BBW Clothing Question

OK, Please just yell at me if I sound like an ass.  I really need to help a friend buy some clothes and I don't know how to dress her body type.

Um, she's fat.

I was fat too (yay CC!) but my fat has always been the, um, CURVY kind.  I'm a pear. Voluptuous. Rubenesque.

She has no waist.  She's an apple.  And she's about 100 pounds heavier than I ever was.  So... I know what looked good on me at 200 pounds is not gonna look good on her at 300.  Plus she's pretty goth.  Well, more goth-lite, with colors and actual natural fabrics and not so much lace.  She has ADORABLE hair, a little red pixie cut that makes her look like a fox (a real fox, the animal, as well as a foxy lady).

And she's going to a big goth-y party this weekend coming up.  I promised I'd help her shop cause, um, everybody needs a shopping buddy to boost their ego and second guess them.  And props to her for bravery cause I wear about 20 sizes smaller than her.  No, really, um maybe it's 10 sizes cause sizes come in multiples of 2? anyway.  So I'm coming along, but I have NO CLUE what is going to look good on her.

So- points: short red hair. Square jaw. medium bust (or it looks medium-to-small against her body, she's not built like Queen Latifah *sighs dreamily* but who IS?), all belly, small hips, relatively trim legs.

So I'm really sorry if anyone's offended, I wanna help my buddy look the best she can and I don't know what's best through my own trial and error, so I'm turning to yours.

Any suggestions?

Just make her try everything on, pain in the butt though that may be it's necessary. You'll have figure it out through trial and error. Just cause y'all like how it looks on the rack doesn't mean it'll look good on *remembers fondly belted brown sweater* Looked like hell on though. No need to emphasise the bad spots just cause it looks cute on the rack. If there is time, you might want to get something altered, buy to fit the biggest part of the bod, it'll look better if it fits properly.

It's so hard on the ego to try a thousand things that don't fit on!  So far all we know is those tops with a little band under the boobs look like CRAP with a capital K.

I found this advice:

Apple-shaped
People with this shape often have a 'shortish' neck. Elongate your neck by wearing V-necklines, or even showing a little cleavage - but keep it simple. Avoid anything figure hugging. Keep to flowing lines - wide legged trousers or flared skirts will draw attention away from the waist. Wear them with longish loose shirts or jackets.

Doesn't take into account the goth-lite but... it's a start?


 

LOL

I also found this:

Women who are apple shaped should reach for skirts and pants that are straight cut and should steer clear of any clothing that is extremely fitted or tailored. In particular this means staying away from anything that draws attention to the midsection of the body such as very wide and/or well defined waist bands.

Monochromatic outfits are best which means all one color, as opposed to mixing and matching a variety of colors. Monochromatic helps to decrease the look of width and emphasizes the length of the body instead. Apple shaped women should always wear tops that serve to cover their hips and their tops should be worn over pants that are tapered and that flatter the look of slimmer legs which is common in apple shaped women. Shorter skirts are more appealing on apple shapes than are longer skirts as they draw attention to the lower body and the slimmer parts of the body. Opt for light colored pantyhose such as the color nude which will help to keep the focus on your legs. Apple shaped women should not wear clothing with pockets, especially when it comes to their tops because pockets can have an unflattering look that draws attention to the top heavy portion of a female body. Two famous apple shaped bodies are Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and the lovely Elizabeth Hurley.


um, excuse me? Catherine Zeta Jones and Elizabeth Hurley are APPLES????  That's some mighty thin apples.... I dunno...

aw, you guys rock.

um, yeah, maybe there's a point at which "apple" becomes "baby carrot" i dunno....

That last thing said something about tapered leg pants... I'm not sure that tapered leg pants actually look good on anyone... gag.

I've been 300 pounds and know that one solid color is icky.. really, really icky... think about a 300 pound orange, or a 300 pound lemon..  AHHHHHH  

Reality check, please!

What looked good on me.. (I like the goth look, too) is I bought long flare shirts (flared at the arms) and the waist was diagonal- higher on one side than the other (BUT never too high- keep shirts that hang half way between pubic bone and belly button).  Flare leged pants also work... or depending on her legs...if she has nice legs a shorter skirt with high boots would look awesome (with fishnet stockings).... 

Also make sure to accent the outfit with something like a thick band of black leather on the wrist or some kind of loose-choker...(not a regular choker, they really choke fat women)..

Good Luck!

try torrid.com

they had some cute square neck and v neck tops with a bit of drape but some back shape.  i think the best thing is to create the illusion of a waist... but nothing tied around the waist.

girls that i have seen rock it the best are in sweetheart necklines or v necks with good drape and longer bottomes, either flared or wide leg to balance the top.  tight pants (if they are shaped the right way) can help create the waist, if the right foundation garments are used.

good luck!

Miss Zeta-Jones definately shows off her apple-ness in Chicago! Thats the movie that had me going "OH MY GOSH. there is someone attractive who is actually built like me!"

I'm an apple, and I know that tops that extend past my hips elongate my short waist and definately look best on me. But then again, I'm not 300lbs so I dont know if it'll go for your friend, but its worth a shot.

I think wide leg jeans are a good start (these are very instyle for the Spring anyway - they shouldn't be hard to find). I am trying to think of what would look on top...maybe a tunic or a button down shirt that has a ribbon tie at the waist?

you've got to make it to torrid store! if there is one close enough:) they have very nice clothes for overweight girls & women and prices are not expensive at all.

good luck!