I LOVE costumes, as you can tell, I love to dress up for events and halloween. For several years I have been writing posts about where you can find Size 4X and larger plus size costumes, and with Halloween coming it is time for an update. In addition to retail 4X+ costumes, I am including a “Make Your Own Costume” or (DIY) section at the bottom of the page.
My experience is that retail costumes run small, so buyer beware.
Let me start with a major change in the plus size costume world and a shout out to Torrid! Torrid is carrying 63 costume choices, and it is only early September. And 23 of them come to a Size 6, which is a size 30/32, so that is where I would start. But, by my standards their Size 3/4 runs fairly small.
In addition, they have a lot of costume accessories. I love accessories because you can build your own costume from clothes that you already own, as I detail at the bottom of this post in “Making Your Own Costume”. You can buy many accessories anywhere but with Torrid you can assume they have sized up the hat or other accessory. Torrid has created and depth of PopCulture and Cosplay looks and costumes that we only dreamed of 10 years ago!
Halloween Costumes carries 67 different Size 5X costumes, priced between $19 – $104. They even have 12 Size 7X costumes. Based on one of my reader’s experience, these costumes appear to be true to size. They have quite a bit of variety and I think it is worth the effort to check out what they are offering, and these costumes appear to be exclusive to them. Do check out their accessories, because they are a Halloween store the have tons of accessories. But be careful of gloves and headbands, make sure they are adult sizes, and that may even run small. I happen to know that the Wonderland Cat to the left is a stretchy knit and very generously sized. A reader said “I believe the 4X would fit a size 30”. The Wonderland Cat includes the shrug and “wristlets”
BigGals Lingerie has costumes up to a size 6X (and Club Wear up to 12X, custom made). They are somewhat expensive, but it is good to know what your options are.
Sanctuarie has more costumes this year that run to a 9X that are very cute, and some moderate pricing, as well as quite a few accessories and make-up. The site says to check sizing for each item. I think this is a fabulous resource if their costume themes speak to you.
Plus-Size Costume Shop carries handmade costumes up to a 7X. They are pricey but quite lovely and lean toward renaissance costumes and witches. At this time they do not suggest a specific date by which you should place your order, but since most of their costumes are custom made, it seems like you might want to order as early as possible.
Etsy seems to have fewer Size 4X options this year. What I found was expensive and I had seen many of them elsewhere. Each seller will have a different policy so be sure to check that out. That said, they have a plethora of accessories, Paws, Animal Hats, various ears, and Tutus, which vary in their plus sizes. And don’t forget the amazing masks, which are not size specific, and vary tremendously in cost. And they even have some themed Halloween hats, but I have a pretty big head, so I have to be careful of hats.
eBay of course has a variety of choices in both quality and fit. This is what I came up with when I searched for Costume 5X. It seemed to me that most of the costumes were also being sold on the other sites I have mentioned, and I would be particularly careful of the bustier sizing, which always seems to vary a lot.
Hips and Curves has a lovely collection of costumes and accessories, some to a 6X, which appear to run a bit small. I love the look of these costumes and I have not seen most of them anywhere else. And OMG, this sexy witch hat, I have never seen anything like it. And look at this hoop skirt which comes to a 50″ waist. 10/26/14 Update fror a reader, confirming my fears that sizing might run somewhat small:
I have some of the Hips ‘n Curves items. They run extremely small. I have the satin sleeves, and I can’t get them around my arms….also some of the school girl items and petticoats. The petticoats are my favorite…they stretch!
Lady Strange Erotic Lingerie carries very sexy costumes and some of them come to a 12X, which I assume are custom, so communicate with them and ask for a delivery date.
In addition to the 4X+ size costumes, I owned this Maleficent, Size 24 costume for years. It more than fit my size 26/28 body, and I have even had readers state that they thought it would fit to a size 6X, but I cannot vouch for that.
If you are looking for costumes through a 1/2X 3/4X or 1X – 3X, there are many options. Most Halloween Costume vendors, like Halloween Express often carry up to a 3X, the list is quite long and you only have to Google “plus size costumes” to see the list of choices.
Most costumes tend to run a little smaller than standard sizes so check the size charts carefully when you are ordering.
Making Your Own Costume: And last but not least, there is making your own costume. Go through your closet and see if there is anything that would work as the base of the outfit. Is there a black outfit that could be witch-like, or something gauzy for a princess or large sleeved for a pirate wench, or a leopard print that just needs leopard ears (these fit both my husband and I perfectly), the list is endless. There are a ton of tutorials out there on how to make a headband or accessory to fill out the illusion. In my experience everyone wants to believe in your costume and it only takes a little sleight of hand to make it fun and festive for Halloween. Here are some costumes/DIY tips from prior years.
DIY Clown Plus Size Costume
DIY Wonder Woman Plus Size Costume
DIY VooDoo Doll Plus Size Costume
DIY Steampunk or Edwardian Plus Size Costume
VERY casual Bee Costume (good for a child)
DIY Mrs. Claus Plus Size Costume
Spider Outfit for Halloween
2013 Post about 4X gloves (most are still available)
Long Lace Gloves (the ribbon makes them adjustable)
Opera Gloves with stretch
Long Fingerless Fishnet Gloves (these are my go-to gloves)
I hope you find this useful and as always if you have additional suggestions please comment. In addition, I would love to see some photos if you do decide to dress up for Halloween, or any time.
Peace…affinity
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