On Friday I posted notes from my presentation on finding a perfect knitting pattern for your figure. Those highlighted the general rules for dressing to dress taller and thinner. I am going to continue on with guidelines for specific body issues, such as large or small shoulder, bust, hips, etc.
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| Peek by Kim Hargreaves |
Some Specific Body Issues To Consider:
·
Thick/Short Neck
o
look for designs with strong vertical lines
o
wear open necklines like v-neck, scoops and
slits
o
avoid turtlenecks – mock or regular
·
Thin/Long Neck
o
add bulk with turtlenecks and full collars
o
avoid open necklines
o wear high collars or turn up your collar
·
Broad Shoulders
o
wear unstructured tops to soften shoulder line
o
deep necklines like v-necks and scoops distract
o
diagonal lines from raglans and halters also
interrupt the strong horizontal
o
wear tank tops to cut shoulder line
·
Narrow Shoulders
o
add width with horizontal lines
o
wear boat neck and off-the-shoulder styles
o
saddle shoulder
o
epaulets add volume
o
be careful of deep necklines – they may fall off
·
Full Upper Arms
o
wear sleeves!
o
wear loose-fitting sleeves
o
avoid cap sleeves
o
sleeve should end below fullness of arm.
o
wear off-the-shoulder tops to distract from arms
·
Large Bust
o
wear minimal texture and pattern over bust
o
necklines:
v-necks, scoops
o
wear wrap tops
o
diagonals will emphasize your curves
o
wear small collars
·
Small Bust
o
wear lots of texture, pattern and color over bust
o
you can wear horizontal stripes
o
diagonals will emphasize the curves you have
o
enjoy wearing spaghetti straps, halters and
other styles which don’t accommodate a heavy-duty bra
·
Long Waist
o
create the illusion of raising your waist and
lengthening your legs
o
wear garments below hip length to disguise the
fact that your legs are proportionately short
o
wear one color from waist to toe
o
layer your tops
·
Short Waist
o
lengthen the torso by wearing Empire waists
(just below the bust)
o
OR put emphasis at hips
o
don’t tuck in tops
o
wear vertical stripes
o
be professionally fitted for a quality bra
to hoist up the girls
§
it will give more space between bust and waist
·
Poochy Belly
o
wear Empire waistlines
o
wear sweaters with ruching across belly
o
wear tops long and untucked
·
Broad Hips & Thighs
o
tops should end above or below your widest point
o
wear lots of color, pattern and texture on top –
even horizontal stripes
o
you may have to adjust patterns and knit for a
larger size on bottom and smaller size on top
·
Narrow Hips & Thighs
o
bring focus below the waist with pattern or
texture
o
keep tops simple
o
go for structure rather than drape
In the presentation I go on to discuss snoop shopping, and how to use it to test these rules on your real body. Those notes will be up next.
