“Use the style of your dress to bring focus to your best features,” advises Sherri Appleby of plussizefashion.ca. “A fabulous V-neckline will frame your face, a cocktail length dress will show-off those gorgeous gams. Lastly, an eye-popping color like ruby red, grass green, or Hershey chocolate will bring the wow factor.”
Choosing a Plus Size Formal Dress: Dressing Rooms and Virtual Models
If a V-neckline or cocktail length doesn’t feel comfortable, however, Appleby suggests finding a plus size prom or semi formal dress that both looks and feels good. The same advice goes for any dress style that's popular but doesn’t fit right. “Many styles available for smaller sizes are now available for plus sizes,” says Appleby. “The key is to choose the best design for your body, not because it is the hottest style.”
Like all women, plus size teenagers and young women have different body shapes. Some ways of determining which prom dress styles look best on a particular body shape include:
- Trying on different styles of formal dress at boutiques or department stores
- Browsing different dress styles at online formal dress boutiques and stores
- Using an online virtual model to see how a formal dress will look from all angles
How to Save Money on a Prom or Homecoming Dress
Although it might sound more expensive at first, Appleby suggests a custom-designed dress for plus-size teenagers wanting to get the most bang for their buck. “If you have found the perfect dress in a store or online but it is out of budget, try a seamstress,” advises Appleby. “A custom design made specifically to your measurements may allow you to recreate the essence of what you love of the dress but in a more affordable way.”
For a Great Plus Size Prom or Semi Formal Dress: Body Shapers and Luvees
To Appleby, the key to a great plus-size formal dress is what’s underneath. “The must-have: body shaping undergarments,” she says. “They will make you look 10 pounds lighter by flattening your stomach and smoothing out your hips.” Some popular brands of body shapers are Spanx, Hanes and Kiyonna. “Another fantastic product is Luvees,” adds Appleby. “They protect from inner thigh rub on bare legs.”
What to Wear: Prom Jewelry and Other Formal Dress Accessories
Most of the fun when deciding what to wear to a prom, homecoming or semi formal comes from choosing jewelry, purses and other accessories. Appleby, who designs the beingme line of jewelry, cautions that it’s best to keep it simple. "Diamonds and Swarovski crystal will bring the sparkle you need for prom,” she recommends. “Just remember the more embellishments your dress has the less jewelry you actually need to wear. Simple is better.”
Looking and Feeling Great in a Plus-Size Formal Dress
“Fortunately, dresses are a lot less matronly then they used to be,” observes Appleby, who says for a prom or semi formal outfit she would select a simple and cute look. “I would choose an empire style dress in a bright turquoise blue, finished with a simple ribbon under the bust and a sheer net over a satin bottom.”
Whatever the style and color of the dress and whatever jewelry and accessories a plus size teenager or young woman uses, confidence and comfort will make her a knockout at her formal event, advises Appleby. “The confidence you will get from wearing a dress you love and feeling like a princess will make any girl stand out on her prom night.”
Plus size and worried about showing upper arms on the big night? Read Best Looks for Upper Arms
Rita Marshall - I'm a freelance writer in southwestern Ontario. Through my company, Longbow Business Solutions, I provide professional writing for small ...
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