Do you own have a dress that you love, but it looks dowdy on you? Here are seven outfit ideas for how to update a frumpy dress on a plus-size body.
I recently worked with a brand to style some of their summer pieces, but I didn’t have a choice about which pieces they sent. When the dress arrived, I thought, “Oh no, this print makes this a complete old lady dress – especially on a plus-size body.” But I had to make it work and align with my style.
It started me thinking: How many of us have something in our closet that we love but looks frumpy? And can we freshen up a matronly piece or print?
But before we look specifically at how I de-frumped this dress, let’s discuss what makes an article of clothing frumpy.
THE FRUMP FACTOR
Looking frumpy involves the cut of a garment, styling, fit, and the print.
CUT, STYLING, FIT
I’ll lump these three points together because they can go hand in hand. Shapeless pieces “frump you up!” And if you’re curvy, they make you look larger than you are.
It would be best to consider proportions, as that can throw a look off. Following the rule of thirds is essential for keeping a look fresh and flattering, regardless of size.
You can also enlist an excellent seamstress to help freshen up a dated piece by shortening and taking it in to make it more figure-flattering. But sometimes, there’s no bringing the item into the now.
When I was a manicurist, I had a client who saved her clothes for decades. But even though she looked tidy and neat, she often looked very dated because even though a blazer, for example, might be considered a classic, when it’s decades old, the lines and styling are too far past their prime.
I also love Melissa Murrel’s hourglass styling method, which uses clothes to restore the body to its optimal hourglass shape. It works for every body type.
PRINTS
There’s a debate around social media about whether or not prints age a person. In my opinion, depends on your style preference and the print. For instance, a floral-printed tee shirt could date you, but a floral-printed blouse could be beautiful. Even if they are trendy or sold at high-end stores, abstract prints can be dated.
When choosing prints, one must also consider scale. A tiny, ditsy floral print on a fuller figure can be busy, but a medium—to large-scale print strikes a perfect balance on a larger frame.
I like to think of a pair of curtains; a teeny tiny gingham print looks darling on a small cafe curtain but would be too far out of scale on a wall of drapes.
HOW TO UPDATE A FRUMPY DRESS ON A PLUS-SIZE BODY
So, keeping all this in mind, I put my thinking cap on and took another look at this Soft Surroundings dress. The fabric feels lovely and has pockets, so those were big wins. It’s a flowy tank dress, and I thought the linear print might look a little southwestern.
While I still think it needs to be shortened a little, I can work with that. So let’s go!
BELTED
dress wearing 1X || belt (old) similar || sandals || bracelet || necklace || earrings (similar)
First things first. The dress is a bit large, and the shape only widens me on the bottom and exacerbates my pear shape. Simply adding a belt changes the entire silhouette! And yes, plus-size women can most definitely wear belts.
You can find great plus-size belts at places like Anthropologie, Lane Bryant, and some Etsy vendors making custom-size belts.
WITH A CARDIGAN
dress 1X || cardigan 1X || sandals || similar belt || bracelet
Soft Surroundings sent this cropped cardigan along with the dress. While the color is beautiful and covers the arms, worn alone with the dress, the look to be even more frumpy. The belt and a cute pair of very comfortable sandals came to the rescue.
WITH A CROPPED BUTTON-UP SHIRT
dress 1X || shirt XXL || sandals || similar belt
An open, cropped button-up shirt is a fresher option to take the style a step beyond a dowdy cardigan, which doesn’t add much volume up top to balance my wider lower half. If you don’t have a cropped shirt, consider tying a button-up shirt at your waist.
AS A SKIRT
dress 1X || sweater 1X || sandals || bracelet
This is my favorite way to style this dress. I’m unsure why, but I am much more accepting of a patterned skirt than a patterned dress. Choose an opaque sweater like this one to make it look more like a skirt.
dress 1X || sweater XL (soldout); similar; I wear the XL in this one || sandals
Another similar but different look would be to top it with a crocheted open-weave sweater. I think a chunky cardigan and boots will be a fabulous fall look.
A moderately cropped sweater works best, but if your shirt is longer, you can add a belt to the dress and then tuck the sweater up and under the belt.
WITH A JEAN JACKET
dress 1X || jacket (old) similar; similar || belt (old) similar || booties || hat size M-L (navy no longer available)
Is there anything a jean jacket can’t make better? I always think, when in doubt, add a jean jacket. If you’re curvy, keep proportion in mind, and choose a jean jacket that’s not too fitted or loose and hits above the hip bone.
Booties, a belt, and a hat give the dress a southwestern vibe I love.
AS A SWIMSUIT COVERUP
dress 1X || hat wearing L/XL || sandals
Lastly, this dress is very comfortable and feels fantastic on the skin. I thought, “It could work as a swim coverup” because it would feel great on sun-drenched skin. It does! I knotted the hem on one corner to avoid it just hanging there.
Since it doesn’t wrinkle, this dress would also pack beautifully for a vacation, making it very versatile. It even comes in a couple of solid colors, including black.
DO YOU WANT TO UPDATE A FRUMPY DRESS?
I always say, “Wear what you love and what makes you feel good.” So, if you have a dress that leans matronly but you love it, or perhaps you just love these loose flowy dresses, you now have some ideas for how to freshen it up and update a frumpy dress.
Which one of these looks is your favorite?
Ms Paula .. these were great styling ideas to eliminate the frump. thanks for helping me think ‘outside the box’!!
Author
Hi Tami. I think that’s the key, we have to get out of the box and stop thinking we have to wear things “as they are”. What looks okay on the skinny model on the website or ad, can quickly look frumpy and outdated on a curvy or plus size body.
Thanks so much for being here and supporting me.
Hugs,
Paula
Paula,
I have the exact same body type as you and you give me lots of ideas each time you make a fashion post. You make the items look fabulous! Thanks so much for making these posts! I appreciate you a lot. You look amazing in these outfits and I appreciate the tips. Please keep making theses kinds of posts as they give some of us gals confidence. Hugs!
Author
Hi Catherine, thanks so much for being here! I’m excited to put out more content for the fluffy women out there.
Hugs,
Paula
So glad to see you and your ideas again. Thank you
Author
Hi Susan, I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you so much for supporting me.
Hugs,
Paula
How timely this blog post hit my email inbox!! You reading my mind girlfriend?? LOL! I have been cleaning out my closet and donating items. I have a long tank dress from Lands End that I bought on sale several seasons ago. It still has the tags on it. Everytime I put it on it seems to hang like a sack. I must have folded it and put it on the donation pile 3x… but then I take it out and hung it back up. The fabric is so soft and the vertical print is unusual, so I hesitate to donate it. I’m going to try your tips and see. If it’s still a no for me then I can fold it for the 4th and final time with the hope that someone else will be excited to find a new dress!
Thank you so much for this blog post Paula! I have a few dresses that are similar to this one, but I just don’t know how to style them so I don’t look frumpy. Whenever I shop I keep away from the cropped shirts and/or jackets because I only envision them with jeans, and I really don’t care to show off my belly much! But now I think I might have to reconsider…I absolutely love how you styled the dress! Thank you again!
Author
I so glad this post inspired you. They say the most flattering length for a top on almost every woman is right at the hip bone. And it really works. I’ve had blouses that I want to leave out hemmed there. A short top works really well, especially if you have full hips or bum because it doesn’t tent out over your widest part.
Happy styling!
Paula
I had the same problem with that dress in a floral print. It seems like it runs large but SS charges so much for shipping to Hawai’i, my home, that I hesitate to exchange it. I bought a Yelena convertible cardigan on Chicos Off the Rack that works like your cardigan and belt combo. Ill try the dress with a jean jacket, too
Author
I think it does run a bit large, Marcia, especially the bottom. I usually love a floral print and I think since you live in Hawaii, it is probably beautiful. A couple of things:
I’m 5’5″ and I think the length is another thing that makes it dowdy – not long enough to be a true maxi dress or short enough to be a midi. It would only need to be hemmed to about an inch above the ankle to make it difinitive.
Second, since you do live in a warmer climate, try it will a t-shirt over it, and either tie it at the waist, or add a belt to the dress and tuck the tee up under like I did with both of the sweaters. It could be cute!
Have fun styling it.
Paula
Bravo, bravo.
This is exactly what more women should do because you really change up a piece this way. It’s really the difference between wearing and styling that all the young girls video about.
I just love how you did this,
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
BTW, I’m going to share this in my email next week. I hope that’s okay,
XOOX
Oh, Paula! You and I so need to be neighbors because you could help me so much. I sometimes wonder if my looks on the blog (and IRL) are frumpy. I do love florals and wear them a lot. My waistline decided to become an equator a few years ago so belting is important. I love all the ways you styled this dress, but I think my favorite is with the cropped top and the wider belt!
I love reading your posts, my Hoosier friend!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
Author
Hi Marsha,
Wouldn’t it be fun to be neighbors! 🙂 My waistline is the same and it’s hard to swallow when that was never my problem area. But we keep growing, in more ways than one and learning to accept the things we can’t change, at least the things I can’t change today, is part of the process.
Hugs,
Paula
Now I am thinking about some of my dresses that I can incorporate these ideas with! Thank you for the inspiration.
Author
Oh, I’m so glad you found this helpful, Gayle.
Happy Styling!
Paula
You had your work cut out for you but you did great! I like all of the choices you came up with.
Author
So you saw that too, Rebecca! I had told my friend how dowdy I thought the dress was but when she came in to help me take the photos I was in makeup and my hair was done and I already had it belted, she really liked it. Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder and we each like what we like.
Hugs,
Paula
All great ideas and YOU look fantastic! I thought WOW what is her skin routine now because you look so youthful!! And you made that dress work. I think my favorite was with the crotchet open weave sweater👍👍