Four stylish Filipinas share their style advice for curvy girls
Allow me to speak from experience: navigating the journey of finding my personal style was—and still is—hard for curvy girls like me. It often involves grabbing the item farthest on the rack to see if they have my size and tons of failed attempts at shimmying into clothes that I could barely get my head through. Sometimes, it’s making do with the modest pieces that fit me, while the rest is falling back on favorite fashion safety nets: sweatshirts, huge button downs and the color black. While my soft grunge roots would be happy that I’m carrying its key trends up until now, hiding behind oversized anything gets tiring.
Nailing my personal style still feels like a long road despite finally finding peace with my body. When scoping around the internet, the advice I often come across comes from seasoned stylists who, arguably still fall under smaller sizes. Sure, they may have experience dressing for larger frames, but I prefer to hear style advice from curvy girls themselves. Girls who who know the struggle all too well, and have enough tricks up their sleeves to beat it.Â
That’s why Team Wonder went ahead and reached out to our favorite stylish women for some fashion advice. Here, they share their go-to outfits, styling tips, personal journeys and some words of wisdom for people like us.Â
Thurees Obenza
Product photographer, prop stylist, sometimes model and owner of Sunny East Side Photo Studio
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W: How do you describe your personal style?Â
Thurees: Colorful feminine hubadera but always work-appropriate.
W: How do you formulate your outfits?Â
T: Every morning, I ask myself what kind of mood I'm in. Sometimes I literally feel like a fruit! So whatever I feel like that day, I associate it with colors. I am my most authentic self when I am in color. I have one major rule for my outfits when I formulate them: a hubadera top is always matched with a bottom that covers a bit more skin, and vice versa. I grew up a tomboy who also liked wearing tube tops, so I always go for something that honors my inner child. That's usually a cute tank top matched with thrifted men's trousers and sneakers.
W: What common misconception about dressing for curvy women do you hope to dispel?Â
T: Not really a misconception, but I think brands should do better than just giving curvy girls the option of garterized clothing! Yes, it's comfy and can fit more sizes, but garterized pieces aren't always the most flattering. What about making bigger sizes for any kind of clothing? Another misconception is that you have to “hide” your body because some people said so. “Your flabs are showing,” “Itago mo yung bilbil mo (Hide your stomach)” and “Ang laki ng braso mo, ba’t ka naka-sleeveless (Your arms are huge, why are you in a sleeveless top)?” Remember, these are probably just projections of their own insecurities and trauma. It's time to stop thinking that you're too big to be wearing what makes you feel happy.
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W: Do you have any tips for other curvy girls who are still developing their personal styles?Â
T: Unlearn the shame of having a big body. You can look good whatever size you are. Learn your body's shape and proportions, and don't be afraid to try out styles you usually wouldn't go for. Having your own style is a lot of trial and error, especially when you are curvy. Think of dressing up in different styles as entering different eras in your life! Go into your picnic girl era, go into your baddie era or go into your Scandi muse era! Live your life!Â
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Mia Franz-Gelicka Rieza
Student, plus-size model and content creator
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Wonder: How do you describe your personal style?
Mia Franz-Gelicka Rieza: Fun and colorful. If I had to label the aesthetic, it's kidcore and Y2K-inspired. I really gravitate towards colorful outfits. It’s probably because I'm making up for all the years I only wore dark colors since I was taught curvy women should only wear dark colors to appear slimmer. When I grew out of this mindset, that's when I really found my personal style. I think it's also why I like kidcore, because what I wear now is what I wished I wore when I was younger. Honestly, I feel like I dress like a kid most of the time!
W: How do you formulate your outfits?
MFR: It always depends on what I feel, but the consistent thing is color. I always start out with one colored item. It could be a top or a bottom. When I feel lowkey, I go for a plain and colored outfit. But when I feel happy, I notice I put color with color. My favorite go-to outfit combo is a tiny shirt and big pants. It'll forever be my fave—you can never go wrong with it.Â
W: What common misconception about dressing for curvy women do you hope to dispel?
MFR: That we have to wear clothes that make us look “slimmer.” Whenever I went shopping for clothes in the past, the question [I asked] was always “Does this make me look slimmer?” It wasn't about what color or style I wanted. It was always just about whether it could hide my fat. Now, I shop for clothes that I want just because. It's not about what makes me look good to others, it's now about what makes me feel good.
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W: Do you have any tips for other curvy girls who are still developing their personal styles?
MFR: It was difficult stepping out of my comfort zone. It took me years to even get used to wearing sleeveless tops in public. But the more comfortable I was with my own body, the more I was able to wear the clothes that I wanted. Life's too short to not be happy. So wear whatever you want to wear!
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Coleen Dalde
Writer, aspiring theater actress and plus-size model
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Wonder: How do you describe your personal style?
Coleen Dalde: I’d describe my personal style as a mix of my many personalities: a little bit Y2K, a little preppy, a little androgynous, a little glam, with a side of colorful minimalism! My style really depends on my mood for the day.
W: How do you formulate your outfits?
CD: It usually depends on my mood and where I’m going! When I’m feeling a little lazy or just running errands, I go for something comfortable. My go-to is wearing a matching activewear set and pairing it off with a cap and some sneakers. For days when I’m feeling extra, it takes me hours to pick an outfit, so I plan it the night before. I start off by choosing a top: I love anything cropped and sleeveless, and I base the whole outfit off of that. I pair that with either a mini skirt or baggy pants because it accentuates my curves! Next, I pick a matching bag, sneakers or platform heels and a few more accessories. On other days, I grab a short, tight-fitting dress, put on platform heels and call it a day!
W: What common misconception about dressing for curvy women do you hope to dispel?
CD: I think the most common misconception is that many brands think that just because we’re “curvy” or “plus size,” most of us wear clothes that hide our body or are modest. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve noticed that the clothes that are available to us are catered to “titas (aunts).” I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but people my age would really appreciate clothes that not only look good on us, but are for our age range. I want everyone to have access to clothing styles or designs made for petite or mid-size women. That way, we’ll be able to discover our own styles that show our personality, too!
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W: Do you have any tips for other curvy girls who are still developing their personal styles?
CD: Developing [your] style takes a lot of time. It can change everyday, every month or every year! The first step, for me, is to change your mindset. Body dysphoria is very common among us curvy girls because of the societal standard that you have to look “perfect” or “skinny” to appear beautiful in the eyes of others. I’m here to tell you that you have to feel confident to develop your own style, and confidence is a mindset!
Second is to get out of your comfort zone and have an open mind. Whether trying out different trends or going inside a store and picking random clothes and trying them on, the most important thing is that you like what you’re wearing and feel confident in it. Lastly, have fun with it! Clothing is a tool of expression, a way for you to show your personality! Don’t be afraid to mix and match and try out new things.
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Samantha Gonzales
Group manager, previously managed an inclusive clothing brand
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Wonder: How do you describe your personal style?
Samantha Gonzales: The default vibe is cream puff on the outside, bulok na kangkong (rotten water spinach) on the inside. Sometimes pastel goth. Chronic over-dresser or in the same pieces of clothing for one to two weeks. Sorry, mom.
W: How do you formulate your outfits?
SG: Level 1: I think of what I feel for the day, and generally base on color stories. Level 2: I'll pull a featured item—probably an item, piece of makeup or color I'm currently obsessed with—and design around that. Level 3: I take note of the type of event and somehow manage to do whatever is the opposite of what people will wear. For example, if it's an underground punk show, I'll be in a pastel dress.
W: What common misconception about dressing for curvy women do you hope to dispel?
SG: You can't wear blank because you're fat. Well, your mom probably told you that. Not a lot of brands are there, so certain conventions will have to be discovered by you, so you can wear blank in your take. You can (and probably should) wear what you like, especially if you manage to find a great piece in your size. Current fashion business models take advantage of bad fits and insecurity, so the problem is likely the design and sourcing—not really you.
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W: Do you have any tips for other curvy girls who are still developing their personal styles?
SG: I feel like the best way to create your own style is to understand what shapes and proportions of your body you like before anything else. Consume your own media, and interpret on your own if you have the resources. Conventional stylists will not be able to tell you what to do since they have or style “default” bodies, so exploration, patience and mixing and matching what pieces you have access to will be key. Most of plus-size fashion is learned in practice because fashion schools and production houses literally do not have the infrastructure to look at inclusivity. But please, wear good shoes!
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You heard them! Explore, experiment and wear whatever you want.
Art Chelsy Estrada
