Style 303– Body Variations Women come in all shapes, sizes and variations. This Resource looks at body variations, whether they are ‘real’ or something you just feel self conscious about. For instance, some women who are big busted want to emphasise that part of their body, while other women want to camouflage or minimise it. As you work through this week’s Resource, take note of the examples that illustrate the concepts and give you tips and techniques for creating the visual impact that you want… which should lead to you feeling more confident in your outfit choices. Remember, too, the menu analogy – don’t ‘order and eat’ everything in here! And use the suggestion at the end of this week’s lesson: Ask a friend what they think your assets are. You might be surprised at what others see as assets that you ignore!
Transcript
Style 303– Body Variations
Women come in all shapes, sizes and variations. This Resource looks at body variations, whether they are ‘real’ or something you just feel self conscious about. For instance, some women who are big busted want to emphasise that part of their body, while other women want to camouflage or minimise it.
As you work through this week’s Resource, take note of the examples that illustrate the concepts and give you tips and techniques for creating the visual impact that you want… which should lead to you feeling more confident in your outfit choices. Remember, too, the menu analogy – don’t ‘order and eat’ everything in here!
And use the suggestion at the end of this week’s lesson: Ask a friend what they think your assets are. You might be surprised at what others see as assets that you ignore!
Minimising a big bust
• A large bust is a large scale feature. To make it look smaller, wear larger detail next to it, such as large scale necklaces, or wide collars.
• Lower necklines make the expanse appear smaller than high necklines.
• V necks and softly wrapped tops and dresses work well to minimise a large bust
• High necklines are best in lighter, more skin-like colours, with a long necklace or lower neckline vest over the top to draw attention away from the bust expanse.
Same model – different effect. In the photo on the left, her bust looks large and low; in the other photo she looks slim and svelte. Why? • The reason the blue dress emphasises her bust is for
two reasons. Firstly, because it has a high neckline, which makes the bust appear to start from just under the chin and encompass a more vast area. Secondly, the gathering at the neckline and over the bust line adds extra fabric which bulks up the area.
• The black lace dress is more flattering because it has a v-neckline which helps to diminish the apparent size of the bust by dividing the area up. V-necks create flattering diagonal lines which draw attention up to the face, and the cross-over effect also breaks up the bust area, making it appear smaller.
Imogen has bravely put her body on the line – literally! You can see with the thin belt (left) this is sitting on my natural waist - and it appears to be almost under my bust - and makes my upper body very boxy and wide. In the middle picture I've got a wider belt on which is marginally better but still makes my body look short. In the picture on the right I'm wearing a belt on my hips which elongates my torso and makes me look overall slimmer - so if I really want to belt, that is the way for me to go.
Making your bust look larger
• To make an area appear larger, use detail such as frills, flounces, curves and detail to visually increase the size.
• You can also wear a top that has sleeves that end at the bust peak, which will also make your bust look larger.
If you have a small bust and long décolleté, here are some tips and tricks for creating a flattering look: • A good supportive bra, even if your bust is small, will make your
waist look longer and slimmer and will make your bust look less low.
• Fill the space with detail - look for frills round your neck, choose collared shirts or higher necklines rather than open necklines.
• If you're wearing an open neckline fill the space up with jewellery. Unless you've got a dramatic personality, choose a piece that is made up of multiple small pieces rather than one large solid piece.
• Avoid spaghetti straps, they don't take up enough space and will make your bust look very low; instead look for a wider strap.
Here is a look created for a petite curvy woman who had this to say about her body: "I think the biggest issue is dressing my 5'1" body, especially finding petite (short) styles that work for my shape and are flattering. I have broad shoulders, big bust (34DD) and am short-waisted. I am currently size 10 US/14UK. I've settled into very basic no-frills styles and am not a girly-girl, but wouldn't mind adding some softer, more feminine pieces to the mix. I have a pretty good sense of what colors work for me, I'm a warm-toned redhead so love autumn colors and warm greens."
See how these combinations create an attractive and smart look?
When it’s hot, how do you remain stylish but still covered up?
• Look for dresses that suit your body shape, one piece
is often cooler than two pieces. • Draw attention up to your face with jewellery or other
accessories. • Avoid detail at the waist, unless you have a defined
waist. • Look for short sleeves that are either flared, or cut on
the diagonal, which will make your upper arms look smaller.
Hiding your tummy
The top tips for hiding a cuddly tummy:
• Shape wear • Wear jackets and layers • Ruching and wrap/cross-over tops • Don’t belt! • Empire tops
Slimming your waist – jacket choices
Jacket on the left • The waist tie emphasises the width of the waist and creates an
unflattering horizontal on a wider point. • The pockets add detail to the waist which draw attention where
you don't want people to dwell. • The double breasted style adds extra fabric which creates bulk,
plus the buttons draw more horizontal lines.
Jacket on the right • Is single breasted, which creates a vertical line up the centre of
the body which is slimming. • Has vertical detailing through the body which also creates more
slimming lines. • Has gentle waist shaping in the jacket construction which
creates the illusion of a slimmer waist.
Not best Better
Wearing a belt when you don’t have a waist
Option 1 is to wear it low down on the hips rather than at the waist. Preferably with a curved belt that sits higher at the waist and drops down lower at the front. It's best if the belt isn't a high contrast to the clothes you are wearing it over, so it doesn't make too dominant a horizontal line. Option 2 is to create an optical illusion, with a belt underneath a jacket (but be warned, you can't take off the jacket without losing that lovely bit of magic). Belt can be a high contrast to your clothing colours. The effect of the open jacket is that it creates a very short, and thus slimming, horizontal line.
If you don’t have a waist but you want to create some shape through your torso, there are a few ways you can achieve this effect. • Wear a belt in the same colour as you top, and blouse
your top gently over it. • Layer a shorter waist-length shrug or jacket over the top
of a longer t or knit. This will draw attention and highlight your slim waist.
• Wear a wrap top or dress that comes in and highlights your waist.
A column of colour will make your body appear longer. Each time we change colour (eg: shoe to hem, top to bottom) we shorten (and widen) our bodies. Petite women have even more need to create the column as their canvas is smaller. • Blend shoes to pants, or shoes to legs • Wear a dress, then blend or shoes to hosiery • Wear jacket and pants the same colour and colour blend
your shoes, you can then add a different colour as a top to create interest
• Choose colours that are similar in intensity and either monochromatic or next to each other on the colour wheel so that hemlines are less obvious
• Wear knee-high boots when the weather is right for them.
The Rule of Thirds Flattering proportions for any body shape
What is it? The rule of thirds is the breaking up of the body into uneven proportions - in thirds. You can see the two outside pictures are in 1/3 to 2/3 ratios, the two middle pictures are splitting the body into halves. The two outside examples are flattering and the two middle outfits aren’t as visually appealing. When we wear even (vs. uneven) proportions, such as dressing in “halves”, it looks block and boxy and as a result is an unflattering look on many women. Using a 1:2 ratio where we have a longer proportion paired with a shorter proportion (1/3 or 2/3) will elongate your body and provide a more aesthetically pleasing look.
The Rule of Thirds and Columns of Colour Flattering proportions: creating a tall thin silhouette
• You can combine the column of colour concept with the rule of thirds to create a taller, thinner silhouette.
• You will notice in the example the outfit on the left with the longer top that it shortens the legs. Even though the jacket and pants create a column of colour, the longer top and alternate colour shoes shorten the overall look and create a boxy equal halves appearance.
• The outfit on the right with the shorter top and the boots (with heels), creates a 1:2 ratio and is overall a much more appealing look.
• This is why cropped pants can be so unflattering on women who are not particularly tall (and who have shorter legs than torso proportions which we covered in W22), as they shorten the already shorter proportion and throw off the balance.
• You need to be aware of the ‘Frumpy Zone’ and the ‘Style Zone’ when it comes to where you end your skirts and tops.
• The frumpy zones are the widest parts of your legs below your knees.
• Particularly if you have proportionally shorter legs (which many women do), this is a really important tip as longer skirts will shorten your legs, and short legs tend to look frumpy.
• A 20 year old can get away with the longer midi-skirt length, but a 40 year old woman, unless she has really long legs naturally, and wears them with a heel, will end up looking dumpy.
• The Style Zone for ending skirts is between just above the knee, and just below the knee (depending on the shape and length of your legs).
Where to end your tops
• Always remember that balance and proportion are essential to style.
• Your body should look shorter than your legs. If you have short legs and then wear a longer skirt or longer top (particularly with cropped trousers), you will throw off that balance.
• You want your top and bottom to be unequal in length (one longer than the other).
• In the picture to the right, the tops/bottoms on the left are more equal in proportion. Plus the tops end in the ‘Frumpy Zone’ (around the widest part of the hips/thighs).
• The tops on the right end at the ‘Style Zone’. These are the narrower points (waist to hip bone area). The resulting unequal proportions is much more flattering.
Tucking: To tuck or not to tuck
• If you are short through the waist (and especially if you have a medium to large bust), don't tuck! It will make you look even shorter through the waist. This applies to H shapes, O shapes and some V shapes.
• If you are and I, X, A or 8 you can usually tuck happily. • If you are an V shape, and not busty, you can usually tuck if your pants are low
waisted (low-rise). • I, X, A and 8 bodies are usually longer through the waist and so create more
balance when they tuck. They may also draw attention to their slimmer waists by tucking. Plus their legs are often shorter, which means leaving tops untucked will visually shorten their legs even more.
• If you are busty, tucking can be tricky. Why? By the time the fabric goes out to cover your breasts, then back in to tuck, you will be shortened by the extra volume.
• If you are not tucking your tops, they need to be the correct length, which is often for many around the length or within an inch or so of your hip bone (the bone that juts out at the front of your pelvis). This will give you a nice balance of longer legs and a proportioned body.
• If you have a defined waist, show it off! Belt away! • If you have a long waist, wider belts work. • If you have a shorter waist, go for narrower belts so they don't further
shorten your torso. Also, think about colour blending the belt, rather than contrasting the colour of the belt. And of course the opposite applies to the long waisted gal.
• H shapes will find belting difficult, as belts just exaggerate their non-existent waist and make them look even more waist-less; belting just doesn’t have that 'cinching' effect that we so desire. Instead try a curved belt that sits higher at the waist and drops down at the front to sit more on the hips; this will give you an illusion of a more waisted shape.
• Belting usually works well on women with smaller busts. • A large bust will also make you look shorter waisted, and belting will make
your bust look larger. • O shapes are best to belt at the hips, in a non-contrasting colour, if you belt at
all. • You will also find that it's easier to belt a longer garments, such as a dress or a
long cardigan, than a shorter garment, especially if you have a shorter waist.
The fabric a garment is made in can completely alter the way it sits and whether it is flattering or not for your body. If you're a more cushioned type of person, be very aware of the fabrics you choose as they can make you appear to add or lose weight. For example, the shirt on the left is made from a stiffer fabric which stands away from the body, visually adding bulk. It doesn't fall smoothly over the body, but rather creates a tent effect. Compare it to the shirt on the right which is made from a made more drapey fabric. Can you see how more flattering this shirt is on her?
What are your body’s assets? This collection show how the details draw attention to different areas of the body, depending where the colour, accessories, sheen and pattern sit. • Face: draw attention with jewellery /detail high up on garments • Neck: necklaces and high ruffled collars. • Shoulders: interesting lapels and shoulder detail. • Arms: cap sleeves and sleeve detail. • Wrists/hands: cuff detail, bracelets, watches and rings. • Bust: ruffles, sheen, graphics and brighter/lighter colours. • Waist: belts and colour changes at the waist. • Hips/thighs: distressing on denim, colour blocking, hems that
end at the thighs. • Calves: horizontal feature bands at the hem, ruffled skirt and
dress hems. • Feet: Shoes with sparkle and detail, brightly coloured or
This is a simple outfit that creates two focal points: the lower legs and above the décolletage. Add a bracelet and you'd draw attention to your forearms, wrists and hands, choose some glittering earrings to draw attention to your face.
Treat this as your homework for the week: Ask a friend what they think your assets are and really listen to what they say. If it helps, imagine you are talking about a third friend (it can help to ‘step outside yourself’ sometimes!). Allow for the possibility of being surprised at what others see as your assets!
making you look? Design details can draw attention to different parts of your body. The best garments draw the eyes up to the face and away from body parts we may not wish to draw attention to. Which of these tops do you think is more flattering?
• If you have very long slim legs, add shape with boots that end at mid calf.
• Longer skirts and dresses will work for you. • Ankle straps will highlight your fine ankles. • Cuffs on trousers will add some attractive detail. • Straight skirts may be easier to wear as they are more in
• Add length to your legs by keeping your skirts no longer than knee length, slightly shorter will make your legs look longer.
• Heels, if you like them, will add inches to your height. • Colour blend shoes to your pants or skirts to elongate. • Keep pants and skirts free of detail. • Skirts and dresses will make your legs look longer than
pants as you can’t see where the legs start. • Avoid pocket detail or cuffs on pants or skirts which
shorten. • Cropped pants will also shorten your legs.
• Maxi skirt or dress will cover the same way as a pair of trousers. Wear mid-length and team with a heel.
• Look for a skirt that doesn’t end at the widest point of your calf, this will make them look larger.
• Flared skirts in a skin-neutral tone will mean you don’t notice the difference between skin and skirt; add a nude pump and a coloured top with an interesting neckline and/or some jewellery to draw attention up to your face and away from your calves.
• No hem details as this draws attention down to your calves. Keep your skirts and dresses plain and simple at the hem.
• Flared or bootleg trousers and jeans will be more comfortable and flattering than straight or skinny leg.
• Use scarves, necklaces, earrings and brooches to create flattering focal points. Wear lighter and brighter tops teamed with plainer or darker bottoms.
• Sturdy heel such as a cone or stacked heel rather than a stiletto or kitten heel.
• In winter, team a knee-length dark coloured skirt with black opaque tights and black shoes to create an unbroken line.
• In summer, wear thongs/flip-flops to create an unbroken line from your calf to your toes.
• Avoid gladiator sandals and ankle straps on sandals and shoes.
• When your shoes are cut low on your foot (this is the shoe vamp), your leg appears to start from lower down on the foot, rather than higher up or near the ankles…. so legs appear longer.
• Low vamp shoes end near the toes. • High vamp shoes have straps or go further up the foot
and shorten your legs. • Knee-high boots are considered to be low vamp shoes
• If you have either asymmetrical features on your face, such as eyes that are obviously different in size or a bent nose, then you will find that wearing clothes that have asymmetrical features will help to make your face look more symmetrical.
• Alternatively if you have one shoulder higher than the
other or any sort of asymmetry in the body, wearing clothes that are not symmetrical will also be more flattering.
• Belting over the top of your tops to define your newly emerging waist will get you a few extra months from some of your shirts and tops that are now too big for you. Plus belts can keep up your pants and skirts as they get loser around the waist.
• Focus on accessories, wearing a scarf or great necklace or earrings to draw attention up to your face and to dress up your basic clothes and create lots of different looks.
• Wear basics that are easy to mix and match so that nobody notices you’re wearing the same clothes over and over.
• Alter your existing items. Taking in a waistband can make a garment wearable for another few months.
• Look for skirts over pants for your temporary wardrobe, they are easier to fit and are more easily altered and have the ability to fit you at a couple of sizes without looking odd.
• If you must buy, try charity shops, consignment stores and eBay for well priced clothing items to get you through the transition.
• Resell your larger clothes; you won’t be needing them anymore!
We have covered a lot of territory in these last three lessons on style. Remember to take only what is relevant, useful and interesting for you now. Leave the rest. It will be here when you are ready for or need it. You can always come back to the ‘restaurant’ and choose other menu items, right?!
Understanding your style is always a work-in-progress. Why?
• Your body is always changing – it is a living dynamic system and is never static. • Understanding and applying these principles of body shape, body proportion and body
variations can take some time (months, years in some cases) to truly grasp and apply to your own body.
• It’s boring to be always dressing the same way. Adding in some variety, through exploration and play, is necessary to add some variety and fun in how you dress!
So please see these lessons in Month 5 as your ticket to play and explore for the rest of your Year Without Clothes Shopping – and beyond!
Questions to ponder. Let’s finish up Month 5, and Week 23 in particular with
some reflection questions.
What changes have I made to my wardrobe (and my attitude) based on these last few weeks’ focus on style?
I’m now confident about….
Month Five Summary Colour and style are essential building blocks to creating a truly wonderful, working wardrobe. Even if you have been exposed to some of these concepts before, we hope you have taken away something new this month. We are living, dynamic creatures – our bodies are constantly changing, and nothing is ever static. Being attuned to what makes us feel, and look good, is an important way of feeling confident on a consistent basis. Wearing colours and styles that are most flattering to us is one way to increase our confidence quotient.
Remember to pick up this month’s Bonus Resource– it’s all about those small, but important, foundation garments, written by Australia’s Bra Queen. And - well done for your participation this month!
About Imogen Lamport, Month 5 guest contributor
Imogen Lamport AICI CIP created her image consultancy, Bespoke Image with a clear mission – to help people look amazing every day without stress and confusion. With a lifelong
fascination of the how and why Imogen is fascinated by the science and the art of style. Imogen has been a guest on radio and TV shows talking about image related topics and loves empowering women to look and feel their best. Imogen currently trains people to become image consultants through the Absolute Image Training Institute in Melbourne, which she runs with her New Zealand business partner, Jan Fisher. She also conducts workshops for retail optometrists, and works with cancer patients through the Look Good Feel Better organization. To book a personal consultation with Imogen, contact her through Bespoke Image.
