Category Archives: Plus Size Costumes

Plus Size Costumes 4X to 9X!

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IMG_0926I LOVE costumes, as you can tell, I love to dress up for events and halloween. For several years I have been writing posts about where you can find Size 4X and larger plus size costumes, and with Halloween coming it is time for an update. In addition to retail 4X+ costumes, I am including a “Make Your Own Costume” or (DIY) section at the bottom of the page.
My experience is that retail costumes run small, so buyer beware.

torrid costumes newerLet me start with a major change in the plus size costume world and a shout out to Torrid! Torrid is carrying 63 costume choices, and it is only early September. And 23 of them come to a Size 6, which is a size 30/32, so that is where I would start. But, by my standards their Size 3/4 runs fairly small.
Screen Shot 2016-09-03 at 9.47.43 AMIn addition, they have a lot of costume accessories. I love accessories because you can build your own costume from clothes that you already own, as I detail at the bottom of this post in “Making Your Own Costume”. You can buy many accessories anywhere but with Torrid you can assume they have sized up the hat or other accessory. Torrid has created and depth of PopCulture and Cosplay looks and costumes that we only dreamed of 10 years ago!

Halloween Costumes carries 67 different Size 5X costumes, priced between $19 – $104. They even have 12 Size 7X costumes. Based on one of my reader’s experience, these costumes appear to be true to size. They have quite a bit of variety and I think it is worth the effort to check out what they are offering, and these costumes appear to be exclusive to them. Do check out their accessories, because they are a Halloween store the have tons of accessories. But be careful of gloves and headbands, make sure they are adult sizes, and that may even run small. I happen to know that the Wonderland Cat to the left is a stretchy knit and very generously sized. A reader said “I believe the 4X would fit a size 30”. The Wonderland Cat includes the shrug and “wristlets”

BigGals Lingerie has costumes up to a size 6X (and Club Wear up to 12X, custom made).  They are somewhat expensive, but it is good to know what your options are.

Sanctuarie has more costumes this year that run to a 9X that are very cute, and some moderate pricing, as well as quite a few accessories and make-up. The site says to check sizing for each item. I think this is a fabulous resource if their costume themes speak to you.

Plus-Size Costume Shop carries handmade costumes up to a 7X.  They are pricey but quite lovely and lean toward renaissance costumes and witches. At this time they do not suggest a specific date by which you should place your order, but since most of their costumes are custom made, it seems like you might want to order as early as possible.

Etsy seems to have fewer Size 4X options this year. What I found was expensive and I had seen many of them elsewhere. Each seller will have a different policy so be sure to check that out. That said, they have a plethora of accessories, Paws, Animal Hats, various ears, and Tutus, which vary in their plus sizes. And don’t forget the amazing masks, which are not size specific, and vary tremendously in cost. And they even have some themed Halloween hats, but I have a pretty big head, so I have to be careful of hats.

eBay of course has a variety of choices in both quality and fit.  This is what I came up with when I searched for Costume 5X. It seemed to me that most of the costumes were also being sold on the other sites I have mentioned, and I would be particularly careful of the bustier sizing, which always seems to vary a lot.

hips and curves sexy witch hatHips and Curves has a lovely collection of costumes and accessories, some to a 6X, which appear to run a bit small. I love the look of these costumes and I have not seen most of them anywhere else. And OMG, this sexy witch hat, I have never seen anything like it. And look at this hoop skirt which comes to a 50″ waist. 10/26/14 Update fror a reader, confirming my fears that sizing might run somewhat small:

I have some of the Hips ‘n Curves items. They run extremely small. I have the satin sleeves, and I can’t get them around my arms….also some of the school girl items and petticoats. The petticoats are my favorite…they stretch!

Lady Strange Erotic Lingerie carries very sexy costumes and some of them come to a 12X, which I assume are custom, so communicate with them and ask for a delivery date.

In addition to the 4X+ size costumes, I owned this Maleficent, Size 24 costume for years. It more than fit my size 26/28 body, and I have even had readers state that they thought it would fit to a size 6X, but I cannot vouch for that.

If you are looking for costumes through a 1/2X 3/4X or 1X – 3X, there are many options.  Most Halloween Costume vendors, like Halloween Express often carry up to a 3X, the list is quite long and you only have to Google “plus size costumes” to see the list of choices.

Most costumes tend to run a little smaller than standard sizes so check the size charts carefully when you are ordering.

aff and MB 50_1659500_nMaking Your Own Costume: And last but not least, there is making your own costume.  Go through your closet and see if there is anything that would work as the base of the outfit. Is there a black outfit that could be witch-like, or something gauzy for a princess or large sleeved for a pirate wench, or a leopard print that just needs leopard ears (these fit both my husband and I perfectly), the list is endless.  There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to make a headband or accessory to fill out the illusion. In my experience everyone wants to believe in your costume and it only takes a little sleight of hand to make it fun and festive for Halloween. Here are some costumes/DIY tips from prior years.

DIY Clown Plus Size Costume
DIY Wonder Woman Plus Size Costume
DIY VooDoo Doll Plus Size Costume
DIY Steampunk or Edwardian Plus Size Costume
VERY casual Bee Costume (good for a child)
DIY Mrs. Claus Plus Size Costume
Spider Outfit for Halloween
2013 Post about 4X gloves (most are still available)
Long Lace Gloves (the ribbon makes them adjustable)
Opera Gloves with stretch
Long Fingerless Fishnet Gloves (these are my go-to gloves)

I hope you find this useful and as always if you have additional suggestions please comment.  In addition, I would love to see some photos if you do decide to dress up for Halloween, or any time.

Peace…affinity

DIY Plus Size Clown Costume

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DIY Plus Size Clown CostumeHave you ever made a DIY Plus Size Clown Costume? If you have been following along you may already know that I go to Burning Man. In fact, 2015 was our 16th year.  The 2015 theme was Carnival of Mirrors, and like everyone else, I decided I needed a clown costume.  I bought some parts of it, and I had some many pieces in my closet. At first glance, it may seem to be a little too much, and it is. I will simplify the costume  for Burning Man by not wearing any makeup, seems like the nose is plenty.

DIY Plus Size Clown CostumeThe first thing I decided I needed were a clown collar and cuffs. If I knew how to sew, even a little bit, I could have made these, perhaps without the black ribbon edging for very little money. But I don’t, so I bought mine, but I tried to use clothes from other outfits or costumes.

Clown Collar & Cuffs
White Gloves (I bought a dozen in case I wanted to give some away)
Headpiece (painted and reused)
Skirt, leggings and boots (from my closet)

Photos: Tex Allen, Portrayou

Peace…affinity

Affatshionista’s 5 Posts You Loved the Most in 2014!

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I just want to close out 2014 with a review of the posts you loved the most on Affatshionista this year. Over the course of the year, more than 90,000 readers visited our site. So what were the most popular posts of 2014?

Continue reading →

Where Can I Buy Plus Size Costumes 1X to 3X or 4X or 5x to 12X? 2014

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For a couple of years I have been writing posts about where you can find 4X and larger, Plus Size Costumes, and with Halloween coming it is time for an update. In addition to retail 4X costumes, as always I am going to include Do It Yourself (DIY) section. Just for reference I am size 26-28, weigh 280 lbs, have a 53″ waist and tiny ankles. My standard for inclusion in this article is that the costume might fit me. My experience is that costumes run small so buyer beware.

Halloween Costumes carries 31 different Size 5X costumes, priced between $28 – $104. They even have 9 Size 7X costumes, but this year there do not seem to be any 8X costumes. But based on one of my reader’s experience, these costumes appear to be generously sized. This is where I would start my search. They have quite a bit of variety and I think it is worth the effort to check out what they are offering, and these costumes appear to be exclusive to them. The Wonderland Cat includes the shrug and “wristlets”.

BigGals Lingerie has costumes up to a size 12X.  They are somewhat expensive, but it is good to know what your options are.  I do not know how late you can order a costume to guarantee delivery before Halloween, I could not actually get them to give me a date on the phone, but I would say beyond October 10th you might be pushing.  They told me on September 19th last year, that if I ordered a costume on that date it would arrive on October 20th.  They generally have a six week delivery time, but that seems to be compressed for Halloween.

Sanctuarie has more costumes this year that run to a 9X that are very cute, and some moderate pricing, as well as quite a few accessories and make-up. The site says to check sizing for each item. I think this is a fabulous resource if their costume themes speak to you.

Plus-Size Costume Shop carries handmade costumes up to a 7X.  They are pricey but quite lovely and lean toward renaissance costumes and witches. At this time they do not suggest a specific date by which you should place your order, but that might change in the next few weeks.

Etsy seems to have fewer Size 4X options this year. What I found was expensive and I had seen many of them elsewhere. Each seller will have a different policy so be sure to check that out. That said, they have a plethora of accessories, Paws, Animal Hats, various ears, and Tutus, which vary in their plus sizes. And don’t forget the amazing masks, which are not size specific, and vary tremendously in cost. And they even have some themed Halloween hats.

eBay of course has a variety of choices in both quality and fit.  This is what I came up with when I searched for Costume 5X. It seemed to me that most of the costumes were also being sold on the other sites I have mentioned, and I would be particularly careful of the bustier sizing, which always seems to vary a lot.

hips and curves sexy witch hatHips and Curves has a lovely collection of costumes and accessories, some to a 6X, which appear to run a bit small. I love the look of these costumes and I have not seen most of them anywhere else. And OMG, this sexy witch hat, I have never seen anything like it. And look at this hoop skirt which comes to a 50″ waist. 10/26/14 Update fror a reader, confirming my fears that sizing might run somewhat small:

I have some of the Hips ‘n Curves items. They run extremely small. I have the satin sleeves, and I can’t get them around my arms….also some of the school girl items and petticoats. The petticoats are my favorite…they stretch!

Torrid has costumes but my experience is that their Size 3X/4X runs really small, so I cannot really suggest them to people my size or larger.  But they continue to have parts to costumes, like Size 5X (I usually wear a 4X in Torrid Tops) Super Hero T-shirts which I am sure would fit me.

Lady Strange Erotic Lingerie carries very sexy costumes to an 8X.

Bustiers: Here is a great blog post, Plus Size and Proud, about Corset Boulevard Global and how they fit and how they look. Great information, and there are a couple of great photos.

In addition to the 4X+ size costumes, I owned this Maleficent Size 24 costume for years. It more than fit my size 26/28 body, and I have even had readers state that they thought it would fit to a size 6X, but I cannot vouch for that.

If you are looking for costumes through a 1/2X 3/4X or 1X – 3X, there are many options.  Most Halloween Costume vendors, like Halloween Express often carry up to a 3X, the list is quite long and you only have to Google “plus size costumes” to see the list of choices.

 

Most costumes tend to run a little smaller than standard sizes so check the size charts carefully when you are ordering.

aff and MB 50_1659500_nMaking Your Own Costume: And last but not least, there is making your own costume.  Go through your closet and see if there is anything that would work as the base of the outfit. Is there a black outfit that could be witch-like, or something gauzy for a princess or large sleeved for a pirate wench, or a leopard print that just needs leopard ears and perhaps some leopard gloves, the list is endless.  There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to make a headband or accessory to fill out the illusion. In my experience everyone wants to believe in your costume and it only takes a little sleight of hand to make it fun and festive for Halloween. Here are some costumes/DIY tips from prior years.

DIY Wonder Woman Plus Size Costume
DIY VooDoo Doll Plus Size Costume
DIY Steampunk or Edwardian Plus Size Costume
VERY casual Bee Costume (good for a child)
DIY Mrs. Claus Plus Size Costume

In the spirit of making clothes work as costumes, SWAK has a wonderful layout, where they have taken their clothing line, added some accessories and have created costumes, where the underlying clothing could be worn during the year. Gotta love that!

I hope you find this useful and as always if you have additional suggestions please comment.  In addition, I would love to see some photos if you do decide to dress up for Halloween, or any time.

Peace…affinity

Fabulous Custom Made Plus Size Clothing

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nicole MaronI got a note and a photo from my friend Nicole Maron recently. She had had her amazing friend and designer extraordinaire Kelly Williams custom make this three piece ensemble – top, skirt, headpiece – for the 1920’s themed wedding she was attending.

Nicole got many compliments, including that she looked like “She just came from Prague”. I love the gorgeous ensemble and it looks like it would feel fabulous to wear.

This is what Nicole has to say about her friend Kelly as a designer:

nicoleKelly is a unique talent who understands the three-dimensionality of real bodies large and small, and who can create anything from custom costumes like this to perfectly tailored coats to fun casual wear to glamtastic modern party duds to sophisticated work clothing. She is also an *excellent* patternmaker. I think she deserves an angel who can start a clothing line and hire her as their lead designer, but she is looking for any good design job leads. You can see some of her older stuff at foompa and she offers sewing classes at Craft Haven. Really you should get her to take you on a tour of her own closet – she designed and made everything in it!

 

 

Kelly and Nicole, thanks for sharing with me, I am always thrilled to be able to share something truly different with my readers.

Peace…affinity

Plus size 4X Gloves That Fit ME! for Halloween Costumes or Everyday

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spider armwamerI bought spider undies (and yes, today they still have the 4X) and had thought I might build a costume around them with tights and a little cami or tank with some decoration added to it,  and I wanted some gloves to wear with it. I wear gloves a lot and I think gloves add a lot to a costume or dressing up, and are an inexpensive way to fill a costume out.  Especially if I am wearing something sleeveless people always mention it when I wear long gloves. It just fills in that gap.  The widest part of my wrist is 7 1/4″ and the widest part below my elbow is 11 1/4″, not the biggest arms ever for a 4X so use my advice with caution.

So here are some spidery/boney/starry and checkered gloves that have worked for me and I think would arrive before Halloween if you ordered them today.

armwamers4x PUNK GOTH EMO SKELETON BONES/PLAID/STARS/SPIDER WEB FINGERLESS GLOVES ARMWARMERS
Ordered 9/28 – delivered from China 10/7. These cost $10.49 shipped, they fit perfectly and might stretch another 1 and 1/2 inch or 2 inches, they come in a variety of designs and they are not toooooo warm. They are a poly knit of some type, like a light decorated sock might feel.

work gloves spider
New GOTHIC 80s Metal Black White Spider Web Mens Black Work Gloves Goth PUNK
Ordered on 9/28 – Arrived 10/2  Would fit a larger hand than mine. These feel like real work gloves, they are heavy and have a rubber sole on the inside.  The decoration is some kind of liquid plastic that would come off after awhile if you worked in them, but I think will last pretty well for street wear. I ended up buying a spider sweater so I think I am going to make these fingerless and wear them, unless it is hot in San Francisco that day (which it sometimes is in October).

woven spider glove 4xFine Webs Black Fingerless Gloves, arm warmers, New with tags, Costume, Claire’s
I bought these first.  They will not be hot and I knew they would fit, because almost all fishnet gloves fit me. These are truly One Size Fits All, they would stretch forever. I paid $6.55 shipped.   These are much more generous than most fishnet gloves, which is what I often wear, but they will not wear very well.  These are from Claire’s originally so you might watch for this sort of thing at those stores. If I decide to wear them I will add a spider decoration, which is now sold out.

I could see myself wearing all three of these sets of gloves on different occasions since they are different lengths, so I am going to keep them.  But usually if I have decided I am not going to wear something I would carry it with me to give to someone I come across that admires my gloves or is unhappy they have not done anything to dress up.

Here are a couple more that I considered, but did not order so I cannot speak to delivery times or fitability, or the nature of the fabric, but I liked them.

High Elastic Antislip Spider Web Wristbands Elbow Guard Protective Gear Sport
These also come in red/orange and look like they are made of finer material, but they might or might not fit.

Spiderweb web arm warmer stockings black white pattern black widow opaque nylon
I liked these too, and they look way too big for the mannequin, so they MIGHT work.

More Halloween news to come, watch this space, and do not forget to check my Size 4X Plus Size Costume Post which I have been updating.

Update 10/15/2013:

opera glovesThis just in, these Opera Length Gloves fit plus size Plus… I have been looking for a pair, they are on my list.

Peace…affinity

Plus Size Hello Kitty Halloween Panties

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hello kitty spider pantiesI am not going to model these fabulous Hello Kitty Spider Panties, but I will tell you that I will be wearing these Torrid Size 4X for Halloween, because what do you know, they fit. They are true to size, I am a true 4X, but they are snugish on me, so I do not think they would fit anyone larger. How cute are these?  I am telling you now, just in case you have to have a pair… I am so amused I can hardly stand it.

More Halloween news to come, watch this space, and do not forget to check my Size 4X Plus Size Costume Post which I have been updating.

Peace…affinity

Update: One of my readers says: I have them also in Size 3 and they are too small on me.  I wear a pant size 22/24 , should of gotten the 4.

Where Can I Find Plus Size 4x Costumes? – 2013

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IMG_0926aff wonder woman leori 463900_1598090432_o-1Last year I wrote a post “Where Can You Find 4X Plus Size Costumes?” and I want to update it because some things have changed. In addition to retail 4X costumes, I am going to include my year of DIY costumes. Just for reference I am size 26-28, weigh 280 lbs, have a 53″ waist and tiny ankles. My experience is that costumes run small so buyer beware.

Tabitha was kind enough to let me publish this photo of her in her fabulous costume from HalloweenCostumes.com The makeup is from a tutorial on You Tube. Well done Tabitha, and thank you!

Tabitha was kind enough to let me publish this photo of her in her fabulous costume from HalloweenCostumes.com (The link is to their 5X+ costumes)
The makeup is from a tutorial on You Tube.
Well done Tabitha, and thank you!

Halloween Costumes carries 29 different Size 5X costumes, priced between $24 – $104. They even have 3 Size 8X costumes. This is where I would start my search. That is quite a bit of variety and I think it is worth the effort to check out what they are offering.

Torrid is back in the costume business.  But my experience is that there 3X/4X runs really small, so I cannot really suggest them to people my size or larger.  But they continue to have parts to costumes, like a Wonder Woman t-shirt in a 4X, and some Pop-Art Leggings which I am sure would fit me.

BigGals Lingerie will custom make your costume up to a size 12X.  They are also VERY expensive, but it is good to know what your options are.  I do not know how late you can order a costume to guarantee delivery before Halloween, I could not actually get them to give me a date on the phone, but I would say beyond October 10th you might be pushing.  They told me on September 19th last year, that if I ordered a costume on that date it would arrive on October 20th.  They generally have a six week delivery time, but that seems to be compressed for Halloween.

Sanctuarie has costumes that run to a 9X that are very cute, and some moderate pricing, as well as quite a few accessories and make-up. They also have some Halloween T-Shirts that you might want to consider, including a sparkly skull t-shirt that looks pretty cool.

BIGcostumes also has a variety of custom made costumes at varying prices.  They even have a few bargains that are pre-made.  Please read their BIGcostume Return Policies carefully.

Plus-Size Costume Shop carries handmade costumes up to a 7X.  They are pricey but quite lovely and lean toward renaissance costumes and witches. At this time they do not suggest a specific date that you should by which you should place your order, but that might change in the next few weeks.

Etsy seems to have fewer Size 4X options this year and what I found was expensive and I had seen elsewhere. My favorite is a Snow White costume Size 3X – 5X, $135 custom made.  Each seller will have a different policy so be sure check that out.

eBay of course has a variety of choices in both quality and fit.  This is what I came up with when I searched for Costume 5X. It seemed to me that most of the costumes were also being sold on the other sites I have mentioned.

Sonsi reached out to me while I was writing this post and was kind enough to do a little research and they feel like the Dreamgirl Brand is most likely to fit larger plus sizes. The 3x/4x would fit  me in the bust but not in the waist, but if you are more of a hourglass or pear shape with a full skirt, they might work very well.

dreamgirl costume size chart

Sonsi also has a few others that I thought might work: I have the Maleficent Costume and I know it fits me because I own it and have worn it several years. (UPDATE: One of my readers purchased the Maleficent costume and she thinks it could fit to a 6X.)  Just FYI. I also like the Ombre Hooded Cape, which could make any black outfit into a costume.

Lady Strange Erotic Lingerie (toward the bottom of the page) carries costumes to an 8X.

Bustiers: Here is a great bog post, Plus Size and Proud, about Corset Boulevard Global and how they fit and how they look. Great information, and there are a couple of great photos.

If you are looking for costumes through a 1/2X 3/4X or 1X – 3X, there are many options.  Almost all of the plus size stores carry some costumes, and most Halloween Costume vendors, like Halloween Express often carry up to a 3X, the list is quite long and you only have to Google “plus size costumes” to see the list of choices. Some plus size stores are not carrying any costumes this year, like Lane Bryant, at least not as of today this date.

Most costumes tend to run a little smaller than standard sizes so check the size charts carefully when you are ordering.

Making Your Own Costume: And last but not least, there is making your own costume.  Go through your closet and see if there is anything that would work as the base of the outfit. Is there a black outfit that could be witch-like, or something gauzy for a princess or large sleeved for a pirate wench, the list is endless.  There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to make a headband or accessory to fill out the illusion.  Or you can purchase some accessories to wear with a leopard top, like leopard ears, as you can see in my last year’s post on costumes. In my experience everyone wants to believe in your costume and it only takes a little sleight of hand to make it fun and festive for Halloween. Here are some costumes/DIY tips from last year.

DIY Wonder Woman Plus Size Costume
DIY VooDoo Doll Plus Size Costume
DIY Steampunk or Edwardian Plus Size Costume
VERY casual Bee Costume (good for a child)
DIY Mrs. Claus Plus Size Costume

I hope you find this useful and as always if you have additional suggestions please comment.  In addition, I would love to see some photos if you do decide to dress up for Halloween, or any time.

Peace…affinity

photos: Taken at Peralta Junction
Bottom photo: Leori Gill Photography

Hips and Curves, Torrid, Re/Dressnyc, We Love Colors – All on One Day at Fatty Affair

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fatty affair cats A few weeks ago I went to an event called Fatty Affair and I blogged about it here and here, and promised you a couple of other outfits that I loved, and above are some fun, easy to make costumes from the always fabulous dance troupes, emFATic DANCE.

Sarah Redman, Creator/Organizer of Fatty Affair

Sarah Redman, Creator/Organizer of Fatty Affair

Sarah Redman is the Creator/Organizer of the event and she looked spectacular.  Here is what she was wearing:

Corset:  Hipsandcurves
Petticoat: Chicstar.com
Teggings: Re/dressnyc
Red fishnets: We Love Colors
Doc Martens: (limited edition Dia de Los muertos) eBay
Hair flowers: borrowed from Raven.

Laura of Voluptuous Vixen Photography

Laura of Voluptuous Vixen Photography

One of my other favorites was our photographer, Laura. She is wearing a top from Torrid, and I am just loving the Stripes in All Directions that we are seeing here and here, and everywhere this season, and I love them on her. (Sorry the photo is a little blurry, that would be my fault, I took the picture).

And here is a fun little glimpse of the event:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGONJ5ZKvvg?rel=0&w=640&h=360]

It was a fabulous day, and thanks to everyone who did all the work to make it happen so we could be community.

Peace…affinity

photos: Voluptuous Vixen Photography

video:  Jeanette DiPatie & Brian