Does This Make Me Look Fat?
At one time or another we’ve all asked the question. Does this make me look fat? It might.
Is it:
1) The wrong silhouette, or shapeless altogether?
2) Too small?
3) Put together in such a way that it creates a focal point where you would rather not have one? Like the wannabe glamourous young lady in black pants and black sweater, swath of white lace encircling her hips & derriere?
(A friend of mine used one of these long shirts with the lace hem to create a much more flattering look: matching the lace to the color of her skirt, she created the effect of a coordinating lace belt, and wore a contrasting top over.)
If creating a slimmer appearance is your foremost fashion concern, the book Does This Make Me Look Fat?: The Definitive Rules for Dressing Thin for Every Height, Size, and Shape
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Brainstorming on Fitting Trousers
Stephanie asks:
I don’t have a need for work slacks, but I would like some slacks for church. Any tips on fit? I have never worn them. I’m especially thrown by the noticeable lack of back pockets, and I just don’t know what is flattering. I see so many women wearing slacks that fit poorly…Don’t know how to not make that mistake. Right now, if I don’t wear a skirt to church, I wear dark wash jeans, but I’d like to expand my options.
Well, I’ll tell you a couple of things that are not flattering:
- form-fitting, skin-color pants
- visible pocket outlines
- jiggle
Defining what works is a bit more challenging. Let’s face it: women’s bodies are complicated.
Assuming we (at the bottom of the fashion food chain) lack the means, and/or skills, to do custom, here’s brainstorming on trouser fit:
- If your waist and hip measurements correspond to different sizes, go with the larger size and get alterations if necessary. (This is different from the way stretch jeans are normally fit these days.)
- Lining adds to a smooth look. Alternatively, wear magic underwear.
- The benefit of a mid-rise style with a waistband construction is breaking up the area visually. Recently I’ve seen styles with pocket flaps; same idea.
I suspect different styles flatter different figure types. For me, the fast diagonal line created by the slash front pocket is like magic; it almost transforms my figure eight silhouette into a V!
I’d love to hear what works for others.
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Maternity Business Wear
While I favor separates in my personal wardrobe, and suits would be my choice for business wear, dresses could be a more frugal choice for the expecting business woman.
Which of each pair of dresses would be the better choice for the professional?
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Fashion Lab: Color Value Placement
Next week I’m going to be talking about how to develop a personal color palette. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about what I consider the Great Northwest casual uniform: black top, army green pants, slip-on shoes. Or some variant thereof. And how, while I’m not so crazy about the ubiquitous black top, it is a good formula for some. Especially those who are curvier on top.
Which leads me to the general principle of wearing lighter colors where you are smaller and darker colors where you are larger. Let’s play with that using Gap cords, currently $15 off.
(I threw that last set in just for fun, but I’d love to know if you have any thoughts on neutral vs bright also.)
Speaking of cords (or perhaps I should say “speaking of body image“), I normally avoid them simply because they always made me feel fat, but when Spokane Discount had a deal where any pair of brown pants in size 6, 8, or 10 was so cheap it was almost free, I bought a pair of dark brown, trouser style, corduroy Dockers. For $3.
Application principle: aside from monochromatic outfits, I am focusing on darker bottoms with lighter tops. How do you employ color value placement?
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How to Shop for a Dress
Spring has sprung and that means dress season. There’s just something about a sunshiny day that brings out the girly in many of us, and for me, it also makes me a little more daring. All that to say, I am shopping for dresses.
Which, if online or even department store shopping were my usual practice, would seem easy; after all, currently LOTS of great dress styles are available: baby-dolls, sheaths, sundresses, shirtdresses. For me, though, it’s not so simple. Unable to bring myself to part with any real money most of the time, I generally shop thrift. Thrifting can be overwhelming, so I’ve identified some practices that make it easier.
How to quickly scan for dresses to try:
- Color is the easiest thing to scan for, so narrow down the colors you are looking for. This is how I was able to shop the entire Old Navy store while my hero was waiting in traffic to get out of the parking lot. And know that a dress is the easiest thing to wear in a flattering color that doesn’t work with anything else in your wardrobe. No mixing and matching necessary!
- Next, look at silhouette. If it makes you feel fat just by looking at it hanging on the rack, it’s probably not for you. Of course, if you are feeling adventurous, by all means use the opportunity to try on a new shape.
- Patterns should harmonize with the scale of your facial features AND appeal to your personal sense of style.
- With the current practice of layering dresses over leggings or other pieces, length may not be as big an issue, but it is something that’s easy to identify before getting to the fitting room.
- Finally, if it feels icky to the touch, don’t bother trying it on. This has to do with learning to recognize the feel of the fabrics you like to wear. Knowing I will never wear a polyester blouse, no matter how beautiful the color or pattern, has saved me literally hours in fitting rooms.
Of course, just because I shop thrift, doesn’t mean these techniques won’t help in traditional stores.
Look what I got yesterday for $15 (plus a pair of swim shorts and a pair of linen shorts thrifted last week for $10). Apologies again for the fuzzy picture.
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Benefits of the Three Cycles Model for Predicting Fashion Trends
This excerpt of a comment expresses how alot of us feel about dressing ourselves:
It always takes a year or two of seeing a trend work for a variety of other people before I warm up to it or see a way that I can make it work for me. I don’t *want* to look like a fashion slave - I want a wardrobe that feels like me and won’t look out of date in a few years, and I think (hope) that’s what I’ve built.
Kari from In Kari’s Wardrobe
That resonates with me. What I admire, but don’t identify with, are the people who just wear what they want, because they like it. Perhaps with a greater budget … but I doubt it. I am both overly analytical and easily persuaded.
The moment I understood the three cycles concept (after having read it several times over the course of a few years), I got up from the couch and got dressed into an outfit I would not have otherwise had the confidence to wear. 
Unfortunately, I cannot hold a camera still enough to get a picture of myself or I’d have one to show you. Later that day I was explaining to my hero that it makes perfect sense that when a person begins to wear the emerging look, their close associates will make discouraging comments like “that doesn’t look like anything you’ve worn before”. After all, they haven’t seen you wear anything like that for at least 10 years.
Then he asked me, with a guilty expression, if he did that to me. *chuckle*
The benefits:
- Understanding where comments are coming from, I can more easily shrug them off
- I can wear each look as a costume, if I so choose, even when it’s not in style
- It’s easier to spot great vintage looks when thrifting
One last advantage: many pitfalls of frumpiness can be avoided by not mixing the shapes within an outfit. For example, the frumpiness of a rectangular shaped top worn over tapered pants. Can you think of more examples?
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More on Predicting Fashion Cycles
Or should I say “moron predicting fashion cycles”?
Firstly, let me give a skeleton explanation of each of Suzie’s three cycles I wrote about the other day:
- A cycle marked by separates combined to make an hourglass or rectangle with waist silhouette. Colors are grayed, details are angular, and texture is in.
- A long, T-shaped silhouette takes over, accompanied by sophisticated colors such as black, ivory, and jewel tones. Collarless tops make room for bolder jewelry.
- Prints predominate as dresses take over and the silhouette becomes the 8 shape that most closely resembles a snowman. Big sleeves, big belts, and warm colors characterize this cycle.
Can you recognize any of these looks belonging to a year in history? I was very #2 in 1991.
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Bodies Are Three Dimensional
From Eternal Voyageur, illumination on body shape confusion: the 3rd Dimension, aka where Trinny and Susannah went wrong. Basically, her point is that all these silhouette systems, including the one I use, only take into account the forward view, therefore they are limited in usefulness.
In The Triumph of Individual Style, the point is made that it is possible to be one shape from the front and another from the back, along with advice for dressing accordingly. But I can think of instances where the side view is a different shape as well. (MyShape’s system accounts for this.)
Honestly, I have no idea whether this “side issue” (ha ha) is a concern for me or not. Every time I look at myself in profile, I suck in my stomach and pull myself up straight. Have you struggled to find your body shape? Lots of people do. Here’s my favorite suggestion:
Instead of trying to pick your figure out of a finite number of shapes, can you choose a silhouette of clothing which is easy for you to wear, given both your personality and your figure?
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Off-site Fashion Lab: Dark vs Light Jeans
In case you haven’t seen it, Karen of a certain age’s dubious experiment: light denim/dark denim.
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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!
