Tag: plus size fashion

1950s / 1960s Full Skirt Dresses: A Look at How Plus Size Ladies Can Achieve the Look with Vintage Inspired Dresses

It was the 1950s, World War II was over and so was rationing. Larger quantities of fabrics were available and designers were taking advantage of this with the designs of dresses featuring intricate gatherings, pleats, and full skirts with excesses of fabric to create a very attractive silhouette. Christian Dior’s New Look, showcased for the first time in Paris in February of 1947, was firmly in place as the height of fashion well into the 1950s and 1960s. This look, it was said, created a figure like the number “8”, emphasizing a well rounded bust, slim, tight waist, and full hips. One can see examples of this style worn by most women of the 1950s, especially celebrities such as Shelley Fabares who played Mary, Donna’s TV daughter on the Donna Reed Show.

As well as Donna Reeds actual daughter, Mary Anne Owen in the photo below

The style of dress was popular in everything from simple, cotton, house dresses, tea dresses, and cocktail dresses.

I, personally, love this style of dress. It is flattering to most body shapes, especially a well rounded plus size body, like mine. Finding actual vintage dresses is very challenging, as I have said in many of my blog posts. To get this look, I have found that keeping an open mind…and open eyes…will help me achieve my goal of dressing like a proper 1950s / 1960s woman!

@ramblingsfromahousewife

#BoostYourMood #1950s #vintagevibes #vintage #1950shousewife #fyp #uniquevintage #vintageclothes

♬ 1950s Woman – John Stevens Band

I hit the jackpot on Amazon with the Grace Karin line of dresses! These dresses come in sizes XS all the way to 24 Plus. They come in all kinds of pretty patterns and colors. If you do not see what you want, in your size, be sure to keep a lookout because they do seem to restock regularly. Please join me on YouTube where I have a video showcasing these lovely dresses and my collection. I have styled a few to help with that kind of thing, too!

This style’s keywords would incluse “fit and flair”, “full circle”, “1950s Tea Dress” and “1950s cocktail dress” to name a few.

This style was very popular in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The style really accentuates all body types. Mrs. Maisel is a very petite woman and it looks as good on her as it does a plus size woman like me 🙂
Betty Draper also looks fabulous in this style. She is shown wearing the tight waist / full skirt quiet often.

XOXO

Tiffany

@ramblingsfromahousewife

#PupPeroniShuffle #GetReadyWithOldSpice #vintagegirl #retrofashion #1950shousewife #vintagefashion #stockingsandheels #girdle #garterbelt #vintage

♬ brandy running and crying – brandy running and crying

1950’s Housewife Style – The Shirt Dress – Plus Size Vintage Inspired

I have read, countless times, in Facebook groups and other places that it is hard to find plus size vintage clothing. A few years ago, I would have agreed. This is not the case, now a days, because I have found that an open mind creates many opportunities for a plus size vintage look.

It is true, that true vintage clothing is next to impossible to find in plus sizes but when you open your mind to vintage inspired clothing, the world is your oyster. In the above video, I showcase a coolection of shirt dresses I have found at Woman Within.

Sandy Shirtwaist Dress By Ellos®

There are a few other places I consider my “go to” for vintage inspired clothing. I plan to showcase a few in future blog posts, so be sure to check back.

If you would like to read a previous blog post I did, about the Shirt Waist / Shirt Dress, please take a look at New Dresses!!!! And a Brief History of the Shirt Waist Dress. (please excuse the formatting, some of my old posts did not transfer well when I started this new blog.)

Photo found on Pinterest

XOXO

Tiffany

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Shein Plus Size Vintage Inspired Haul

We are back with a Shein haul. They have so many items that work with a vintage aesthetic and go up to a size 5X in some of the clothing. Shein is at a low price point so you can really have fun and experiment with interesting “looks”. Since I like the fashions of the late 1950s / early 1960s and am a plus size lady, they really offer what I am looking for. I have to keep an open mind and be creative, but that is the fun part so I am happy. In regarding sizing, you do have to be mindful of measurements because a 5X does not mean the same thing with Shein as it would with Torrid. Do not get caught up on sizing because you will miss some great things. Always measure and read the reviews. The reviews tell a lot about how the item fits!

This haul seemed to focus on the silhouette of the 1950s. The one I found in these items and the way I paired them was the hourglass type. These looks created strong shoulders, small (ish…I mean, come on….we are talking plus size here ~wink~) waist, and wide luscious hips. This was one of the most popular shapes in fashion for this time. The other popular shape was the waif like gamine figure epitomized by Audrey Hepburn, but we did not achieve that look with this haul.

Oh how I wish I could find a skirt – shirt combo like the red and white

I also, as you see in the video, bought some slacks. They did not work out. The look I was hoping for was more of a skinny pants…. what I got was circus clown. I wanted the look of Celia Foote from The Help or Mary Tyler More from her Dick Van Dyke Show days. Butt cupping and scandalous (for that time, anyway).

I’ve had this photo saved for a long time. I am not sure where I saw it originally, however there are many on Pinterest.
pic from The Help fan club site on Fan Pop. This is the only photo I could find of this glorious character wearing pants. I absolutely love her look.

I mentioned in the haul video that I was going for a cigarette pant look. That is not accurate as the cigarette pants were more loose fitting, so that is almost what I got, minus the pleating. I will do a more in depth vlog on the style of pants once I get a good look book to share.

Links to what I show in this haul

SHEIN Plus Notched Neck Puff Sleeve Top White 4X Also available in black and hot pink!

SHEIN Plus Bow Front Flared Midi Skirt 4X Also available in burgundy.

SHEIN Plus Lace Up Back Leopard Print Crop Top I got a 4X, it is sold out at the time of this haul but they often restock items.

SHEIN Plus Knot Waist Pocket Patched Striped Skirt 4X, which is now sold out. This one is similar: SHEIN Plus Paperbag Waist Slant Pocket Striped Skirt, although shorter according to photos and reviews.

The pants I purchased disappeared from my order history once I started a return. I will keep you updated on how that experience goes. As I put in my request for a return label, I got a message back saying they would issue a return to my SHEIN wallet (the method of refund I requested) but I could keep the items. That was a big surprise. Seems a bit “too good to be true” but their clothing is very inexpensive so it may cost more, for them, to process the return than to just issue it without paying for the postage and manpower the return would cost.

@ramblingsfromahousewife

#RoseGoldFaceBrush #vintage #getthelook #fyp #vintagevibes #vintageclothes #1950sfashion

♬ At The Hop – Danny And The Juniors

I hope this haul has inspired you to try out Shein. Be creative and open minded and you may find something fun to complete you favorite 1950s / 1960s vintage inspired look!

XO

Tiffany

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Vintage Inspired Plus Size Clothing Haul

Finding vintage clothing in plus sizes is extremely difficult. I have been dressing in this style for years and have tried finding things in sizes from 12 all the way up to 24+. I have never found it easy. The best thing, I have found, is to dress in a vintage INSPIRED style.

My favorite fashion era is the late 1950s / early 1960s. I love the style of the shirtwaist and wiggle dress.

Pattern packaging of a 1950’s shirtwaist dress.

Each of these styles can be achieved, in my opinion, very easy. For the shirtwaist, just look for simple, easy shirt dresses. For the wiggle dress “look”, search for dresses with a body-con fit or an outfit of pencil skirt and form fitting blouse.

Pattern Packaging of a 1950s/1960s wiggle dress

There are many places these styles can be found in plus sizes but I am here, today, to show you what I found at Shein. Shein is a VERY inexpensive online shop serving both plus size/curvy and …. regular (?) sizes. They usually have coupons available to even further their discounted prices. Word of warning, while the prices are very low please expect a “fast fashion” quality. I would compare it to a place like Dots, back in the day (I am not sure it Dots is still around). These will not be investment pieces and I, most likely, would not even wear them to “work” (If I worked outside of our home). These are fun items. Not to be taken too serious. When you are paying 15 – 20 dollars for a dress, you should not judge too harshly.

You can see what I purchased, and my commentary, on my YouTube channel, Ramblings from a Housewife

Items bought in this haul include:

Black Pencil/tube skirt size 4X

Cherry Faux Wrap Blouse size 4X

Leopard Peplum Blouse (not shown in the try on portion, sorry about that)

Black and White Vintage Inspired Shirtwaist Dress size 4X

Pink and Ivory Ditsy Floral Vintage Inspired Dress size 4X

Leopard Co-Ord size 4X

Black Night Gown (not shown in try on portion)

Check out my Instagram

Ramblings from a Housewife

I will be styling and sharing how I am wearing these outfits in the next few weeks. I also have vintage inspired outfits from other retailers, as well, as lots of other vintage lifestyle tidbits. I would love for you to join me over there!

Speaking of Social Media….

You can find me on the following, as well…

TikTok

(I can not seem to embed this….but click on the word “TikTok” and it will take you to my TikTok)

Before you go….

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XOXO

Tiffany

Happy 4th of July

Independence Day is looking a lot different this year….

We are not hanging out at the beach…. watching parades go down the seawall….

We are not relaxing on the balcony of our favorite Island shop, catching the breeze from the Gulf….

This is what the pool probably looks like this year since our beaches were shut down. It looks sad in this photo from 2 years ago but it would be happy and alive a few hours later. We always enjoy our time sitting out by the pool. We could feel the heat of the fireworks on our face because they set them off, so close to us, on the pier in front of our hotel.

We are so grateful to have family to love, our health, and a safe home. I am sad that our plans changed but when you have your family with you, that is all you really need. You can still have a great time.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We put on our best red, white and blue and remembered that we are in the best country. We celebrated America with a small gathering at my moms house and splashed in the pool. We stayed outside, kept our distance (well, the adults tried), and enjoyed being around family we have not seen since March!

We will get back to “normal”…or get used to our “new normal.” And, we will be ok. We have our family and lots of love, what more do we need?

We hope that everyone had a wonderful and festive Independance Day.

Social Distancing Got you Feeling a Little Blue?

Being stuck inside stinks! The thing that makes me so anxious is NOT knowing what is the best thing to do. Do I keep us all on lock down until we have a vaccine? Do I allow a few small gatherings, hoping for the best, and help keep us from a depressed state of loneliness?

Maybe we can go out and socialize if we wear a mask? Maybe we will fall over from the lack of oxygen…but we will not be judged for NOT wearing one. Maybe a mask will not help at all? I think it does and I know it helps my confidence, a bit. So many things to consider.

Photo from NYTimes.com

Sure, we go outside in our backyard and to the park….a very socially distant (we did not come within 8 feet of another family all day) trip to the zoo and splash pad, but for the most part, we are still self isolating.

Tequila works, too!

Gov. Abbot, in Texas, started opening things up, back in May, but now is reconsidering and (as of this blog date) has re-closed down bars, dropped restaurants back to 50%, and asked for outside gatherings be limited to under 100 people. This does not really effect us since we do not go to concerts, bars, or huge parties.

This MIGHT could happen…they look pretty socially distant from other people…but the hotel pool is always packed.

We do, usually, take a beach trip over the 4th of July holiday and decided to cancel this year. We also have season passes to Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor and those plans have been effected. Both are open but we have opted to hang back and not participate, yet. Actually, all of our usual Summer plans have been canceled. Summer learning and camps moved to ONLINE!!! How is a summer camp online??? Oh, and let’s not forget our Disney trip was canceled!!!!

not happening this year

Although, we WILL do something for Maggie’s Birthday, it will not be the usual party and big family dinner. I think she may actually get the better end of this…She will have a few small celebrations. We will spend the afternoon with my bestie and her children, swimming and we will have cake. We will bring cupcakes to Maggie’s semi private swim lessons (at a friends home) since this will be on her birthday. Finally, we will, hopefully, meet some friends and family at a park for cupcakes. This will limit the number of people gathered at one time and all be outside. I think that might be a good trade off…..I hope! And Maggie will think she got THREE birthday parties.

Not happening this year!
This might happen on a MUCH smaller scale, outside, in a more private setting.

We are certainly missing our family gatherings at my moms backyard pool, however we have plans to go, soon, for my nephews birthday celebration. It will be a small gathering, outside, and I feel comfortable in going. This will be the first time my daughter has seen Mimi, Aunts and Uncles, and cousins since Spring Break in early March. While I know staying home is important, so is my daughter’s (and my) mental health. Relationships are also important! We will go and aim to not breath near each other, I guess.

A lot of this has happened LOL

Oh! And then there is the question of how will our school year look later this summer. I am not even going to try to type out my feeling for this, yet.

School playgrounds will certainly NOT look like this! Oh how I feel for our teachers having to supervise this. AND for our children having to readjust their way of play! Photo from https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/playgrounds

So….we are just hanging out. Trying to keep busy and sane with some of the activities found in previous posts…

Card Games to Play in the Cool Indoors on a Hot Summer Day

How to Entertain Kids during Isolation/Quarantine

Rainy Day Summer Fun

Photo from PBS.com

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@ramblingsfromahousewife

#plussizefashion #vintageinspired #vintage #housewife #fyp #foryourpage

♬ You Make Me Feel So Young – Frank Sinatra
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