MissusSmartyPants Personal Profile Style Article Volume 9 Week 4 January 23, 2014 A Matter Of Proportions Remember: only the last 4 weeks remain posted! Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions. Coco Chanel What does it mean when someone says your dress looks perfect on you? And how about this style quandary...why did your friend look so fabulous in her wedding dress? Why is it some women, no matter their age, shape or size look fabulous in their clothes; while for you it s hit or miss sort of thing? What s their secret? It s a matter of proportions! As a stylist, I can tell you... it s the proportions. The proportions of her dress that were exactly right for her body. As your stylist, it s my job to help you find YOUR best clothing choices based on your body s shape (your body type) and your particular body measurements (that s what this article is all about)! Coco Chanel understood proportions quite well. Her approach to fashion was very much the same as an architect s approach to creating buildings. Just as proportions create perfect architecture, they also create the perfect dress on a woman.
It s not just about the proportions of the dress itself, it s about the shape and proportions of the woman IN the dress. The dress must fit its wearer. Every woman should do two things: dress for her body type AND dress for her body s vertical proportions. Great style is about learning to work with your body s shape & proportions!!! The object of dressing proportionally (balancing your shape) is to make your body appear as close to an hourglass shape as possible. This is why certain styles of clothes either work for you--or they don t. There is nothing wrong with you--it s the clothes! Let s measure your body s vertical proportions and see how you stack up...
1. Measure from the top of your head to your hip 2. Measure from your hip down to the floor Measure these 2 areas on your body to identify your proportions... Are they equal or unequal? A Balanced Body (both proportions about the same) Long Legs / Short Torso Short Legs / Long Torso You may have long legs with a short torso or short legs and a long torso. These vertical proportions can not be changed with diet and exercise. These are your unique body proportions--and the key to looking fabulous is working with them to create a balanced look!
Balanced: Most styles and clothing lengths work for you If your body s 2 measurements are not equal proportions (balanced)... then you need to adjust your body s proportions (using the correct clothing)...
Long Torso: Your goal is to shorten your torso Your goal is to visually adjust your body s long waist by choosing the following dressing suggestions to help you: Tuck-in your tops and blouses Wear belts that match your pants or skirt Wear shorter jackets and blazers (avoid long ones) Wear shorter necklaces and scarves Wear mid-rise (or higher) pants, high-waist skirts Wear straight skirts and straight-legged pants Wear heeled shoes to extend your leg length Wear monochromatic outfits
Long Torso? Avoid these: cropped pants, long tunic tops and sweaters, skirts that stop at mid-calf, A-line skirts.
Short Torso: Your goal is to lengthen your torso Your goal is to visually adjust your body s short torso to balance your longer leg length. Choose the following dressing suggestions to help you: Wear mid-length tunics, blouson tops, dropped-waist styles and longer tops Avoid tucking in tops Choose deep v-neck tops, open shirts, longer necklaces and scarves Select low to mid-rise pant styles Skinny belts or low slung belts to add length to your torso Choose belts that match your top Wear low to medium heels Wear vertical stripes
Short Torso? Avoid these: cropped jackets, empire waists, wide belts, high waist pants and skirts, short tops, do NOT tuck in your tops. Move the lines to create your best visual look. By moving the horizontal lines created by your clothing...you ll look more balanced aka visually appealing. It s this simple: long waist--wear clothing that shortens it, on the other hand, if you ve got a short waist--wear styles to lengthen it. Notice how moving the waist up makes her appear slimmer (the dark-colored skirt also helps to slim)...
1. Your neck and shoulders. This is a very important area on a woman s body. It s a main highlight area. Your neck and shoulders frames your upper torso and best of all, your face and pretty smile. So ask yourself, is your neck/chest space long or is it limited? Can you easily wear turtlenecks and chokers? If not, you may need to lower your lines of your neckline to show more skin. Lengthen your neck: v-necks, scoop-neck tops, unbuttoned open collars. Use jewelry such as: long necklaces, pendant necklaces, long strand of pearls, long scarves. V-necks slim the torso and frame the face... 2. Your waist. Having a defined waist is fabulous. It is something we all yearn for. However, equally (if not more) important is the location of your waist on your body. For example, a petite woman highlighting her waistline can bring attention downward emphasizing her very small stature--not a good thing. Remember: women with short waists appear more balanced in tops that fall an inch or two below the waist or hipbone. Longer waists, need slightly shorter hemlines--short waists need slightly longer. 3. Your wrist. Sleeve length is another horizontal line can make or break your visual impression. However, women don t pay enough attention to it. Sleeves that are too short make you look silly, while sleeves too long make you look elf-ish or just plain sloppy! Sleeves fitted right at the wrist bones make every woman look her best. Be sure to also take into consideration the fullness of the sleeves. Sleeves look their best when they are body skimming not overly full.
Full bottom gals look best with long sleeves and 3/4 sleeves (vs. short sleeves) to balance out their ample bottom. 4. Your skirt/dress hemline. Every season hemlines go up and down with the trends. What s more important than the current skirt trends? Knowing what hemline looks right on YOU--and wearing it! Universally flattering: hemlines that hit at or around the knee are best. If you like your knees or are petite, you can raise your hemline up a bit. Or if you aren t so fond of your legs and/or knees, keep the hemline just below your kneecap (this is the narrowest, most flattering area on the leg). Check out my MSP blog post on skirt length. Here s another way you can measure to find YOUR best length: http://www.missussmartypants.blogspot.com/2010/09/findyour-ideal-skirt-length.html 5. Your pant length. More than likely you wear pants quite often, if not everyday. Wouldn t you like to know you are wearing the right pant length? Correct pant length is: when your pant slightly breaks on top of the front of your shoe and the back pant hem is at the midpoint of your shoe.
TIP: Create the longest, leanest look by wearing stockings or trouser socks and shoes in the same color as your pants. 6. Your jacket length and shape. This is by far one of the best style tools any woman can use to adjust her proportions...it s also a completer piece to any outfit! Just like with skirt and dress hemlines, you must find the best jacket length and shape for YOUR body s proportions so you will look your best. Jacket length. Start by standing in front of a full-length mirror. Put on a blazer and review the length. As a woman s height and leg length increases...so can the length of her jacket! TIP: Take the time to find your shirt and jacket lengths! This is one of the most critical areas that makes or breaks your body s proportions--so get it right! This is the most noticeable horizontal line on your body especially if the top and bottom colors are in sharp contrast to each other. Get in front of a full-length mirror and decide how long or how short a jacket you can wear. What is the best length...mid-hip? Why do I look dumpy? You can look either balanced or heavier... but you don t know why. The most common imbalance problem arises because you think a longer shirt or jacket will cover up everything. This can work but it can also throw off your proportions and make you look bigger! When you wear a long top or jacket you will appear heavier because you have shortened the length of your leg. ***Longer leg length equals a more balanced proportion and makes you appear taller and slimmer.
This is a good jacket because it nips in at the waist and the length works well for most... Olivia Moon Blazer (misses, petites) Experiment to find the right tops and jackets (lengths) for your body. Again, use your 3-way mirror and check the view at every angle. If your bottom half is more prominent, you can bring your length down a bit to cut your booty size down but still keep your leg length to be balanced. Experiment by trying on lots of jackets and examining the length. Use the fit guidelines in your Personal Profile to help you find the best styles for your body type. Jacket shape. The most flattering shape is one that skims your body vs. a baggy boyfriend jacket that leans toward overly-big and sloppy. ALERT! A MSP Style Challenge!!! Quick! Go to your closet and pull out your favorite jacket, blouse, knit top, pants, skirt and dress. Here s a peek inside my closet...i think I ll paint the walls a pretty color, what do you think?
Take this Style Challenge! Examine each piece (your favorite jacket, blouse, knit top, pants, skirt and dress) and ask yourself WHY is this item my favorite? How does it make you feel when you wear it? Slimmer, more comfortable or well puttogether; or perhaps all three? More than likely, the length is just right or the neckline perfect for you. This is worthwhile information to know because it s the key to dressing well. When you understand the why s you will repeat this process throughout your wardrobe. REMEMBER: Learning to balance the top half of your body in relation to the bottom half is the key to creating your most flattering looks--over and over. It s what can make you look perfect in your clothes--every time. Copyright 2006-14 LagTag LLC All rights reserved. This message may not be forwarded or reproduced in any format without the express written consent of MissusSmartyPants.com. Violators will be unsubscribed