Friday Fashion Lab: Black Again!
I’m re-running this post from last summer, in connection with a link that Imogen posted here to a myth-busting article she wrote concerning black.
The greyer your hair (even underneath that dye), the more likely you will find that softer colours are more flattering for you, as because as we age, we lose pigment from not only our hair, but skin and eyes as well, how whole appearance softens. Colours that are too bright will draw attention to the body of the person who has softer, more muted colouring (and who needs attention to be drawn to your bum?).
So back to black - the properties of black are that it is Cool, Deep and Bright - and if these are not the colour properties that work with your appearance. Also, did you know that black is very ageing - it will cast shadow on your face, make wrinkles and lines look deeper, throw shadows under your eyes and make you look even more tired, and create double chins.
Now why is black considered so slimming? If light colours advance (make you look bigger) and dark colours recede (make you look smaller) then what is the most slimming colour? According to all those mags and fashion writers - it’s black as that logically seems to be the darkest colour, so it should recede the most. But if bright colours advance and muted (that is greyed down) colours recede then what is black? But black is actually a bright colour as it has no grey element so those ’slimming’ black trousers will actually draw attention to you bum and make it look bigger, not smaller. Click over to read the rest of the article and find out what color trousers to buy to make your bum look smaller.
Ever wonder why I have doubts about black being the most slimming color? These skinny jeans offer a nice comparison. I have only one word to add: saddlebags.
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Do You Look Hopeless?
From a recent email:
I always wonder –and maybe you can ask the question on your blog – why do people lose all hope and start dressing in those terrible old lady clothes?
(Referring, I assume, to the “elastic-waist pants, boxy top, earth shoes” uniform template. And let me just say that I don’t believe people are generally critical of those who can’t wear heels, etc. We can all agree to be understanding about that, can’t we?)
Pondering the question, next to everything else that currently resides in my brain, I noticed the following similar themes (it’s my job to notice patterns):
- the use of the term “lose all hope”
- longer, floral dresses are known as “I give up” dresses
- quite a few of the “types” (a more complimentary and probably more accurate term than “caricature”) in Trinny and Susannah Take on America
, which we discussed here previously, seem to have given up; from “my kids are my life” right down to “this has always been my best look”.
- In Staging Your Comeback
Add in the following, from private discussions I’ve had:
- one beloved friend feels like a failure for being (insert age) and not knowing what to keep and what to biff.
- a reader wrote, in response to the What Do Your Clothes Say About You discussion, that she wasn’t sure what her best look is.
- bodies change as we get older, necessitating different styles for comfort.
- polyester never dies.
My conclusion: I’m afraid alot of women are unintentionally giving the impression of being hopeless in matters of personal style. In other words, they think they look fine, like I would if I wore the long, pretty dress with the small print. :)
Please, correct me if I’m wrong. Why do you think people wear “old lady clothes”?
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Reader Question: What Tops Flatter the “Apple” Shape?
In case you missed it back here, Vildy asks:
A woman who has slender legs and small bottom but who carries all her weight in the front and has large bosoms plus a very large abdomen so, yes, it looks like the apple shape - and the bosom doesn’t protrude much beyond the upper stomach , what on earth is she to do about a top?
BTW, Vildy is pictured here on the blog, so we know she’s not asking for herself. Still, it’s a great question and we are so blessed that Imogen Lamport got wind of it and answered it for us!
Imogen’s answer:
You want to create the illusion of a waist, so empire tops (that encircle just under your bust, which is your slimmest point up top) are good, but make sure it’s not too gathered under the empire line otherwise you’ll look pregnant, keep is smooth and simple. Make sure any t-shirts are ruched down the side - I often do this myself to tops - buy one that’s way too long, then run some stitches up the side seams to gather them, go over the top to hold in place, and you’ve created your own ruched top.
Look for trousers that have a straight leg or even a wide leg, or flare, otherwise you’ll look like a lollipop.
A jacket that’s left open, but has some waist shaping (not boxy or square) is good. Wear a lighter coloured jacket over a darker coloured top and your tummy will disappear.
Make sure all skirts and trousers are pleat-free - flat fronts, and side zips can really work for you.
If you like to wear heels, make them a wedge - stilettos and kitten heels will just look too dainty on your frame.
Keep necklines lower to break up your bust. V-necks are great, as are cross-over tops (though avoid wrap dresses as they won’t suit at all).
Large pendants are great to draw attention up to the face and away from your boobs.
More to come - hopefully a fashion lab! - on the DIY ruched t-shirts, about which Imogen says:
I use my ‘home ruching’ technique for all tops that are too long (plus I love the spare tyre disguise effect it has), on not just the body of the garment, but also on the sleeves of any knit that the arms are too long.
It also adds a little detail that creates some visual interest to what otherwise might be a plain and boring top.
The trick with the ruching is to do a few stitches, then go over a couple of stitches as if you were going to tie a knot off, so that the ruching doesn’t slide round. Hope this makes sense.
Plus anyone can do it, you don’t need a sewing machine, just a needle and thread.
and
I also use my ruching technique for long-sleeved t-shirts that are too long in the arms, a few back stiches up the sleeve at the cuff mean you don’t need to take up the sleeve.I tend to stop the ruching under the bust area (so about a hands length down from under the arms).
Now. Is anybody planning on employing this technique? Say, this week? If so, please send in a before and after picture. We’d all love to see your project!
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Are Skinny Tanks on the Way Out?
I say yes. And so does my stylishly innovative daughter.
Honestly, I have not worn one at all this summer. She hasn’t either, except in cute layering combinations.
What’s replacing them? Sleeveless tees. The kind you can wear with a normal “undergarment”. And this summer I’ve been wearing alot of short-sleeved, button-front white shirts.
Last September was all kinds of fun around here when I said v-necks were out (which statement I stand by), so let ‘em fly. Clearly, we’re keeping our tanks for layering under sweaters this winter, but do you still want to wear them as a top?
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A Timeless Transitional Template
Here in the mountains of the Great Northwest, Fall is a lamentably short season. Beautiful, but only about six weeks. Hardly deserving of an entire wardrobe of its own; nonetheless it’s a time of year when most of us want something new, fresh, and exciting.
Throw in a daily temperature span of about 40 degrees and the only sensible thing to do is layer. True, layering is a big look this fall, but allow me to propose a perennial wardrobe template for managing the transition from summer to winter:
new jeans + summer top + winter layering piece (jacket, sweater, etc)
In my mind, it works for me. Now I just need to get my clothes out of the freezer and try them on.
In the meantime, what will you be wearing this fall? And what are you certain you will NOT be wearing?
Slowly but surely, my jean jackets having been making their way out the wardrobe door. The blue denim has lived with my camping clothes for two or three summers now, and I didn’t wear the white denim one at all this summer. Biff! But I suspect my chamois washable suede will remain a fall wardrobe classic, living in the back of the closet only when it seems dreadfully out of style. Not yet!
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Fashion Lab: Boxy Tops
Some time ago we were discussing the uniform typical of some of our moms:
elastic waist pants + boxy top + “earth shoes”
Hoping to address this topic delicately and helpfully, without being unnecessarily hurtful or judgmental, I would like to once again quote the illustrious (although I really should look that word up first) Imogen Lamport, from her article The Long and Short of It, which explains how to work with vertical body proportions (aka length-balancing):
Baggy or boxy clothes will make you look bigger (they do that to everyone) …
The proof (I used pictures of a plus-sized model because it’s just more illustrative):
Comments?
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Do You Look Dated?
Aussie image consultant Imogen Lamport shares a list of questions to use to evaluate whether your wardrobe is dated. But just how important is it to avoid looking dated? And why?
Lamport says:
One potential danger zone and image wrecker is looking dated. Old fashioned clothes = old fashioned ideas – so if you work (or would like to work) in an industry that prides itself in being up with the times, or even ahead of the pack, then you must be careful that your image is not saying “I’m living in the 70s (80s or 90s)” as your credibility is at stake.
There it is: “if you work in an industry that prides itself in being up with the times …”. I would go so far as to say, and maybe this varies with location, that being a SAHM these days is such an industry.
However, I believe it is important to note that a person CAN look somewhat dated and still be beautiful and comforting to be around.
Have you noticed that in some “industries”, ministries, what-have-you, looking “dated” can actually be a plus? Conservative-thinking decision makers sometimes distrust new styles and the people who follow them.
So, all that considered, is it important to you to look current (or even a bit ahead of the pack)? Why or why not?
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Distinguishing Between the Figure-Eight and the Hourglass
Thank you, Vildy, for sending in the quote by Imogen Lamport, further clarifying this topic. Updates in italics.
In describing silhouettes, I like to use the following definitions:
- Type A (or triangle): shoulders < hips.
- Type I (or rectangle): shoulders = hips, waist less defined.
- Type O (or oval): sloped shoulders = hips, waist filled in.
- Type V (or wedge): shoulders > than hips.
- Type X (or hour-glass): straight shoulders = hips, waist defined.
- Type 8 (or figure-eight): sloped shoulders = hips; waist defined.
Those last two, though, seem to get people. In reality, they get me too.
Back in the early 80s, when I met my hero, I was positive my shoulders were sloped. He insisted they were straight. Twenty-five years later I am finally convinced that the real reason my bra straps fall down is because my shoulders are narrow (update: after a professional bra fitting, I now know that the reason my straps fall off is because I wear a demi style bra with widely spaced straps); but I’m equally convinced the type 8 silhouette works better for me. Why?
Here’s my theory: because I tend to more roundness on the lower half, the pegged skirts of the 8 subtract a little and draw a straighter line, creating greater harmony with my smaller, straighter top.
Remember, silhouette is different from measurements. Both a Susannah and a Trinny could have shoulders equal in width to the hips and a defined waist. A type 8 has fuller thighs, while a type X has a fuller bust.
So, in my theory, the type X would wear the fuller bottoms of the hourglass silhouette for everyday, while the type 8 would favor narrower hemlines.
Then there’s special occasion clothes. In my idiom, sometimes it’s fun to dress up as an hourglass, especially if the occasion calls for formal. Conversely, I think the slinky column look can be quite dramatic on the hourglass girl with the personality to carry it off. But please be modest!
“Now the difference between an 8 and an X is whether or not you have the shelf hip (you’ve got that shelf that your baby sits so easily on), where your widest point is the top part of your bottom (not your lower hip area), so you’re an 8. If your hip slides away and the widest point when you look in the mirror is the top of your thighs, then you’re an X or Hourglass shape. The difference in dressing these two shapes lies below the waist - they both can belt and tuck, but the 8 needs to wear straight skirts and trousers, whilst the X is most flattered by A lines and bootlegs.
You may have the high hip of the 8 body, but the narrow shoulders of the A body - if so, draw attention up to the face with pattern and detail above the waist, and keep your bottom half dressed like the 8 shape, clean, smooth and straight lines with no fuss or flounce.”
Imogen Lamport
(Read the entire article, which the author has kindly made available to us at her website.)
Now, honestly, I never thought anything about that “shelf”, although I certainly have it. Anybody?
