3 Ways to Rock an Oversized Silhouette

Black and white polka dot H&M Dress - Oversized Silhouette

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Last year on Project Runway Ashley Longshore Art appeared as a guest judge. Ashley was an amazing asset to the judging panel and offered a lot of great thoughts, both positive and negative. One of the things that she talked about was one designer who created an oversized suit for her model. All the judges were discussing the difference between creating an oversized silhouette and something that swallows you.

Oversized styles are a current trend but not always the easiest to pull off. It seems counterintuitive to create a flattering outfit with pieces that are oversized. Tailored and form fitting seem to be the way we are trained to dress but sometimes pushing the limit of what we consider “flattering” can be fun.

Oversized pieces can be tricky so there is a method to how you wear them and how you style the outfits. I wanted to give you three guidelines to use when styling an oversized look.

Pick One Piece

This is one of the times that I will tell you, less is more. If you are going for an oversize jacket than pick a slim jean. If you want to wear a baggy pant then opt for a body suit or slim top. Yes, there are people who wear head to toe oversized styles but its a hard look to pull off. Stick to one oversize item and you will be good to go.

Belts Are Your Friend

We want what we wear to look good but we also want to feel good. I like to think of trends like getting into a pool. You can dip your toe in before fully emerging into the water. Trends are a bit of the same. With the oversized styles adding a belt will pull your outfit in and define your waist. If you aren’t feeling the all over voluminous dress than add a belt and nip the waist. Trends are meant to be starting points. You don’t always have to go all in. Make them your own.

Oversized Silhouette Doesn’t Mean Ill Fitting

As we learned in last weeks Project Runway episode we don’t want to sacrifice overall fit when wearing an oversize silhouette. Think about how it feels and look over your outfit at different angles. Does it look like the jacket is swallowing your body or it is adding a small additional layer to your frame? If the answer is yes think about sizing down or having the item tailored. We want to give the illusion of oversize without the item taking over our bodies.

Trends make fashion and dressing fun. Without them things would be pretty boring and mundane. It’s all about trying something new and adding them into your basics. Get excited because as spring approaches that means a whole new list of trends to try!