Do’s and Don’ts for Type A Figures
I have a strong dislike for the term “pear shaped“; thus, while this post could be taken as addressing that figure type, I will instead be using my own, more flattering, term: Type A. Well, that does have other associations as well, but what I mean is A as in A-line. Nothing unflattering about that!
Do you need a size at least two sizes greater on bottom than on top? If so, this post is for you.
Making the mental change from thinking of yourself as a pear to thinking of yourself as an A, or a triangle, is step one in the process of visualizing flattering looks. The reason? Your overall silhouette needs width at the hem, otherwise you risk appearing lumpy. Like a pear.
More do’s:
- choose A-line skirts
- wear dark jeans and trousers
- enjoy attention-getting details on top (accessories, necklines, sleeves)
- try slash pockets (I swear these can move me from a figure eight to an inverted triangle)
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Don’ts:
- tapered pants, UNLESS they are worn under a long A-line top
- tops that by-pass the waist and are tight on the hips (such as a sweatshirt)
- above the knee skirts with big horizontal lines going across the hips
What favorite tip would you share?
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Seven Year Trend Cycles
God, in his infinite wisdom, has woven certain rhythms into the fabric of our world. One of them is the seven year cycle. Who can forget in the Laura Ingalls Wilder classic The Long Winter (Little House)
Does that affect what you wear? I think it does. Recently I took another analytic look at Suzie Woodward’s fashion cycles (which we last discussed in June of 2009). If I assume a seven year trend cycle, rather than the five years Suzie suggests, the three silhouettes fall right in place with what I’ve experienced, say, in the last forty years.
- we are now solidly in a sophisticate cycle (in 2007, we were debating whether we would wear baby doll tops, jeans tucked into boots, or leggings).
- prior to this, we were in a separates cycle (think Clinton and Stacy)
- most of the ’90s was characterized by the “saucy” cycle. And puffed sleeves.
- following the seven year cycle back, puts the sophisticate cycle back in the days of Michael Jackson’s Thriller and the TV show Dynasty. Right where it belongs.
- Prior to that was another separates cycle, from the mid-1970’s to the early ’80s.
I don’t remember much prior to that. 
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Somatotyping and Myers-Briggs
The very first thing I have written in my notes for Nonverbal Communication:
What are you saying and do you mean to say it?
Nevertheless, I have found our study of somatotypes slightly disturbing . The idea that people would draw conclusions about our personalities from body-type seems somehow un-American or something.
Somatotyping is the system of body typing and constitutional psychology based on research by William Sheldon in the ’40s. Most of us have heard the terms endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph. What we troubled me was research showing the following characteristics related to body type:
endomorphy
softer, shorter, old fashioned, warm-hearted, less strong, amiable, talkative, dependent, trustworthy
mesomorphy
stronger, more masculine, better looking, adventurous, younger, more mature, self reliant
ectomorphy
very thin, very tall, very ambitious, suspicious, tense, pessimistic, stubborn
Yikes! How many of us would fit these descriptions? And do we tend to get grumpy and difficult when people assume things about us that are not true?
But look at this chart I found at mySomatotype.com, overlaying somatotype with myers-briggs personality type.
At first glance, this fits at least myself and the hero fairly precisely. How about you?
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Does This Make Me Look Fat?
At one time or another we’ve all asked the question. Does this make me look fat? It might.
Is it:
1) The wrong silhouette, or shapeless altogether?
2) Too small?
3) Put together in such a way that it creates a focal point where you would rather not have one? Like the wannabe glamourous young lady in black pants and black sweater, swath of white lace encircling her hips & derriere?
(A friend of mine used one of these long shirts with the lace hem to create a much more flattering look: matching the lace to the color of her skirt, she created the effect of a coordinating lace belt, and wore a contrasting top over.)
If creating a slimmer appearance is your foremost fashion concern, the book Does This Make Me Look Fat?: The Definitive Rules for Dressing Thin for Every Height, Size, and Shape
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Brainstorming on Fitting Trousers
Stephanie asks:
I don’t have a need for work slacks, but I would like some slacks for church. Any tips on fit? I have never worn them. I’m especially thrown by the noticeable lack of back pockets, and I just don’t know what is flattering. I see so many women wearing slacks that fit poorly…Don’t know how to not make that mistake. Right now, if I don’t wear a skirt to church, I wear dark wash jeans, but I’d like to expand my options.
Well, I’ll tell you a couple of things that are not flattering:
- form-fitting, skin-color pants
- visible pocket outlines
- jiggle
Defining what works is a bit more challenging. Let’s face it: women’s bodies are complicated.
Assuming we (at the bottom of the fashion food chain) lack the means, and/or skills, to do custom, here’s brainstorming on trouser fit:
- If your waist and hip measurements correspond to different sizes, go with the larger size and get alterations if necessary. (This is different from the way stretch jeans are normally fit these days.)
- Lining adds to a smooth look. Alternatively, wear magic underwear.
- The benefit of a mid-rise style with a waistband construction is breaking up the area visually. Recently I’ve seen styles with pocket flaps; same idea.
I suspect different styles flatter different figure types. For me, the fast diagonal line created by the slash front pocket is like magic; it almost transforms my figure eight silhouette into a V!
I’d love to hear what works for others.
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Maternity Business Wear
While I favor separates in my personal wardrobe, and suits would be my choice for business wear, dresses could be a more frugal choice for the expecting business woman.
Which of each pair of dresses would be the better choice for the professional?
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Fashion Lab: Color Value Placement
Next week I’m going to be talking about how to develop a personal color palette. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about what I consider the Great Northwest casual uniform: black top, army green pants, slip-on shoes. Or some variant thereof. And how, while I’m not so crazy about the ubiquitous black top, it is a good formula for some. Especially those who are curvier on top.
Which leads me to the general principle of wearing lighter colors where you are smaller and darker colors where you are larger. Let’s play with that using Gap cords, currently $15 off.
(I threw that last set in just for fun, but I’d love to know if you have any thoughts on neutral vs bright also.)
Speaking of cords (or perhaps I should say “speaking of body image“), I normally avoid them simply because they always made me feel fat, but when Spokane Discount had a deal where any pair of brown pants in size 6, 8, or 10 was so cheap it was almost free, I bought a pair of dark brown, trouser style, corduroy Dockers. For $3.
Application principle: aside from monochromatic outfits, I am focusing on darker bottoms with lighter tops. How do you employ color value placement?
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How to Shop for a Dress
Spring has sprung and that means dress season. There’s just something about a sunshiny day that brings out the girly in many of us, and for me, it also makes me a little more daring. All that to say, I am shopping for dresses.
Which, if online or even department store shopping were my usual practice, would seem easy; after all, currently LOTS of great dress styles are available: baby-dolls, sheaths, sundresses, shirtdresses. For me, though, it’s not so simple. Unable to bring myself to part with any real money most of the time, I generally shop thrift. Thrifting can be overwhelming, so I’ve identified some practices that make it easier.
How to quickly scan for dresses to try:
- Color is the easiest thing to scan for, so narrow down the colors you are looking for. This is how I was able to shop the entire Old Navy store while my hero was waiting in traffic to get out of the parking lot. And know that a dress is the easiest thing to wear in a flattering color that doesn’t work with anything else in your wardrobe. No mixing and matching necessary!
- Next, look at silhouette. If it makes you feel fat just by looking at it hanging on the rack, it’s probably not for you. Of course, if you are feeling adventurous, by all means use the opportunity to try on a new shape.
- Patterns should harmonize with the scale of your facial features AND appeal to your personal sense of style.
- With the current practice of layering dresses over leggings or other pieces, length may not be as big an issue, but it is something that’s easy to identify before getting to the fitting room.
- Finally, if it feels icky to the touch, don’t bother trying it on. This has to do with learning to recognize the feel of the fabrics you like to wear. Knowing I will never wear a polyester blouse, no matter how beautiful the color or pattern, has saved me literally hours in fitting rooms.
Of course, just because I shop thrift, doesn’t mean these techniques won’t help in traditional stores.
Look what I got yesterday for $15 (plus a pair of swim shorts and a pair of linen shorts thrifted last week for $10). Apologies again for the fuzzy picture.
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Benefits of the Three Cycles Model for Predicting Fashion Trends
This excerpt of a comment expresses how alot of us feel about dressing ourselves:
It always takes a year or two of seeing a trend work for a variety of other people before I warm up to it or see a way that I can make it work for me. I don’t *want* to look like a fashion slave - I want a wardrobe that feels like me and won’t look out of date in a few years, and I think (hope) that’s what I’ve built.
Kari from In Kari’s Wardrobe
That resonates with me. What I admire, but don’t identify with, are the people who just wear what they want, because they like it. Perhaps with a greater budget … but I doubt it. I am both overly analytical and easily persuaded.
The moment I understood the three cycles concept (after having read it several times over the course of a few years), I got up from the couch and got dressed into an outfit I would not have otherwise had the confidence to wear. 
Unfortunately, I cannot hold a camera still enough to get a picture of myself or I’d have one to show you. Later that day I was explaining to my hero that it makes perfect sense that when a person begins to wear the emerging look, their close associates will make discouraging comments like “that doesn’t look like anything you’ve worn before”. After all, they haven’t seen you wear anything like that for at least 10 years.
Then he asked me, with a guilty expression, if he did that to me. *chuckle*
The benefits:
- Understanding where comments are coming from, I can more easily shrug them off
- I can wear each look as a costume, if I so choose, even when it’s not in style
- It’s easier to spot great vintage looks when thrifting
One last advantage: many pitfalls of frumpiness can be avoided by not mixing the shapes within an outfit. For example, the frumpiness of a rectangular shaped top worn over tapered pants. Can you think of more examples?
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More on Predicting Fashion Cycles
Or should I say “moron predicting fashion cycles”?
Firstly, let me give a skeleton explanation of each of Suzie’s three cycles I wrote about the other day:
- A cycle marked by separates combined to make an hourglass or rectangle with waist silhouette. Colors are grayed, details are angular, and texture is in.
- A long, T-shaped silhouette takes over, accompanied by sophisticated colors such as black, ivory, and jewel tones. Collarless tops make room for bolder jewelry.
- Prints predominate as dresses take over and the silhouette becomes the 8 shape that most closely resembles a snowman. Big sleeves, big belts, and warm colors characterize this cycle.
Can you recognize any of these looks belonging to a year in history? I was very #2 in 1991.
