Plus size cottagecore

Those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that sometimes I like to be a bit whimsical. I often like clothes that remind me of flower fairies or sometimes princesses (but maybe not too Princessy!). I hadn’t heard of the term cottagecore until recently but many of my clothes fit quite nicely into the aesthetic. I had a search for plus size cottagecore and couldn’t really find any much about it. Or at least nothing that would help me shop! I figured I would put something up because I have a bit of a lady boner for it at the moment. 

Plus Knot Bust Puff Sleeve Wrinkled A-line Dress

(It is very dangerous that I've discovered Shein! This is a 5XL / UK 26 but it's generous and has a bit of stretch and elasticated waist / tie bust, so it would easily fit bigger! Comes in mustard yellow and nude pink too! So much cottagecore on Shein!)

There are a number of reasons why I think cottagecore is such a good look for plus size women. For one it’s hyper feminine and I think us fat birds are so often overlooked when it comes to pulling off super girly looks. So many of the cuts are hella fitted and flattering or hella loose fitting, so you can go full smock if you don’t feel comfortable in form sitting clothes, or you can nip everything in at the waist and get your norks out! Although many of the dresses are short, a ton of them are midi and maxi, so no worries about chub rub shorts showing out of the bottom. Oh and the sleeves! Firstly most of the dresses have sleeves which is great for those who are paranoid about their bingo wings. Additionally the sleeves tend to be big and puffy or elasticated or loose, which is heaven for me and my massive upper arms! It’s honestly my favourite trend in years, hence the whole post dedicated to it!

What initially drew my attention to this new fad was Selkie, the spectacular dreamlike, inclusive clothing shop that creates dresses you'd normally only see in movies! Probably a sexy, historical film set in Versailles and full of innocence being lost! There would be frolicking ladies picking flowers, pulling apples from trees and just generally floating around outside spaces looking like a daydream. I decided to buy a Selkie (after seeing the above shot of Tess Holliday!) because I am planning an event and I wanted something unusual and magical. I’m not going to put it on the blog because it’s a secret at the moment but I’ve got a 5XL and it’s a glorious fit…. I’d say it’s a good size 26 in UK sizing. But buying that dress reminded me of how much I love what I always called flower fairy dresses and nowadays people would call fairytale or cottagecore, also sometimes farmcore, all of which basically means floaty, floral - maybe gingham  - and super feminine clothes with a bit of a nod to vintage historical looks.

There are a few pictures on this blog of me wearing dresses where I sort of look like I’m in fancy dress and I’m not scared of people looking at me. It’s funny when I look at my wardrobe how many things I have that fit quite nicely into this particular style of dress. I have quite a few floaty, girly, over the top dresses, many of which I just wear whenever I fancy and not for special occasions. Old dresses aren’t  going to be much help to my readers because you can’t get to them anymore, so I thought I would Investigate the plus size retailers to see what they are offering and then try an absolute shit load of it on! I'll post that up when I've had time to collate everything. I have gone a bit bananas to be honest and I’m not allowed to keep too much of it, but I will certainly keep some! 

Plus Porcelain Print Shirred Skater Dress

In terms of stuff I already have that you can still get (or very similar items anyway!) I have to give Boohoo a real shout out. They have porcelains prints, big puffy sleeves, square necks and so many cottage core dresses at the moment! I loved this pink one so much that I also got the blue version. The pink is 24 and the blue (now sold out!) is a 22. They're both really generous so a size 28 could easily wear a 24 without it looking tight! this is so cute and can be worn with the sleeves off the shoulders too! I LOVE this dress. The pink one is still in stock and is only £14!

ASOS DESIGN Curve shirred waist lace insert maxi dress in black

 I got this delicious dress I got from ASOS a while back (size 26 but 24 would have been fine too!). Lots of people complained about this dress because it’s very low-cut and as you can see it doesn’t really leave much to the imagination in the old boob area! You will need a very good plunge bra or small boobs. I really wouldn’t advise to wear a top underneath this I think it really would ruin the look! So be brave or maybe try one of the other similar dresses I've found! 

 There was a white version of this as well but it’s sold out otherwise I would’ve had it too, hundred percent! I feel like absolute sex bomb and princess in this at the same time. It's so comfy, it’s so pretty, it’s so flattering, I absolutely love it with a passion. It’s only available in a couple of sizes now but interestingly both Asos and River Island have dresses that are very similar here and here that are both and are both totally awesome! It’s hard because I keep seeing them And wanting them but genuinely they are pretty much the same dress in a slightly different style so I don’t need them now. They do look like they’re not quite as low-cut though so for those of you who find this one a little bit too booby they might be perfect! If you are more pear shaped then the Shein version here would be good as reviews say the bust is a bit small.... it comes in lots of colours too!

I'll be back with some new frocks and some sent back frocks in the cottagecore family very soon! I know winter is coming but I'm going to be frolicking indoors, in floaty dresses, for as long as my boiler is working!