Fashion slave or stylist: do you know what to wear

Not so very long ago, a lovely young sales assistant tried to convince me that a pair of pea coloured boots would look fabulous pulled over a pair of skinny jeans.

It was a good suggestion in theory because it was, after all the latest in fashion 'must haves' but what she failed to notice were my legs resembled Colonel Sanders next home cooked meal and the sagging leather left me looking like Pippy Longstocking stranded in a pool of green mud.

As I left the store it occurred to me that one) sales assistants no matter how genuine care not about you and only about the sale; two) the younger they are the more importance they place on the look not your look; and three) how many of us have become a slave to fashion simply because we don’t know what to wear?

Understanding your body shape and dressing accordingly is a very liberating experience. It will enable to you shop knowingly and avoid those expensive fashion faux pas that inevitably occur from season to season.

Essentially there are four main body types known as but not limited to – hourglass, pear, triangle and square/rectangular. These are identified below:

Hourglass – people with an hourglass figure are usually curvy with an upper body that is in proportion to their lower body and further identified by a defined waist.

Pear – people with this body shape tend to carry their weight on the lower half of the body, which is larger than the upper half of the body.

Triangle – opposite to the pear, whereby the lower half of the body is noticeably slimmer than the upper half of the body. People with a triangle shape usually have an amazing bum and legs and look sensational in anything cut on the bias, unlike those of us with saddlebags who should know better but simply can’t help ourselves.

Square/Rectangular – also referred to as oval or circular depending upon your preference, but usually characterised by people without a defined waist.

Identifying your overall body shape is a good start to knowing what style of clothing will best suit your figure. But identifying the individual elements of your body shape ie. big boobs, small boobs, long neck, thin arms, big bum and/or saddlebags is even better.

Take my friend Megan, we are both categorically the same body shape, but Megan is smaller and slimmer in stature and can pull off a boob-tube and skinny jeans with the best of them. Myself on the other hand and those like me, are better suited to bootlegs jeans and sleeves lest we are mistaken for a sausage about to explode from both ends.

Identifying your individual body elements will further simplify your shopping expedition and help you show off those assets you probably don’t think you have. It will also help you adapt a look you cannot live without.

For example, selecting a pair of skinny jeans with long legs and bunching the excess fabric around your ankles and lower calves will create width around the lower part of your legs and divert attention away from your hips and thighs if this is where you carry your weight. Alternatively go for a gathered boot over the top of the jean to create the same effect, but be careful. If you have short legs this style can cut you off even further and make your legs look shorter than they really are.

There are many hard copy and electronic resources available to help you identify your body shape and individual body elements. These resources also provide you with examples of the type of clothing and accessories that will show off your best assets and disguise your worst. I have included a selection of resources below to help you on your way.

Additionally spend a bit of time in front of the mirror and get to know yourself. It’s a hard thing to do for even the most buff of us, but worth it in the end.

Resources and Websites

What you wear can change your life
Trinny Woodall, Susannah Constantine (authors); Penguin, 2004
Although this 300+ page book focuses more on skin tone and general information on what to wear, it does include a chapter on identifying your best and worst assets.


What not to wear; the rules
Trinny Woodall, Susannah Constantine (authors): Penguin, 2004
Cute little handbag sized resource in gold that focuses on individual elements from big boobs to no boobs, saddlebags, big bum, little bum, skinny arms, short neck and/or fat ankles. Authors tend to focus more on their own body shapes, which can be confusing for those of us with a combination, but is still a useful resource to take with you on your next shopping expedition.


The Pocket Stylist: behind-the-scenes expertise from a fashion pro on creating your own look
Kendall Farr (author): Gothan Books, 2004
Kendal Farr is a celebrity fashion stylist and former fashion editor who has written for Instyle, People and Harpers Bazaar. Offers fashion and style tips on what to look for when shopping and what to avoid, how to effectively evaluate a wardrobe and how to identify your body shape. Is text heavy and can be more confusing than other books on the market.


Dress your best: The complete guide to finding the style that’s right for your body
Clinton Kelly, Stacy London (authors): Three Rivers Press, 2005
American version of BBCs What Not to Wear that offers simple fashion advice using everyday language like “bigger on top” or “little extra around the middle” to help readers create a look that is perfect for individual body shapes. Includes a men’s section.


BBC What not to wear online
www.bbc.co.uk/lifestyle/tv_and_radio/what_not_to_wear
Interactive feature than enables you to plug in your features and likes/dislikes and identify your shape and what type of clothing best suit your figure and style.

How to Look Good
www.howtolookgood.com
London style guru and fashion journalist Caryn Franklin teams with noted TV fashion producer Jane Gaplin for advice on finding stylish clothing to suit your specific body shape. Also features a range of e-books that offer fashion expertise for standard, fuller, petite and tall figures.



Articles

Your body shape
www.careerclothing.com.au/bodyshape.cfm

Body type and fashion
www.greatestlook.com/bodytype.html

Easy figure fixes
http://fashion.about.com/cs/tipsadvice/a/figurefixes.html

Dress for your body type
http://plussize.about.com/od.stylebasics/p/find_body_type.htm

Body shape fashion secrets
http://cosmo.ninemsn.com.au/article/aspx?id=55900


Magazines

Most fashion magazines feature some form of ‘shape solution’ from season to season. The November 2006 edition of Instyle addresses summer style solutions for four different body shapes including big-busted, curvy, pear and petite.

Contact your favourite fashion magazine for more information relating to articles and back-copies or visit your local library.