San
Diego Professional Organizer Image Consultant Advice
Welcome to our advice section. Every week I answer new questions submitted
by readers on Organizing, Image, Fashion and Event Planning.
You can read my "AddSPACE To Your Life!" column every week
in San Diego's “The Coast News" or read the archived columns
below.
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Clothing
Advice For Plus-size Hour Glass Body
09.23.05
Dear
Kathi,
I am in an office most of the time, as I work on a college campus
in New Hampshire. Without air-conditioning in a lot of the buildings,
it can be brutally hot in the summer, as well as very cold in the
winter. The “clients” I see might be vendors, co-workers,
or students.
As a 50-year-old hourglass-shaped plus size, I stick pretty close
to slacks or an occasional skirt, shirts or knit tops, sweaters, jackets
(I wear a lot of light-weight sweater sets), simple jewelry, and comfortable
shoes, like sandals, or loafers.
At church I play organ. I wear slacks or a skirt with a jacket, or
a dress, often with scarves and jewelry. Shoes are a little
dressier—usually pumps that I can kick off. I would like to
upgrade my wardrobe and am looking for specific advice about what
I can wear.
Thanks!
Linda, Dartmouth
Linda,
As an hourglass plus size, be careful what you wear on your feet.
Avoid clunky shoes. "Clunky" means fat heels with a lot
of coverage on the top of your foot. Try to choose shoes that have
a low profile and are very streamlined. Choose pumps that are cut
low in the front of your foot and if possible cut low on the side
to show off your arch. A kitten heel is the best choice because, again,
it is petite in size, not bulky or chunky.
For sandals, wear thin straps, nothing bulky. Loafers are a good stand-by
if they are not heavy. Again, go for the low profile, streamlined,
and feminine. No chunky, clunky heels.
It sounds like the layering effect is good for you. The matching sweater
set combo has the hazard of looking schoolmarmish, however. You might
be better served with the modern day equivalent of layering two unique
sweaters on top of each other: a sleeveless shell under a 3/4 sleeve
lightweight sweater. You can even wear a blazer over both of these
as the weather turns cooler.
Remember to keep your blouses fitted, but not tight, to emphasize
your figure. A fitted blouse gives the impression of a smaller waistline.
Wear a suit coat or blazer over the fitted shirt to hide any bulges
that might be obvious when you sit down.
If you are going to wear a skirt, a good overall length for most shapes
is a hemline that falls at the skinny part of the knee. Avoid skirts
that are exceptionally long. Long, flowy skirts should only be worn
if the top half of the silhouette has some sort of fitted shape. The
paper sack effect results from wearing loose over loose, and long.
If the skirt has to be long, I would prefer to see a flowy top over
a long fitted skirt. Better yet, a knee length skirt is the safest
alternative for every top.
Make sure to balance your top half with your bottom half. In other
words, if you have a large bustline, make sure to avoid narrow, straight,
or peg leg slacks, choosing a boot cut or flare leg instead. If you
have a large derrière, make sure your jackets and blouses fall
just below the largest part of your bottom.
Vertical lines add slimness to your silhouette. They can be found
in seaming and cut, as well as in fabric pattern.Emphasize your best
asset. If it is your eyes, wear clothing colors that highlight your
eye color. If it is your small waist, make sure to wear blouses that
are trim at the waist. If it is your face, play with earrings and
scarves tied at the neckline to bring the attention to that area.
Thanks for writing and don’t hesitate to write with any other
specific questions.
Please
submit your questions to:
advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
.
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