While bodycon dresses and skinny jeans certainly have their place, the trend for oversized clothes is growing every day, especially among people who value comfort and versatility in their wardrobe. Some sectors have been embracing the oversized look for a while and, since the 90s, there have been plenty of skaters and surfers who have been rocking the look for decades.
To master the modern fashion for oversized items, there are a few tips to keep you on track and looking your best:
Consider your body shape
Oversized clothing can work for any body shape, but you need to find the right style to work for you. If you are tall and thin, then wearing a t-shirt or sweater a couple of sizes bigger than you normally would is a really easy way to achieve the much sought-after look.
If you are short, you run the risk of looking a little swamped if you just choose clothes in a larger size so you may need to put a little more thought into which pieces you pick and how you wear them together. Oversized t-shirts will be longer than your usual cut as well as baggier, so avoid one item taking over your outfit by teaming it with a closer fitting hoody or straight leg jeans.
Find balance in your look
As with any fashion trend, overdoing it will rarely achieve the results you want, so keep it simple and don’t supersize everything all at once. To look great in baggy jeans, match them with a more fitted top so that your shape doesn’t get completely lost in the swathes of fabric.
Many people find that going oversized works on either their top or bottom half, but not always both at once.
Use fitting to your advantage
One of the benefits of oversized clothing is the comfort of having a little extra room, but to make the most of it you have to ensure that things fit where they need to. Oversized pants that trail on the floor can be a dangerous liability, so choose items with elasticated ankles so that you can keep everything where it’s supposed to be without compromising the look.
A baggy t-shirt might be pleasantly roomy, but if you team it with a fitted shirt or layer with a cardigan or jacket, you’ll avoid looking overwhelmed.
Oversized doesn’t just mean ‘too big’
It’s important to make sure that your clothes fit in the important places – oversized pants that keep falling down aren’t a fashion statement so much as a liability, so choose items designed to be baggy rather than simply sizing up.
Look for structured pieces where the important parts, such as shoulders and waists, will sit properly on your frame, allowing the extra fabric to flow rather than simply hang.
Dress for the weather
In colder months, you can achieve the oversized look simply by adding a huge coat to whatever you are wearing. Practical, warm, and comfortable, you also have the advantage that when you get to where you are going, the outfit underneath is perfectly clean and dry, so you can have the best of both worlds if you choose.
Warmer weather provides the perfect opportunity as an oversized t-shirt can be a great way to keep cool, but cropped pants or shorts underneath maintain the balance that this look needs.
Be inspired
From hip hop and skate culture to the pioneers of athleisure wear, there are plenty of high-profile people rocking the oversized look. If there’s someone out there who embodies the style you want for yourself, then look at what they are wearing and how they are wearing it so that you can put together your own version.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money to achieve this look, especially as it becomes more mainstream, and more stores carry items designed to be roomy when you wear them. And there’s no need to ditch those tight pants or muscle t-shirt altogether, just add them to a piece with a more relaxed fit and give an old favorite a whole new lease of life.
