Welcome Allison Teng, 27, of Curvy Girl Chic, who is joining us as our resident plus-size style blogger. She was featured in the March issue of PEOPLE StyleWatch and contributes her thoughts on finding the perfect outfit to the site each week. This week, she gives great tips on how work a balanced, masculine-feminine look! (And if her items are sold out, we’ve linked to similar styles below — happy shopping!)
Courtesy Allison Teng
I love this Mossimo dress (similar style)! It has a romantic, moody feel, and even though it’s lace, it isn’t overtly sexy and showy. Underneath the sheer lace layer is a gray jersey dress, and while the whole thing is on the shorter side, it’s loosely cut rather than form-fitting. I find that I feel most comfortable in girlie fabrics when there is some kind of balance like this — whether it be that the silhouette is flowier, longer, or paired with a more masculine piece, like this coat. Another great feature of this dress is that its varying lacey patterns on top and bottom break up my body in a nice way. Plus, the seams at the waist add definition and the scoop neck shows a flattering hint of collarbone.
RELATED: See even more wardrobe tips from Allison here!
As I mentioned, since going supergirlie isn’t within my comfort zone, I like to mix things up by adding masculine touches, like this H&M coat (similar style). The oversized collar on this double-breasted style creates a deep V-neckline that lengthens and flatters. On this day, I decided to throw the coat over my shoulders. While wearing your jackets and coats like this tends to add width to your frame, it’s just so cool and effortless! It helps to pick a coat that fits over your shoulders really easily. If I put a coat over my shoulders and it feels like it’s sliding off or really open in the front, it’s probably not big enough. This particular coat is a bit oversized which helps with the fit. I love the contrast between the streamlined coat and the flouncier dress — I’m always looking for ways to add interest to my look.
Finding truly stylish wide-calf boots can be a challenge. I got this Bella-Vita pull-on pair on Ullapopken.com. The back of these boots is paneled with light gray herringbone, which helps lengthen legs and adds a ton of visual interest! Evans and Simply Be also carry some great classic boot options. I’m still searching for a place that carries edgy wide-calf boots— you’ll be the first to know when I find one! Lastly, I added a cute little Coach satchel (similar style) to pull the outfit together.
Creating contrast and adding interest is a fun and easy way to take your look to the next level, and mixing feminine and masculine pieces is a great place to start. Go ahead and give it a try!
What are your tricks for creating balance and adding visual interest to your look? Sound off below!
