Did you get the memo? Curves are in and here to stay. While society has imposed beauty standards that favor a slender figure for decades, the rise of the plus size figure has taken women from wanting to hide their curves to being excited to show them off and accentuate them. The plus size apparel industry is skyrocketing, and studies show that the general public has a more positive view of plus size bodies than in previous years. In one study, consumers were surveyed on how they felt about seeing plus size women model in underwear campaigns, and the majority of respondents—ages 16 to 35—said that they thought of the brand in a more positive light and acknowledged that these models reflected the average woman after seeing the advertisements.
Clothing plays a significant role in shaping your body’s silhouette—regardless of your shape or size. If you want to enhance your curves and make them pop, you will want to stick to form-fitting, curve-hugging clothing. Whether you would consider your body to be curvy or not, there are ways that you can create curves or make your curves look more dramatic with a few styling adjustments.
At Chic Soul, we believe your body is perfect the way it is. We want you to always feel confident—whether that means using clothing to flatter your figure or to emphasize certain areas. But today, if your goal is to enhance your curves, then we have got you covered with style tips and guides that will have you doing a double-take when you walk past the mirror!
Understanding Your Body Type
No matter what body shape you identify most with, clothing can really help you create a curvy figure by highlighting certain parts of your body while contouring others. In order to get curves with clothing, you’ll need to identify your body type and the areas of your body where you want to emphasize. So let’s get started!
- Determine Your Body Shape–Women come in all shapes and sizes, but there are 10 common body types that can help you identify which shape resonates most with your body type. At Chic Soul, we put together a style guide that not only helps you find your body type, but also shows you how to style your body type.
- Finding Curves You Want to Accent–Whether you want to create curves around your hips, bottom or bust, choose the area you're most interested in and use the style guide below to find out which styles will help you create your desired shape.
The Right Undergarments
It’s critical to wear the right underwear, bras and shapewear under these curve-enhancing styles to help you achieve a curvier look.
- Shapewear–Are there areas of your body that you want to flatter and look smoother? There is a shapewear style for that! Whether it’s your tummy or thighs, shapewear can help you slim your figure while drawing attention to your curves.
- Underwear–If you are looking to enhance the curves on your backside, opt for a thong to make sure your booty isn’t restricted.
- Bras–While underwire bras may not be the most comfortable, they are the best at contouring your body and enhancing curves.
Emphasize the Waist
By bringing emphasis to your waist, you will naturally illuminate your curves. Focusing on this area, regardless of your body shape, will give you an hourglass figure, making you look curvier than ever. To master this technique, you will want to prioritize styles that cinch at the waist.
- Curve-Enhancing Denim–If you’re a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl, you can still create a curvy silhouette. You can either wear high-waist skinny jeans to make your hips pop or plus size flare jeans to make your waist look smaller, which will magnify your hips and booty.
- Belt Oversized or Flowy Clothes–Do you usually gravitate toward clothing that’s loose or oversized? We don’t blame you...those styles are so comfortable. But if you are looking to emphasize your curves, add a belt to flowy dresses at your waist or under your bust. This styling technique will give you an hourglass look.
- A-Line–To make your waist look smaller to emphasize your hips and butt, try an A-line dress or skirt. This style flares out toward the bottom, giving you an hourglass shape. And the best part is that you’ll get to enjoy the comfort of a looser style while also being able to contour your curves.
- Peplums–Similar to A-line dresses, peplums will add emphasis to your hips. Because a peplum cinches at the waist, it can also create flattering curves for the bust.
Pop That Booty
Everyone wants a curvy butt—thanks, Kim K! And luckily, you can easily achieve the look of a curvier backside—whether squats are a part of your daily routine or not. These styles will make your butt look so good—no resistance bands required! The most important key to making your booty pop is to cinch the waist. The smaller your waist looks, the larger your butt will appear.
- Skinny Jeans–Skinny jeans are very slimming from the front, but from the back and the side, they highlight your butt. By making every other part of your lower half look longer and slimmer, your butt will naturally pop. Make sure your plus size denim has stretch in it so the fabric can mold to your butt rather than compressing it. Also, if you want to give your booty a little extra volume, opt for a lighter color of denim.
- Structured Pleats—When it comes to skirts that aren’t naturally curve-hugging, you will want to stick to mini fits. To add volume to your backside, throw on a skirt with some structured pleats.
- High-Waist—Whether we are talking pants or skirts, a high-waist fit is the best style for an emphasized booty because they will naturally cinch the waist.
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Bodycon–The key to making your booty stand out is by prioritizing styles that hug your curves. Form-fitting clothing will flatter the rest of your body while allowing your booty to take center stage.
Yoga Pants–Since athleisure is a huge trend right now, you can get away with wearing yoga pants anytime and anywhere, which is great because they make your butt look amazing! Pair your favorite pair of yoga pants with a plus size sports bra or crop top. You don’t want anything covering your butt. - Crop Tops–If you want your backside to look curvier, it’s important that you show it off. Avoid long sweaters or tunics. Pair jeans and skirts with crop tops to make sure you accentuate your butt!
Accentuate the Bust
If you are looking to make your bust look fuller, try these styling tricks and trendy blouses.
- Horizontal Stripes–If you have a smaller bust, but want to add emphasis, try styling tops and blouses with horizontal stripes. This pattern creates dimension and will give you the curves of your dreams.
- Dresses that Cinch Below the Bust–If you want to make your bust look fuller, add dresses that cinch just below the bust to your wardrobe. This style accentuates your upper body and waist, which emphasizes your curves.
- Add a Belt–If you love wearing flowy dresses, add a thin belt just below your bust to emphasize your waist. This will accentuate your curves and make your bust look fuller.
- Ruffle Blouses–A quick way to highlight curves or create volume is by wearing blouses that include ruffles around your bust. The additional volume will enhance your curves.
- Wrap Tops–To add more dimension to your bust, add plus size wrap tops with a plunging neckline to your closet. Lower necklines will look very flattering and can even give you added cleavage.
- Off the Shoulder–Off the shoulder tops will help draw the eye to the upper part of your body and showing your shoulders will make your top half appear curvier. Plus, we happen to think this style is so cute!
Curvy All Over
If you’re curvy all over and want to wear clothing that emphasizes your curves, try these flattering styles.
- Swimwear–When settling on a swimwear style that makes your curves look hot, opt for a plus size bikini. Your curves will be front and center, and you’ll be feeling confident and radiant all day.
- Fitted Maxi Dresses–Curve-hugging maxi dresses will show off your curves without showing too much skin. Plus size maxi dresses are also incredibly easy to style for any occasion.
- High-Waist Denim–Jeans that have a high waist will naturally contour the lower half of your body, and they will make your booty pop!
Curve-Enhancing Colors and Patterns
While the fit of your clothing plays a huge role in creating a style that emphasizes your curves, colors and patterns are equally important. These hues and prints can have a powerful impact in creating curves.
- Color Blocking–Contrasting, bright colors can create the illusion of a voluptuous figure because they draw the eye where you want to accentuate your curves. Go bold with your color pairings for an unforgettable look.
- Light Colors–Black is slimming, which means that lighter hues are going to make your curves pop—no matter what you are wearing. Stick to lighter shades where you want to emphasize your curves and keep darker hues exclusive to the spots you would like to minimize. For a more dramatic, curvy look, pair darker pieces with lighter hues to create more contrast.
- Stripes–Not only will horizontal stripes add volume to any part of the body they cover, but you can also use horizontal and vertical stripes together to create contrast. For example, if you wanted to emphasize your hips, you could pair a skirt with horizontal stripes with a crop top with vertical stripes. This will make your bottom half look wider than your top half, which will naturally emphasize your curves.
Now that you know the parts of your body that you want to accentuate and the types of styles you will need to create killer curves, fill up your closet with our curve-enhancing styles from our plus size boutique. We think you are perfect just the way you are, but clothing can be a great way to enhance confidence and make you feel beautiful. We hope you find that these curvy styles boost your self-esteem and confidence because when you feel confident, you look better than ever. So while clothing may help you achieve the curvy figure you desire, it’s important for you to wear what makes you feel radiant and comfortable so your inner light can shine! Go get ’em!
