A Style Forward Plus Size Denim Guide
If you're looking for the skinny jean + body suit + nude heel recipe, this is not that.
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. All of the options I selected for this guide do come in plus sizes, most in 4 and 5x - despite the total lack in model diversity by brands.
Ok, let’s get started. I’m not convinced that there’s a person in the world not having full body chills at the thought of shopping for new jeans. It’s always something - diabolical design choices or an array of fit issues, etc. Speaking for myself, being relegated to medium wash skinny jeans for what felt like decades has me in PTSD mode. It took forever and the pickins be slim slim sliiim but there are a steady stream of cool plus size jeans and other denim baddies on the intetwebs. In store?? Lol, don’t piss me off.
Personally, I’m partial to wide leg and barrel style jeans. There’s also so pretty cute unconventional goodness happening by way of tailored denim jackets, denim shirts that are cropped which feels really fresh and this denim corset style tank is under deep consideration.
It feels odd to admit now, but I used to believe I couldn’t pull off jeans and a t-shirt. It just felt too casual. I had to earn that kind of ease. As someone in a bigger body, I often felt pressure to always look polished, like I had to overcompensate just to be taken seriously. Hello respectability bullish showing up again.
These days, that mindset is out the window and maybe the pendulum has swung a little too far in the other direction (hello, three-day-old giant oversized button down). So now I’m trying to land somewhere in the middle: dressing with intention, using clothes to express my mood or a vibe, rather than to meet some imaginary dress code.
Here’s where I implore you NOT to buy jeans (or anything) with the expectation to look like the model. Jeans can be particularly triggering if you have a belly and are under the impression that you will magically transform into the hour glass or pear shaped model with a top tucked in. Repeat after me:
My stomach does not need to be flat for clothes to look good on me.
My stomach does not need to be flat for clothes to look good on me.
My stomach does not need to be flat for clothes to look good on me.
Cropped vest | Cropped button front
When it comes to denim tops, give them to me extra long or cropped. Honorable mentions to the cuties that are essentially cool blouses that happen to be denim.
I used to think denim jackets weren’t for me, too stiff, too safe, too “let me throw this on real quick before I go run errands.” A denim jacket over everything vibe definitely makes me recoil.
Now? I’m into the weird ones. Oversized, cropped, asymmetrical - witness protection jackets that are denim but living in anonymity like this tie waist girl above.
That’s our guide. The tipy toe, fall fashion soft launch. I’m sure you caught that. More to come, tee hee.
Love you, mean it!
Kellie xx
I had no clue JCrew had plus sizes. Kellie, you been putting us on.
Thank you for that tie waste jacket!! So good!!