In learning to dress to my figure, I've discovered there are certain styles that I simply cannot pull off. Not with this particular conformation of boobs, belly, and butt. But other styles I can rock almost effortlessly, knowing full well that they are challenging for women with other body types. Which got me thinking ...
1. What style do you wish looked better on your bod?
2. What tricky-to-pull-off style looks positively amazing on you?
For me?
1. I long to look lean and mean in super skinny jeans. Yeah, I've got a pair of fitted straightlegs that I can almost pull off with a carefully selected voluminous tunic ... but true skinnies draw your eye TO my ample tuchus and AWAY FROM my slender calves. Beh.
2. But I sure can rock dresses with full skirts. Anything that nips in at the waist and then flares waaaaay out makes me look like a flippin' Disney princess - eensy, girly, enviable.
Huzzabut you? For which style do you pine? And which one makes you deeply proud of your genetic lot?
January 16, 2009
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48 comments:
I say black and tight!
hehehe
a kiss friend!
1. I too would love to be able to rock skinny jeans. I also love the look of leggings with mini-skirts, but look ridiculous wearing them.
2. I love the way stuff with a cinched waist looks on me, especially A-line dresses.
1. The kind of simply cut, yet elegant dress that Michelle Obama wears *ought* to fit my style but looks like hell on me -- I'm not ROUND enough.
2. I'm the one woman on the planet who doesn't look frumpy in mid-calf skirts.
I have always wanted to wear long lean bias cut dresses, but there is no way it's going to work with my lumps and bumps. But, since I have tiny size 6 1/2 feet, I can rock a sparkly shoe.
well, I have the same problems as you and so one and two are true for me too! I wish I could rock above the knee staight denim skirts better!
i'm with you on the skinny leg thing...instead, i opt for high waisted jeans with a tucked in blouse.
Humm...Great questions! Sometimes I wish I had bigger boobs to fill out vintage bathing suits...lol! Then again because I'm small up top I can wear low cut dresses and such without falling out or looking too risk-ay! :o)
I'd love to be able to wear a va-va-voom wiggle dress, but lack the bust to pull it off. However, mod A-line dresses were just MADE for my figure.
I'd love to be able to wear backless or low-backed tops and dresses, but nature had other ideas!
I do look awesome in flared miniskirts though, my legs are quite fabulous if I say so myself!
1.) I'm right there with ya about the skinnies! My round butt (which is just getting *rounder* due to working out--that's not supposed to happen! haha!) and upper legs just don't look great in anything that emphesizes the width there.
2.) Anything with a super-high waist! I have a very long torso, so wide belts and things that sit slightly above my waist (as long as their fitted/nip in at the waist) look smashing on me. My husband says I'm the only gal he's ever seen that can pull off a 3.5" wide belt and not look "boob-y". lol.
Thanks for this post... always balancing what I can't wear with what I can rock is good therapy!!! :D
Hi there-I really love bodycon dresses, but I think those days are gone!
Oh I always cheat with undergarments to create whatever silhoutte I want to achieve - I'll do bust or tummy reduction or use belts strategically depending on the outer garment or look. It's getting harder to disguise bits now though!!
1) Sweater dresses. They cling to my boobs and hips, and bag at the waist. I end up looking like a slutty rectangle.
2) I can rock the loose t-shirt, skinny jeans look, no problem.
Little Audrey: You're my all-time favorite slutty rectangle, baby.
1. Column dresses (since I have very womanly hips and not so womanly boobs - classic pear) and shorts (since I have genetic knee pudge that will never go away no matter how skinny I am).
2. Halter tops (because I have kick ass slim arms no matter where my weight is currently yo-yo'ing)
Would love to be...TALLER! If I had longer legs, I could definitel pull off the over the knee pencil skirts a little better.
I honestly can say that the hour glass, tailored/tight clothing are what I like most and can pull off. Love tailored office dresses and pencil skirts.
My only wish was that I weren't so petite.
1) blah i'm flat chested.. so i wish i'd look older than 12 in swimwear!!
2) puff skirts!
I'm a little stick so anything with frills, ruffles, tiers or bows to add shape work wonderfully.
That being said, I can't wear more structured, simple and chic basics very well.
I would kill to be able to wear Joan Holloway's wardrobe on Mad Men (Christina Hendricks).
I wish I could also pull off skinny jeans, but my butt just doesn't fit in them! Think I do anything waisted pretty good...and I always love a good cardigan.
1. I can't do empire waists or floor-length skirts. Empire waists always make me look like I'm pregnant since I'm already kind of petite and they hide my waist. Floor-length skirts and maxi dresses look so good on other people but they'd totally overwhelm me. :(
2. I love how I look in deep V tops. I've got sharp collarbones, broad shoulders, and a small chest, and whenever I wear a deep V I feel sexy and elegant, but because I don't have loads of cleavage, I don't feel slutty.
I wish I could wear girly summer dresses with narrow straps and deep necklines, without appearing slutty. Sometimes boobs destroy a look.
On the other hand, I can totally pull off the 40's silhouette with a high, narrow waist and knee-length everything.
I can't pull of anything that is straight, or something that doesn't go in enough at the waist (like a shift dress or a t-shirt) - I've got big boobs, and a big butt, and if something doesn't come in at my waist I just look like a huge shapeless chunk. My boobs also mean it's way too easy to look slutty, and that most things that require a strapless bra (like boatneck, halter top, strapless, spaghetti straps....) are out. I do have a good strapless bra, but my chest is heavy and it's just easier and better to go with a real bra. And there is NO chance of me hanging free!
Of course, on the other side of the coin, I like that when I wear something that really nips in at the waist, or when I get something tailored to fit me perfectly, it does show off my tiny waist. I feel Old-Hollywood glam.
1. I'd love to be able to wear that vintage Audrey Hepburn black-sweater-and-slim-ankle-toreador-pants look, but too many curves.
2. I have slim ankles and fairly slim calves, so can wear most knee high boots, love how those look on me with an A-line or pencil skirt!
I would like to be able to pull off a voluminous look...I can't understand why roomier clothes stick to my least favorite parts rather than hiding them!
1. Flats - I wish i could pull them off w/out looking stumpy
2. I have a really short torso and my bottom half is longer so anything short works for me.
Ah. I'm the same. I'd LOVE to pull of a pair of J Brand skinny jeans and look hot in them!
Alas. I tend to look good in dresses that flair out, with a nipped in waist. I'm a big fan of belts & 50's dresses. I'm a definite pear shape.
(1) Because I am amply endowed on top, halter tops, deep v-necks, and backless dresses make me look like a desperate street-walker. Anything without a well defined waist (like baggy tops and skinny jeans) makes me look like a hot dog on a stick.
(2) However, I have narrower hips and nice calves, so I look great in a snug knee length pencil skirt and high heels. Yummy.
(3) But now I'm 6 months pregnant, so I am a hot dog on a stick! My new favorite look: above-the-knee knit dresses over bootleg pants or knee length skirts with a long cardigan. And comfy footwear (sigh).
I love this blog! Esp. the prettypolls.
1. I love bias-cut gowns--have a lot of 30s nightgowns that I love! I'm visualizing Carole Lombard but the reality's more like Carol Burnett....except I think La Burnett has less tum-tum than I do!
2. On the other (positive) hand, I have nice bum and shapely legs. So short skirts and crazy tights look good on me. I just take pains to conceal the buddha belly,
I wish that collars looked edgy, instead of conservative, on me.
Congrats on your essay on NPR's website, by the way!
Would love to be able to wear strapless and halters easily (without ridiculous bra contraption that takes the effortless sexy out of them).
I do rock the skinny pants, though!
Thank you for asking us to balance out the neg with a positive :)
1. Drop-waist dresses. I'd love to rock that 20's flapperish shape, but my insanely long torso looks endless in those.
2. Mini skirts. Mini anything actually, I'd like to think I have great legs. Even though my torso prevents them from being longer, hahaha.
1. Mens clothing (classic boyfriend t-shirt stealing etc) looks really bad on me. I always wanted to be one of those girls who throws on her boyfriend's old shirt and jeans and looks adorable. But no, just no.
2. I think I look pretty good in drop crotch pants. Always get compliments and man attention in them.
1. I would love to be able to wear white jeans, but light colors accentuate my pear shape, so my thighs look about 3X bigger.
2. However, I love my tiny waist and belt everything. I have a leopard-print dress I wear with a patent belt--va va voom!
I love wearing heels and look great in waist defining jackets/blouses/dresses. Ironically, though, I have a LOT of trouble figuring out how to wear belts and try as I might pants tucked into boots is a way no go for me. Also I am so short-waisted almost anything in the pants department with a high waist looks ridiculous on me and hits me in all the wrong places.
1- mini skirts (almost never wear them, because of my knees) and knitted dresses (my hips always appear)
2- All kind of tops
Have a nice weekend dear and any plans for tomorrow????
Love
xoxo
1. I would love to be able to wear waisted garments - belted garments, 1950s style dresses, Audrey Hepburn style. Wrap dresses are atrocious on me. I just don't have enough of a waist to pull the look off - I just look boxy.
2. I have long legs and can wear mid-calf skirts if I want. I also look great in pencil skirts. I can wear ankle straps on shoes as I have slender ankles and long legs.
It's all swings and roundabouts!
ha! Your "problem" look is the same as mine!
These skinny pants with loose tunics look so edgy and chic! But if I pull a pair on, they only call attention to my hips and thighs. Even my darling guy who loves my curves says, "that doesn't make you look good, honey."
I adore floaty delicate empire-silhouette dresses. Especially if they're in the ivory/cream/oatmeal family. And you know what? I'm nearly 6' tall and I'm pretty slim with little boobage, so I look neither pregnant nor like a floozy. I'm totally down with that.
I'm actually really interested in exploring other styles that celebrate my height. I've got a glorious pair of wide leg jeans, a floor-length skirt, and I never worry about where cropped pants hit me ... what else would work for me, eh Sal?
I'm with Wendy B. I wish I could pull off more volume and unusual shapes. But whenever I try to look edgy with a complicated piece I just look odd!
1. Lately I wish I could wear more mini skirts, but my legs are simply not built for them!
2. Thanks to my waist line, belts are my best friends. I'm always belting up dresses, and it never goes wrong. I can also wear slouchy tshirts pretty well too since I'm fairly tall (but it sometimes depends on the length).
Good poll. I knew immediately what to answer to the first question, while for the second I had to think a bit more...
I whished I could wear better... crewneck tees and sweaters. I look fat(ter) in them, even if I am not! Can't explain how it is yet!
I can wear ankle-strap shoes without looking shorter/my legs looking bigger, b/c I have a pretty narrow ankle.
1. I am extremely short-waisted with broad hips and ribcage/shoulders, and it's challenging to find tops and dresses that make my torso look hourglass, not square. (Belts at my natural "waist" are SO uncomfortable- there's just not enough room!)
2. Boot-leg pants (especially with a mid rise and stretch!) allow me to rock my curves and feel comfortable all day long.
1. I also wish I could wear skinny jeans. Or boot-leg jeans. Really, any jeans. But it's not just my hips and thighs--my legs are big all the way down! By the same token, wish I could wear ankle-strap shoes. Wish I could wear boots without trying on 3,500 pairs to find some that will zip over my calves. Wish I could wear floaty summer dresses with no bra. Can't wear miniskirts either, but actually don't care about that.
2. Again with the flared skirt and nipped-in waist. Clingy sweaters with open necklines (scoop neck, U-neck, square neck, wide V). Also, maybe I'm deluding myself, but I think calf-length skirts look just fine on me, maybe because that mythical slim spot at the top of the calf does not actually exist on my legs.
Wish I could pull off more hippie-chic or rocker looks. They just make me look silly. I, on the other hand, love my skinny jeans & am thankful I can wear them successfully.
As a super petite woman, even with some curves, I actually think skinny jeans look better than bootcut on me: they make my legs look longer. I have to pair them with a longer fitted shirt in order to keep from looking like a lollipop: round on top, sticks on the bottom. However, for my protective casual yet nice job, I wear straight or trouser jeans to look a little more professional and less like a college student. The beloved bootcut makes my thighs look enormous!
Me too on the skinny jeans. Actually, I'd love to be able to buy ANY jeans easily, instead of having to do the Endless Quest for a pair that will accommodate my huge muscular thighs and bubble butt without leaving room for a cat in the back waistband. (Also, can anyone EXPLAIN TO ME how jeans designers manage to make jeans that are tight in the front on the curvy, and STILL bag out over the ass?)
Other things I wish I could wear, but can't: little camis (braless is never a good look for me and my upper arms are too hefty for most things sleeveless); halter tops of any kind (oh man, Shoulders of Doom approaching, with no neck attached!); the new bulky sweaters (anything large hung over my shoulders makes all of me that wide - again, not good); dropped waists and 20s style loose dresses (spent some time in high school trying that - v. unflattering!).
Things I can wear: low-cut pants and jeans (I'll mourn the end of that trend); and, paradoxically, if they fit, super HIGH-waisted pants and skirts (emphasise my fabulous hourglass). I also look really good, if I do say so myself, in the much-maligned empire tops and dresses, as long as the empire comes securely under my boobs, and the body is flared rather than gathered.
I've always wished that I could wear tall boots, but I have the thickest calves you've ever seen on a girl...
But! I have skinny feet, so I can rock any high heel or non-boot shoe. :-D
1. I would like to be able to rock bubble skirts. I know they are totally passée now, but I love how whimsical they are. I'm too tall for them though and they end up making my hips look bigger than they already are. le sigh.
2. I totally rock the skinny jeans. Sorry girls. In all honesty though I think my hips are a bit too big for skinny jeans but I get steadily smaller as you go down so my ankles swim in them haha. I'm also really fond of high waisted skirts because my waist while wide length wise is very small width wise (or, ----- front -- side.)
I'm 5'2" with teeny narrow feet and serious cankles, so even if I could find boots that fit me (and I never have EVER, unless you're counting ugly-ass velcro snow boots), they'd probably turn me into the mayor of Stumpytown.
I can, however, rock a pair of wild eyeglasses. Glasses are far and away my favorite accessory-- I have about a dozen pairs. It makes me so sad that fashion spreads almost never show models wearing glasses (even though nearly everyone needs some kind of vision correction by the time they reach adulthood and contacts just aren't an option for a lot of people) because the right pair can totally transform your entire look.
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