Help For The Fashion Impaired

In My Humble Opinion
21

This was last winter, and now that I think of it, I mean winter of 07, not 07-08…

She brought these very dark, lightweight denim jeans to my dressing cubicle–I’ve never seen that much fabric in a jean. :eek: I tried them on for fun, but they were not for me. Of course, I never liked the elephant pants (or gauchos, their cropped cousin) the first time around.

I haven’t seen Mom jeans at the GAP, but I haven’t been shopping for clothes for me (well, jeans) in a long time.

I loved the [del]straight leg[/del] slim fit look–but they looked good on me. I am not about to try my luck now, 3 kids and 40 pounds later. :eek: As long as the funky hair and the big sweaters don’t come back, I’m fine with the 80s stuff (well, excluding the leg warmers and the shoulder pads and the Flashdance shit…)
:slight_smile:

22

I printed out this thread and went to the store after work and got some really fantastic bras. I had gone down in both band and cup size so the difference in wearing a bra that is a proper fit was tremendous. My breasts look fantastic! Now I just have to work on the rest of my wardrobe.

23

Okay, why am I too old to wear it again? This was my great look. It just happens to make me look taller, and I love it.

So what about it makes me “too old” or the style too young for me?

24

Nothing. It’s just her opinion.
:confused:

Yay on the OP for taking a step! Now, get rid of the nasty undies. I won’t go so far as to say you have to get sexy numbers (I prefer a cotton panty meself), but the ones with the elastic hanging in shreds or the cotton liner is shot etc. Away with them!

25

It depends by what people mean by the “long shirt over slim pants” thing. When I think of it, I think of something like this, which, IMO, if you were sentient in 1985, you’re too old to wear now.

If, on the other hand, you’re thinking of a pair of extremely slim jeans with a polished, slightly fitted, tunic-length button-down or well-made sweater, that’s completely age-appropriate.

I just know that I *see * a lot more of the former than the latter (an experience reinforced by the fact that I couldn’t find a picture online of what I mean by the grownup version!), which influences my opinion of the silhouette.

26

Never underestimate the worth of a good tailor. It is not expensive and it is crucial if you are an hourglass in a pencil shaped world :slight_smile:

I’ve got bust and booty but a small waist. I buy my clothes to fit my chest and my hips and then (if necessary) take them to the tailor to have them nipped in at the waist and shortened (if necessary).

When you go shopping wear (or bring) the shoes that you intend to wear with the outfit. There’s nothing worse than buying pants that were the perfect length with the sneakers you were shopping in but too short when you put on your shoes.

There’s no such thing as “it’s fine” or “it will do”. If you don’t love it, leave it there - that isn’t the only pair of pants/skirt/shirt in the world.

Also, don’t be afraid to buy a piece that looks good on you in every color they have. For example, I have the same pair of slacks in black, brown, khaki, and olive green and, I have the same V Neck in pink, powder blue, black, olive green, and brown. So, there’s a ton of combinations right there and I always feel good because I know that those pieces look good on me. And, I follow that same pattern with everything - T-shirts, jeans, bras - everything. (yes, my closets are overflowing - why do you ask :wink: )

I also buy jeans I like in all three lengths - petite for sneakers, medium for shoes, and tall for my high heels - but if you don’t like heels then you might not need to do that.

Don’t avoid the Juniors department - they have great stuff. I don’t care that I’m 39 - you’ll pry my Happy Bunny t-shirts from my cold, dead hands.

The most important thing is to try to take someone you really trust with you. It’s not fun to hear your best friend say “No. That is hideous on you” especially when you are kind of digging it, but in the end it’s worth it.

Sorry for the long post - I hope at least some of it helps :slight_smile:

27

I just took my measurements and I still don’t know which body type I am! :smack:

My breasts are 1 inch larger than my waist (though, granted, I do lose weight from my chest first so that is probably part of that) and my hips are a damned sight bigger than either of the first 2 measurements. Does “bedonkakonk” qualify as a body type?

28

“Bedonkadonk” = “pear shaped”. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to the club. :wink:

29

For a long time, WNTW did a very, very poor job of dressing plus sized women. At the end of the show, the colors might be better, but the fit still kind of sucked.

pbbth, do you have a good friend who will be honest with you and owes you a favor? If so, grab him or her, and spend the day trying stuff on. Try on the same shirt in 18 different colors and have them tell you which looks good and which you should never ever ever wear again. Try on things with different necklines and find out which one is the best for you. Try on different cuts, sizes, shapes, colors, fits…just try on anything and everything they’ve got. And then change stores and do it some more.

At the end of the day, you’ll know that you should wear blue boat neck shirts, pencil skirts, or whatever looks good on you. Because just because a style looks good on the average 5’4" woman with your coloring doesn’t mean that it’ll work for you. You’ll also know what you should avoid - the friend needs to be honest. It needs to be someone you can trust to say “no” when it really is a “no.”

BTW, I have to confess, I hate doing this and haven’t in a long, long time (except in very short doses). But it does work.

30

Thanks! I assume I will be getting some sort of fruit basket from Sir Mix-a-lot as a welcome to the club, yes? :smiley:

I have a question about pantyhose…are they really necessary? I hate them but my mother always told me that you should wear pantyhose with a dress. (Since then I have avoided dresses like they were the pneumatic plague, so I guess that backfired on her!) When should they be worn and when can I get away without wearing them?

31

I have succumbed to the customs of the natives and now only wear hose when it’s cold outside or I have to appear in court. (I don’t ever have to appear in court).

At first, I felt as daring as when I would go braless in college. (it doesn’t take much). Now I am grateful for not having to pay for the damned things, wrestle them on my body (believe me, even when I weighed 112, I still wrestled with them-they are the work of the Devil), and inflate my core body temperature by about 3 degrees while wearing them. All that said, though–my thighs now stick together when I sit in skirts and it’s hot outside, so I guess they were good for something…

ETA: we have a plague that lifts things? who knew! :wink:

32

Unless you live in The South [sup]TM[/sup], the only time you need to wear pantyhose these days is weddings and funerals. And maybe job interviews if you’re interviewing for the kind of job that requires a suit *and *heels. Pantyhose have definitely moved into the “formal wear” category, and my teenage goddaughters don’t even wear them to formal dances.

33

Depends who you ask. They seem to be “out” now, but I’m 38 and I don’t feel decent if I’m wearing a dressy dress and closed toe shoes with bare legs. I’m tentatively trying out bare legs with long skirts and open toe shoes, but I still feel like I forgot something. When I wear hose, I usually stick to black, as those seem to be more acceptable than the beige.

Good luck getting away from those damnable cap sleeves. I hate them too and they’re on everything!

34

Pneumatic, pneumonic, potato, potah-to :stuck_out_tongue:

35

I gave up pantyhose a couple of years ago when I looked around and realized only the visibly out of style/date or very old women wore them. I must say I don’t miss them in the least.

If I need squishing, I’ll wear Spanx (and I do mean Spanx the brand, not just any squisher, they are so worth the $$$).

36

I went to target on my lunch break to see what they have and I found that they have nothing. All of their pants are “cropped” which is code for “looks cute on women 5’7” or taller but makes you look like you are waiting for a small flood" and their shirts were all very poor quality. :frowning:

I will go to Filines Basement or H&M tomorrow and see what they have there. Maybe they will have pants that are a normal length and shirts that are thicker than kleenex.

37

Even down here most women only wear them for job interviews and the occasional funeral. I’m the most traditionally etiquetted person you’ll see and I don’t wear hose to weddings and funerals anymore, only to job interviews. On the other hand, the older black ladies I work with just can’t believe that I’d go to a church without hose on. They hadn’t realized I don’t wear it, and sometimes when I wear a skirt one of them touches my leg to make sure that, no, no hose. When I did go to an interview I made sure they saw me before I took my hose off, just for the novelty. :slight_smile:

And unless you’re one of my aunts you NEVER wear hose with open toed shoes.

I’d say hose is on the way out possibly for real, like the girdle and functional garters and hats on women; maybe worn for very special occasions or as fetish/lingerie gear or by subcultures.

38

Not to hijack, but hose is not on the way out and I’m in the suburbs of Chicago. I work in a medium-sized hospital and female non-clinical staff wear hose. On really hot days (I’m talking 90 with 90% humidity), some will wear longer skirts with no stockings, but for the most part, if you’re wearing a skirt or a dress, you’re also wearing stockings.

39

And welcome to Cleveland in February.
Bare legs?

40

I work in a large hospital in Chicago and from what I’ve seen around here, women above age 40 are the ones most likely to still wear hose. To some extent, women higher up in positions of authority will be more likely to continue to wear hose, but we do have a VP who’s very fashion-forward and professional, and she hasn’t been in hose that I recall when I’ve seen her. Note that some workplaces might have formal dress codes that require hose; ours does not.

I’d read an article - maybe in the Chicago Tribune - recently that discussed this, which basically said the twentysomethings have nearly all abandoned hose completely, the thirtysomethings are sometimes split on the issue, and older either wear hose semi-religiously or have a tough time adapting to the concept.

As for winter? Hose never seemed to help that much in winter, but it’s been so long since I’ve worn a skirt or dress for work (business semi-casual attire for me, trousers and heels, no hose) that I wouldn’t know for certain. I’ve seen most women braving the cold bare-legged.