20 October 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.Sources:
- Sleeve-less White Shirt – Gap
- White Tee – H & M
- Blue V-Neck – H & M
- Black Pencil Skirt – Banana Republic
- Brown Belt – Ann Taylor
- Brown Wedges – Kenneth Cole Reaction
- Silver Hoops – Banana Republic
- Necklace – Gift from A2
Endnotes:
Here at Academichic Central, we had a bit of a heat wave today. While I was happily settling into my fall wardrobe, it’s nice to be able to wear my favorite wedges with bare legs (perhaps one last time).
New Shoes!, originally uploaded by academichic.As I got dressed this morning, I thought of E.’s earlier post on the “surface spectacle,” in which she describes a process of tucking and securing that is eventually hidden by a seemingly seamless surface layer. I am all about layering! I consider my self a bit of an expert at it, actually. I love the look of visible layers like the tuxedo pleats under my sweater, but am also a seasoned user of the invisible layers.
I have layered this sleeveless tuxedo shirt under many a things, but 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. So, I wore a white tee-shirt over the sleeveless shirt and then tucked both into my secret weapon…
Layers, originally uploaded by academichic.Now, as you well know, I love pencil skirts and have found them to be rather flattering for me. This black pocketed beauty is the one I was pining over last month when I praised the pencil skirt. While the cut of the pencil skirt works well for me, anything that fits my lower body closely poses a problem. I have hips and thighs and they are NOT all muscle! My secret solution – SPANX! That’s right, I wear spanx and I love them. The way I see it, I am not trying to change my body with this little garment (they are extremely comfy, by the way), rather, the smooth surface spanks create, allow me to embrace my hourglass/pear figure and flaunt those hips!
So what’s your secret?
A.
Belted pencil, originally uploaded by academichic.
I have similar issues with certain cuts of clothing and have been wanting to try Spanx for awhile…this post might be just the push I need!
I wear Spanx or shaping tights as well! Although I’m pretty slim, let’s face it, few people of any size have truly flat stomachs, and shapewear makes wearing certain kind of skirts possible.
I adore Spanx! They do give you a fabulous shape – they also have another benefit. My thighs tend to meet when I’m wearing a skirt all on its own, and that’s just uncomfortable (and that equals an unhappy Ashley!). Spanx or tights keep that from happening :)
I concur on the spanx :)
My secret is a simple one: safety pins. Talking about proportions, I have a rather large bust size, so when I wear button-downs, the gaps between the 2 or 3 buttons that cover the chest area tend to open, thus showing a little too much. The problem is that if I wear a bigger size, the blouse/cardi/top will fit rather loosely under the bust, so I’m all about safety pins.
I’d love to know some other secrets you fellow readers out there may have on making certain garnments academia-aproppriate for large-busted gals. Since none of the Chics have that problem (well, I see it as a problem), maybe the rest of us could start a little discussion…
A., do you recommend a certain style of the Spanx? There are so many kinds in their product line: bodysuits, shaping panties, slips, slimming camis, etc. I assume it depends to a large extent on body shape (as an apple I don’t think I could get away with the cami without an unsightly bulge somewhere) and what one is wearing it with, but is there an all-purpose version you’d recommend for those on a budget who can only afford one? I noticed that the Spanx website recommends X version for dresses with short hems and Y version for dresses with longer hems, which seems like a clever marketing strategy to get women to buy multiple kinds when only one is really necessary.
I always pay particular attention to your posts, A., because you and I have the same body type. My lower half is always, always at least one size bigger than the rest and is never firm regardless of how much I work out.
My secret is control top pantyhose and the careful application of layers to bulk up my smaller upper half and balance the bottom. I also use safety pins as well, but that’s mostly to keep tops from looking too risque for work.
Alterations are also key- taking in my skirts make up for the fact that I need a bigger size to compensate for the thighs and rear even though I have a small waist.
note to self: pick up some spanx, STAT
PEARGLASS: Any figure that teeters between ‘hourglass’ and ‘pear-shaped’.
My family sometimes refers to pear-shaped bodies as being “acoustic”, like graceful guitars.
My local Ross/Marshalls stores carry inexpensive shaping garments. Much cheaper than Spanx and plenty effective.
Lovely outfit, I love your layering tips as I always end up having problems with the lumps and bumps of layering. I find that buying camis and first layer tshirts in the snuggest size for my body works a treat for me.
This ensemble is fantastically sleek and feminine. How funny that such a minimalistic look would require so much layer-wrangling!
Becky J – I wear the “Power Panties,” which look a little like bike shorts. I don’t need the flattening for the stomach so much, but in a jersey dress these can be pulled up pretty high on my waist. If it is your thighs you are trying to slim, make sure you don’t get anything too short or you will end up with a bad bulge.
Rebekah – thanks for the Marshalls tip. I also own something similar from Target – they work ok but are no spanx!
A.
Love the necklace!
While my “secret” is no secret at all, I still love it. The Invisibelt!
You look fantastic! I have the same shape as you and I love spanx and control top pantyhose. I wear them nearly everyday to lift, firm, and tighten. And I agree, spanx are pretty darn comfortable for shape altering undergarments. I bought a pair of the target version of spanx and they fell apart within 4 wears. They are also somewhat thick, don’t work nearly as well as spanx, and hike up my leg ALL DAY LONG!!! And it is not attractive or professional to reach up your skirt every 30 seconds to pull down your shapewear :)
One thing I do is wear a bralette over a slip. If my slip is too lacy/racy/obviously a slip to be covering up my cleavage on its own, I’ll wear the slip for the extra layer and static control, but then I’ll put a bralette on top of that to look like a layered cami under a low-cut dress. And of course all of this is on top of my regular bra. So that looks hot.
(this is the kind I’m talking about: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yS2JhfL-xJY/ST7y1JYbWfI/AAAAAAAADUU/1ubUDDifzfk/s400/KEEP+ME+DREA+BRALETTE.jpg)
Also, when I tuck shirts into my skirts, I’ll put a half slip *over* the shirt tail to smooth out the shirt lumps.
Gorgeous outfit. This is great I’ve received so many ideas to make my outfits streamlined. Usually I struggle throughout the day constantly adjusting my outfit. This is so annoying that I usually avoid wearing certain outfits altogether.
[...] help this piece perform as a base layer, I borrowed a little trick from A. She explained it here (using a tee instead of a cami). I took a fitted camisole that’s elasticated and snug and layered [...]
[...] on top. So I layered a cardigan underneath the dress, essentially adding sleeves to it. I then used A.’s trick of layering a fitted camisole over the cardigan to keep it from bunching and shifting and to add a [...]
[...] about our use of shapewear when wearing jersey. I can’t speak for the other chics, but I love my spanx and my knock-off spanx and am not comfortable in a jersey dress without them. Jersey shows [...]