The lovely Lady Smaggle has been answering questions from her devoted readers. One of which is about body shape to which she answered thus:
"In terms of shopping for your body shape. Just look at yourself. Really look. I refuse to believe that the women out there sporting muffin tops, side cleavage and cellulite can’t see it. They either don’t care or are lying to themselves. When trying something on, don’t hold your stomach in and pull your shoulders back or try to hide whatever flaw the piece of clothing is highlighting. Jog, jiggle, sit and slouch. If it looks good in all these positions it’s a keeper. If it only looks good when you tilt your head to one side and stop breathing don’t buy it. Der"
Love her. Such great advice.
She also linked to a post she had previously written all about finding your body shape and rocking it. She gave some great advice, much of it directed at women with her body type. I'd like to expand on that for women with my body type, that being the opposite of hers.
I'm tiny. It's the first thing people notice. One of the first questions that people often ask me is 'So how tall are you really anyway?'
Le Sigh.
I'm 5 feet tall. I'm little, but I've got booty, a tiny
chest, a bit of a tummy, a short torso, and stubby legs. I did the exercise LadyS suggested to look at the reality of your shape.
So thats me. I think its not too bad, but like any body shape it has its challenges. Nearly all my pants need to be hemmed. Finding things in a petite that don't make me look elderly is also a big challenge. Work appropriate stuff is easier than casual stuff.
My face looks very youthful so I must be careful to not dress too young. However I'm young enough that I can straddle the delicate line between the junior's and women's departments.
This sounds silly, right? The trials of us short women are not often considered by others. Also, the period of transition between the youthful tendencies of college-wear, and the move towards the working world is often ignored by stores. Managing to dress for this body shape in this time.... difficult!
No, I don't think I am the only one who had a hard time. I know you do. But your not the one blogging about it.
So, I think I manage to be pretty successful despite my challenges. Here are the rules I try to follow for my shape and age:
1. make your legs look long!!
If you have short little legs don't make them look shorter. Just don't, it's bad. How do you do this? Well lets start by saying that its super different for jeans and trousers. Starting with jeans my options are a boot or a skinny. That is all. The flare of a boot jean will help balance out my bum and belly. A skinny jean will accentuate my bum. It depends if I want to look classy or sexy. Either of these option can be enhanced or detracted to by my choice of top. I have recently discovered the new line of denim, available in petites, from Ann Taylor Loft. I love them, they are amazing. They fit like a dream! Well, mostly, even though they are petite they still manage to be a bit long. Their jeans come in several fits and cuts. I'm best with the Modern Fit (in slim, skinny, and boot). Trousers are a whole different story. I'm afraid I haven't quite cracked the secret code on trousers, but its quite a bit of trial and error. So far I've done alright. It's important to stay out of the junior's section for this part. The ones I like the best seem to fall straight from the hip, aka a trouser cut (fancy that?!). Anyway, these cuts in both denim and trousers they allow my legs too look as long as possible because they don't cut across my body at its widest point, due to the rise of the pants. VERY IMPORTANT!
2. Accentuate your body at it's narrowest!!
For me that means just below my bust line and my ankles. If i want to look sexy I'm going to
wear skinny jeans and a top with an umpire waist.
3. Don't wear your clothing too tight!
It's really easy to pick up that tank top with 10% spandex, but it's ok because it's 90% cotton,
right? NO! Things that fit too close to the body may end up accentuating parts of your body
your not interested in showing off. For me, its my belly. Pants that are too tight will always
make your butt and thighs look fat. Always. I like my bum, its round and high, and my most
complimented feature. That being said, if I wear pants that are too tight on my bum or my
thighs I will look fat. It doesnt matter that I'm tiny. It doesnt. I will look fat.
4. Wear cute shoes!
No, this doesn't have anything to do with how your clothing fits, or does it??!? When you know
your looking cute you know it. When you know your cute, you walk taller, you smile wider, you
are more relaxed and confident. All of these things make you more attractive to others. Really!
When you stand taller, smile wider, and are more confident your clothing FITS BETTER. I
swear!! So be cute. Wear cute shoes, or a funky scarf, or those dangly earrings, or that gorgeous
flashy handbag. Be cute!!
5. Dont wear tops that are too long.
Us short torso-ed ladies need to be careful. Most shirts are cut a bit too long for us, and end up
ending right at mid-hip. This is horrible. That is where most of us are widest. Any time you end
up putting a straight line across your widest part you are in trouble. It screams LOOK AT ME!!
No one wants that, cut it out.
6. Fabric Matters.
Synthetic fabrics are horrible. Am I just being obnoxious and environmentally conscious? Nope,
I own clothing with synthetic fibers, everyone does. But in general they are bad news bears.Natural fibers fall more beautifully on the body. They breathe better and move better. They don't last as long, but that is good. When you are forced to evaluate the life span of your clothing, you should also evaluate if its still appropriate for you, and your age, or weather your body shape has changed. Its a good thing.
I am sure there is more stuff. But those are the standouts for me. I'll put up some outfit shots later to show how I attempt to follow my own rules!
