By Babe Hope –

Recently, my Ulla colleagues and I were taking a look at which of our COMMUNITY pages get the most traffic. I wasn’t surprised to find that our Prez, Phyliss Mosca’s “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” gets a lot of hits. My guess is that as women mature, it isn’t so much about finding ourselves, but rather, evolving ourselves. We’re smart, open-minded and driven to be our personal best – in all we do.

Of course that includes how we dress – how we present ourselves. If you look at our Dress category, I think you’ll see a microcosm of what I mean. Here are five plus size dresses from Ulla Popken that telegraph my personal style evolution for dress-down, dress-up and in-between occasions.

* Double Tier Knit Tank Dress, 22252 – Check out the smart and strategic placement of the tiers.

* Cotton Knit Gathered Sleeve Dress, 22246 – Great color! Glow color!

* Stretch Knit Shirt Dress, 22241 – This fabric moves like a dream and stays wrinkle-free.

* Crepe Dress, 02283 and Crepe Shacket, 02326 – Sophisticated pairing – shacket on or off.

* Raglan Sleeve Stretch Knit Dress, 11250 – Perfectly cut to enhance a plus size figure.

I’ve adapted a yardstick of sorts to reflect my standards from Ulla’s Weekly Words of Wisdom.

1. Beauty

Will I feel beautiful wearing it? (Feeling beautiful is empowering.)

2. Personal best

Is this my personal best? (Be your personal best. Today.)

3. Confidence

Does it transfer the confidence I need to soar through my day? (The most attractive thing a woman can wear is confidence.)

What’s your opinion? If you were asked to rank these elements, what would be your number 1, 2, and 3, and why? Are there any other benchmarks you’d add?

Babe Hope is the author of Pretty Plus: How to Look Sexy, Sensational and Successful No Matter What You Weigh. She is also a blogger and stylist at ullapopken.com. Always overweight, about 12 years ago, three epiphanies changed her paradigm, and she decided to turn the pity party into a pretty party! Her mantra is ‘Feel Good in What You Wear!’ The website: http://www.ullapopken.com/.