Fashion Tips for the Plus-Size Teenager

Parents of plus-size teenagers know the heartache they feel when their child cannot fit into the trendy clothes popular with their teenager peers. Trips to the mall intended to be fun excursions to buy clothes for the new school year become painful reminders to your teens that there is one big difference between them and other kids their age. Despite the fact the average clothing size of our children has been steadily increasing over the last decade, store-front retailers are slow to meet the growing demand for the plus-size teenager.

However, online stores and catalog businesses are now paying attention and making their own efforts to corner the plus-size market. Online vendors gaining in popularity for the selections they offer and for carrying larger junior sizes, include:

• Delia.com
• Alight.com
• Chadwicks
• Junonia
• Zaftique
• JC Penney
• Old Navy
• Walmart
• Target
• Fashion Bug
• Lane Bryant
• Kohl's

One factor you should help your teen take into consideration is that designers' sizing charts can greatly vary, and where one girls' designer's size 16 fits perfectly, another's size 18 may be too snug in all the wrong places. Do not let your teen despair over nonconformity in sizing within the fashion industry. Instead, take exact body measurements and use them as a guide to finding clothes offering a perfect fit. Boys usually do just need to be concerned with waist, inseam, and chest measurements. Some fashion tips to consider when searching to purchase plus-size clothes and accessories are:

• Accentuate the positive by focusing on tops that highlight your face, shape of your arms, or length of your torso. Also, jeans, dress pants, and skirts (for girls) that beautify and elongate your legs.
• If you like a certain style and you see it in your size, try it on. You will never know what truly looks great on your body without trying things on first. Some items look great on the hanger and not so great on you, while others look okay on the rack and end up looking fantastic on your body.
• Oversized clothing means extra visual pounds on you. Skip the larger sweaters and jeans for clothes providing a more fitted and straight line; boys, this means you, too. You will be surprised at how trim the change will make your appearance.
• Look carefully at colors and patterns. Darker colors are always more slimming, especially when worn top to bottom. When you are a teenager, you can find the stylish and trendy clothes that allow you to wear a related color from head-to-toe. Try not to cut your height in half or draw attention to your abdomen by wearing a light color on top and a dark color on bottom, or vice-versa. When it comes to patterns, think vertical for stripes to elongate your torso and try mixing and matching other patterns together, as they will often conceal fuller areas of your body.
• Wear age-appropriate accessories that reflect your youth. This includes jewelry, hair styles, belts and shoes. And, keep it simple by not loading up on accessories and overpowering a beautiful top or dress.

Above all else, the most important element of a successful shopping trip is that you find clothes that reflect your personality, youth, and simply make you feel good about yourself.