academichic

A while back, when we did our Fashion 101 series on Proportions, we received some reader comments about how we do not represent a very broad spectrum of sizes. Although we have very different body shapes and proportions, we are indeed pretty similar in terms of clothing size. We believe that dressing for your shape and proportions can be more beneficial than focusing on a number. We understand, however, that the stores we frequent can lack options for the plus sized reader and that can indeed be very frustrating.

So we would like to introduce you to a wonderful St. Paul-based online fashion boutique that offers beyond adorable and stylish plus size products: b&lu.

Click for some of our favorite items and a reader discount code after the jump…

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8 May 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed but newly thrifted skirt:

• Purple top – Old Navy 
• Forest green cami - Banana Republic
• Green cord skirt – thrifted 
• Red espadrilles – Banana Republic Outlet
• Red button pendant - Brookberrys on Etsy

Endnotes:

It’s Day Five of our reader inspired belt-less challenge and although I’ve been tempted by some belts and ties in my closet, I have to say that it hasn’t been that difficult for me to build outfits of the belt-free variety. 

I attribute this to the fact that I only started belting recently, about the time that we started blogging, so this return to a belt-less state feels familiar and routine to me. I embraced the use of belts because I realized the difference in waist-creating it can make for me, but lived long enough without the appearance of a waistline that I don’t feel that put out without one. Incidentally, a reader just asked me how I felt about this challenge (presumably because it was me who talked about wanting to create a waist in our Proportions unit), and you can read my very longwinded reply here. 

But to sum it up: I appreciate this challenge for reminding me that I once wore outfits that were not routinely finished off with a tie of some sort looped around my midsection and that they still looked fine in their loose and flowey state. BUT, my style has changed over time and now I do love the use of a strategic little belt or ribbon to create a waistline. I believe in style being fluid and flexible and reserve the right to obsess over one ‘look’ and then to move on to another, although I am glad for this challenge because it reminded me that a bit of balance when it comes to dressing (not just lifestyle) is good too!  So, thank you, Nisha! 

So on to today’s outfit – not having been inspired by a belt or a desired shape, it was driven by color instead. I love purple and green together and found red to be the perfect finishing touch to this color mix. Additionally, I lengthened my red pendant necklace with a little trick I picked up from E!

      

Pendant detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

I strung two silver necklaces together to make one longer chain for my red pendant. I’ve seen E. do this quite a few times, and not just with simple silver chains but also with the use of one (extension-purposed) silver chain and her orange statement necklace. What an easy way to get more looks out of one jewelry item!  Brilliant! S. 

    

24 March 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.13 February 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

      

23 April 2009 – Cropped, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Cropped jacket – DKNY 
• Pale pink top – TJMaxx, remixed 
• Tan and white skirt – H&M 
• Red espadrilles – BR Outlet, remixed

Endnotes:

One trend I’ve desperately wanted to embrace, but just don’t quite know how to make work for my shape, is the cropped jacket:

    

The Cropped Jacket, originally uploaded by academichic.

I got this jacket a couple of years ago when the cropped jacket really came into style, and I loved it on other people so I thought I would love it on myself as well. Then I wore it all of two times since purchasing it.

I 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 this item over dresses, with skirts or pants, and instantly gives her outfit a more professional look than a cardigan would produce, but a more casual and relaxed one than the longer blazer creates. The cropped jacket seems to hit that perfect balance of casual and professional and that is why I’m so desperately clinging to this trend although my shape does nothing to invite this look. 

I tried on many many combinations this morning and this why I finally settled on this one: I realized by watching E. and Archibald Maximilion over in w_r that the shrunken blazer is best off-set by a longer tunic, dress, or flowey top underneath. This elongates where the cropped blazer shortens – in my case this makes a huge difference! I also noticed that the moment I put on this pair of heels, I looked longer and taller and the cropped blazer instantly looked better to me. 

I still want to experiment with this item and find ways to make it work for me. I would love to be able to wear it with flats as E. does and not feel squat and boxy, and I also love the way E. wears hers open for that casual chic look. I have buttoned and unbuttoned mine about a zillion times already, unsure whether the unbuttoned works for me or whether it creates unnecessary width for me on top…?

Hear you me, cropped blazer, I will conquer you still if it’s the last thing I do! S. 

   

23 April 2009 – Cropped and Casual, originally uploaded by academichic.

   

13 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

All remixed but dress:

• Brown top – American Eagle 
• Blue shift dress – Banana Republic 
• Boots – Dillards 
• Silver circle necklace – J.Jill 
• Brown ring – souvenir from New Orleans, gifted by fiance 

Endnotes:

This week we’re thinking about, showcasing, and discussing our best features. This is a worthwhile exercise to do on a regular basis, since we tend to hone in so much more on what we don’t like, rather than remembering what makes us smile about our appearance. I’ve loved reading all your comments and lists on our post on this topic ! 

As for my list, I’ll start with one feature today and will keep thinking about more things to add as the week progresses. I have relatively narrow hips and one of my favorite styles is the shift dress! The shift dress works great with my shape because it’s all about being up and down with no attention paid to the waist! I know that narrow hips is not something that first comes to mind when thinking of “your best”, but it’s something that I’ve always been aware of with my body and have worked to my advantage. 

  

Ring detail, originally uploaded by academichic.

Ok, to now shift gears entirely – I just finished “It sucked and then I cried” by Heather Armstrong, fellow blogger over at dooce.com. (And yes, I use the term “fellow” loosely, since she’s in the Oprah realm of blogging…) I loved it! It provides a hilarious, frightening, sobering, yet inspiring account of parenting – I give it the S. two thumbs up.  Care to share any good books you’ve come across lately? S.

       

7 April 2009, originally uploaded by academichic.

       

Vest up-close, originally uploaded by academichic.

       

My favorite velvet flats, originally uploaded by academichic.

Sources:

• Blue button-down – Gap, b-day gift for my 16th birthday! (so many many remixes…)
• Vest – Ann Taylor, remixed
• Pants – Banana Republic, “Ryan” fit
• Velvet flats – J. Vincent, remixed
• Pendant – Anthropologie, remixed

Endnotes:

In this week’s Fashion 101 we’re discussing our own body issues and how we create proportions that appear more pleasing to each one of us. As I’ve noted, my issues are with my midsection and yesterday, I pointed to the usefulness of a skinny belt in emphasizing a waistline.

Today, I present you with my profile view and what I consider to be the ideal waistline for my body shape:

As you can see, no amount of crunches will change my natural tummy curve (and believe you me, I’ve been doing crunches since I knew what crunches were). So instead, I do what Clinton on What Not To Wear recommends: attack the belly! I try to avoid low-rise or high-waisted skirts and pants and instead look for a mid-rise waist that sits right on top the most protruding part of my belly.* Yesterday’s skirt is a perfect example of a wide mid-rise waist - the most ideal waist-line for me:

6 April 2009 , originally uploaded by academichic.   

Sources:

• Grey cardi – thrifted 
• Print top – thrifted 
• Black woven belt – thrifted 
• Black skirt – Old Navy, remixed 
• Yellow beads – were my grandmother’s 
• Grey wedges – Report, via Solestruck.com

Endnotes:

I’m for all intents and purposes what traditional body shape literature calls an ‘apple’. I carry my weight around my midsection and when I gain a few pounds, my arms and legs remain thin, but my waist width takes off (i.e. I gain massive muffinage).

The way in which I’ve found what works and what does not work for me, is by experimenting, experimenting, experimenting. Did I say experimenting? For example, I thought the belted cardigan/jacket/dress look would NEVER work for me, but decided to try it (and to try several belt widths) and have come to actually love what it does for my shape. 

By a methodology called “trial and error”, I have realized that the skinny belt works best for me in creating a slimmer waist line. Because my torso is fairly short, a wider belt tends to stump it even more, but a skinny to medium width belt pulls in the garments I’m wearing to create the illusion of a more defined waist: See today’s outfit, as well as here, here, and here. I also belt fairly high, at the narrowest part of my body. 

And stay tuned for more muffinage-minimizing tips throughout this week!

   

Details, details, originally uploaded by academichic.

In this first module of our Fashion 101 on Proportions, we will explore how we use clothing to change the appearance of the shape and proportion of our bodies. Each of us have aspects of our bodies that we just don’t like but, rather than obsessing about it we try to use clothes and accessories to visually alter our proportions. For us, doing so is an act of embracing the bodies that we have.

To help us understand our bodies better, we made these handy silhouettes that show our actual figures alongside a comparison of how we perceive our own bodies versus the shape we try to create with our clothes.

S. is most self-conscious about her mid-section: “This is the part of me that I am most acutely aware of. It’s the part of my body I think about when shopping for clothes or getting dressed, and likely the part I most distort in my mind. So I often dress to create the illusion of a more defined waist, a flatter stomach, and slimmer midsection.”

A. is most self-conscious about her hips and thighs: “When I look in the mirror the first thing I see are what appear to me as bulging hips and thighs. I feel I have a bit of pear bottom or that my legs often look like they have been stuck in a pencil sharpener. Particularly when dressing my bottom half, I try to create the appearance of long, straight lines (unsharpened pencils, if you will).”

E. is most self-conscious about her long torso: “Even though I’m on the taller side, my height comes from a very long torso on top of average length legs. I’ve always had a hard time finding tops that are long enough for me, but I rarely need extra length in my inseams. When I wear separates, I worry that my legs look stumpy or that I appear to be simply cut in half. I try to dress to make my legs appear longer and my torso seem shorter, creating a ratio more pleasing to my eyes.”

Homework:

This week, each of us will articulate the strategies that we’ve come to employ in order to visually alter our shapes. Each day, we’ll break down how and why an outfit works for us and helps us feel confident in our skin.

A: On Trouser Pants, On The ‘Upside Down Muffin’,

S: On Defining a Waist, On Belting, On Elongating A Short Torso, On The Empire Waist, On Reducing Muffinage,

E:  On Lengthening Legs, On Using Seams To Your Advantage, On High-Waisted Bottoms, On Maternity Pants,

You can additionally dig through our Proportions Archives here.