you want. Just above your hips, the dress goes into a section with ruffles that flare out at least a few inches.

The dress turns into a slim-fitting, figure-shaping pencil skirt under the ruffles. It looks perfect with a pair of high heels or even with some flats. 

A-Line Dress

The A-line dress is a great choice for people who want to accentuate their busts. These usually have a fitted torso with a slim-fitting waist, but under the waist, they go into a loose skirt that can be either long or short. We recommend these dresses for casual summer events of all kinds.

For heavier people, it would be wise to use stiffer materials to help retain the dress’s shape. You can choose between rayon, denim, cotton, or polyester. There is no limit to what color or pattern you can go with – you can choose whatever works for you!

Corset Dress

Corset dresses can be best for people with hourglass figures as they accentuate the bust and the hips in the best way possible. These dresses are usually used for more formal events since they have no sleeves or shoulder coverings and are generally long. Some have a section that falls off the shoulders, making the dress look even more exquisite.

On the top, they are fitted and follow your body’s line. At the bottom, they are loose and fall freely from the hips to the floor. They look extremely elegant and flattering.

Straight Dress

Straight dresses are a good idea, no matter how you put it! They can be made from any material in any length, shape, and size. All you need is to throw the dress on and you will be ready for a night on the town.

This dress is usually completely loose from the shoulders down, but in some cases, it can be more fitted above the bust and loose from under the bust. The straight dress is also a great way to hide the belly or hips. If you want to hide the extra pounds further and help the dress look as smooth as possible, you can wear shapewear under it. More on that in the next section!

How to Choose the Perfect Dress for Your Body Type

There is more to choosing a dress than just thinking about the shape of the dress. You must also consider a few other things, like the color-pattern combination, body shape, and measurements. Finally, let’s not forget the god-given gift of shapewear to make your body look even better.

Take Proper Measurements

You should know your body measurements before choosing a dress. That will help you select a dress that will make you look good but also help you feel good while wearing it. 

Before going to the store, get your measuring tape and start measuring. Keep your body natural and not stiffened. Under no circumstance should you hold your breath to make your belly look smaller – that will only make you buy a dress that will feel extremely uncomfortable and tight around the waist.

Measure around your shoulders, waist, hips, and bust. Then use those measurements to see if a dress will fit well or if you will need to get a tailor-made dress. 

Identify Your Shape

Think about your shape and find out which dresses fit best for your body. The most common shapes are hourglass, rectangle, oval, triangle, and inverted triangle. 

• Hourglass: a body shape that is wide at the bust and hips but narrow around the belly.
• Rectangle: a body shape that is one size from the shoulders to the hips or thighs. 
• Oval: a body shape that is wide around the belly or hips but narrow at the shoulders and thighs.
• Triangle: a body shape that is narrow at the shoulders but wider at the hips.
• Inverted triangle: a body shape that is wide at the shoulders but narrow at the hips.

Choose Your Colors and Prints

There is a science behind the colors and patterns you choose for your clothes. You should use your body shape to help select the color-pattern combos that would look best. Here are some ideas you can try:

• Hourglass: repeating patterns and neutral or monochromatic colors. Either go color on top and pattern on the bottom or the other way around. 
• Rectangle: it is best to go with a simple top in one color and a pair of pants with an interesting pattern. 
• Oval: a simple dark-colored top with pants or a pencil skirt in a bold or bright color. 
• Triangle: crazy pattern on top, dark solid-colored pants on bottom. 
• Inverted triangle: dark solid-colored top and a crazy pattern on the bottom.

Use Shapewear

You can use shapewear to make your body look smooth and well-shaped. There are various types of shapewear. Some extend up to the bust and cover your belly while others cover your waist and thighs. There are whole-body suits and corsets for your upper body only.

Whatever shapewear you go with, make sure to choose a neutral color and a size that will fit you well. There is no need to go smaller with the shapewear, as that will only make you feel uncomfortable. 

Wrap Up

Thank you for reading this guide on the best way to choose dresses for fat women. The purpose of this guide was to spread a little body positivity and help heavier women see that their bodies are beautiful. Remember that you can look beautiful and feel beautiful only by finding the perfect dress!

Do not hesitate to try various dresses while keeping the tips and tricks from this guide in mind. Let us know if you find some fabulous dresses or if this guide helped you learn how to choose flattering clothes for your body. We cannot wait to read all your comments!