Fashion 101: Proportions

Posted on | April 1, 2009 | 31 Comments

all-three

While each of us is studying to become an expert in some field, none of us presume to be experts in proportion, much less fashion in general. We’ve found that putting together these Fashion 101′s have helped us understand more about the ways that we dress and how we can do it better. Some of our readers have recently asked us about doing a Fashion 101 series on proportion. Honestly, that is not something that we had thought about consciously before, but we are excited for the chance develop a methodology and be more self-conscious about the choices that we make.

It may strike some as strange that we, as self-proclaimed feminist scholars, seem to be talking about how we want to make our bodies appear more like a particular cultural ideal. We’re not. Believe us, we are quite familiar with a whole host of literature on the body as a social construct and the last thing we want to do is acquiesce uncritically to cultural norms. While a plurality of positions are certainly available, we all believe that women have more options than the binary of either “buying in” or “opting out” of the body ideals perpetuated by the media and culture.

Being pragmatic about the bodies that we do have gives us agency: we can be active in constructing our identities, how we present ourselves to the world. It’s difficult to look objectively at your own body, and all of us were surprised when confronted with the silhouettes we made for this module. Recognizing the features that we love about our bodies gives us something to positively play up, rather than only thinking about getting dressed as a process of minimizing perceived flaws. Proportion is not size or skinniness; it is about finding a shape that works for you.

In this Fashion 101 series on proportions, we will deconstruct how each of us play with proportions of our clothes and accessories in different ways. In Module One, we will explore how we use clothing to change the appearance of the shape and proportion of our bodies. In Module Two, we will take the opposite approach and investigate how we can use outfits to emphasize the features that make us feel best about our bodies. Finally, in Module Three, we will push ourselves to experiment with shapes and proportions that we would instinctively steer away from. We will also evaluate how we can make spring trends work for our bodies.

We want to emphasize that these modules are our personal explorations of how each of us use clothes to present the body that makes us feel the most comfortable and confident. While our bodies may not look like yours, we hope this Fashion 101 series will encourage you to play with proportion in new ways to show off the body that you have. Check back this weekend when we post Module One. And, in the meantime, we welcome your comments and e-mails on how we can make this experiment as effective as possible!

Category: Fashion 101, Proportionally
Tags: how to > proportion > style

Comments

31 Responses to “Fashion 101: Proportions”

Marieke
April 1st, 2009 @ 12:16 pm

This is SO cool! I look forward to these modules in particular. One question: How did you create these silhouettes? I can see them as being useful tools for all women in really ‘seeing’ themselves and understanding their body shape objectively.
Heidi
April 1st, 2009 @ 12:17 pm

Lurker here! Just wanted to say I’m so excited for this module! I’m really in need of some inspiration in this area.
zee
April 1st, 2009 @ 12:35 pm

Oh thank goodness! I’m tired of being jerked around by the fashion “experts” about my body proportions. First I hear, “If you don’t have a tiny waist, define it! Belts and wrap dresses for you!”; then I’m told, “If you’re thick in the middle, avoid belts and anything that draw attention!” This should be a great exercise.
Kayla
April 1st, 2009 @ 12:37 pm

I am excited for this Module! I’m starting to figure out that sometime in the last year or so my mother’s hips have appeared on mine, and my adolescent tall gangly look as moved away. This will be an educational lesson and I’m sure will get creative, especially with E’s ever growing belly! The silhouettes are so cute! I agree with Marieke. Even taking pictures more often of just me has made me really see myself with much different eyes in terms of proportion.
Michelle (PinQue)
April 1st, 2009 @ 3:06 pm

SO excited for this! Can’t wait to see what you come up with for shorties like me :)
e.
April 1st, 2009 @ 3:35 pm

Thanks for your enthusiasm, ladies! We encourage all of you to try this right along with us and figure out what proportions are right for you. We’re not planning to dispense advice-from-on-high, so we’d love to hear what insights you gain from being more self-conscious about figuring out why the outfits that make you feel awesome about your body do exactly that.

@Marieke – I made the silhouettes in Photoshop, using pictures we took of ourselves against blank walls in our homes. If you Google “iPod silhouette tutorial” you’ll find lots of directions on making your own in Photoshop. A more low-tech version would be to take a photo of yourself (we wore camis and short shorts), print it out on your home printer, and then outline your body with a sharpie. Then, trace that outline onto a fresh sheet of paper. Like I said, low-tech, but I think the end result — being able to see your body shape more objectively — is about the same!
LeeHovey (Kendra)
April 1st, 2009 @ 3:52 pm

Those sillouettes are awesome! I think every women should have someone else make a sillouette of them and mix them up with a bunch of others and then try to pick out your own shape. I bet 90% of women would pick the wrong shape, showing them how dismorphic we see ourselves.
S.
April 1st, 2009 @ 4:04 pm

@Kendra – so true! That would be a great exercise testing how you see yourself! I think looking in the mirror, we tend to zone in on the problem spots, seeing a silhouette really forces you to see the whole package!
Jozee
April 1st, 2009 @ 6:45 pm

great idea! i look forward to more on this…

also, i don’t agree that this is necessarily striving for some “cultural ideal” created by a male-dominant society. isn’t it just a biological ideal? (obviously, not including the models with concave chests here). biologically speaking though, there’s reason for that 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio, and trying to create that silhouette even if your body type doesn’t fit the bill is catering to a biological given truth: that ratio means reproductive gold. is it anti-feminist to be pro-biology/reproduction?

what i’m saying is: i don’t think you guys should feel the need to defend yourselves in this way! it’s definitely a worthwhile endeavour.
Melinda
April 1st, 2009 @ 8:24 pm

Hello! I just found this blog and I love it!!! Also, those silhouettes are awesome. I am also a graduate student but I find myself wearing gym clothes too often.. reading this blog encourages me to get dressed… instead of sweats.
Kari
April 1st, 2009 @ 11:39 pm

S, E, and A: I’ve been reading your blog for a while but don’t think I’ve ever commented before. I want to say that I found your color tutorials so fun, helpful and eye-opening – especially for someone like me who has a hard time color/pattern-mixing. Thank you for laying out your concepts so clearly and demonstrating/experimenting with your ideas! I’m still trying to grasp the basics, but little by little I’m getting there.

That being said, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see the topic of proportions and body type come up in your Fashion 101 series. To be honest, I assumed that all three of you ladies had nearly identical body types when I looked through your photos. It’s fascinating to look at the silhouettes and realize that even with E’s pregnancy aside, each of you has a different and beautiful body type with variations that I never noticed before. I really look forward to seeing your modules and how they influence your individual use of proportion.

I agree with some of the other commenters that taking a picture like this of myself – even a low-tech version like E’s suggestion – would be incredibly useful in identifying exactly how my body is shaped and how I can dress it to best advantage. I’ll give it a shot sometime this week (though probably won’t be brave enough to post the result!)
Danielle
April 2nd, 2009 @ 5:49 am

im so looking forward to this!!! can’t wait for module one!!!
Kelly
April 2nd, 2009 @ 7:33 am

I seriously love these silhouettes. Now I’m itching to do one of my own!
2 April 2009 - A Day Without Belting : academichic
April 2nd, 2009 @ 12:06 pm

[...] I try to figure out why this works for me today, I’m considering this a warm-up exercise for our upcoming Fashion 101 on Proportions! Category: Color Combinations, Dresses for Day, Layers Upon Layers, Preggers, Teaching [...]
Amelia
April 2nd, 2009 @ 8:52 pm

You ladies are awesome– just AWESOME!! I oogle your site everyday ever since I found the complementary colors module while browsing one day– even my husband was impressed! Keep up the good work!
Imogen Lamport
April 4th, 2009 @ 3:11 am

Body shape is actually much less important than proportion.

The reason we like proportion so much is that it relates to the Golden Mean ratio (1:2, 2:3, 3:5 etc) which is everywhere in nature. It is the proportion that we find aesthetically pleasing, it is the ratio that a leaf, a fern frond, a snowflake and a snails shell and even great teeth are created in.

If we dress proportionately, we are more beautiful because we find nature so attractive.

It is not about fitting the body to some cultural norm, but being one with nature.
6 April 2009 - Snow Day? : academichic
April 6th, 2009 @ 7:33 am

[...] our first day of our Fashion 101 on Proportions, I am — somewhat by necessity — keeping things simple. The Midwest Weather Beings [...]
7 April 2009 - Finding a Great Fit : academichic
April 7th, 2009 @ 5:54 am

[...] this week’s Fashion 101 we’re discussing our own body issues and how we create proportions that appear more pleasing [...]
8 April 2009 - Two Dresses and an Empire Waist : academichic
April 8th, 2009 @ 8:42 am

[...] a tad short for a more professional setting. But I present it to you as Exhibit A for today’s Proportions discussion. Voila the Empire Waist! [...]
Fashion 101: Proportions - Featuring Your Best : academichic
April 13th, 2009 @ 5:20 am

[...] this second module of our Fashion 101 on Proportions, we will explore how we use clothing to emphasize the aspects of our bodies we love the most. As we [...]
Proportions: Making Styles Work For Us : academichic
April 20th, 2009 @ 4:48 pm

[...] week in our Fashion 101 on Proportions we will push ourselves to experiment with shapes and proportions that we would instinctively steer [...]
Rose
April 30th, 2009 @ 5:46 am

This post totally rocks
23 April 2009 - Cropped : academichic
May 10th, 2009 @ 6:12 am

[...] have a difficult time with this look because I have a short torso and the cropped, boxy look of this trend stunts my upper body even more. But I love how E. wears [...]
16 April 2009 : academichic
May 10th, 2009 @ 6:25 am

[...] feature to appreciate and certainly would be more fitting to one of our color modules than the proportion modules; but, reading everyone’s lists, I was reminded that my list should include my blue eyes, [...]
14 June 2009 : academichic
June 15th, 2009 @ 10:39 am

[...] The belt was a necessary addition for changing the empire waist to a high waist — a much more flattering silhouette for me. -A Back, originally uploaded by academichic. Category: Dresses for Evening, Layers Upon Layers, [...]
20 October 2009 – Secrets Revealed : academichic
October 20th, 2009 @ 2:59 pm

[...] it certainly works better under some items than others. Because it is a square cut (all wrong for my proportions) and not all that long, under a shape-hugging sweater like this, it needs to be held in place. [...]
22 October 2009 – Let’s Go NaNoWriMo! : academichic
October 22nd, 2009 @ 8:52 am

[...] a last note on today’s outfit – it was an exercise in proportions as well as in colors. One of my favorite color combinations is neutrals with a pop, especially a [...]
27 October 2009 – HELP! : academichic
October 27th, 2009 @ 5:14 pm

[...] any suggestions? I have hips and thighs but a rather small waist so I need something with a higher rise. I am willing to spend a little money but can’t [...]
16 March 2010 : academichic
March 16th, 2010 @ 1:59 am

[...] I noted in our series on Proportions, I have a high natural waist and am most aware of my midsection when dressing. Right now, I’m [...]
15 April 2010 : academichic
April 16th, 2010 @ 7:27 am

[...] I realized it was that the faux-wrap part of the dress hit me too high. I often have issues with proportions in dresses because I have both long legs and a long torso so things are often too short and the [...]
14 June 2010 – Deep Thoughts on Fashion Blogging : academichic
June 14th, 2010 @ 7:59 am

[...] empire waist tops, and loose blouses work really well with my shape. Someone with more of an hourglass figure might do well to pack tops that define a waist and show off some curves, but for me, it ends up [...]