Finding the right fit for plus-size figures

MANILA, Philippines - It used to be that fashion was ahead of the people on the street — the style gods would conceptualize, execute, then present the must-haves of the season to the hungry, waiting public. Now, designers look to the streets for inspiration. It’s no longer just about coming up with something groundbreaking, but more importantly, something relevant. Even high fashion can’t just tickle your imagination with the prospect of “what if”: the outfits should be flexible enough to be broken down to individual pieces that can be incorporated into the existing closets of real women out there. Designers need to be able to sell for the fashion business to prosper. In the real world, fashion needs the real woman more than the reed-thin supermodel. The dominance of skinny women and the rule that one has to be thin to be stylish no longer holds true. Just take a seat at a roadside coffee shop and, for sure, in 10 minutes, you will come across a multitude of different shapes and sizes of women. All real, all beautiful, and all in need of stylish clothes they can wear every day. It is this real need for relevant and fashionable clothes that led to the creation of two fabulous local clothing brands for plus-sized women — Maxine and Solita.

The women of Maxine and Solita

“Both brands promote the beauty of the real women of this society. They deserve to be provided with nice trendy outfits as much as the slim women out there,” says Shirley Enriquez, owner of Maxine and Solita. Looking at their clothing items, you see clean and sleek basics like crisp button-down tops, skinny denim pants, comfy slacks, pretty blouses and playful dresses. “The market for both brands are women who are confident, driven and fashion forward. They wear sizes 12 to 22, Asian fit. Our prices range from P799 to 1,099 for tops, P1,099 to P1,499 for bottoms and P1,399 up for dresses,” adds Shirley. Maxine consists mostly of separates, basic pieces that women can play around with for both casual and office wear. Solita is different from Maxine in that it has more dresses. Maxine in the department store branches carries separates only.

Maxine and Solita can each cater to a different market, but they can also cater to the same woman who wants to stylishly dress up the different sides of her fashion personality. “I actually call the two brands as sisters as their advocacy is the same. They both promote and celebrate the beauty of all the real women out there,” shares Shirley.

For real

Addressing this market, of course, means having a deeper understanding of what will make the fuller-figured woman look stylish. It’s not about hiding under yards and yards of loose fabric, but more about creating a silhouette that is shapely and sleek. A universal rule of fashion, whether it’s for a size zero or a size 22, is that looking good is all about having clothes that fit well. Stand in front of a mirror and look at yourself with fresh, appreciative eyes. Forget about all the teasing that your brother did all of those years and all those mean remarks from ill-mannered titas at family reunions. All of us have more wonderful things to celebrate about ourselves than we care to acknowledge and appreciate — whether it be as simple as the smooth skin on our shoulders, our pretty eyelashes, a ready smile, or shapely ankles, we all have many, many things to be thankful about. Focus on all these wonderful, blessed things about yourself and these will be what people see — real beauty celebrated with real style. 

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Maxine branches are at G/F TriNoma, Landmark Makati and TriNoma; SM Cebu, Davao, Cubao, Fairview, Harrisson, Las Pinas, Makati, Marilao, North Edsa, Ortigas, Pampanga, San Lazaro, Sta, Mesa, Sta. Rosa, Marikina. SOLITA 3/F main building SM North Edsa.

Fashion tips for fuller figures

Shirley Enriquez shares some style tips for all the curvy sisters out there.

Avoid frumpy, baggy clothes at all costs. Wearing an all-baggy outfit shouts to the world that you dislike your body.

Follow the rules of proportion. Find an outfit with a perfect fit, one that accentuates your best features. For example: If you have shapely legs, dare to wear above the knee skirts and shorts. If you have a nice decolletage, show them off with V-shape necklines.

Choose deeper colors. You don’t have to limit yourself to black. If you like wearing other colors, go ahead. Just pick the deeper shade of that hue.

Choose and coordinate your look with vertical lines. They never fail to create a slimmer and taller look.

Use accessories to draw attention to your face or to your best body part. Make sure to scale the accessories to the size of your body.

Avoid anything too tight or clingy. The right fit is integral to your look.

When wearing prints, choose those with overlapping designs. Very huge spaces between prints are unflattering.

One-piece dresses are sleek.

Use the loose-tight rule for separates. You can wear a loose top over nice fitting leggings or skinny stretch jeans, or a full skirt worn with a sleek top.