The Fabulous Guide to Free Size Clothing
Want to know what free size means and where plus size clothing fits in?
Welcome to the colourful world of Euphoria Boutique where we celebrate these amazing bodies of ours and the clothes that make us feel fantastic.
To explain the difference in a nutshell: plus size clothing refers to clothing that is proportioned for a more curvy body. No one can quite agree but often you’ll find plus size clothing, in the UK, traditionally starts around size 18 (but some stores start at 14, others won’t until 20, so like we said, no one can agree). Free size clothing, on the other hand, is deliberately designed to fit a wide variety of body shapes and sizes (small or large).
We absolutely love the freedom of free sizing here at Euphoria (you can read our quick breakdown of free size clothing here) and the way it cuts out the whole label angst. You can look amazing in an outfit (because you do just look that fabulous) and not need to freak out about whether the label says ‘8’, ‘18’, or ‘28’! In comparison to the high street, it really is a unique approach and gives us so much more room (pun semi intended?!) to express our individuality in bold, colourful outfits, and perhaps experiment a bit more with different styles.
Giving women confidence to live their best life in colourful and comfortable clothing is important to us and free size clothing is a huge part of that. We’ve got an entire range of specifically free size glamour with women’s oversized hoodies to one size dresses, plus size dresses for special occasions to gentle ladies pull on trousers for doing the weekly shop! Seriously, why not look amazing and live in comfort at the same time?
What Is Free Size Clothing & Will It Fit Me?
Let’s go into free size clothing in a bit more depth. Forget labels, forget tape measures, forget body shaming - free size refuses to allow a clothing label to define how you feel about yourself.
The whole point of free size clothing is its specific design and structure that means it fits and flatters a wide range of body shapes and sizes.
Here at Euphoria the majority of our styles will fit traditional sizes 10/12 through to 22/24. Specifically, there will be a rough guideline of ‘up to size 18-20’ or similar so you can know if a style is going to work for you. Equally, remember it's a guideline and there are no hard and fast rules so wear what you love!
You can see these guidelines just under the product description which will give a rough idea of the size. These will read like “FREE SIZE - Fitting up to a size 22”. Sometimes a lady who traditionally wears a 12 and another who would normally wear 22 can wear the same basic oversized hoodie and both look absolutely stunning in it, so definitely don’t let the guidelines stop you from trying something you absolutely love. Remember: free size is about you having the freedom to wear things simply because you love them, not because a label says you can or can’t.
You can also use another guide within the product description to help pick a free size outfit, if you want a bit more help. We lean towards three main ‘styles’ of free size clothes with:
- Relaxed fit (Not fitted but fairly roomy)
- Loose fit (Floaty/slouchy/plenty of room)
- Oversized (Designed to be worn with plentiful fabric that drapes & is very loose)
Over time, our ladies tend to find specific shapes are their favourites and are most flattering on them.
Oh, and another practical aside: we do sometimes label clothes as ‘petite’ or ‘plus fit’ simply because lots of our shorter and smaller ladies prefer things named petite, so they don’t get swamped with too much fabric! The plus fit has more fabric and tends to give taller and larger ladies a bit more space to play with.
Can I find cheap plus size clothing at Euphoria Boutique as well?
Technically, free size is a type of plus size clothing because it does still fit many different ‘larger’ sizes, including those up to 22/24.
It can be hard to find trendy plus size clothing in the UK. We love the fact the clothes at Euphoria are bold, colourful, and fun. We’re definitely not letting frumpy in! These are clothes you can rock regardless of age or size and feel vibrant and utterly glamorous.
Our plus size clothes are also cheap enough for you to enjoy grabbing some great steals. Whilst we say cheap plus size clothing, we hasten to add we’re not talking about quality. Our customers frequently speak of how they love the soft fabrics and structure of the clothes. This is cheap plus size clothing that has a flattering fit and doesn’t cost the earth whilst still providing enough colour to be its own party.
Now let’s go a bit deeper into some practical styling questions and ideas…
Want to know how to dress over 50 and overweight?
It’s a question that can start weighing on us more as we get older but we love this quote by Jillian Michaels: “There’s a confidence and sense of self that comes with age that I didn’t anticipate.” Totally own the fact you have lived through some incredible life experiences and agonizingly hard ones. We have seen our lives change and friends have come and gone.
Can we suggest you take the question “How should I dress over 50 and overweight?” and turn it around to “what can I wear that makes me feel amazing?” Each woman, whatever her weight, is going to have some clothes that she puts on and they make her feel a million bucks. Our goal at Euphoria is to help you find those!
Don’t forget: “The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.” (Blake Lively)
We hate body shaming at Euphoria and our Facebook group (more on that below) is an amazingly supportive community of women being the best cheerleaders for each other. If you are on the older side of a certain number and are perhaps not as slim as you were at 16 - hey, give yourself grace and if you want to wear that neon pink hoodie, do it! Don’t let anyone start setting rules of what you can’t wear! If you love it, wear it. (If you don’t, there’s always Sell It Saturday!)
Practically, many of our gorgeous ladies have found free size clothing is a great way to go - the simple fact of the flowing lines and generous amounts of fabric mean you can show off your curves and not feel like you’re bursting out of ill-fitting, tight clothing. Just by its nature, free size clothing is incredibly flattering. Maybe play around with the different types mentioned above and see if some suit you more than others.
Looking for Advice on How to Style Free Size Dresses & Garments?
Step one, of course, is how you want.
Otherwise, a classically quick way to wear plus size dresses without looking swamped is to wear a long necklace to add some visual interest to an outfit and break up all the fabric.
We love pairing one size dresses with some joggers or leggings and a pair of boots. Toss on a colourful scarf as well and you’re ready for autumn, winter, and spring!
Another great way to add colour and some extra textural snazz to free size dresses is an oversized blanket scarf with a contrasting colour and material. This also has the added benefit of being a layer to shed if you start overheating.
A general rule to consider is: only wear one baggy item. If you’re wearing a free size tunic, wearing more fitted looking bottoms (they don’t have to be uncomfortable - we love wearing our magical stretch trousers that basically feel like pjs) can help provide balance to the outfit and stop you looking like you’re drowning in fabric.
Having said all that, if what makes you feel amazing and comfortable is elasticated waist trousers (with kick flares) and then a free size dress on top with a thick wooly blanket scarf over it, all in contrasting patterns - totally rock the look, with your greatest accessory: confidence.
And introducing our fabulous Facebook Group!
Before we go, we want to invite you to join our fabulous Facebook group where our amazing customers post photos of their favourite outfits so you can see what free size looks like on ‘real people’!
Also, as an extra bonus, we have weekly Facebook live videos so you can actually see the clothes tried on in real time and how they flow and move. We’d love to have you join the family over there and see our cheerleading customers in action.