16 Plus-Size Christmas Outfits for Women Over 50

Look at the robe first. It falls to mid-calf and ties at the side, and the pajama top under it has a real collar and buttons that lie flat. That's the set you'll be glad to see in the Christmas morning photos.

Fabric decides whether you still like it at ten o'clock. Most shiny pajama satin is polyester, and the American Academy of Dermatology warns that polyester and wool can irritate dry skin.

If your skin has gotten drier since 50, look for washable silk or cotton sateen. Both have a soft sheen without the slippery, plastic feel.

Check the top against your bust before you buy. If it pulls open between the second and third buttons, go up a size. An elastic waist on the pants will take up the extra room below.

The woman who runs hot at night should skip the matching set. A cotton top in the same deep wine with pull-on wide pants gives you the color without the heat.

The cardigan in the picture is the real thing: snowflakes and reindeer knit into the yoke in red, cream and navy wool. It's what you wear to the ugly Christmas sweater party when you refuse to buy a light-up sweater for one night.

Fair Isle is a knitting method from the Shetland Islands, worked in two colors per row. The pattern lives in the stitches, so a good one lasts decades.

That's why thrift and vintage shops have plenty from the 1970s and 1980s. Turn one inside out. You should see short strands of yarn carried across the back of the pattern. A printed design won't have them.

Wear it open over a black crewneck tee and black pants. Left open, the front edges run in two straight lines from collar to hem, and the yoke doesn't sit like a shelf across a full bust.

Is real wool worth paying more for? Yes, if you'll wear it through January and February. Keep the cotton tee under it, because wool rubs dry skin.

Red and green tartan, cut wide and straight, with a soft ivory sweater in a deep V on top. The plaid is the festive part, so everything else stays plain.

Pants are where plus sizing trips women up most. The regular missy (or misses) sizes and the plus sizes, marked W and running from 14W to 40W in US sizing, aren't simply a size apart. W sizes are cut fuller all over.

So a woman who wears a 14 or 16 often finds the missy 16 too tight and the 14W baggy everywhere. Take both into the fitting room.

Then sit down. If the back gaps or the front digs in under your belly, the rise is wrong for you, whatever the tag says. Plus pants also often run long for short women, so look for petite plus, or plan on a hem.

Last, look at the side seams. On a well-made pair, the stripes meet across the seam. On a cheap pair, they jump, and everyone across the dinner table will see it.

A knee-length sweater dress in deep cranberry with a cowl neck and long sleeves, over sheer black tights and black leather boots to the knee. It's warm enough for a cold church on Christmas Eve.

Start with the boots, since they're the piece most likely to fail you. As we age, arches flatten and spread, so feet get wider and longer. Bunions widen the front of the foot too.

A boot that fit ten years ago may pinch by the second hymn. Look for wide-calf boots in a wide foot, with a round toe and a low block heel.

The dress needs weight. A thin knit clings to every seam of your shapewear. A thicker knit, or a lined dress, falls past them.

Hold the dress up to the store's light and put your hand behind it. If you can see your fingers, keep looking.

The hem should land just below the knee, so the top of the boot meets it and there's no gap of cold, bare tights.

A red wool coat to mid-calf, buttoned over a charcoal turtleneck sweater, charcoal pants and flat black boots, with a cream knit hat. At the tree lighting, you're the color in every photo.

The coat is doing the work here, so fit it over the sweater you'll actually wear. Bring that sweater to the store.

Then raise both arms as if you're waving at the tree. If the coat pulls across your back or the sleeves ride halfway up your forearms, the armholes are too small. That's common in plus coats, even when the bust fits.

Look for a single row of buttons and a little shaping at the side seams. A double-breasted coat stacks two rows of buttons across your chest, which can make a full bust look broad and boxy.

Read the fabric label sewn inside before you fall for the color. A coat that's mostly polyester with a little wool looks the same on the hanger and feels thin in December wind. The higher the wool number, the warmer you'll be standing still.

A loose silk blouse in sapphire blue with a soft bow at the neck, worn untucked over black ponte pants and black loafers. It's right for the office holiday lunch or for lunch with old colleagues who've long since retired.

Test the buttons first by stretching both arms out in front of you. If the front gaps, choose a blouse with a hidden button band, or one that pulls over your head. Leave the bow loose, so it falls into a V.

Ponte is a thick, stretchy double knit that holds its shape more like a woven fabric. Ponte pants pull on, don't bag at the knee by afternoon, and lie smooth over your stomach.

The blouse is where to spend. Real silk breathes, so a warm restaurant is easier to sit through than it would be in polyester.

A burgundy sheath dress to just below the knee, with a shallow V-neck and sleeves that stop at the elbow, worn with sheer black tights and black pumps on a low block heel.

This dress suits you if your hips are as full as your middle, or fuller. A sheath runs close from bust to hem and follows whatever is there.

If your weight has moved to your middle and your hips are now narrower than your belly, a sheath will pull across the front. A wrap or an A-line will sit better, and you should skip this one.

The sleeves are why it's here. An elbow sleeve covers the upper arm, ends at a slim point and keeps a draft off, which matters if you're always cold.

Cap sleeves are the ones to pass by. They stop right at the widest part of the arm.

Before you buy, sit down in it. A hem that rides above your knee, or fabric that creases into rows across your lap, calls for a size up or a longer cut.

A black crepe jumpsuit with wide legs and three-quarter sleeves, a zipper running down the front to the waist, a long gold pendant and black dressy flats. From across the room it reads like a long evening gown.

Look at that zipper again. Party clothes love a long back zipper, and for hands stiff with arthritis, a back zipper or a row of tiny buttons can mean real frustration or a call for help.

Arthritis UK recommends front fastenings, and a loop of ribbon or fabric tied through the zipper tab so you can grip it.

Check the torso length when you sit. If the crotch pulls up between your legs or hangs low near your knees, the body is the wrong length for you.

Now the drawback. A jumpsuit comes almost all the way off in the restroom. If that's a deal-breaker in a crowded restaurant, a matching crepe top and wide pants give you the same long column of black.

A soft gold V-neck sweater knit with metallic yarn, tucked loosely into a black satin skirt that swings to mid-calf, with black ankle boots.

Metallic knits can itch, because the shiny thread is often a stiff film rather than soft yarn. A cotton or silk layer under rough fabric helps, and a thin silk camisole solves it.

In the store, rub the inside of a sleeve against your bare wrist. If it scratches there, it'll scratch inside your elbows by the main course.

The skirt's length is the bigger risk. A midi that stops at the widest part of your calf cuts your leg in two.

Stand sideways and find where your calf begins to narrow toward the ankle. Aim for a hem just below that point, and the ankle boots will close the rest.

A satin skirt with an elastic waist hidden behind a smooth front band is worth hunting for. You'll get the shine and room for a second helping.

A navy wrap dress in matte jersey with three-quarter sleeves, tied at the side, with silver earrings and navy suede block-heel pumps. Navy looks dressy at night and stays quieter than black against a red tablecloth.

The wrap solves the waist problem. A dress with a waist seam sewn in place may now land on the wrong spot if your middle has changed.

A wrap lets you decide. Tie it at your narrowest point, wherever that is now, or just under the bust.

Watch the V, though. On a full bust, a wrap can open lower than you planned when you lean over the table.

So in the fitting room, sit and reach forward as if for the bread basket. If it gapes, wear a navy camisole beneath, or choose a faux wrap with the front sewn shut.

Matte jersey beats shiny jersey here. It moves with you without catching the light of every candle on the table.

A scarlet shift dress with no sleeves and a wide, shallow neckline, cut straight to the knee, with a sheer black silk wrap around the shoulders and black slingback block heels.

This one is for the woman who overheats. Memorial Sloan Kettering lists hot rooms, alcohol, caffeine, spicy food and stress as hot flash triggers. That's a description of most holiday parties.

Its advice is light layers you can take off. So the wrap goes on for the walk in from the car and comes off when the room heats up.

As for the old rule that bare upper arms aren't age-appropriate: drop it. If you want your arms covered, keep the wrap on. If you'd rather be cool, put it over your chair.

A shift hangs from the shoulders and falls straight, so it works whether your waist has moved or not.

The armholes need checking. They should sit close under the arm without cutting in. A gaping one shows your bra; a tight one leaves a red line by midnight.

A black lace top with long sheer sleeves, worn over flowing black palazzo pants and black pointed flats with a touch of silver at the toe.

This is the one for the woman who's always cold and hates a draft on her arms, but doesn't want a heavy sweater at a dressy party. Lace sleeves cover the whole arm and still look like evening.

Inside, the body should be lined and the sleeves left unlined. A lining near your skin tone makes the lace pattern show; a black lining gives a quieter look.

Then feel the lace. Stiff lace with a plastic shine usually means cheap nylon, and it rubs raw inside the elbows.

Softer lace with a raised cord outlining the flowers is called corded lace. It costs more, and on a top you'll wear every December for years, it's worth it.

The palazzo pants carry the evening from there. They're wide enough to dance in and long enough that nobody sees your flats are flats.

A crisp white cotton shirt with the collar open and the sleeves rolled, tucked into a full red taffeta skirt that rustles to mid-calf, with black patent flats. It's a New Year's Eve outfit with some fun in it.

Try it if you like your legs and enjoy a skirt that stands out from the hips.

A woman who'd rather not have a waistband across her middle should pass. The tuck draws a clear line there, and this outfit doesn't work untucked.

Taffeta is the hard part. Many dressy taffeta skirts carry a spot-clean-only label, and spot cleaning can leave a ring on it. One splash of red wine may stay for good.

If that worries you, look for a polyester faille skirt with the same stiff body that you can wash at home.

For the shirt, a man's white shirt one size up, sleeves rolled to the forearm, often fits a full bust better than a fitted women's blouse. Cotton with a little stretch keeps it from pulling at the buttons.

A sleeveless champagne sequin shell that ends just past the hip, under a black tuxedo jacket with satin lapels, over black straight pants and gold block heels. The shine sits in the middle, framed by black.

Sequins scratch. Under the arm they can rub raw over an evening, and some women get hives. The cheapest sequin tops tend to be the itchiest.

Look for a shell lined in soft knit, with plain mesh or fabric panels under the arms where sequins would rub. The jacket then does a second job, keeping sequin edges off your inner arms.

Spend your money on the jacket. A wool-blend tuxedo jacket will go with every pair of black pants you own for years. The shell can be inexpensive as long as it's lined.

Button the jacket in the fitting room. If the fabric pulls into an X across your stomach, go up a size and have the sleeves shortened instead.

An ivory pantsuit in winter-weight crepe, the jacket long enough to reach the hip and worn open, the pants wide and nearly to the floor, with a gold satin shell underneath and nude block heels. It's for the party where everyone else wears black.

Choose the white carefully. Many women past 50 find a warm winter white kinder near the face than stark bright white, which can make skin look gray by candlelight. Hold both up to your face in daylight and see which does that to you.

You'll probably shop for this online, since stores rarely stock suits in plus sizes.

On each product page, look for the model's height, the size she's wearing, and photos from the side and back. Many sites still show none of that. If so, read the return policy, order two sizes and send one back.

Have the pants hemmed while you wear the shoes you'll wear that night. Ask for a hem that just brushes the top of the shoe, so the leg runs in one long ivory line.

An emerald velvet wrap top with long sleeves, tied at the side, over black wide-leg pants and black block-heel shoes. Look again at the pants. You probably own them already.

When an invitation says cocktail attire and you'd rather not buy a whole outfit, this is the answer. Keep your black pants and add one top in a party fabric.

Velvet is the best choice for that top. It looks dressy from across a room, it's warm without bulk, and the wrap front adjusts to your bust and your waist wherever they sit now.

Check the pants before the top. Their hems should touch the top of your shoe, and the front shouldn't pull when you sit.

Then raise both arms in the top. Velvet has less give than jersey, so if the armholes bind, look for stretch velvet, which is made with spandex.

Never iron velvet; it crushes the pile, the soft raised surface. Steam it, brush it gently, and hang it in a cotton garment bag.