Regardless of your body type, every rider should strive to create an attractive and flattering first impression when entering the show pen. The perfect outfit is one that has great fit, style and color. But as we all know, finding that perfect outfit can be a difficult task for anyone, no matter the size.
With differing body types and the many different types of designs that are now widely available, it has become even more challenging to find that perfect outfit for the show pen.
In order to help our readers of all body types, GoHorseShow talked to some of the top show clothing designers in the industry about what outfit choices work best for plus size riders.
Style & Design
The placement of the design and the style of a garment can actually help hide any unflattering areas the rider may wish to cover. Design placement and differing styles are great at making any rider look more slender in certain areas.
“Style is so important whether it is to camouflage a riding flaw or minimizing size,” says Babe Woods from Woods’ Western. Woods emphasizes that no matter the size of the rider, they still use pretty fabrics and design pieces, they will just place them more strategically depending on the person’s body type. (Photo © Dardar8 Designs)
“The key to creating a garment is to draw your eye upwards to the top of the outfit or use the design to give more shape to the body overall,” suggests Janet Cook of Show Off Designs. Cook says that vests are a great garment for plus size riders because they have a lot of versatility and are good at taking the emphasis off the parts of the body that riders are more comfortable hiding.
Woods suggests looking not only at the overall fit of the outfit, but checking to make sure that the collar does not sit too high. “If the collar sits too high, from the side view it can give that common turtle look where there is no neck at all. This shortens up the silhouette look that we are striving to make look longer,” she reveals. (Dardar8 Designs)
Lindsay Klempel from Silver Lining says that when creating their designs for riders who want to slim down their midsection, they keep the lines that run through the torso vertical and slightly in at the waist. This helps to create that overall tight and toned effect from the piece.
There are many different types of outfits nowadays. Tammy Dyer of D Designs says that many plus size riders have been drawn to using vests because they don’t need to be tucked in and are overall more flattering on their body type.
Sonia Vilandre’ from Vilandre’ Designer says that she likes to create “V” lines that help make the waist and bust appear thinner overall on her vest designs. Vilandre also likes using designs that incorporate pieces that go deeper on the sides of the waist because if can make the waist look firmer overall. (Photo © Vilandre’ Designer)
“A slimmer design can give the illusion that the rider is taller,” says Jessica Wolf Hart of East Coast Show Apparel, “but the vest is still very versatile and allows the rider move around with ease.” She stresses how important it is to find that perfect fit for anybody style that overall makes the rider feel the most comfortable.
Valerie Heydinger from Showing Style says, “The cut of the jacket or vest should include vertical lines to lengthen the look of the body.”
She also suggests avoiding belts or detail work that draws the eye to the mid area. “Keep more of the accents above the bust line and gradually minimizing as you go to the bottom so the jacket flows into the pants or chaps.”
Fit & Fabric Type
The fit of an outfit on any person can make or break the desired look. When looking for the perfect outfit for a plus size rider, Darlene Lowe from Dardar8 Designs suggests looking for something that is not too tight or too large. When a piece is too tight, it is can highlight areas that the rider may feel uncomfortable with displaying, and, if the piece is too big, the rider loses their body shape altogether. (Photo © D Designs)
“The proper fit is extremely important not only for a plus size rider, but any other rider as well,” suggests Woods. “While the stretchy fabric that most outfits are made out of today have their great features, they can also hug some areas that the rider may be trying to minimize, especially from the back view. You will see every ripple caused from undergarments or from a waistband that is too tight and that creates those lovely little handles most of us get.”
When buying a garment, she suggests buying something just a little bit looser, especially when using stretchy fabric, because it will create an overall smoother line. She also comments that something that is too tight will also ride up, causing the garment to appear too short.
Cook prefers to use a heavy fabric with a lot of stretch when creating these garments. She doesn’t like using lining in her designs either because it doesn’t stretch and can make the rider overheat fast. (Photo @ D Designs)
Lowe suggests also considering the fabric type when buying the outfit, “A thin, super stretchy fabric is not going to be as flattering and supportive as a dense fabric with a little stretch.” Lowe also suggests using a matte fabric as the base of the outfit with a good support structure.
Heydinger says that even though your outfit may be designed well, they are not flattering if you do not wear the correct undergarments. These provide the foundation for your total silhouette.
“Holding it all together for a good look means wearing these items to give support in all the right places and improve your overall posture,” states Haydinger.
Color
Another important aspect to consider when buying an outfit is the color, regardless of the size rider. The colors chosen need to not only work with the person showing, but also with the color of the horse.
Tammy Dyer says that when choosing color, most plus size riders are drawn to the darker, more slenderizing colors, like black. However, she believes riders shouldn’t just be confined to those colors when picking their perfect ensemble. (Photo © Show Off Designs)
Lighter colors and crystals over the shoulders and near the top of the garments are a great way to draw the eye upwards. Cook says that this is a great way to draw the eye away from some of those “problem” areas riders aren’t comfortable with.
Woods feels that it is generally overall more appealing on any rider to have the bottom of the jacket color blend into the chap color for that more overall uniform and slenderizing look. “If your chaps are black and you have a bright red jacket, that will make a pretty distinct straight line around possibly the largest part of your body,” Woods says. “If you’re especially trying to hide this area, consider blending more at the waist between your jacket and chaps.”
Woods adds, “Certainly don’t be afraid of color. Just be aware of how and where you use it.”
“One pet peeve of mine is the thought that plus sized riders should stick with dark colors, or a design that’s somewhat toned down,” Klempel states. “If the design is flattering, there is no reason to avoid bright colors and flashy embellishments.” (Photo © Woods’ Western)
When entering the show pen, you always want to have as much confidence as possible. Confidence is created from hours of hard work before you even arrive on the show grounds. You have spent hours working with your horse, memorizing patterns and preparing for the big day.
However, this great confidence can easily be diminished by an outfit that makes the rider feel uncomfortable or not confident. So make sure to find an outfit that’s perfect for you and makes you feel confident, no matter your size.
