Curvy and plus-sized ladies, stop me if you’ve heard this one before: “Stay away from sparkle, they add weight. Don’t wear small prints, you will look wide. Large prints will call attention to ‘trouble spots.’ Bright colors will make your girth stand out.”

These list of plus size dressing rules are so arbitrary and depressing; it makes you think that if you’re over size 8 you shouldn’t venture out the door in anything but a stretchy black wrap dress. Maybe a black tunic over tailored pants, but God forbid you break the rules!

These are NOT the only choice for plus size ladies! (Image from fashionmefabulous.com)

Yes, an LBD is a wonderful thing, and a wrap dress is extremely forgiving, but you know? We plus size ladies ARE wider, DO carry more weight, HAVE more curves. No amount of black stretch is going to make us appear skinny, so why hide what we have to offer? We should celebrate those curves, not camouflage them!

Thankfully, fashion sites and courageous curvy girls are chucking these ridiculous rules out the window in favor of a free, fun, colorful aesthetic.

Gabi

Size 18 Gabi, of the revered plus size fashion blog Gabifresh.com, has been breaking all the “rules” since she started her blog in 2008. Love this summery bodycon look!

“Designers have gotten their act together and realized that full-figure fashion lovers want to outfit themselves in the same styles as their straight-size counterparts,” so says Refinery29. Hear, hear! Check out their guide to fall plus size jeans. (DYING for this gray floral pair!)

Most retailers make “seen and not heard” plus size clothes – stuff designed to obscure the body. Not ASOS. Their Curve collection is gorgeous, and this entire look is stylish AND flattering. ASOS doesn’t ship direct to the Philippines (yet), but I’ll be posting a few plus size shopping picks in my blog, so check that out too.

Any plus size readers out there, what trend are you dying to try but a bit scared to do so?

Katrina Atienza, writer, wife, mom of two and fashion devotee, blogs at Plus Size Fasyon Mudra. Follow her on Twitter (@iggyatienza).