Category Archives: Plus size DIY Size 28

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

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

Reallllly, Back to School?

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Felt Bowler Hat - Vest - Mini Skirt High Top Sneakers (similar and just as wide)

ASOS Curve Felt Bowler Hat                       –                   Mynt 1792 Vest size 4X –                                                   ASOS Curve Mini Skirt Size 24
T.U.K. High Top Sneakers (similar and just as wide)

So when someone in Ahead of the Curve suggested “Back to School” as our September blog subject, I thought OMG, I haven’t even thought about school clothes in 40 years. I started college at 25 so my approach to dressing for school was a little different. BUT, I had fallen in love with this felt bowler hat on ASOS Curve that I wanted to try, and I love, and they also had this mini skirt that just screamed school, and then I had to check and see if there are still school-girls in high top sneakers, and or boots, and guess what, there are, and it all came together. So here we are!

vest holding hatI thought I would try the look two different ways.

I wore the bowler hat out and about yesterday and everyone loved it. It is quite large (and I have a big head), and is difficult to keep on my head so I am going to try a couple of little twists of hair to anchor it to, or to put something in the hat to make it a little smaller. It is lightweight, which I love, and thus not too warm.

The vest is going to have to be returned. The armholes are HUGE and since it is scuba material, quite heavy. So you can’t wear it in the heat nor the cold. Very sad, because I really like it.

My name from Egypt 1989 Family Pendants Cartouches Egypt 1989 Family Pocket Watch

My name from Egypt 1989
Family Pendants
Cartouches Egypt 1989
Family Pocket Watch

The gold necklaces are mine that I have acquired over the last 30 years. I made black silk cord into necklaces using these lobster clasps so I could get the correct length so they would be the length I wanted. I am trying to use the jewelry that was my mother’s and my mother-in-law’s, rather than buy new.

To compare my measurements to yours, click HERE.

 

 

 

Layout 1Ahead of the Curve is a collective of plus size bloggers that come together to post on the same subject. While it’s been a hot minute since most of our group has slammed a locker door or crammed for a test, we thought “Back to School” would be a fun theme to explore. In this post, we’ll explore youthful looks that remind us of those glory days (well they’ll pass you by). Check out how our bloggers have fun with Back to School, HERE.
Stay in the know with Ahead of the Curve by liking us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram as Ahead_of_the_Curve_Bloggers.
Peace…affinity

Red Lips Sink Ships

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a red cami under a black Avenue Size 26/28 cami to provide contrast eShakti skirt Size 5X (a little large in the waist and a little long even though I specified my height as 5'3"

A red cami under a black Avenue Size 26/28 cami to provide contrast
eShakti skirt Size 5X (a little large in the waist and a little long even though I specified my height as 5’3″)                                                          Photo: Leori Gill

When I saw this skirt I knew I had to have it. I had been looking for something with red lips for awhile and I loved that this was embroidered netting over a cotton skirt.

To compare my measurements to yours, click HERE.

My friend Claire giving me a kiss at the Party.

My friend Claire giving me a kiss at the Party, to go with the one on my Cami, and isn’t Claire’s dress fabulous?

I got an opportunity to wear it when my friends threw a fabulous party for a very special friend’s birthday . It was a wonderful night.

Alumni and current campers from the Mansonian Institute of Urban Studies, our camp for several years at Burning Man

Alumni, friends, and current campers from the Mansonian Institute of Urban Studies, our camp for several years at Burning Man

The party was at a venue I had been dying to go to, The Battery, and since the Birthday Girl was a Burning Man campmate, we got to see various iterations of different years of campmates from many different years of Burning Man. A glorious evening. That is a kiss on MonkeyBoy’s face, I had kisses on my skirt and top so I handed out sticker kisses. Such a fun evening. Thanks to my friends for creating this moment.

photo: John Curley

photo: John Curley

And we had a chance to have our photo taken in front of the Bay Lights by the fabulous John Curley. The evening was everything I could have wanted.

Peace…affinity

 

Ditto.Ditto.Ditto. Always Red Hot

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Top Belt Boots

Top – Beth Ditto Evans Line (sold as a skirt) – Size U.K. 28 (2010) – EBAY
Belt – IGIGI      Leggings – SWAK        Necklace – Torrid
Boots – Avenue Size 9.5

This is a fat girl’s version of vintage. I know you know I love Beth Ditto, she is my fatshion hero, and she’s everywhere on my blog as you can see HERE! I bought this skirt (that I am wearing as a top) about a year ago on EBAY. There is almost always something from her Evans line, but it is a bubble skirt, and I just could not make it work for me. I wore Beth Ditto last Valentine’s Day, and decided I would just fool around until I found a look that I liked.

Beth Ditto Heart Bubble Skirt for Evans 2010 Line

Beth Ditto Heart Bubble Skirt for Evans 2010 Line

I also wore my first pair of knee high boots, you can read about those HERE.

The theme for our blogging collective, Ahead of the Curve is “Red Hot”, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

ffffinalRadiant Chaos
My “Red Hot” Moment
Nuclear Red Hot Hair
Feeling the Love in Igigi Polka Dots
Red, Color of Love
Red Hot Remake: Too-Tight Dress To Peplum Top
Fearless Fashion: Channeling My Inner Lady In Red
“Red Hot” Valentine’s Day Look
Rouge Blouse

Red Hot Luxe:  My Top Sexy, Fabulous, Gorgeous Valentine’s Day Picks for the Plus Size Princess

You can find more information about Ahead of the Curve or our past topics here, http://www.aheadofthecurvebloggers.com.

Cropped Denim Jacket Size 5X

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Domino Dollhouse Plus Size 4X Denim Jacket - Out of Stock

Domino Dollhouse Plus Size 4X Denim Jacket – Out of Stock

Every time I show this black denim cropped jacket, I get questions about where I got it. It is a couple of years old from Domino Dollhouse, and they do not make them anymore. I love it and wear it a lot, in fact I am going to wear it today.

There are lots of denim jackets out there, but very few cropped jackets to a size 5X. So when I saw this denim cropped jacket from Strut Fashion, with a 15% discount code (PLUSMODELMAG2013) from Plus Model Magazine, I thought you needed to hear about it right away.  They have a size chart on each page for each item, I love that.

I would love to hear about it if you have one or buy one, I have not yet tried their clothes.

 

 

 

 

Peace…affinity

ModCloth, A New Plus Size Retailer, Size 4X Review

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Cherie - Stina - Affinity

Cherie                                                       Stina                                                         Affinity

modclothA new retailer to me, Modcloth was having a great sale, and I had a $15 discount so I was able to buy this dress for less than $20 shipped. It is a burnout fabric. I noticed that 3 of us from our blogging collective, Ahead of the Curve, were buying it so I thought it would be fun if we did a collage, since Cherie lives in Cincinnati, Stina in Toronto and I live in California. They have this dress in turquoise, but not on sale, sorry.

We are all wearing a Size 4X (their largest size), but for me it is way too large in the arms and bust (underarms  27 – 31 stretched, waist 25 stretched 28.5), a 5X could absolutely wear this (although it is sold out, sorry), but is fairly short in the waist for me (not unusual for me). The dress brand is Mood and if I bought this brand again I would size down to a 3X.

ModCloth, carries lots of different brands so I expect that the sizing will vary a lot. If you are interested in trying it HERE is a link for $15 savings, and I get $15 for referring you.

To compare my measurements to yours, to see if these clothes might fit, click HERE.

Peace…affinity

Kiyonna Chameleon Convertible Skirt & Dress Plus Size 5X Review

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kiyanna dressWe are in Palm Springs this week because a friend was kind enough to offer us her timeshare that she was not going to use.  So in anticipation of being in 90° weather I went to my Gwynnie Bee account to have something light and deserty to wear. It turns out that this Kiyonna skirt/dress is incredibly heavy and I would NEVER be able to wear in warm weather, even though, since it is strapless it looks like it is designed for a hot day.  I was quite disappointed.

kiyanna descriptionI did not pay attention to the size chart (my bad) and the 5X fell off of me so much that I could not really even take a photo of it.  My measurements are HERE if you want to compare your size to mine and see if this would fit.  The sizing is good to know, since I have never worn Kiyonna before, that this skirt/dress it runs true to size, since I usually wear a 4X. This dress not longer appears to be for sale but you can still find it on Gwynnie Bee.

As you know from this review, I have a trial membership to Gwynnie Bee, and if you are interested in checking it out please read more HERE (full disclosure) if you sign up I do get a free month free.

Peace…affinity

Burning Man Plus Size DIY

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marzy2It was Tuesday afternoon, and my favorite event at Burning Man.  I was at the Cultural Collaborators Party hosted by Burning Man Project, I am their Social Media Coordinator.  It is very sumptuous (the ice cream made using liquid nitrogen, was the best I had ever had) and I was standing talking to someone and I heard in my ear “Aren’t you Affinity? I read your blog!”.  Well, there are few words that make me happier than hearing that someone is actually reading my blog, and I turned and there stood this fabulous person, Marzy.  We chatted, had our picture taken but never received a copy, so she sent me this “In the City” version of her outfit with a description.

Here is the recreation of the outfit I  was wearing at Burning Man.  My necklace was made by me (a brass escutcheon from an old dresser).  My hat, made by ME, of silk ties, lace, ribbons, etc.  My “corset”  is a Frederick’s of Hollywood thrift store find that started out white, but then I dyed it black and the different panels took on the dye differently.  It turned out gray & brown. The ruffled wifebeater underneath is another creation by me.  What started as a plain white tank top ended up with vintage satin/lace ruffles from a thrift store robe and an antique-ish brass button cluster.  The black crinoline was a $5 thrift store find.  My boots were, yes, another thrift store find, and still covered in playa dust!  After writing all of this down, I realize what fun I have customizing plain old clothes into something fabulous!  May this serve as inspiration to all to not accept the plain boring clothes put on the racks in our size!  Make a leap of faith and go out and turn the ordinary extraordinary!

Marzy

marzy crop hat I have included a close up of her hat so you could see that she has taken elements of various ties to decorate her hat. I have not seen this kind of assemblage before and I love it.

Marzy, what a delight to meet you and you look gorgeous in your photo, thanks for making the effort to say Hello and send the photo! I love DIY so it is all just perfect.

Peace…affinity