For the past few weeks, I've been complaining about the fact that I have no waist. I don't see that that situation is going to change anytime soon--especially since I'm of a certain age. Carving off a little of the bumpy bits is always possible, but it's hard to fight genetics. Broad shoulders, short waist, large-ish ribcage--they're all characteristics I need to work with, or work around.
A few years ago, I started paying better attention to what clothes might flatter my particular body shape. If you're curious about narrowing down styles that will flatter you, here are some places to start. When you know your body shape and what works for it, you can shop just about anywhere you want and look fabulous. You may also discover why certain styles--like boat necks, wide wale cords, skinny belts, whatever--either look great on you, or terrible. Small revelations can help you make powerful changes.
I started at Missus Smarty Pants.com. Good, succint advice for a small fee. Also MyShape.com. This one is free, but you need to spend about 20 minutes with a measuring tape. I wasn't so great at the measuring thing. I like this site because it has lots of clothing choices, and there's a wide range of prices.
The ChicFashionista.com has lots of good advice. Though it tells me I'm a rectangle, and it gave me advice that conflicts with twhat I need to do to minimize my shoulders.
Let me know if you learn anything useful!
Thursday's Ensemble:
Ralph Lauren cotton sweater (Sam's): $23; Jones New York stretchy black jeans (Sam's): $19; Earrings: $7; Earth Spirit Shoes: $30 Total: $79
Friday's Ensemble:
525 America cardigan (Sam's): $20; George slimming cami: $10; Faded Glory cord skirt: $10; Tights: $5; Norma Kamali ballet flats: $20; Necklace: $8; Sterling silver earrings: $12 Total: $85
Have a grrrrreat weekend (couldn't resist that)! xo
Hey lovely Laura,
ReplyDeleteHave fun at the zoo! (I always dread those trips, but someone around here is a budding St. Francis and will not be deterred.) I'm going to check out those sites -- all I know is that I should always avoid shoulder pads and go for either vintage seventies (the good, not the bad), avoid all things eighties, and if I want to make everyone happy, dress in something you'd wear to the Coca Cola Hour given in your honor after graduating high school in the fifties! (something about those dresses is super flattering and makes the top look better, and my own personal triangle of doom (stomach, rear end) look smaller. Love the Ab Fab shoot!
Thanks for the Myshape site! I was goofing around on it for a good chunk of the afternoon and found some REALLY cute outfits (and sent an invitation to my mother and older sister because I know they would love it). It was surprisingly helpful once I got through all of the crazy measurements. :-)
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