Curvy girlz can shop online!

As women with curves we know shopping for clothes is not easy. Most apparel for plus size woman SUCKS!!.  Retailers and designers tend to put us in outfits that are shapeless or have lots of big flowers, poke a dots and shiny things. These were quite a few of the issues I came across when shopping for the perfect dress for my best friend’s wedding. So, I want to share with you my curvy girl shopping journey.

First stop for me is always Lane Bryant. This store is one of the better ones for plus size women. I found this purple or blue (we are still not sure which color it is) sleeveless pleated dress. It was cute but it kind of made me look like umpa lumpa. 

Ok, so I went to one of the major department stores in Miami, Dillards. I tried on two dresses that were more like wedding attire; one was a black deep V lace black mini. The major problem with this outfit, it showed too much. Fashion tip: When picking out an outfit you have to decide what asset you want to show…legs or chest, never both.  Then, I tried on a taupe and white glitter dress. It was nice but hit all the no no places (I did not like it). 

In my desperation I went to Avenue (not my favorite place). The dresses were too short and flowery, which made me look older.

Ugh! I started to complain to my sister about the lack of fashionable clothes for curvy women and then she suggested “why don’t you try shopping online?”  I looked at her like she was crazy. Shop online? … a plus size woman?... madness!!, but I pretty much had no other choice. So, for the first time ever I went on to ASOS and found a red sleeveless Grecian style dress and purchased it. I have never been so nervous in my shopping life. I had only a month left until the wedding and it would take just about 2 weeks to get here……. What if it was late?... What if it didn’t fit?..... What if it didn’t look good?......Well it took 3 weeks for it to come in and to my amazement it was worth the wait. I could not believe it the fit was perfect. It covered all the areas that I wanted to hide and enhance all my best areas. I paired it with a black open toe studded heal, a yellow clutch, layered pearl necklace and diamond earrings to complete my wedding outfit.

So yeah… curvy girlz can shop online!!

DinaBella's Top Six(6) Sites

Hey, fashion people, we wanted to share with you six of the main site we shop from. Like most of you, shopping is all about staying on trend and finding great bargains. I hope you give these following sites a try.

ASOS: This brand is very popular among celebrities (BOOKMARK it!).  The clothes are on point and they have a great sales area.  ASOS.com caters to all shapes and sizes.  Plus, they have a marketplace that allows boutiques, small business and individual designers to sell their own label, brands or vintage collections.

H&M: Like most of my fellow fashionistas I’ve waited with betted breath for this site to open up in the U.S. Why?   Not just for reasonable pricing, but they give us trendy apparel and great quality material with a European appeal.    Unlike some other sites, they do offer clothing for us curvy women.   Some of the negatives are navigating through this website its not easy for a first timer… and shipping/returns fees are $5.95 each.

Francesca’s Collection: Francesca’s Collection has jewelry (which are adorable!) for any occasion, plus apparel with an eclectic and playful feel to it. They cater to different types of girls; you can be boho chic or that southern girl.

Gorjana-Griffen:  a Jewelry online store that has unique sleek pieces.  There jewelry prices are a little on the high side but the good thing is there is always some type of discount. There jewelry is contemporary timeless pieces and if you love gold this site is for you!

MyHabit: if you are looking for high-end apparel with designers like Christian Siriano, Channel & Calvin Klein with semi-affordable prices this is your site.   Shipping is free and fast. The login, navigation and buying is very easy. The down side is that the items are limited so you have to move fast or someone will take it right from under you.  

BooHoo: This place, keep their trends in order. Just pick a trend and they will show you all the clothing in your category. It’s really easy for you to find the trend you want. BooHoo is extremely affordable and their US standard shipping is free.

Now, the turnaround was really inconvenient.  If you are going to order, make sure it’s not for the weekend or two days away.    Just order at least 3 weeks before the event. ..to our U.S. girls, remember it’s overseas and will take some time.  Another inconvenience (which happened to us) was tracking my purchase.. it was hard finding it, so I just had to wait.