6 April 2009 – Snow Day?, originally uploaded by academichic.
Sources:
- Brown cardi, lace print top, trouser jeans, gray wedges: all remixed.
End Notes:
For our first day of our Fashion 101 on Proportions, I am — somewhat by necessity — keeping things simple. The Midwest Weather Beings decided to do what they do best and, well, SNOW today. In April. After I no longer fit any of my pullover sweaters.
As I mentioned in our introduction yesterday, I have what I sometimes fondly refer to as a “never-ending torso.” It took a long time for me to realize that I have a long torso. In college, I never understood why my roommate’s shirts never quite made it to my belly button and why I looked terribly awkward in low rise jeans. Once I recognized my particular proportion, though, I learned that I would be a lot happier if I used my clothes to lengthen my legs and to break up my torso.
Of course, now that I’m preggers, there’s another dimension to consider in all this! There is no such thing as higher waist pregnancy jeans, for example! So, throughout the week I’ll frequently be describing tips that I used pre-pregnancy and have adapted to fit my particular style moment.
Today I’m combining two surefire strategies: heels and a belt. It’s so simple, but it works. The heels — in this case, gray wedges that provide a comfortable boost of height, let me wear longer jeans that elongate my bottom half. And, since I have to wear longer shirts now to cover my bump, I belted everything at the smallest part of my torso, right under my bust line. The belt divvies up what would otherwise be a long stretch of white t-shirt, allowing for the illusion that my legs start higher than they actually do.
A note on belting. This is the first time in my long-torsoed life that the smallest part of my torso really was right under my bust. Pre-preggers, my waist was a lot further down. To help bring the proportions up, I would often wear a wider belt that would break things up more effectively:
e – Purple & Red, originally uploaded by academichic.
Now, as an added bonus, one more subtle tip from today’s outfit! This cardigan has long sleeves, but I rarely wear them pulled all the way down. I’ve found that long, solid colored sleeves draw eyes down, highlighting how my legs start right around the same place that my sleeves end. Instead, by pushing them up to elbow or three-quarter sleeve length, I again am able to visually break up my torso length. Tricky, right?
6 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.
That outfit with the purple dress is gorgeous!
I do the same thing with sleeves! It’s partly because my arms are super long, so it also hides the fact that my sleeves are often too short.
genius! that’s right…if my sleeves are not rolled up three-quarters, the eyes will wander to where my hips should start: about where the sleeves end. that would totally highlight how short my legs are!
I like how you word it: break up your proportions, in a more flattering way. great post.
…also I like the tips on the belt, how I should consider starting right under the bust even though my waist is lower. (=