There is nothing like the grace of a larger lady, particularly when wearing glasses that flatter her face and overall style.
Women with full figures have had a notoriously tough time finding attractive fashions that fit. The tide has been turning in that respect, and full-size fashions have gone from cottage industry to the mainstream in the last few years. With eyewear also approaching the mainstream of fashion, it is especially timely to deliver some advice for eyewear selection to these influential fashion consumers.
Several systems have been devised to assist in selecting eyewear, the best known probably being the facial shape method. Seasonal color and personal image analysis have also been interpreted for frame selection. It is rare, however, to find advice on flattering eyeglasses written especially for the Rubenesque woman.
Opposites may attract when choosing frame shapes, but bigger is often better when selecting a frame size. Many plus-size women may have felt left out when smallish wire frames were the vogue, but large frames are coming back so it's time to lead the way!
Women with plush proportions also tend to be able to wear feminine frame styles quite easily. Remember the highly decorative frames in the Sophia Loren line? They look smashing on Sophia, who is among the more curvaceous of our beauty icons. When designers rolled out similar styles and produced ads using rail-thin models, the look seemed awkward and out-of-place. The baroque styling overwhelmed smaller faces. A plus-size woman was usually able to wear these styles with panache, and many still do.
If newer "contempo retro" is more your style, there are recent reinterpretations that may be suitable. In plastic frames, some of the new Italian almond shapes (a modified cats-eye) have been recently produced in much larger sizes. If you prefer metallics, frames with arms or temples which divide to meet the frame front near both the top and bottom have been gaining in popularity. Both styles are well suited to a larger, softer face.
If you consider your eyes a winning feature, look into rimless styles. Larger rimless glasses seem almost an extension of the eyes themselves, maximizing any look achieved with makeup. If you are quite nearsighted, ask your optician about lens polishing, beveling and faceting; each of these techniques can render a thicker lens edge into a pleasing asset.
It is notable that while the fashion mainstream may have ignored the plus-size woman until recently, eyeglass frame makers have shown the foresight to design many exceptional styles to adorn the larger face. Kudos to them and happy frame-hunting to you!