13 Things We Wear (And Look Great In) When We Feel Bloated And Repulsed By All Our Clothes
Meh … but make it fashion.
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by The Candidly Team
Fluctuation is such a nice word for the chaotic twists and turns our body takes on any given day. Bloating is not as nice a word, but it is 90% of what we’re really talking about here.
Be it PMS or perimenopause or a piece of cake no thicker than a slice of Swiss cheese, so many things make us bloat, so much so we wrote a whole article about it HERE.
But one of the less physical side effects is that can totally change our outlook on getting dressed. The last thing we want to think about when our bellies are swollen, our energy drained, and moving any appendage feels like deadlifting is which suffocating clothes we’ll be able to stand on our bodies much less which ones will make us look fashionable.
We’ve found that in this state we really only end up turning to the same dozen or so blissful and spacious items of clothing. And over the years, we’ve tweaked these items to also be fashionable. So all those times we’re forced to drag ourselves out of the house, go to work, or to the market, or to god-forbid an “event,” we actually look really good, but we still feel like the cozy, house-clothed slobs we truly are inside.
Here are those 13 things that get us through our meh-est of days.
1. This Spacious Jean Jacket That Makes You Look Longer
WHAT: We The Free Sidney Denim Jacket*
Why We Love It: Our Editor-in-Chief owns no fewer than seven denim jackets, an obsession she chronicled HERE. All of them have a classic, youthful coolness, but they also have spaaaace. This one is her new favorite precisely because it’s roomier in the arms and belly. Yet because the lines are crisp and the length is shorter, it makes our upper bodies look smaller and our legs look longer. It’s the glorious trompe l'oeil of wearing cropped clothes. And yet, we feel like we have all the space in the world.
Price: $98
2. This Wildly Comfy-Chic Maxi Skirt
WHAT: Velvet By Graham & Spencer Filla Skirt*
Why We Love It: This skirt checks all the boxes for comfort. It’s a light, breezy cotton poplin with an elastic waist. But because it’s a proper maxi that goes all the way to the ankle, you look lithe and elegant whilst feeling like you’re in baggy pajama pants. You’ll be shocked at how many things go with the stone color, and it’s lined so everything looks very smooth and lovely.
Price: $248
3. This Tuckable Cashmere Boatneck
WHAT: Quince Mongolian Cashmere Batwing Sweater*
Why We Love It: We’ve been talking about the cashmere sweaters from Quince for a looong time. There are many, many styles and colors, all spun in gorgeous Mongolian cashmere but at a far more affordable price. But this is the one we pick up over and over again in the fall winter, because it has enough space to roll up the sleeves, tuck loosely into pants and skirts, throw on over leggings and because of that stunning sleeve, we always look very put together and very “quiet luxury.”
Price: $90
4. These Pants That Are Unbelievable On A Belly
WHAT: The Avery Wide-Leg Pleated Trousers by Maeve*
Why We Love It: These pants are another thing you’ve definitely heard us drone on about if you’ve spent any time on our site. They’ve been sold out and removed from the site for a looong time, but thankfully have just returned in two new beautiful fall colors (and black of course). Everything about the pleating and the draping and the cut makes are incredible on curves, making us look taller and narrower. They have elastic in the back, a high rise and a fluid-like movement that is literal bliss to wear.
They size in plus, tall and petite. We personally own these pants in several colors. We plan on buying more.
Price: $148
5. This Blissfully Roomy Tee That Isn't At All Schlumpy
WHAT: Madewell Relaxed Boxy Tee*
Why We Love It: T-shirts can be shapeless and terrible, but a big old soft one feels so soothing on our bodies. This tee is the best of both worlds as it conceals everything including our entire upper arms, but because it’s boxy (and once again not too long), it’s actually really flattering. There are more colors, but be warned, they tend to sell out.
Price: $42
6. This Skimming Shift Dress
WHAT: Gap Linen-Blend Mini Shift Dress*
Why We Love It: Don’t be scared of short. Short is how we wear light, spacious, A-line dresses without looking like we resorted to a muumuu (but absolutely feeling like we resorted to a muumuu). This dress isn’t too wide or frumpy. It skims over our waist and hips in a cute, modish way and by showing leg, we still look cute and more youthful. It comes in lots of colors. We wear butter yellow in the summer and layer the brown over a long-sleeve, tights, and tall boots in the fall. And it restores the confidence so frequently stolen by things like PMS.
7. This Very Special Henley
WHAT: Boden Puff Sleeve Henley*
Why We Love It: This top is one of those pieces you throw on, and oops, you’re styled. Henleys are tees with a touch of class, and this one is one of the prettiest we’ve come upon. With wide leg jeans with lots of stretch or a roomy, long trouser, we look very smart but may as well be in a jersey tee and joggers we’re so comfortable.
Price: $89
8. These Life-Changing Joggers
WHAT: Beyond Yoga Spacedye Midi Jogger*
Why We Love It: Nothing compares to the buttery support of Beyond Yoga’s spacedye collection. In fact, no other item of clothing we own is as smoothing without making us feel like we can’t breathe. This jogger is dangerously comfortable and beyond flattering on a bigger butt and belly. Luckily it comes in lots of colors, and we style the black, brown, and gray to leave the house.
Though, it’s also part of our essential lounge-at-home uniform.
Price: $110
9. This Dress For When We’re Forced To Go Out Whilst On Our Period
WHAT: J.Crew Collection Asymmetrical Cowlneck Dress In Spot-Print Chiffon*
Why We Love It: We mentioned the horror of having to dress up while on our period. But slinking into this dress makes things much easier. It’s a maxi, so again we get the illusion of height. And the subtle gathering in front is incredible on a belly pooch. It also sizes up to 4X.
Price: $298
10. This Oversized Button-Down That Is Foolproof In Making You Look Fashionable
WHAT: J.Crew Étienne Oversized Shirt In Lightweight Oxford*
Why We Love It: An oversized button-down is a savior on any day we wake up feeling like a human-shaped sandbag. It’s baggy, yes, but with the top buttons unbuttoned to show a sliver of décolletage, the sleeves spaciously rolled, the collar crisp, and the bottom loosely tucked or half-tucked, we’re as chic as Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. J.Crew is masterful at making your best white button-downs, but we also wrote a whole spiel about our favorites HERE.
Price: $128
11. This Sweatshirt Dress We Will Unapologetically Wear All Winter*
WHAT: Free People We The Free Camden Maxi Sweatshirt*
Why We Love It: We forget about Free People as 40+ women who mistakenly assume it’s for 20-somethings on their way to Coachella. But what a mistake that is. Free People makes clothes that feel incredible on any shape. And because they’re detailed and interesting, we don’t just look like slobs. We look intentional and put together and like we have a point of view (as the fashion people say) about our clothes. Take this sweatshirt dress which is clearly the most comfortable thing to exist in a closet. It comes in a handful of very cute colors, has an alluring, Flashdance neckline, a flattering drop shoulder, a bellish sleeve, and the tiniest slit at the bottom which cumulatively make it fashion. But yes, you are wearing a big, old sweatshirt as a dress. And it’s heaven.
Price: $128
12. These Incontestably Best Leggings Known To Man
WHAT: Beyond Yoga Spacedye Caught In The Midi High Waisted Legging*
Why We Love It: These are the famous Beyond Yoga leggings we mentioned above. We’ve written emotional tributes to them they’re so smoothing and breathable and buttery. Leggings are just a smart way to stay comfy and flexible while balancing out the bigger tees and sweaters and sweatshirts we crave on bloated days. And they can be styled for more than a workout when we leave the house. Here’s just one example:
Price: $97
13. This Striped Sweater That Looks Reeeeaaaaally Cute With Those Leggings
WHAT: Free People Classic Striped Oversized Crewneck*
Why We Love It: This sweatshirt is so big and drop shouldered and blanketing, but it’s not too thick so you don’t feel like you’ve added bulk to your frame. Plus, stripes are just outright chic. All the amazing color combinations it comes in are mostly sold out on Free People, but luckily, some of our favorites are still available at Zappos. Be swift!
Price: $87
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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