Okay, so this is a little before Grandma's time...
As you shop for plus sized clothes in 2010, have you found yourself wondering what women wore back in the 40s or 50s that fit their form without looking bulky or being excessively tight? Does it seem like women back then really had nothing to choose from when it came to outfits in plus sizes? Well, that’s partially true. There was no such thing as a plus sized woman 50 years ago; they were just called women(!). But seriously, though the selection was certainly much more limited, some of the most common outfits in the 50s actually fit plus sized women quite well due to the cut of the fabric.
Circle Skirt
Take the circle skirt, for example. This 50s icon has been canonized over theyears in movies set in that time period and has cemented itself in popular culture. However, we don’t think of plus size women in circle skirts, that’s exactly what they wore back then and it makes perfect sense when you think about it. They’re elastic; they have a belt; they’re big enough to fit a plus sized woman without any alterations, and if there were alterations needed, well, women were much handier with a sewing machine back then than they are now. Add a scarf, a large blouse and maybe even a crinoline and you have a vintage outfit that looks very good on a plus size woman.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Skirts
The same is true for rock and roll skirts and similar pieces. They may be frilly,
but their basic shape fits plus size women well. Don’t forget that we’re now in the micro age, where if you’re over size 6, you’re practically considered plus size. This was not the case in the 30s, 40s and 50s. A lot of what’s plus sized now was mainstream then.
Back in Time to the 20’s – Beaded Dresses
If you want to go back even further to the 20s, you can recall the beaded dresses with velvet that were so popular. Those fit plus size women equally well, but the frilly fringes might have made them look a little bigger than they were.
Back in Time to the 30’s – Sleek Outfits
The 30s, however, were known for their sleek outfits. This was probably perfect for most plus size women. Imagine a form fitting dress with all the accessories. You could hide what you wanted to hide and the rest would look very good without a doubt.
Back in Time to the 60’s – The Hippy Look
Of course, many plus sized women in the 60s opted for the flowing look of the hippy skirts and dresses. They had all kinds of neat designs; they hid the figure under all those folds; and they looked really cool to boot. However, there was a fine line between something that was frilly and pretty and something that was just a bit over the top.
Clothing Today
Styles for plus sized women have changed along with everything else over the years, but when you consider the constant slimming down of the “ideal” woman, plus size women had as much to pick from back then as they do today. The only difference is they weren’t called plus size back in the good ‘ol days.
If you’re into the retro look, and you have the money to spend on vintage clothing, you can find some items from the past 50, 60 or even 70 years that will have you looking better than you could in anything modern.
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