This Brand Is A Dream If You Always Have A Little Belly Pooch
by The Candidly Team
We say this a lot but we’ll say it again because we think it’s important. This is not an article about weight.
This is an article about shape.
You can be any size and have a belly pooch. And chances are, if you’re over 40, you already know this.
Hormonal changes around menopause can cause even the most pear-shaped among us to start gaining weight in our bellies. At the same time, most of us don’t love the feeling of tight, restrictive clothes hugging any part of our bodies, much less the rounder bits.
Our instinct (understandably) can be to go for baggier, less tailored clothes we feel like we can move freely in. But sometimes in our quest for comfort, we start settling for styles that make us look … well, older.
It isn’t the end of the world, but it is a bit of a bummer to have pants that bulge out under the buttons, jackets that broaden us into linebackers, and t-shirts that just make us look sad and tired. And so many of the clothes out there do exactly that.
But there’s a brand we really love that’s doing something different. It’s a brand we’ve been sharing with friends, buying as gifts, and yes, even sometimes writing about right here on this site. It’s called Z Supply.
Maybe you’ve heard of it. But here’s the key thing that makes us love it SO much:
Their clothes fit and feel amazing on our over-40 bodies. And that includes our belly pooch.
You might not realize this when you land on their homepage and see the beaming, 20-something models frolicking beaches or giggling in bed, but do not be fooled. Their clothes are brilliantly made for non-model women with curves. We should say right off the bat that they don’t size into plus, which is a real minus, but their fits are exceptionally good, so we really hope that’s in the brand’s future plans.
The prices are amazing, and the pieces are uniquely flattering and comfortable in 2 specific ways:
1) The cuts make you look your best. Longer, narrower, skimmed, nipped. It’s honestly a bit of sorcery.
2) The materials tend to be soft and flexible and feel like loungewear. Everything they make seems to be the thing you want to reach for in the morning no matter how bloated and meh you feel.
So now that we’ve gone on about WHY we love it, lets get to WHAT we love. Here are the key categories we head straight to Z Supply to shop.
Oh, and before you ask, this article is not sponsored. Some of the clothes we bought ourselves, and some were sent to us by Z Supply only AFTER we declared our love for the brand. But here is our honest review of all the things we now consider essential.
1. The Lightweight Outerwear
1. The Cropped Denim Jacket
It goes against everything we think we know, but a cropped fit makes bellies look smaller. It also makes legs look longer by hitting higher on the waist. The crisp lines of this particular jean jacket give you a polished and sleek look even though you have loads of space and coverage. And it makes it so you can comfortably wear tight things like this amazingly stretchy skirt which actually does a good job holding you in all by itself.
2. The Knit Denim Jacket
This is one of those inventive pieces we were talking about that no other brand is making. It’s knit so it feels like a hoodie but looks like a jean jacket, which means it also matches everything without adding bulk. And yes, there is a matching knit denim pant that is just as cozy and light enough to wear through summer.
3. The Knit Coat
We bring up this coat at the start of pretty much every season because it is truly the best, all-seasons coat. It’s made from a nice, slightly weighted, flexible knit that isn’t too thick. Yet, it looks just like a chic, luxe coat. There’s room to layer under it in colder months or you can wear it as a lightweight outer layer with loads of coverage for the cooler days of spring. We have it in camel but black and coffee bean are both in our carts.
2. The Button-Downs That Don’t Add Bulk
4. The Cropped, Gauzey Button-
Down
Again, the cropped length is the star. It makes it so you don’t just look schlumpy and crumpled. Instead, you look tailored and elongated. And it works just as well buttoned up as it does open over a ribbed tank, a critical combo in our warm-weather uniform.
We often use this shirt as part of THIS wildly simply outfit template to look our best on a daily basis.
5. The Linen Button-Down
This is the softest, airiest version of a linen button-down we’ve tried, including the ones that cost 3x as much. It’s designed so you can tie it or tuck it any which way, which is amazing for getting the exact tum coverage you desire. It comes in stripes and solid and has become a near-daily staple in our spring/ summer wardrobe. We also wear it open on those hot days when we’re absolutely forced to wear shorts
The shorts, by the way match that same knit denim set you saw earlier, and they feel better on your belly than any shorts you’ll ever wear. We plan to have them on hand any time we we’re in a swimsuit this summer.
3. The Skimming Dresses
6. The Perfect Smocked Dress
Let’s start with the smocking. It’s so supportive you don’t need a bra, which is 99% of the reason we veto a dress with spaghetti straps. The rest of the dress manages to be blissfully spacious while still looking chic and not at all mumu-like. There are many colors. Red is fun to dress up for parties or pack for vacation, but it’s also our favorite daytime, black dress for spring and summer.
7. The Easiest Black Maxi
Speaking of effortless, black dresses, this maxi dress is also basically its own bra and just barely skims your the length of your stomach in the most flattering way. We look taller when we wear it, which we do with strappy, flat sandals. No heels necessary.
8. The Dress We Wear To All
Spring Events
This is sort of the quintessential spring dress, and it’s brilliantly cut to cover your bra straps. It’s hard to explain why it fits as well as it does, but where many shift-like dresses just look like a sack, this one almost swerves with your shape. The scoopneck is gorj for broader shoulders and fuller chests, and the skirt isn’t too tight around your lower belly, so you get the look of a fitted dress without feeling like you want to fold your arms around your waist all night. We know we shouldn’t have those kinds of hang ups, but it’s still nice to have a dress that understands a woman’s natural shape instead of having to compensate for things only cut to look good on models.
This dress not-so-shockingly sold out on Z Supply but there are still some available on Shopbop. Be quick!
4. The Comfiest Bottoms To Grace A Belly Pooch
9. The Trousers
These pants have been a best seller for Z Supply because who doesn’t want a smart pair of pants that feel like pajamas but look like chic trousers Katharine Hepburn might have worn on holiday? The front is buttoned and smooth but the back has an elastic waist so we can blissfully breath and not feel like we have to unbutton our pants the second we finish a sandwich. They’re spacious and the length hits right at the ankle, so you’ll only love them if those are your things. But if they are, these could be your favorite pants from May to September.
11. The Flare Pant
These pants truly feel like leggings, but at the same time they pass as your go-to “nice,” black pants. Flares are already amazing for balancing curves, especially butts and bellies, but this pair has a supportive and smoothing fabric that melts any lumps and bumps along the way. The elastic waist is seamless and flat so it doesn’t come off casual but it’s so comfy we could wear these pants to bed.
Paired with this blazer (also a dream for a rounder belly because it has clean lines that aren’t too boxy), you’re basically wearing your cutest and least stuffy suit - just way less expensive.
12. The Pajama Pant
These are hands down, the most comfortable pj pants we own. They’re soft, weightless, cloud-like, all the adjectives that equate to unspeakable coziness. When they first came out we bought them in every color that was in stock in our size, because frankly, they sell out a lot. They’re unlike any other loungey pair of pants we own in terms of how light they are, so we never feel overheated, though we do occasionally switch to their shorts version in summer. Lastly, and we realize how weird this is to say, they’re somehow flattering. The long smocking feels incredible on our waist, but the shape of the leg makes it look like ours go on for miles when we wear them. Just a fun little perk.
Sidenote: If you want to get a friend a gift they’ll go mad for, get them these with the matching top.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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