Every summer, it starts the same way.
You open your wardrobe, stare at the winter jumpers you never quite put away, and think: I need something for the warm weather. So you head to the shops — or start scrolling online — full of hope. And within twenty minutes, that hope is completely gone.
The dresses that gap at the bust. The tops with arm holes so tight they cut in before you’ve even left the house. The “plus size” section — all three rails of it — tucked away at the back, stocked with shapeless tunics in navy and beige. The fabric that looked fine in the photo but clings to every part of you the moment the temperature rises above 18 degrees.
If you wear a size 16 to 26, you know this feeling. It’s not about being hard to please. It’s about being completely failed by an industry that hasn’t designed summer clothes with your body in mind.
Here at Wardrobe Plus, we hear this every single day. And we want to address it head on — the specific problems, why they happen, and what actually works.
The Problem Isn’t You. It’s How ‘Plus Size’ Clothes Are Made.
Here’s something the fashion industry doesn’t advertise: most “plus size” collections are not designed for plus-size bodies. They’re straight-size patterns, scaled up. The seam positions stay the same. The bust allowance stays the same. The length stays the same. The whole garment just gets bigger — which means it fits a larger body in theory, and almost no actual body in practice.
This is why a size 18 dress can gap at the chest, swamp the waist, and end at a deeply unflattering point on the leg — all at the same time. It’s not your proportions that are wrong. The pattern was never drawn for you.
The brands we stock at Wardrobe Plus — Ulla Popken, Zizzi, Kaffe Curve, Robell — are different. These are dedicated plus-size European brands that have never made a size 10. Every cut, every seam placement, every hem length has been considered for a size 16–26 body from the very start. That’s not a small distinction. It changes everything about how a garment fits and feels.
Problem #1: Fabrics That Cling, Sweat and Stick in the Heat
Fast fashion summer clothes are almost always made from synthetic fabrics — polyester, acrylic, cheap nylon blends. They look fine on the hanger. They photograph well. And they are genuinely miserable to wear on a warm day, especially on a fuller figure.
Synthetic fabrics trap heat against the body, don’t absorb moisture, and cling more as you warm up. On a straight-size figure, this is uncomfortable. On a size 16–26 body, it’s a completely different level of problem — because there’s more surface area in contact with the fabric, more heat generated, and the cling is more visible and more uncomfortable.
The solution is fabric-first thinking. Linen absorbs up to 20% of its weight in moisture before it even feels damp — and it pulls heat away from the body naturally. Viscose drapes rather than clings, and breathes far better than cotton in humid weather. A linen-viscose blend gives you the best of both: cool, breathable, draping beautifully without creasing every time you sit down.
When you’re shopping for women’s plus size summer clothes, look for these fabrics on the label. They’re not just more comfortable — they hold their shape better, look more polished, and actually improve as the day goes on rather than deteriorating into a crumpled, sweaty mess.
Our summer dresses and tunics are stocked with exactly these fabrics in mind. Lightweight, breathable, and designed to move with you — not against you.
Problem #2: Bra Straps, See-Through Fabric and the Opacity Problem
You’ve been here. You find a top that you actually like, in your size, in a colour that isn’t navy or black. You try it on. And then you notice: your bra is completely visible through the fabric. Or the armhole is cut so wide that any movement means a full bra strap reveal. Or the fabric is so thin that it’s essentially see-through in daylight.
This is a design and fabric quality problem — not a ‘wear the right underwear’ problem. Very lightweight fabrics require lining to be opaque, and most fast fashion brands simply skip the lining to cut costs. Wide armholes are often a lazy solution to a fit problem: instead of grading the pattern properly, they just cut bigger holes and hope for the best.
Well-made plus-size summer tops and blouses are constructed differently. The fabric has enough weight and structure to be opaque without being hot. Armholes are positioned properly for a fuller bust and broader shoulder. Linings, where they’re used, are breathable — not a second layer of polyester that defeats the point entirely.
Our blouses collection is a good place to start if this is your main frustration. Structured enough to wear beautifully, light enough for Irish summer temperatures — and cut for a real bust, not a padded size 12 mannequin.
Problem #3: Summer Means Shorts and Swimwear — The Categories You’ve Given Up On
We want to say something plainly: a lot of women in sizes 16–26 have quietly stopped shopping for shorts and swimwear. Not because they don’t want to wear them, but because they’ve been let down so many times that trying feels pointless.
Shorts that roll at the waist. Swimsuits with no bust support. Bikini tops that go to a size 16 — maybe — but cut off exactly where you need the most coverage and structure. It’s exhausting. And it means that summer — the season that should feel most free — ends up being the one where you wear the most layers to cover up the fact that nothing fits.
This is exactly the gap we set out to fix. Our plus size swimwear range includes one-pieces and bikinis with genuine bust support, adjustable straps, and fits that work for sizes 16 to 26 — not as an afterthought, but as the whole point. Because a swimsuit that fits properly changes the experience of wearing it entirely: from something you’re enduring, to something you actually feel good in.
And our shorts are cut with proper waistbands that don’t dig, roll or gap — and in fabrics that breathe. Because you deserve to be comfortable on a warm day, not just covered up.
What Summer Dressing Can Actually Look Like
Here’s what we know from years of dressing women in sizes 16 to 26: when the clothes are right, everything changes. You stop thinking about what you’re wearing. You stop adjusting, pulling, checking. You just get on with your day — or your holiday, your friend’s garden party, your morning walk along the prom.
Some of the pieces our customers come back to every summer:
• Day dresses in viscose and linen blends — easy to throw on, cool all day, and polished enough for anything from a café to a wedding.
• Printed tunics over cropped trousers — a combination that works for almost every body shape and occasion.
• Cropped trousers in breathable fabrics — because sometimes a dress isn’t what you want, and you deserve an alternative that actually fits.
• Swimwear with real support — for the holiday, the pool, or just because you want to feel good at the beach.
All of it in sizes 16 to 26. All of it designed for your body, not adapted from someone else’s.
You Don’t Have to Keep Settling
The frustration you feel every summer is real — and it is completely justified. The fashion industry has not served women in sizes 16 to 26 the way it should, particularly when it comes to warm-weather clothing.
But the right clothes do exist. They’re made from fabrics that work in the heat. They’re cut for your actual proportions. They come in sizes that go beyond a grudging size 18 buried at the back of a website. And they make getting dressed in summer feel like it should — easy, enjoyable, and entirely yours.
Browse our full women’s plus size summer clothes collection — sizes 16 to 26, free delivery in Ireland on orders over €100.
Or if you’d like a hand finding the right pieces for you, our personal shopping service is available in store and online. No pressure. Just honest advice from people who genuinely love doing this.
