If I could have one totally frivolous and useless goal in life, it would be to put myself in a position to sometimes wear formal wear. In theory.
Because in theory wearing fancy gowns with sparkly bangles and gorgeous heels sounds like an absolute dream come true.
In reality, Oh My God, why does all plus size formal wear make me feel like the mother of the bride? Yes, every place has a few alright things, but sometimes I just want plus size shopping not to be so hard, and for plus size fashion not to feel like an obligation to be filled with matronly cuts and overpriced tents of fabric. I feel like I’ve said this before but, just making fucking girl clothes. Not fat girl clothes or skinny girl clothes, just girl clothes in loads of sizes so that all girls can wear them and feel like they belong. Can this be a drinking game? Can we take a shot every time I scream this exact thing into a pillow?
Anyways, formal wear. I needed it, at last. Andy surprised me with tickets to the Charity Preview Gala of the North American International Auto Show (ahem, car prom). This is a black tie event that includes fancy cars and bottomless champagne and requires black tuxes and gowns. And as expected, I struggled to find something I loved. Until…
Emerald Green Chiffon Gown, Custom Size, Light In The Box
It wasn’t until after I ordered this dress that I bothered to google reviews for the company I ordered it from. It was a mixed bag of loves and complaints, making my already sky high gown panic grow from medium to I ORDERED A CHEAP DRESS FROM CHINA MY LIFE IS POSSIBLY OVER. But really, it’s not like I had any other options. Worst case scenario I return it and fake diarrhea to get out of the event. Formal wear fits notoriously small, so I decided to forgo their size chart and opt for the custom sizing option ($30 extra dollars, worth it). I inputted all my measurements, confirmed my ordered, lit a candle and prayed. Right on time, my gown shipped via DHL from China and arrived to my doorstep. I was shocked by how gorgeous it was. I was expecting cheap. I got heavy and well made. And to my surprise… it was a little big. Some minor alterations later (hemmed and tightened at the waist), it was perfect. I was confident, sexy and oozed Old Hollywood Glamour. I guess curvy girls can have it all, it just takes us a little more work to find it.
Vintage Costume Gold Bracelet, my grandmother
I know what you are wondering. The Boobs? What kind of wizard magic allowed them to stay up in that dress? The answer is a U or Deep Plung Bra. Regular plunge bras simply aren’t low enough for this dress, and going braless is not an option for me. Thankfully Lane Bryant offered Deep Plunge bras with some support. Though it wasn’t the exact size I needed (I’m a 38H), I was able to get by with the biggest size they had (40DD), and it worked perfectly fine. In a perfect world, I could find one of these in my proper size, hashtag big boob problems.
Stunning! Thanks for sharing the bra info. I desperately need new bras! Going shopping!!
I’ve ordered a dress from Light In The Box before too. LOVED it! You look gorgeous as always and Andy’s a doll for taking you somewhere fancy!
Wow, you love absolutely beautiful!
I wish I had boobs.
Lovely girl, lovely dress. You rock. Makes me wish I had somewhere to go.
Beautiful!!!
Also, when I first read “car prom,” I saw “car porn,” which I guess kinda works too :-)
You are a stunning! Those shoes…wow!! The only thing that bothers me is why the heck doesn’t Lane Bryant have your bra size? “Lame” Bryant!
Exactly!
LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Just in case you need a dress in the future, I like igigi and Kiyonna which is conveniently sold on Amazon.
Now, where did you get the shoes?
Dillard’s. Follow the link under the shoes and it will take you right there!
I’ve had great luck renting formal dresses through Rent the Runway. Not mother of the bride at all!
I’ve had great luck renting formal dresses through Rent the Runway. Plus then you get rent it and return it!
Aphrodite herself would be jealous, you look amazing!
Fabulous!!!
… and with that, the Internets sold out of that dress. I have absolutely no reason to buy this dress but will be anyway. GORGEOUS
I just purchased those shoes this morning in white for my wedding next week. I love Gianni Bini shoes. Super stylish and comfortable.
I totally bought a dress from that site last night because of you. :)
http://www.lightinthebox.com/sheath-column-jewel-knee-length-lace-cocktail-dress-1241477_p1241477.html
I hope it looks as good on a fat girl as a skinny girl.
Please keep me updated!
Not a good experience. The dress is very unforgiving and poorly made. The boobs are almost at my clavicle and they don’t take returns. I took the dress to a professional seamstress and she said it’d cost over $200 to fit it properly due to all the lace. $150 fail
1) You look amazing.
2) Those shoes.
3) Needing an opportunity to wear formal gowns is at least 50% of the reason I went to school as a voice major, because singing opera means formal gowns all the time. BUT I got a lot of crap from professors because I’m not super thin and apparently finding an affordable dress that looks glamorous and flattering and not old lady-y on stage at a decent price is IMPOSSIBLE. You are so lucky you found something that worked.
Kaity–your voice professors are a bunch of ignorant and snooty crapheads! Opera divas get an automatic pass. I hope you find a useful website among all these great suggestions and fill your closet with gorgeous gowns you keep! You might want to create a visual portfolio of how wonderful you look in different diva roles. Show ’em all your talents! I always shop Dillards at their season clearances and, if I find something I love, I buy it. Yes, that means a surfeit of gowns over fancy events, but I love owning them. (And now that I’m in my fifties and have been to my fill of fancy events, I think I love owning the dresses more than planning the evening. No, wait–bubble bath, makeup, hair, shoes, jewelry–it’s all still a lot of fun.) At Dillards clearance prices, I don’t feel bad about spending the money. But I don’t understand why in these venerable department stores all the sizes couldn’t be mixed. I can wear sizes from both camps, and I would appreciate the opportunity to try on all options because we all know sizes come in all sizes. We also know that the fashion industry is notoriously fat-judgmental, and I’m certain that’s why the larger ladies clothing is still in the back of the store. Dumb fucks.
That color is AMAZING on you and your BOOBS! Wow. I need one of those bras!
May I suggest you check out eShakti.com if you haven’t already? They have a wide range of sizes and you can customize to your hearts content. They’re from India but no worries about quality, they are incredibly well made. I’ve ordered 5 dresses from them now and love all of them but one and that’s only because I chose a style that’s not super flattering to my body.
I have shopped eShakti before. Some of the pieces worked great, but for this event, I needed a long formal gown, and they didn’t really offer that. Hence why it was like, WHERE DO I LOOK!? HELP!?
Absolutely beautiful. I know the wife has the same problem/complaints. It feels frustrating to observe so I can imagine going through it.
[…] the traditional cups. Finding a big boob-friendly bikini top was awesome, and figuring out a U-Plunge bra for a formal dress was also tons of fun… but what about a strapless […]