If you’re anything like me, then you love everything about winter; the chilly air, the extra night time, the awesome fashion! Winter is the perfect excuse to wear a good blazer, or an awesome pair of distressed jeans, and to find that perfect ankle boot. But for many plus women, winter dressing can be difficult. There’s a lot of layering, jackets, cardigans, coats, scarfs… and it’s a common concern (for anyone) that these extra layers can make you look extra bulky. Not something that curvy ladies need.

To help work around this, I’ve pulled together a collection of some of my favourite knits and cardigans, to show you how to wok them into your outfit without adding extra bulk to your body size.

The draped cardigan. This is great for adding some serious style to your basic winter layers or if you’re in warmer climates, adding over a dress. The draping style means it won’t cling to the parts of your body you don’t want it to, which also means it simply changes your silhouette as opposed to making it look like you have an extra layer of body. I’ve paired this gorgeous blush pink Shein Curved Dolman Cardigan (kindly gifted) over a midi dress that pulls in at the waist. By pairing this Cardigan over a dress that skims my body shape, it flatters and adds warmth without making my look like I have extra lumps.

The thick knitted jumper. This is the one many women steer clear of, however the trick is to find a style the sits close to the skin, and I also prefer one that is longer in length. Because it is a more fitted style, adding extra length to the hemline means that it is adding length to your body, creating a slimming illusion. That’s a win to me! I love knit’s like this in bight colours; just add a pair of jeans or leggings and you’re good to go! I picked up 3 of the same style (in different colours) this year from Katie’s that I am wearing with absolutely everything from denim skirts, to jeans, to leggings (yes leggings count as pants if your top covers your bum).

The long line cardigan.  I love love love a long line cardigan, it’s something I purchase new every winter depending on my style. Once again, a cardigan is the perfect item to throw on over your basic outfit, or change your style through out the day depending on the temperature. I personally love a long line style that has a pattern or open/loose style knit to it to create more detail in an outfit. This is the best of both worlds, a long line style will create a new silhouette on your body without adding that extra bulky layer AND because it is ‘long’ will give the illusion of height, instantly slimming your style. I found this years long line cardigan at Autograph, with an open weave knit, I love that you can see through it to get a peek at the patterns or colours underneath.

The snuggly jumper. Perfect for those chilly days when you just don’t want to get our of bed but have to. A fluffy snuggly jumper will make you feel like you brought your bed with you! To ensure you’re avoiding looking fluffy yourself, choose a soft style knit, that is a loose weave in a thick knit. The lack of structure in this style is flattering as the jumper moulds to your body, not the other way around. My pick for a snuggly jumper this year was the Shein Oversized Sweater (kindly gifted) in a warm mocha colour.

The fashion knit. This is a knit with style, for me personally this is normally in a thinner jumper material. The purpose of the fashion knit is to have something different, and to be creating a statement (however big or small). Depending on your body shape (i personally fall in the ‘bigger busted’ category), can depend on where you prefer to wear your detail or pattern. My detail of choice is a shoulder ruffle, of any size or colour. I find that adding that extra ruffle over the should balances out my chest by creating ‘fuller’ shoulders, and distracts the eye. I picked up this gorgeous Katies ruffle jumper in black, as I opted for exciting detail in a simple colour. You could however pick up a striking pattern in a similar style!

So in answer to my questions, do you knit or not? I love to knit, in ways that suit my own personal style. I hope these tips can help you find your knit style too! If you’re loving my gorgeous SHEIN knits, you can get your hands on them too by using my DISCOUNT CODE: PRET20 for 20% off. (Based on original price and valid for orders over $59 from the plus size range).