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How do you figure out what kind of figure you have? Today’s guest post is from Sally McGraw, author of the blog Already Pretty and the new book, Already Pretty: Learning to Love Your Body by Learning to Dress it Well
, now available for purchase on Amazon (more info below). Thank you for the excerpt, Sally! The shortcut to understanding your body is to identify your body type, yet pinpointing your body type can seem impossible. You pore over photographs of women in black unitards labeled as “pears,” “apples,” and “string beans,” and see nary a one that resembles your own body. (Shortly after that, you ardently wish that the female form could be described in non-food terms.) I’ve seen body-type breakdowns with as many as twelve possible options and never once found an example body shaped like my own. And I know why. Because almost no one is a true pear, apple, or string bean. Most of us are string beans with bulky, muscular thighs, or pears with relatively broad shoulders, or some variation on the template that makes fruit-specific clothing styles look atrocious on our actual bodies. And while body-type breakdowns are meant to serve as guidelines, the folks who write them never seem to offer work-arounds for those of us with variations on the highlighted themes. Nevertheless, you’ll have a hell of a time finding clothing that flatters your form if you don’t familiarize yourself with your form. You need to know about your shape and proportions to effectively evaluate clothes—both new and old—and to know they conform to the four figure-flattery mandates listed above. But you needn’t base that familiarization on body type. Why use such a confining and imperfect system? I’ve got a better, simpler, and more personalized way to learn about your marvelously unique shape. So grab your style journal, haul out the full-length mirror, strip down to your undies, and take a long, hard look. What aspects jump out as your defining physical traits? Look at yourself in the mirror and identify which bits are markedly large, small, or relatively out of proportion. Try not to judge yourself and don’t use someone else’s body as a point of comparison. Just take an honest look. Do you have a prominent stomach, long neck, tiny feet? Do your arms seem short, your shoulders broad, your breasts small? Does your torso seem much longer than your legs, or vice versa? Look at everything, not just the major regions like hips, midsection, and bust. Examine your wrists and ankles, leg and arm length, calf and thigh circumference. Then jot down some notes in your Style Journal about the features of your physical form that seem to define it. Let’s use me as an example. I have broad shoulders, which make my A-and-a-half-cup breasts seem relatively small. My hips and thighs are full, which make my natural waist seem bitsy. My feet are well proportioned to my muscular calves, but my hands and wrists are small compared to my arms. Notice how I am noting my features mainly in comparison to my other features. What’s the point in comparing my boobs to Salma Hayek’s? Even if I had her boobs, I wouldn’t have her stature, her shoulder span, or any other aspect of her figure. Her boobs would look totally different on my frame. I’d rather focus on how my boobs interact with other aspects of my frame. What do you love best about your body? Every woman secretly longs to brag about her flat abs, ladylike collarbone, long legs, or shapely derrière. Subtler physical traits can become favorites, too: radiant skin, lustrous hair, delicate bone structure. Put your clothes back on and sit down with your trusty Style Journal. List your top ten favorite physical aspects, right off the top of your head. Now rank them from the thing you love most to the thing you love least. Think about why you adore these traits so much. Did you inherit them from beloved relatives? Work hard for them on your own? Do they set you apart from the crowd? Think about clothes you already own that accentuate these features and write down any techniques you already employ to draw attention to them. Think about how you feel when you’re able to show off your body’s best and how differently you’d feel if doing so were an everyday priority. Attempting to identify yourself within a set of predetermined figure types is often frustrating and confusing. Your body is unique and wedging it into some arbitrary category can feel downright unnatural. But these two simple steps are both personalized and detailed, helping you identify traits that define your body and features that make it marvelous. Thinking long and hard about these two questions will give you a good idea of what you’ve got, so that you can decide how to work with what you’ve got. Sally’s new book, Already Pretty — complete with contributions from bloggers at Fashion for Nerds, Addicted 2 Etsy, Une Femme de un Certain Age, The House in the Clouds, Fashion for Giants, Headlines & Hemlines, Barking Dog Shoes, Respect the Shoes, Weesha’s World, The Snug Bug, Minnchic, and Stacyverb — can be purchased at:
Susan
This is a great post, and while I have a different aesthetic than Sally McGraw, I love reading all of her very thoughtful pieces on body image and dressing to one’s advantage.
I love her positive attitude and the warm acceptance that runs through all of the posts on her blog.
Anonymous
Saying you have a different aesthetic is a very polite way to say it . . .
Susan
Eh? I hope what I wrote isn’t taken to mean that I’m criticizing her clothing choices. She looks fabulous. Sally’s aesthetic works really well for Sally.
However, I’d feel weird in them, because my aesthetic is much sportier– think Athleta (At least when I’m not in the office.) My work aesthetic is much more formal and features a lot more structured, sharply tailored jackets, so also, quite different.
And I think she makes this point in a lot of her postings– that you have to figure out your own style and run with it. I love reading her blog partly because she has such a different aesthetic– it’s lovely to see someone put clothes together in ways I’d never imagine, and to really rock them with joyous confidence. :-)
CPA to be
I completely agree, Susan. I read Sally’s blog for a long time not because of her outfit choices, which wouldn’t really work in my life, but because of how positive and honest she is about herself and her body.
Anonymous
No, I’m criticizing her clothing choices. I was being serious when I said it was polite. For a so-called fashion blogger, Sally puts together some very questionable outfits. I don’t disagree about the confidence, but none of it seems very fashionable.
This all sounds mean, and I don’t intend it to. I just don’t think this blogger is qualified to give fashion or shopping advice.
Susan
For the record, I don’t think you’re being mean, but are you perhaps mis-atrributing?
She doesn’t call herself a fashion blogger, but is often grouped with them. She calls herself a freelance writer about style and body-image issues. If anything, I’d group her with the how-to/self-help bunch, because a lot of what she does is provide general guidelines and ways to think about one’s own body image.
I’m not sure Sally would call herself fashionable, which suggests wearing what’s “now” and predicting what’s about to come and being trendy. I think of Sally as showing many iterations of her own style. Her style is fairly constant, so, I think of her OOTD photos as “variations upon a theme.”
I love pure fashion blogs, but I would never consider Sally’s blog to be one of them. And also for the record, I find that a lot of the fashion blogs that are very “now” and trendy, show some very quesstionable outfits, too.
nona
Umm…is there some certification process by which she should become qualified? I don’t get what you are basing the lack of qualification on. Her theme is “find the clothes that work for you, and here a few ways to do it”, right? I don’t understand why that’s bad advice.
Yeah, her style is probably not going to work in a lot of conservative professional offices, but she’s not billing herself as such, right? And maybe her style doesn’t work for you, and that’s fine. But there’s a big difference between “I’m not a fan of the style of clothes she wears” to “She’s giving bad advice”.
Anonymous
Okay. She wears outfits that are crazy, don’t match, and are not flattering.
There is no certification, and yes, I’m not a fan of the clothing she wears, the outfits she puts together and the shopping/fashion advice she gives. I’m actually shocked she’s featured on this site because I find her to be so kooky and her outfits to be so “off.”
Kelly O
I have to agree with Anonymous’ last comment (1:28) – I’m just a little surprised to see her here.
another anon
I have to agree with Anonymous, too. While I commend Sally for her warm and accepting attitude on her blog, I don’t think she should be considered an “expert” to give fashion or shopping advice, either. And if she doesn’t consider herself a fashion blogger than why has she written a book about fashion?
anone
Yep, gotta side with Anonymous here. I expected Kat to have higher standards for whom she allows to sponsor or guest-post on her site. I found out about the Already Pretty blogby stumbling across the below blogger snarking site and I was pretty taken aback (not at the snarky comments there, but after reading some of her blog posts showing off her thrift store hauls. It seemed to me like this woman has a legitimate shopping compulsion:
http://getoffmyinternets.net/2011/already-pretty-will-not-let-the-sweater-go/
Sor
Agree. I am sure this woman is a nice person, but I cannot believe she has written a fashion book (or that a publisher would publish it).
C
@Sor: she self-published it.
Midwest
I’m with Anonymous and kellyo. And I’m going to sound really, really mean if I say much more.
Bluejay
Also agree. I know that Sal appeals to some demographics, but I was floored to see her featured on this site.
Laura #2
Well, she’s been featured here before (https://corporette.com/2011/08/16/the-power-of-dressing-for-yourself/) and Kat has included at least a couple of her posts in the weekly news round ups as well. Kat’s been a guest poster on Sally’s site, too. I know they target different demographics but honestly, I think it’s great they have the reciprocal relationship that they do.
Godzilla
Holy snark, Anonymous. I totally agree with you, Susan.
Monday
Same. I read Already Pretty as often as I read this site. I could never wear most of the outfits featured there, but Sally’s blog also offers a lot of perspective/content that isn’t to be found here. Different blogs for different purposes.
Sally may borrow a tiny slice of C-tte culture by just saying FOOEY and moveing on.
zora
srsly, I am a little taken aback by the negativity and judgyness… I love reading both C-tte and Sally’s blog, and I would hope we can just be thankful and appreciate folks who take their time to write a post for us… Remember Thumper’s advice, peeps…
Research, Not Law
Her sense of style does seem dramatically different than typical for this site – however, she’s not doing a guest post about fashion, she’s doing a guest post about familiarizing yourself with your figure. She does seem ‘qualified’ for that, as she seems to have principles that work for herself.
That said, this excerpt left me a little cold. It would have been a much better marketing tool to apply her principles to corporate attire and the typical aesthetic of this site. Based on this post, I’m not sure whether she can translate her principles to other people and other styles.
eek
The book description: “Already Pretty illustrates how personal style can foster self-love and self-respect. After determining your current personal style and evaluating pieces from your existing wardrobe, you’re taught to define your ideal style – a process that includes identifying personalized figure flattery priorities. These priorities are tailored to your preferences and your unique body, and may be quite different from the style mandates parroted by fashion industry insiders. Working through this process moves you closer to your fashion aspirations, ultimately allowing you to merge your current and ideal styles through careful culling of your current wardrobe and targeted shopping for new, key pieces. Already Pretty reveals the fundamentals of fashion and figure flattery, but also encourages you to create a style that is both expressive and unique. This book is judgment-free and reader-centric in every way.”
To each their own, but thanks to Sally for taking time to write a guest piece for Kat/us. Kat, I really liked the guest posts you had when you were on maternity leave. It was no substitute for you of course, but I enjoyed the exposure to other bloggers/topics I otherwise wouldn’t have had.
Anonymous
Mean Girls everywhere!
CPA to be
Since this article is about accentuating the positives, I don’t feel too absurd asking this question– One of my favorite things is my extremely shiny hair. How on earth do I accentuate that? Is it about what shirt I wear? Or does it just mean that I should get good haircuts frequently? Headbands? Do people wear those?
Totes McGotes
I would keep it well maintained and wear colors that play up its color so it’s more noticeable.
Cornellian
Maybe it has to do with wearing colors to bring out your hair? I have sort of auburn/blonde/ginger hair and anything blue green makes it pop.
beccavt
second this. My dark blonde (in my opinion kind of “blah”) hair really only pops when I’m wearing navy, so… I have a lot of navy tops.
momentsofabsurdity
I don’t know, but you and KMids make me really jealous!
I think headbands would skew a bit Blair Waldorf so I would just say keep your hair long, wear it down a lot, and wear clothes that bring out the color.
JAS1
I was wearing headbands for a little while in law school but I stopped because every time I did, someone would comment that I was dressing like Blair Waldorf. (Seriously). I kind of have a hangup about appearing to be a copycat, so it bugged me. Before Blair Waldorf, what did people say/think when they saw others wearing headbands?
Senior Attorney
They said/thought you looked like Hillary Clinton, back in the day.
Coalea
I wore headbands on a regular (read: daily) basis from roughly 1987-1994. No one ever said that I looked like or was copying anyone. Of course, I was a child, so there’s that.
Bluejay
If it helps, I have no idea who Blair Waldorf is and I’m sure I’d think you look lovely.
JAS1
I didn’t know who she was at first either! I had to look her up. She’s a character on the show Gossip Girl. Idk the actress’ name. But I do look vaguely like her in terms of build and coloring.
Gem
On a hair related note a few weeks back you ladies encouraged me to consider cutting my hair. I’m now looking for a ‘do to move to. Ideally something longer then a bob, uses my natural curl. Everything I’ve seen I love has involved big structured curls but felt a little shorter then I’m brave enough to go. Anyone seen anything similar they can point me at so I can take pics with me?
AIMS
Not sure if this would work for you at all (too long? not curly enough?) but I saw this woman interviewed in the free paper yesterday and was struck by how great her hair looked. In fact, aside maybe from her bare arms, I thought she totally looked perfect for a professional shot — attractive, competent, friendly but not inexplicably smiley, just exactly how I would want to cross if required to do one of those “headshot” deals (which hopefully no one will make me do anytime soon!)
http://www.swaggerandglide.com/about.php
PS: If anyone needs a personal stylist in Boston, I would totally hire her to coordinate all my work outfits for me….
Hel-lo
The haircut you’re looking for is layers or long layers. Any good stylist should be able to do it. Tell them exactly what you told us, and then trust them. It may take a few appointments, but once your stylist knows what your hair will do and how it looks best, they can cut for this.
Gem
Thank you ladies.
Aims – probably about the right sort of length I think and similar to my natural texture if I leave it alone.
TCFKAG
WEAR FASCINATORS EVERYWHERE?
No? I guess just wear your hair down most days? I’m so jealous, I can’t give advice through all the jealousy.
Gooseberry
Yup. Sharing TCFKAG’s jealousy. I have near-black hair that is now mostly gray, and grows very quickly, which makes it super expensive to maintain and totally unloveable. Sigh… :)
Samantha
Had to look up fascinators, and … rotfl!
Susan
Yes to headbands! Now, I can’t suggest a color of headband, because I’m seeing so much green right now– envying your extremely shiny hair.
Also, to give the poor NGDGTCO author a shock, flip your hair and play with it, often. *grin*
eek
I think you accentuate it by sharing your secrets. hahaha.
srsly, keep ends trimmed and wear it down. And yes, I occasionally wear headbands. I have some from JCrew and you can get some (for real) cute, plain unobnoxious ones from Claires.
Ru
Well, this is going to be extremely unhelpful to you but I also have supremely shiny and silky hair. Which was a major problem for me since it made it supremely difficult to keep my scarf on my head. So I bleached it a couple times and now I have gloriously textured hair that my family makes fun of. Win?
Cornellian
You are actually not the only person I know who has done that. My hair definitely holds braids and clips better after a summer of exposure to the sun than in the winter. That’s one of the reasons hair from women who cover their head religiously is so valuable on the wig market (now you know!)
sas
So this post kind of goes to my on-going discussion at work and perhaps y’all can help me out. I am 6″ tall with no shoes on and have been told that I am “intimidating” in heels. I am in a role which needs to be perceived as “friendly”. So the discussion has been about professional female role models (in dress only) over 6″. I have not been able to come up with a single one. The closest I come is Jessica on Suits and Lauren from Fairly Legal, both of whom have killer wardrobes but are also under 6″. Any names?
Fiona
Michelle Obama?
Motoko Kusanagi
I think Allison Janney is 6 feet tall – look at old episodes of the West Wing.
N
Allison Janney/C.J. Cregg would be my suggestion as well.
MsZ
I am also over 6′. While mentors have told me to play it up (I’m in a field where intimidation is a plus), I prefer not to. A few points I have learned:
Stick to shoes with a heel of 2″ / 45mm or less. I am no more or less “intimidating” in flats or in shoes with a 2″ heel. As for any higher of a heel, I can’t walk in them (because I never learned), they don’t make the shoes look any “cuter,” and it just becomes more obvious that I am wearing any heel at all and then people flip out.
Stay away from statement necklaces, earrings, and collars – basically anything that is going to draw the eye up. Stick to bracelets, rings, waistlines (e.g., belts), and shoes.
Stick to dolman sleeves or sleeves hemmed like baseball sleeves (seamstresses – what is the word for this?) so that it isn’t obvious that your shoulders are broader than most standard sleeved tops allow.
And . . . I’m channelling my mother here . . . stand up straight.
As to your actual question, I don’t think “approachable competent woman” wardrobe varies by height. :)
nona
Baseball = raglan sleeves. It’s a pretty casual style, so I don’t know how it translates to a professional environment.
MsZ
Thanks! I have a few swing jackets that have raglan sleeves (wearing a linen one today).
Research, Not Law
raglan sleeves
I would also look toward soft, neutral, or earth tone colors for your clothing and leave the dramatic for accessories.
Michelle Obama seems like an excellent role model. There are even blogs specifically about her style. I was also thinking Allison Janney on WW. Good excuse to watch old episodes ;)
JenK
I agree with “stand up straight”, sometimes think MO could do it more.
Herbie
this just sounds so booooooorrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnngggggg. I know some taller ladies who rock the sky high heels, statement jewelry, etc., and I say more power to them.
Pretzel_Logic
Shoot, I’d keep wearing heels if you want to. The height intimidator thing, in my similarly statuesque experience, is a proxy. it may be as simple as smiling more.
Merabella
You can’t change your height. Try wearing more prints/brighter colors to come off as more “feminine” and wear flats.
anon
Brooke Shields (Lipstick Jungle)….Ivanka Trump, Geena Davis (Commander in Chief)
MJ
I am 5’11”. We’ve talked a lot about “little girl” syndrome here and how to be perceived as more professional if you’re tiny or demure or have a soft voice or whatever. I believe that what you are describing is in fact, a real problem, even though it might sound crazy to smaller folks. I absolutely think there are situations (particularly with shorter men, who seem to have some weird complex about tall women) where people are in awe/make tasteless comments about how tall you are. But you have to learn to “tone down” your height. You can’t change it. But you can change the perception of you as a tall person.
My two cents, as a very tall person–don’t be afraid to wear heels, real heels, not kitten heels. Your attitude and demeanor will determine your “intimidation factor” much more so than your height (which, let’s face it, flat or kitten heels be d_mned, you’re still going to be tall). I would work on (i) wearing a smile as much as appropriate (e.g. don’t go around grinning like an idiot, but make an honest effort to smile and be “warm” more) and (ii) being as “friendly” and “approachable” as possible. Also, I make a point, if I am going to be in a “face to face” (not sitting down) situation with a gaggle of shorter/intimidated men, to wear shorter shoes. But most of the time, I don’t worry about rocking higher heels. If shorter folks get to wear them and feel fabulous, I do too!
Also, there are outfits that can create the appearance of me not being quite so tall. I find that “breaking up” my height with separates, not being monochromatic and accentuating my waist are all key. Also, anything printed makes me seem enormous, even though I am relatively thin (not a beanpole, but not fat either). I don’t like long sweaters, wraps, shawls or anything formless that makes me even larger. You will learn which outfits make you seem taller when acquaintances at work make the “Gosh, you’re tall!” comment. It happens. I’m tall. I’m over it. Try to be as approachable as possible, dress “shorter” when you need to, but otherwise own it. It’s an asset. Celebrate it.
Pretzel_Logic
All this. Yes. Height IS an asset and these are all the reasons I’ve finally learned to embrace it. (I have nothing erudite to add, but this post is awesome and i wanted to highlight its awesomeness.)
My doppelganger friend, same height/same blonde, she and i refer to ourselves as Vikings. Makes it way more fun.
sas
Where’s my like button? I have been over 6 feet since the 7th grade and I love being tall. However because I have grown up tall in a family of giants, I think I tend not to notice “tall” outfits or when how I look intimidates someone else. Any recommendations for this since I get the “Wow, you are tall” everywhere I go all the time no matter what I wear. Also what I don’t love is that there is a very obvious distinction between short and tall professional dress and when someone short is wearing the EXACT same suit, the petite person looks cute whereas the tall person looks to intimidating or to sexy. Has anyone else ever noticed this?
I have long legs and I am not going to apologize for them, neither will I apologize for occasionally wearing heels as I think they make my huge feet look more slender and proportionate to my ankles. Kitten heels and flats don’t do it for me, they look like little boats on the ends of my legs :(
onehsancare
The Milly dress is available in all sizes in red, still with $35 shipping: http://www.my-wardrobe.com/milly/link-print-cherry-white-jane-ultimate-office-dress-813869
Elle Urker
This is maleware – don’t click on the link.
Elle Urker
LOL malware *gets afternoon coffee*
onehsancare
I copied the address from my address bar. When I clicked on the link from the comment above, it just took me to the dress. You can just go to the my-wardrobe site and look for the milly dress in cherry, though.
Lobbyist
I love Sally’s blog and love to see how she dresses. She is not dressing for a corporate world but she looks great and puts clothes together well. I have bought her book! Thanks, Kat.
Anonymous Poser
I second the “Thanks!” And I like a lot of her outfits, even though I couldn’t wear them. When I see outfits she wears of which I am not fond, for some reason it just gives me more courage (though I hate to use that word for something SO “first world”) to go out on a sartorial limb, myself. If the outfit ends up not working…so what? Did it make me wreck my car? Make my work lower in quality? Make the ice cream on my cone melt faster than it would have, anyway in this heat? No. So why not try something new, sometimes?
I think Sal is a great body/self-acceptance advocate. I like the way she encourages everyone to find their own style, and I enjoy reading her readers’ thoughts on style (and weightier topics), as well as Sal’s thoughts. And of course I get a lot out of ‘rette, as well.
Anonymous
Have to say I’ve got to agree with some of the posters above. Not only is Sal not fashionable, she hasn’t figured out her body type, at all. She constantly wears clothing with odd proportions (not in a cool, look-how-I-am-skewing-my-body way, but in an I-got-dressed-in-the-pitchest-black way). Her shoes cut her off at the ankles, near-constant wearing of mid-thigh tunics makes me think she has a serious case of the imaginary thunder thighs, and don’t even get me started on her rainbow collection of boleros and other shoulder-broadening “arsenal.” There is a reason that there are over 40 pages dedicated to this woman’s horrific taste and wishy-washy body acceptance message (love your body! unless you want to disguise it, and thats ok! conformity is bad, unless you like it!) on Get Off My Internets , and it isn’t because people are jealous. Following her blog is my daily dose of rubbernecking.
Amy
Nice plug for GOMI, troll. Sal certainly does understand her body type and dresses how she wants it to look.
Anonymous
Ha! The “troll” happens to be entirely correct. There is not a single thread of advice I would take from Already Pretty. She’s a train wreck.
zora
Wow….. Just- Wow.
GAG (Gang at GOMI)
We now have over 500 pages written about Already Pretty. We invite you to read them, and then judge for yourselves. Sally McGraw may be well-intentioned, but she is neither a stylist nor an armchair psychologist. Both of which she loudly purports to be. She has no professional fashion background, and doesn’t have a doctorate degree in mental health. If you read between the lines, you’ll see that she’s far from being at ease in her body, and she transmits this anxious attitude in her posts. Her “white privilege” is also apparent in her faux-feminist rantings. While “pretty” is important, it’s more vital to be powerful in the world. Especially, for women. We suggest that Sally tackles tougher subjects. Not only would she be taken much more seriously, we’d have more respect for her blog.
GAG (Gang at GOMI)
Additionally, she doesn’t allow any constructive criticism on her site, so that’s why we’re leaving these comments here. She’s also condescending and smug to her readers. If you don’t want suggestions on wearing eye shadow, for example, then don’t write as if you do. And when you receive them, it’s rude to act as if it’s unsolicited advice. You can’t win with Sally McGraw, unless you always side with her and flatter her ego. You’re almost middle-aged, Sal, maybe it’s time to develop a thicker skin. And stop pretending to be a “special snowflake,” you’re not.
GOMI HOMI
I’m glad to see that this thread has continued, even after a few years. The biggest reason that I dislike Already Pretty, is because Sally McGraw has terrible taste. (Even in her tattoos). There’s no sense of either subtlety and/or sophistication in her often clashing clothes. You can’t continue to tape your too-tight cardigans, “deploy” funky Fluevogs, and consider yourself a serious stylist. (And she never listens to anyone’s advice.) If someone like Stacy London started the trends, it might be believable. But Sally isn’t an authority on anything, much less telling women how to look good. She’s also very patronizing, and gives the impression that she’s superior to her audience. Her cutesy, cloying phrases like “no swears!” (used inappropriately), and obvious shopping addictions are annoying. Frankly, I think that she needs therapy, – but not the retail kind.
Anonymous
Troll? Because I read both GOMI and Corporette? Not sure about the logic on that one. Amy, I cringe to think that Sal dresses this way purposefully; it makes me feel far better to assume she has funhouse mirrors throughout her home (and some odd temperature-skewing device as well. Because who else would wear a jean jacket in 100 degree heat, claiming it was weather appropriate? Bizarre.)
2lawl
So, speaking of body-types.. I have an extremely long torso. I actually have an extra set of ribs. My mom, sister and I are all about 5’8″, but my legs are 2″ shorter than my moms and 4″ shorter than my sisters. As I’m about half way through law school, I’ve finally had to start dressing professionally and it’s posing problems.
I have to find super long shirts if I intend to tuck them in, and quite long just to keep my lower back from showing when I lean forward. Usually if the shirt is long enough, it’s way too wide. And when I finally thought I found a really flattering pair of pants for me (high-waisted pair from WHBM.. far fewer issues with the shirts if I wear high pants!), my husband thought they were “hot” and two female coworkers commented on how it must be nice to be so skinny (they are not tight on me, I just have a small waist compared to my thighs, which makes me look thin).
I’m at a loss. Any help, ladies?
anonnnn
So, sorry I have no helpful advice about the body type ?, but try reposting tomorrow in the morning thread.
MJ
If you have a really long torso, check out Long Tall Sally–their clothes, while not the highest quality (they seem to love synthetics), have crazy long torsos. If you got some of their tops which are long-sleeved, I am quite sure they’d fit you. As for things being too wide if they are long enough, or waist to thigh issues–a tailor is your friend. Try to see the potential in off-the-rack clothes and then tailor to fit you. You will eventually find brands and styles that work for you!
Crewlady
J.Crew tops run long. I am 5’9″ and a size 0, and it is pretty much the onky store I can shop in.
Nina
Yesss. As another 5’8″-er with a long torso & small waist/biggish thighs (size 6), I can say that J. crew tops usually are the right length. (Same for Lululemon for workout tops). As for the pants… I’ve had a lot of luck with Banana Republic’s Jackson fit (suiting pants & sateen cotton crops).
Lynn
I have followed Already Pretty for a while. I am sad to say that I agree with a lot of the comments above that Sally herself has a body image problem and significant shopping addiction. Initially it was refreshing to read her blog; later on, especially after she stopped working at an office, her posts slowly became tedious, redundant, and empty.
She writes well and appears to be genuinely trying to be a champion of positive body image. She is however very contradictory, in many ways. She has a nice body but yet does everything to hide it, rather than using garments to accentuate her assets. She very likely has body dysmorphic syndrome, I cannot see other reasons for someone to contribute this much of her own life to body image without actually loving her own body.
Brenda
I must have dysmorphic syndrome, too. I have great arms but choose not to do things to specifically emphasize them. Oh, wait! I remember. I have choice as to how I dress and every decision I make is not because of any disorder I have. I think I love my body though, but I should probably consult a psychic/mental health professional like Lynn before I say for sure.
NancyD
Overall, a pretty sad and non-uplifting set of comments today, my friends.
BrieCS
I find it pretty funny that almost all of the criticizing comments are Anons. If you’re going to criticize, own up.