[QUOTE=turnbuckle]
Why don’t you borrow his skirt? Perhaps some knee socks to complete the bad schoolgirl look.
[/QUOTE]
Oooooh! Those are fighting words! He’s wearing a kilt. We’re both of Scottish decent - notice how fish-belly pale I am.
Mouse_Spouse has a claymore to go with that outfit. 
Hummmm . . . kilt. . . sword. . . Damn! Six more hours of work.
Sadly, when we see ourselves, we don’t often see what our significant others see.
What are HIS favorite parts of you? Showing enough confidence to put your own insecurities aside to give him what HE likes tends to work pretty well for me.
I’m also short waisted, so I never tuck anything in, I’d look like a belted potato and I’m underweight.
This may be a bit underhanded, but I have historical reasons for doing so, I was perusing my husbands computer and noticed what porn he had been looking at lately, boy have his tastes changed over the years, but he had been looking at pictures that just gave peeks at womens boobs. So what did I do? Why shore 'nuff, I made sure that I wasn’t quite as well concealed as usual, a shirt unbuttoned one more than usual, a drapey shirt that fell away when leaning over, you know the drill. It worked 
[QUOTE=Mouse_Maven]
Mouse_Spouse has a claymore to go with that outfit.
[/QUOTE]
A large phallic symbol to accesorize his skirt. Interesting.
Sexy is a state of mind. The clothes help, but if you don’t like the way they make you look, you won’t feel sexy.
If you’re a tomboy, go to one of the better department stores and ask for a makeover at the cosmetic counter. The makeover is free, and I like to buy one or two cosmetics to “thank” the clerk for her time. You can get some ideas to bring out the features in your face.
High heels. For me, nothing makes me feel sexier than strutting around in high heels. As Jeff Foxworthy says, they make your butt and legs look good.
Start out with a simple black dress. A dab of perfume, some expertly applied makeup, and I guarantee Mouse Spouse will be a puddle of goo.
[QUOTE=Mouse_Maven]
Going to the gym three times a week, yoga and hiking on weekends, and watching what I eat doesn’t seem to do anything for my figure. This body is determined to be pear-shaped size 10. 
[/QUOTE]
That thing I wrote about exercise–it has nothing to do with what you look like or don’t look like. If you’re a size 10 with classic, feminine hips, then so be it. That can look great on you, as it does in your wedding photos.
I was talking about getting some exercise as a way to do something that made you feel like you’d accomplished something. I sometimes find that, when I feel lousy about myself (which happens a lot these days), doing something physically demanding gives me a sense of accomplishment. I think that works because pushing yourself physically is hard, so, when you manage to do it, you get a sense of having had some small victory over the inclination we all have towards simple comfort and complacency.
[QUOTE=Mouse_Maven]
For wearing out. I am very much a tom-boy (man? woman? I’m turning 30 soon. What the hell do you call a straight woman with a masculine side?!) Mouse_Spouse has said he would like to see me in something sexy and feminine.
.
[/QUOTE]
I wasn’t going to go here, but since you mention being a tommouse, I’d suggest longer hair. Many female mice look good in short curly hair, but very few of those are tommice with a masculine side.
I agree with ivylass, the simple black dress, high heels, and fancy make-up is usually enough to make anyone sit up and notice, especially if that’s not your usual look.
It works for me anyway! Of course not enough to keep my ex interested but that’s another story.
Surprise your man with lingerie if you want to be really sexy. Or at least underneath your sexy dress. I cannot stress enough the importance of stockings and garters!
C’mon now you are married…You don’t have to look sexy anymore.
J/K , but I would try something new with the hair.
Also, you might try going to a store that offers personal shopper services. The service is free and you don’t have to buy anything. You can call ahead of time, schedule an appointment, tell them your size and the general “look” you want, and they will have already pulled together some potential outfits for you, including accessories. It’s a great way for the fashion-challenged to put an outfit or wardrobe together. It can cost a little more, but higher end clothes last longer anyway, so I think it comes out in the end, especially if you buy something classic, like a black dress. After that, you just need to accessorize. Oh, and if you go back to the same store, they keep records of what you’ve bought, so they can help put new outfits/accessories together that coordinate with what you already have.
Ok.
I’ll let my hair gown out. Some. A little. Maybe. (Confession: I fear my hair. Stylists break out the curling irons, blow dryers and gel to tame it, but it always breaks free. It has enough curl to provide “body” but it won’t stay still. If it grows out, it may start start grabing random objects or people!)
Find a good black dress.
Heels? LadyDopers (and Gentlemen, if you’re so inclined) how do you walk in heels? They hurt! I love anything that makes me taller, but the pain can be to much. Is there a trick to this I’m missing?
Makeup - I have some from the wedding. Break that out.
[QUOTE=Mouse_Maven]
Ok.
I’ll let my hair gown out. Some. A little. Maybe. (Confession: I fear my hair. Stylists break out the curling irons, blow dryers and gel to tame it, but it always breaks free. It has enough curl to provide “body” but it won’t stay still. If it grows out, it may start start grabing random objects or people!)
Find a good black dress.
Heels? LadyDopers (and Gentlemen, if you’re so inclined) how do you walk in heels? They hurt! I love anything that makes me taller, but the pain can be to much. Is there a trick to this I’m missing?
Makeup - I have some from the wedding. Break that out.
[/QUOTE]
A lot of the heels thing is practice. And occasionally silent suffering. However, I just saw a thing on Oprah. She had a guest who was a Nike shoe designer and he worked the comfort of their shoes into a rockin’ hot heel. Lots of ‘em. I guess Oprah is semi-famous for whippin’ her shoes off at dressy events, and she said these shoes were made by elfen magic or something. Might be something to look into.
Kitten heels can be good, or low wedges. Both are a bit less extreme, I’ve found. The wedges have the bonus of extra stability.
But … if you can’t get comfortable in heels, they won’t make you feel sexy. I’m not saying don’t try heels. If you can find a shoe-obsessed person to go shopping with you that can help too. But if after all your efforts, heels don’t work out, there are cute feminine flats around.
Also your figure is fine, lovely in fact. It may take some time and effort, but if you can turn your own feelings around with a conscious focus on how you have this rockin’ size ten body with great feminine hips, rather than seeing your body as a problem, that will make you carry yourself in a more confident, sexier manner. Size ten is not some kind of crime against humanity.
I grew up very much a tomboy, and with a very thin, lanky frame, and then hit puberty, or rather, it hit me, and I got landed with this mother-goddess figure (seriously… venus of willendorf…) and it has taken me a really long time to stop deprecating it. You already know that you are doing what you need to keep it fit and healthy, right? So the next step is loving it for what it is right now.
Sorry to lecture! But that stood out to me, and I do believe that you’ve a better chance of rocking that hot little black dress if you give your body the credit it is due.
How about something to match the hubby?
You might want to pick up a copy of “What Not to Wear” which helps you pick clothes for your body type - or swing by a bookstore and flip through a few pages for your type.
[QUOTE=Mouse_Maven]
Find a good black dress.
Heels? LadyDopers (and Gentlemen, if you’re so inclined) how do you walk in heels? They hurt! I love anything that makes me taller, but the pain can be to much. Is there a trick to this I’m missing?
[/QUOTE]
Well, before going through the pain, discreetly find out if your hubby likes high heels. Some guys aren’t really turned on by that (or so I hear, I’ve never met one. 
)
If you do try it, here’s how my mom taught me:
start with low heels, work your way up
small steps
keep your legs close togethger
take your shoes off under the restaurant table
no dancing in them until you’re used to it! I took some salsa dancing classes in high heels and that was PAINFUL.
[QUOTE=Becky G, Supervixen!]
Well, before going through the pain, discreetly find out if your hubby likes high heels. Some guys aren’t really turned on by that (or so I hear, I’ve never met one. )
If you do try it, here’s how my mom taught me:
start with low heels, work your way up
small steps
keep your legs close togethger
take your shoes off under the restaurant table
no dancing in them until you’re used to it! I took some salsa dancing classes in high heels and that was PAINFUL.
[/QUOTE]
Woo hoo! We have a new supervixen to drool over on the board!
For comfortable heels, you might try Dansko. Most of their shoes are the opposite of sexy, but they have a few dressier pairs. Look at Rose or Roxy on www.dansko.com Their shoes are extremely comfortable and made to last. No, these shoes are not porno shoes, but sexy and painful feet are not a good combo. These have enough of a heel to make your posture more alluring.
[QUOTE=Idlewild]
Kitten heels can be good, or low wedges. Both are a bit less extreme, I’ve found. The wedges have the bonus of extra stability.
But … if you can’t get comfortable in heels, they won’t make you feel sexy. I’m not saying don’t try heels. If you can find a shoe-obsessed person to go shopping with you that can help too. But if after all your efforts, heels don’t work out, there are cute feminine flats around.
Also your figure is fine, lovely in fact. It may take some time and effort, but if you can turn your own feelings around with a conscious focus on how you have this rockin’ size ten body with great feminine hips, rather than seeing your body as a problem, that will make you carry yourself in a more confident, sexier manner. Size ten is not some kind of crime against humanity.
I grew up very much a tomboy, and with a very thin, lanky frame, and then hit puberty, or rather, it hit me, and I got landed with this mother-goddess figure (seriously… venus of willendorf…) and it has taken me a really long time to stop deprecating it. You already know that you are doing what you need to keep it fit and healthy, right? So the next step is loving it for what it is right now.
Sorry to lecture! But that stood out to me, and I do believe that you’ve a better chance of rocking that hot little black dress if you give your body the credit it is due.
[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the compliments! Lately, I have been stressed out and that has lead to self-pity. There is a nasty part of my mind that thinks that if I was taller, thinner and prettier life would be easier. (I work at a University and train students on a regular basis. Seeing beautiful young girls with promising futures in medicine or research takes a toll.)
[QUOTE=Mouse_Maven]
Thanks for the compliments! Lately, I have been stressed out and that has lead to self-pity. There is a nasty part of my mind that thinks that if I was taller, thinner and prettier life would be easier. (I work at a University and train students on a regular basis. Seeing beautiful young girls with promising futures in medicine or research takes a toll.)
[/QUOTE]
Okay, I’m late coming to this thread but here’s my recommendation.
You’re an admitted tomboy and you have a kind of sporty style. I would recommend NOT making a real big change here.
If you have some occasion that calls for a dress, or if you just want a dress, by all means, get a dress. Otherwise I’m going to suggest you go just a little dressier than you are, little by little. First upgrade the top. Based on the figure you describe my suggestion is a dark but intense color with either a deep V-neck or a cutout neckline–an interesting neckline, and fingertip length, at least. I’ve recently seen some (I think at Macy’s) that bare one shoulder that would work at least as far as the interesting neckline, but you’d have to try them. The thing is to show some skin but keep it simple–a high neck is kind of an unbroken blob. The top should be in the kind of fabric that reveals your figure but doesn’t really flaunt it, that is to say, not obviously tight, but not baggy.
Wear this top over your jeans with boots with a 2" stacked heel and it’s dressy enough to go almost anywhere.
If it’s a dress you want, then (again based on your description) something simple. For short-waisted types a dropped waistline is good. If you have a small waist something belted is nice but the belt and the fabric should be, if not the same color, then the same value (i.e. shade of darkness). The kind of belt that drops down a little from the waist adds some length.
This is a guess based on the pictures, I can’t tell if the color is really an accurate description of your coloring (on my computer I mean) but don’t get a black dress and don’t get a white one. Figure out what colors are fabulous on you if you don’t already know, and don’t try to do this in the store because their lighting is probably going to give you a strange result. A few years ago this color thing was the hot thing and there were people who gave parties and did everybody’s colors. I have no idea what they got out of it, as they weren’t selling anything and it didn’t cost much. But I don’t see this happening any more.
The What Not to Wear book is fun but not really very helpful since nobody is going to have all the figure problems. There is one–and I’m sorry, I can’t remember the name–that goes into personal style. I’m pretty sure the words “personal style” were in the title. There’s a questionnaire and based on your answers you end up as one of four styles (or maybe it was six) the likes of sporty, traditional, romantic, classic, and I forget the other two, then there are suggested choices within those styles. (If I had bought these instead of checking them out of the library then I’d be more help.)
Oh, and put on some lipstick!