How to adopt "oversize" outfits?
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The history of the "oversize" fashion
This style originated in North America in the 1920s. Indeed, women obtained more independence and emancipation. For example, they obtained the right to vote in 1918 in Canada and 1920 in the United States. But it is also thanks to the sport that the "oversize" style was born during these years. This is particularly the case for cricket sweaters or golf cardigans because they require a great freedom of movement.
England's Wally Hammond was the leading run-scorer in Tests between 1920 and 1939 / Wikipedia
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Women and oversize
Women are freeing themselves from corsets and their fitted outfits to find more comfortable clothes for everyday wear.
Coco Chanel, Gabrielle Bonheur, a great French designer and fashion stylist during the 1920s, came out with her "flapper dress" which is a fuller dress, not close to the body as it was common to see.
1920's Coco Chanel--the roaring wo's 30's / Pintere
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On the sports side...
For sports, we find Jean Patou, famous designer, who proposed loose and casual clothing for sports, with shorts or cardigans.
20th Century Designers Rebecca Davis: Course Project / 20th Century Designers
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Oversize fashion becomes popular
Over the years and decades, oversized outfits have become more popular. They become, moreover, accessible to other spheres of the population, and not mainly the wealthy and bourgeois classes.
Nevertheless, it remains, mainly, worn by women. Indeed, women want to free themselves from standard codes, and therefore also from gendered and binary dress codes. In fact, they started to wear clothes and clothing usually reserved for men. To illustrate this trend, we can take the example of the actress Diane Keaton for her role in Annie Hall who wore rather masculine pieces.
Diane Keaton & Woody Allen / Film Affinity
Oversize is therefore gaining ground during the Glorious Thirties.
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The 1980s and 1990s: the explosion of "oversize”
During the 80's and 90's, the "oversize" style developed among the working classes with the influence of music, art or technology.
You certainly know the baggys, the wide pants and jeans that sag below the knees popularized by hip hop and rap artists in music videos. But this is not the only essential piece of oversize. Indeed, it is possible to find the arrival of the "hoodie", commonly called "oversize sweater", which is a very loose hooded sweater with elastic threads. Then, there are also tee-shirts and longer tracksuits to adopt a completely casual outfit.
Tragédie / PurePeople
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What are the advantages of the "oversize" style?
There are many benefits of loose-fitting pieces:
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Comfortable outfits;
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Freedom of movement;
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Flattering fashion for all body types;
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Suitable for all bodies.
It is for these advantages that this fashion is a great success, even today. Many American stars and influencers wear oversized and loose-fitting pieces, both men and women.
Ariana Grande / Yahoo France
Justin Bieber / QG / Jeff Kravitz
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Three simple tips for incorporating oversize into your outfits
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Opt for simple pieces
If you want to give loose-fitting fashion a try, it's best to add easy, simple pieces to your already established style. So, choose a basic loose-fitting tee, a casual pocket jacket or a short-sleeved shirt... You can also wear loose-fitting overshirts, it's easy to wear and adopt for your everyday outfits!
Brown flannel shirt / Première Manche
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Pay attention to leg length
It's harder to play with loose pieces on top if you have short legs. To avoid this, you can opt for high-waisted pants that you can pair with a loose tee or jacket.
J / Pinterest
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Mark strategic points
If you're not used to oversizing, you may feel like you're drowning in your clothes. To avoid this, you can create visual delineations. But what's that? It's actually quite simple, you can tuck your tee or loose-fitting into pants. By choosing to mark the waist, you keep the fullness to the upper parts of your body. This allows you to give a kind of relief to your outfit without looking lost under all your "oversize" pieces.
Best street style from London Fashion Week Men's SS20 / Pinterest
You now know the origin of the "oversize", but also all its evolution during the decades. Thanks to Première Manche, you also have some tips to start adopting this style on a daily basis!
