High School Formals

Plus is the new black

11 December 2011 by admin in Fashion, Homepage Featured, Latest, Uncategorized

By Laura Cornish

Let’s go shopping for your formal dress. There’s the budget factor, the mother factor, the underwear factor, the what-if-someone-else-is-wearing-my-dress factor. The whole expedition—whether online or in a store—can feel tiring and endless.

Plus (excuse the pun), for many girls, the biggest challenge is the plus-size factor. If you don’t look like you’ve stepped out of Cosmopolitan—and not many of us do—how do you find a gorgeous, elegant, fun dress that makes you feel a million dollars? How do you dress for your shape when your shape is the thing that bothers you the most?

Shirley at Elegance Plus in Chermside, Brisbane, takes a lot of pride in helping all her clients find their absolute best dress. The store has been hers for two years and her enthusiasm is obvious. Elegance Plus stocks loads of fun dresses in sizes 14, 16, 18 and above. Shirley says, “There’s a dress for everyone, one for every shape and size.” Her rule is that her clients mustn’t leave her store until they feel absolutely beautiful. It’s her mission. Shirley is on hand to answer your questions about sizing, colours to suit you, special offers and future stock. Plus, everything they stock is under $299.

And there’s the fruit factor: are you apple shaped? Pear shaped? Shirley is confident it’s not about sizes, it’s about shape. “If you put three size-14 girls in front of me, they won’t all look gorgeous in the same dress. I’d find a dress to suit each of their shapes.”

Some key tips:

•  You may have to compromise on what you wanted. The dress you thought would look amazing simply doesn’t.     Don’t worry.
•  Professional alterations are simple: add some straps, add embellishments, have the dress taken in here, and        out here.
•  Investigate a local dressmaker. Nothing says beautiful like a handmade, perfectly fitted dress that you’ve                designed yourself.
•  Colour is also important. If you want to avoid pale colours, but don’t want to wear black, how about a dark               emerald, rich plum colour, or a punchy red for your big night?
•  Shop with underwear in mind (and bodysuits work wonders, too)

Confidence is key: wear the dress, don’t let it wear you. Now, shoulders back, no fidgeting, and … smile!