Style Advice for Ruth
Remember Ruth? Yesterday I carried out an online style analysis of her figure.
Here I will use the analysis to provide advice to Ruth on what will be her best looks. Here is Ruth in some outfits she made recently.
Style Advice
- Ruth has a semi-shaped body so looks best in semi-fitted styles. The two outfits (above) would classify as semi-fitted. Her best look is to create a slight waist emphasis, following her natural curves. This would include softly shaped shoulders (no heavy padding). Ruth will suit styles in fluid fabrics (Ruth likes working with jersey). Lots of styles suit her but it would be good to avoid the extremes – neither a boxy outline nor a very fitted curved shape. I haven’t checked Ruth’s colouring specifically but I think this red and navy outfit is great in terms of both colour and shape.
- The following items will be good for Ruth
- straight skirts
- slight A line skirt
- straight dress with a belt
- straight coat with a belt
- tapered leg, flat fronted trousers
- semi fitted shirts and blouses
- In terms of clothes that Ruth should avoid
- very straight or severe jackets
- long boxy jackets
- flared or full skirts
- full trousers
- In terms of fabrics the best ones for her silhouette are smooth or slight textures with a firmness (not too firm, or drapey). She should choose fabrics which mould but don’t cling to her figure. Good fabrics to make her outfits with include:
- wool crepe
- heavy jersey
- lightweight wool
- fine tweed
- linen
- silk
- twill
- cotton poplin
- As Ruth has fairly broad shoulders I would suggest lines or detail at the CF. The long beads she has on in the first picture works well. A deep V is good, and the two necklines above serve to elongate the neck. But because Ruth doesn’t have a big bust she should avoid a very deep V or too clingy a top. A classic shirt in a soft fabric should work well if she leaves the top buttons undone. Ruth likes cowl tops, and they too suit her body type. She can also create a nice effect with a soft scarf or bow at the neck.
- Ruth is relatively short-waisted, with much of her height coming from her long legs. Therefore keeping the hems of her tops at hip level (and not tucked in) is good as this has the effect of elongating the upper body. Low slung wider belts and medium width belts (around 2″) in the same colour as the top will have a similar effect. Choose a buckle that has some character to add interest. In fact belts are a good look for Ruth, especially with a more formal look when she should always wear a belt with her skirt or trousers.
- Currently Ruth is carrying some weight on her hips so I suggest skirts with gores like the one above, but with the centre panel narrower than the outer gores, straight cut fuller trousers – as above – softly pleated skirts, and generously cut shorts.
- Because Ruth’s legs are long she can afford to wear a dropped yoke on her trousers, or turn ups if she pleases. Overall her shapely bottom and longer legs means that trousers should always be a first choice for her.
- Longer skirts (calf length) are an OK look, given Ruth’s proportions. However I feel she is hiding her legs which is a shame. Also I find this length somewhat dated and a bit too prim for Ruth who is essentially a young woman. Because Ruth is relatively long in the thigh she could wear a skirt that finished mid-thigh and still look good. I would like to suggest she experiments with shorter skirts, 4-6″ above the knee, wearing them with darker tights and shoes. If this works she might try a shorter skirt, culottes or full shorts over thicker tights, or with a nice pair of flattish boots.
- Ruth needs to make sure her skirts and trousers fit well at her back waist line, doing a sway back adjustment as necessary. I would suggest making apeplum style jacket that actually emphasises her neat back waist. Vogue 1132 is nice, but probably in a plain fabric. Using plaid that doesn’t match is just horrible, in my view.
Vogue 1132 Worn with a slimmish (hip skimming) skirt, or well fitted trousers I think Ruth would look both professional and stylish for work or social events. In terms of the length of her jackets and coats avoid cropped and waist length jackets and make them hip bone length. Ruth can certainly wear longer jackets too, but they must have some shaping to avoid the boxy look.
- Ruth can wear most sleeve lengths including sleeveless. I would avoid fullness at the wrist – a tapered cuff would be neater, but ending the sleeve at the elbow will emphasise the waist. Like Michelle Obama show off your nice wrists and hands with shorter, smartly cuffed sleeves.
- In terms of scale as Ruth is medium (overall) she should avoid ditsy prints, and big patterns, and stick to a medium scale with everything from bags, belts, buttons, lapels, stripes etc.
- Ruth has a roundish face with lots of curves. Ruth would do well to choose a hairstyle that works with the planes of her face. The hairstyle should be soft and provide balance. I would think a side parting, rather than a straight fringe, some length at the sides (Look A) rather than clipped back would be a good choice. You can probably see in the two pictures that Ruth’s face looks more oval in Look A, and more rounded in Look B and in the photo with the red jacket. As Ruth has naturally wavy hair a softly layered cut or style that allows the curl to be expressed would be best. It may be worth trying a soft “up-do” to add height.
Possible hair style - Ruth could choose jewellery – such as earrings, brooches and pendants – with curved lines that will flatter her face. Similarly patterns Ruth chooses are best if they are curved shapes like the leaf print she is wearing above.
- Ruth should choose spectacles that give some definition to the cheekbones and draw the eye upwards to make her face appear longer, with the emphasis at the temples. Avoid very round or very square frames. They shouldn’t be too heavy, but not too delicate either, and in a colour that suits her natural palette.
- Fairly structured medium-sized handbags are good.
- Ruth prefers a flat shoe that she can walk in, and wears boots quite often. I think that boots are a good look, but keep them fairly streamlined. Also I really like the pointed “kitten” heel Ruth is wearing in the second picture. This sort of look is good for more dressy occasions and summer looks. Unfortunately Ruth has some foot problems which means she is not comfortable in court shoes . However comfy sandals with a high up strap will shorten the leg and may look a bit frumpy. Perhaps Ruth could try some more modern styles such as brogues or loafers in her darkest neutral, with darker tights. She might also try cool trainers with jeans – perhaps in an interesting colour, or a leather pair. Comfortable and fashionable.
Ecco trainers I hope this may be of use to Ruth, and possibly to others.
Style Analysis for Ruth
I have previously tried to do a colour analysis virtually but found it very hard. I thought I would try an online style analysis for Ruth. I know Ruth through Artisans’ Square, where she is very active and engaged. Like me, she enjoys the Sewing with a Plan contests. Hello Ruth!
Here is Ruth’s ambition:
“I would like to nudge my sewing more in the direction of fabulous things I want to wear rather than easy things that are quick to sew.”
Ruth works in IT, lives in a lovely home in the North of England and is in her early 40s. She has generously allowed me to use some photographs from her own blog so we can attempt a virtual style analysis. Today I will analyse Ruth’s figure. I will provide specific advice tomorrow.
Ruth tells me her best features are:
- pink lips/smile
- striking blue-green eyes
- hands/wrists/lower arms
- curve at the back waist out to the fuller hip
- round derriere
- good shoulders
- wavy brown hair
Here is another set from SWAP 2012.
As you will have seen by now Ruth is a very accomplished seamstress. She loves putting together a coordinated wardrobe and she likes some fairly dramatic flourishes. She wants her clothes to be comfortable and wearable but she is not afraid of bold colour or experimentation.
So let’s see if we can carry out a style analysis, virtually. I have had relied on photos on Ruth’s website, and she has given me a few measurements. I offer this up this “virtual analysis” as something which may be of interest and hopefully fun. For myself I was interested to see how much could be done without meeting the person in the flesh. However, this approach will never be as accurate or full as a proper two-hour consultation with a trained style advisor. If you want to know what styles would suit you best, and really go through everything in detail from swimsuits to sunglasses, please consult a trained professional (me, or someone from First Impressions).
Wardrobe personality
I have covered the wardrobe personalities here. So let’s start by trying to determine which suits Ruth the best? What do you think?
- Classic
- Dramatic
- Romantic
- Natural
- Gamine
Ruth, having read lots of style books, put herself down as a Natural, with Dramatic qualities.
Now I don’t think Ruth is a Natural. Ruth loves clothes and has a strong commitment to looking her best, although comfort is high on her list of requirements. A true Natural doesn’t really care what they wear and will feel comfortable in hiking gear or jeans and a sloppy sweater. What Ruth definitely is not, is a Romantic – she actively dislikes bows, hearts, frills and flounces. So overall I think Ruth is a fairly conservative and Classic dresser who is looking for some Drama in her wardrobe – she is keen to wear jewellery, hats and colour – but as she notes within a professional environment it needs to be done really well to avoid looking a bit OTT.
Body shape
As Ruth notes above she has a definite curve at her lower back and a fullish derriere. But she has a fairly straight look from the front. So I think her body shape is semi-straight. Ruth’s shoulders don’t slope and have a squarish outline. However they are rounded forward, and her head is also set a little forward and this combined with a slight curve at the upper back makes her spine appear to have a definite S shape. Her lower back goes in – a classic “sway back”. I would say that Ruth’s shoulders are very slightly wider than her hips, which is pretty ideal, and makes her figure look balanced.
Ruth’s has a shapely, but relatively modest, bust.
Women with a semi-straight silhouette tend to gain weight across all areas meaning it can be hard to disguise weight gain. Ruth is most concerned about having too much bulk at the waistline and plans to address this. Certainly the use of a belt or a tie in the hollow of the waist can make the slightly fuller tummy appear slimmer.
Ruth has a good, round bottom and longish legs that means she looks great in trousers. Trousers are probably her best look. They can be formal and tailored for work, jeans or casual styles for the weekends. Here are a well-fitting pair she made earlier from a Burda pattern.
Overall with the semi-straight silhouette Ruth should go for slightly fitted styles avoiding the extremes of either the straight or shaped figure. I will elaborate this in my next post.
Face shape
Ruth’s face shape is fairly round with quite a lot of curves – for example her shaped lip line, and her cheeks and chin have a definite curve to them. This is not an angular face, although her jaw is squarish, but it is as wide as it is long. Consequently the longer, looser hair styles with a side parting are much more flattering than the pulled back look with a straight fringe.
Scale
Ruth is a UK s14-16, and 5′ 5″ tall. So she will suit medium to large-scale patterns. She has already worked this out for herself, and as you can see from the pictures above, Ruth choses wider belts, larger prints and jewellery.
Proportions
In terms of proportions Ruth has nice long legs, with a relatively short upper body. When we choose clothes that make us appear to be “in proportion” we need to get the horizontals in the right place to help create a balanced figure. And in order to appear taller and slimmer we want to avoid the horizontal lines in our outfits cutting across our body at it’s widest point.
Ruth often chooses a long jacket over a long skirt. While this look is OK for her proportions a longer top or jacket over a short skirt will be more flattering. The two looks she wants to avoid are a short top over a short skirt, or a short top over long skirt/trousers. For the same reason she should usually wear her tops out over her skirt or trousers, rather than tucked in at the waist.
Conclusion
Well that is what I observe and deduce from a few measurements.
I will produce some suggestions on the style and fashion looks that should work well for Ruth tomorrow. This will help her identify the “fabulous things” she wants to make for herself.
Any thoughts from anyone else?
Draping on the Stand 0.4 – the Circle dress continues
My project at my draping class was a yoked circle dress.
I finally made up the pattern, and can’t believe how big it is. The two pattern pieces are laid on top of each other, in the picture below, the calico yokes are above, and my foot is there for scale. I had to join two pieces of paper together to make this pattern, which is clearly going to use a great deal of fabric.
Just so you can appreciate the enormity of the pattern, here it is laid out with the side seams overlapping. I had to take the rug up for this picture. My 60″ tape measure is dwarfed by the pattern.
As this pattern is just too big to cut from a single piece of fabric (unless it was sheeting or something), I decided to make a virtue out of necessity and carve it up into pieces that may make a nice colour blocked pattern. The original “Futuristic” dress on which my pattern is based, has joining seams to give interest. You can see the overstitching at the front waist to hip and knee to hem. I think the original is in a rust viscose with white overstitching and belt. I have therefore done something similar with my pattern. Instead of just doing the dress in one colour I thought of colour blocking which would reveal more of the shape when worn.
Linda Kinne, my draping tutor, mentioned that historically, wearing as much valuable fabric as you possibly could, was a sign of wealth. Think of the Tudors, for example, absolutely swathed in the stuff. And heavy woven, embroidered, encrusted stuff too.
I am not sure my dress is going to be wearable to be honest. But I am interested to follow it through, even if it is to have a laugh. I already feel completely swamped by all this paper. What will it feel like in fabric?
I bought 5m of navy and 2m of beige cotton lawn, and having laid out the ten pattern pieces, I don’t have enough to make this dress! In the end I bought a further 2m of brownish beige and also used a smallish piece of white. God knows what it will look like but I have just finished the yoke. I will update you when I have sewn it all up.
Hackney fabric shopping with Rachel
Remember Rachel? She designed my Fabrickated logo. She is such a talented young woman who excels at making things. Last time I met her she was in a lovely linen blouse. She had bought the fabric from a warehouse near her office, so I asked her to show me. The address, if you are interested, is 6, Wells St, Hackney.
One of our friends, Doug, said it looks like a murder scene. What would your reaction be? That this was a scruffy wholesaler selling poor quality goods? Or an opportunity to get a bargain?
We entered through the plastic shutters into a large, cool, space stuffed to the ceiling with cloth. It’s not very tidy and there is a lot of polyester. But the owners have a reasonable selection of silk, lots of great linen, plenty of jersey and various stretchy material, furnishing fabrics, and all sorts.
The gentlemen who run the shop are from Northern Cyprus, and chat to each other and a number of the shoppers in Turkish. They complained that most people’s experience of Cyrus is Ayanapa. Can’t say I have ever been, but I have spent several weeks in Turkey and love the country, its food and people. So we got on fine. Mustapha was interested I had come “a long way” to visit the shop. It is close to London Fields Station if you are in the area.
I bought some silk and linen for myself, including some £2 a metre cotton for my Futuristic dress. And some nice linen for Rachel. At £4 a metre it is 20% cheaper than my usual Simply Fabrics shop. I couldn’t help but urge Rachel to wear some warmer shades so we picked out some lovely linens that will bring out the colour of her eyes and hair.
It seemed like such a generous present! But then I thought of the work involved in turning this lot into say
- tobacco brown shirt
- light cream culottes
- deeper cream jacket
- sand dress
I realised it would be some time before I saw Rachel in her new outfits. I think I should have offered to help. She asked to come over and use my overlocker for a few hours, something I was more than happy to agree to.
Ten things you must do before you start sewing
The key to success in making your own clothes is to make the right styles, that fit you well, in the right fabric.
I never, ever, just pick up a pattern, pull it out and start making it up “straight out of the envelope”. The time you put into these ten steps before you even start to layout the pattern will reward you at the end.
If you want the clothes that you make to satisfy you it makes sense to put the time and trouble in before you reach for your scissors.
- Choose a pattern to consider
Vogue 7133 - I am thinking of making the dress (having already made the jacket). The dress is described as “Slightly fitted dress has short sleeves, continuing from yoke.”
- Will this style suit your figure? Have a good look at the technical drawing. If not can you alter it to ensure that it does?
Vogue 7133 Technical Drawing - Strictly speaking no. There are no darts in the back of this dress, and there is minimal shaping into the waist. It is basically a shift dress. I could adapt it by putting in darts, shaping the waist more or flaring out a little at the hips. However by choosing a dress that slides over the curves rather than emphasising them I believe this dress will flatter me. The loosely arranged chain belt will show the waist in a subtle way.
- At this stage I am think that I will need to measure the hips carefully as this pattern is drafted for a 36″ hip (and my hips are bigger than that).
- A “slightly fitted” style will ideally suits a straight, or semi-straight figure.
- Because I am fairly slim I can wear these shift styles with some modifications (see for example this one).
- Does it suit your taste and wardrobe personality?
- Absolutely. I am a classic dresser, with a twist. The twist comes from using a vintage pattern. It has a neat silhouette, and a tailored look which is right up my street, style-wise. I like the simple look with clever details – the kimono sleeve. And the topstitching. Elegant.
- Choose the right size
- This is a vintage pattern, not a modern multi-sized pattern. With second-hand, out of print patterns, you have to buy what is available. I generally look for bust 32 or 34 because they tend to fit better at the shoulder, and alter it to fit. You can alter any pattern to fit but there is more work if it is more than 2″ too big or small at the bust.
- A lot of people buy a pattern based on their RTW size preference eg I am size 10, therefore I will buy a size 10 pattern. This is a risky strategy as most RTW has “vanity sizing”. You could buy RTW size 10 and have a 36″ bust. So go on your real bust and hip measurements. Don’t flatter yourself that you are smaller than you are. Big mistake. However many modern Big4 patterns have loads of ease in them – a version of vanity sizing – so you maybe OK. Tip 6 covers this point in more detail.
- Read the instructions to understand how it is constructed. Is this what you want?
- With this pattern – Vogue 7133 – the dress is underlined, and that it is top stitched. It is not lined. In other words a “couture dress” construction. This means that is will look like a tailored dress with some body. It is not meant to be soft and drapey. Is that what you want? Having asked myself this question I can say Yes, I am looking for a smart, tailored dress that I can wear with a jacket, including the one that comes with the pattern, for work or slightly formal occasions.
- Measure the pattern pieces to ensure correct fit and appropriate ease
- You don’t have to make up every pattern first with a toile. Sometimes this is necessary to get the fit right. But generally if you measure the pattern carefully at all the important points and check it against your own measurements that will be good enough, most of the time. You work out the fullest part of the bust, for example, and measure the pattern (back and front), not including any seam allowances or darts. Then so long as this measurement is the same as yours plus an inch or so you are in business. There may be other fine tuning that requires a toile, but nine times out of ten, the three main measurements will suffice to get enough girth into your garments. Most other alterations are about shortening or lengthening which is a much easier dimension to work in.
- With this pattern I think the bust will be fine (as I have already made the jacket). I will check the hip measurement and may add a little width.
- In terms of the length I will probably keep the length suggested – just on the knee – as this was the fashion at the time. I can wear a shorter skirt, but only with tights. If I cover the thighs then I could, if it’s really hot, wear this dress with bare legs.
- Make the alterations
- Of course it is much easier to make alterations to paper before you start than trying to make them in the fabric as you go along. As well as making the pattern bigger, smaller, longer or shorter at the correct points you may have a few things that you always have to do – eg FBA. Use paper strips and paper tape to adjust or use a fine red felt tip to change the shape of darts etc.
- Consult pattern envelope on fabric type
- The first fabric mentioned on the envelope – in this case Gabardine – is the one used by the pattern company or designer to make up the test garment. This is the “ideal” fabric. The others mentioned are on a list of “equivalent” types the company has taking into account relative stiffness/softness, drape, weight and suitability. This pattern also suggests Flannel, Wool Crepe, Wool Jersey, Linen, and Pique. It is useful if you know what all these fabrics are, so you can extemporise. Basically we have a list of stable, midweight fabrics, made from natural fibres – wool, linen, and cotton. Wool jersey is an interesting one as it does stretch, but not that much. Good quality wool jersey (one of Chanel’s favourites, and I remember Jean Muir talking about how she designed in it when she worked for Jaeger) will generally work well for tailored dresses and jackets and is comfortable. I use quite a lot of double wool crepe as my favourite supplier has it in a wide range of colours. I have linen in mind for my dress or a soft wool. You can always try something else but you will get better results if you stick to the sort of fabric proposed.
- Choose appropriate fabric type (and buy the correct amount – which is invariably less than they state on the envelope)
- I have chosen a heavyish linen for this project.
- Ensure the colour and scale of pattern are appropriate for you and the style of garment
- I don’t think this style would look particularly good in a pattern, so I am sticking with a plain colour. However the lovely seam line across the upper chest allows the use of two colours. I have two shades of pink that I think would work well together. This also allows me to have the lighter shade close to the face (more flattering on me) and the deeper shade on the body helping to create a slim effect, despite the strong colour.
Pink Linen
- I don’t think this style would look particularly good in a pattern, so I am sticking with a plain colour. However the lovely seam line across the upper chest allows the use of two colours. I have two shades of pink that I think would work well together. This also allows me to have the lighter shade close to the face (more flattering on me) and the deeper shade on the body helping to create a slim effect, despite the strong colour.
What do you always do before you commit to making a garment?
Getting the knives out
Finally I finished my knives dress.
You made many helpful suggestions.
I should have followed them. Especially Mrs Mole’s one of putting four darts into this dress. I didn’t take her advice. I did use red bias binding, which I think is rather nice. But this shape of shift dress doesn’t suit me. No amount of larking around in front of our beautiful geraniums will get us away from the fact that this is just not a great shape for me. Even on Camilla it looked like pregnant-cleaner wear. On me it makes me look like a size 16.
I know what I was trying to achieve. Her is an old photograph of me from the 1960s. Christmas time, with my little brother James, standing in front of the tree. I seem to have had this dress in my mind when I made my current one. I love the baggy tights and Mary Janes from a brand called Start-Rite (no wonder we had trouble with our spelling). They X rayed your feet in the shop. And the blouse that is longer than the dress.
Anyway I think Mrs Mole was right that the dress needs remodelling. She suggests a tunic, with darts, to wear over trousers. Or maybe baggy red leggings.
On the other hand I think garment is destined for the Oxfam shop.
Choosing a sewing machine
I mentioned that I was in the market for a new, better sewing machine.
I was thinking about a Juki 600, but Alli put me off, suggesting I “keep looking”.
Mrs Mole suggested I had a look at Patternreview.com as they have a lot of sewing machine reviews on there. I also read Artisanssquare.com and posted my own question (and got lots of helpful replies). Mrs M proposed that I try the Elna 720 and I found a shop near my mother’s home that purportedly stocked them, at £1099.
So on a very wet Saturday we visited the Hobkirk Sewing Machines Ltd shop in Blackburn, Lancashire, where we were given tea and coffee and an appointment with Mr Marcus Gannon, the Manager.
It is an amazing shop, with an overwhelming number of machines to try.
Even more exciting is that they have a sewing machine museum with some wonderful old machines – well worth a look if you are in the area.
Unfortunately they didn’t have the Elna 720 in stock so I was unable to have a go on Mrs Mole’s favourite machine. Marcus suggested two other machines for me, in my price range (of approximately £1000). I was comparing these two machines with the Juki which I had already tried previously.
The Janome Memory Craft 6600 Professional at £1199 was a good machine. I liked the walking foot, but when we changed to a button-hole foot it was quite a palaver. I liked the “handy short cuts” although all three machines have these – the ability to stop, cut, back-stitch, automatic threading, knee lift etc. These might seem like small details, and inessential, but I think those seconds saved, or the ability to use your hands more easily would make a difference.
After the messing around with the foot change, Marcus suggested I tried the Pfaff Performance 5.0. This was on special offer at £1299 and I think it was probably well worth the extra £100. The “IDT” walking foot arrangement was much better than the Janome which seemed a bit “cheap” by comparison. I liked the Pfaff and was soon using it with confidence. There were some nice features with the computer screen showing you graphically what you are doing and allowing customisation. I think this is a good machine at a great price.
But, maybe my mind is playing tricks on me, but I think I still prefered the Juki. Judith (on Artisans Square) kindly commented:
I have the Juki Exceed F600. Juki is mostly an industrial machine maker. Their domestic machines are exceptionally well made. Their customer service is not so good – perhaps because their experience is not with a consumer base. On the other hand, the machine is of sufficient quality that customer service isn’t an issue, except of course for the manual and for extra help in using the various features. For that, there’s Facebook and Yahoo. I don’t use the decorative stitches much, so can’t say much. The few times I’ve used one, I’ve been happy. And the button holes are very good. I have used it a lot for knits, and like that I can adjust the pressure of the presser foot. One perhaps silly point: This machine sounds the way I think a sewing machine should sound. Hard to explain that. I’ve had my F600 about 5 years and I would buy it again.
Ambimom also had some sage advice:
I don’t envy you. This is the decision we all anguish over isn’t it! I have a mechanical Juki (27Z) which I really like because of the stitch quality — which is the best. You’re definitely right about the customer service from Juki; it doesn’t exist, but I did explore the F600 myself, except I had just invested in a Janome 6600P and could not justify the switch. These are both good machines. In the end, you just bite the bullet. Given that you’ve got two good choices, if it were me, I’d pick based on price. But then there’s always something, isn’t there? Good luck!
I really wanted to buy a machine from Hobkirks – and I still might. I think the four options
- Janome 6600P
- Juki F600
- Elna 720
- Pfaff performance 5.0
all have followers and it is probably just as difficult as choosing a car – so much comes down to personal choice.
America’s First Lady – Michelle Obama
One of my absolute style icons is Jackie Kennedy. I wish I could dress exactly like her everyday. Since she left politics (1963) there has been something of a vacuum in terms of style at the very top in the USA.
Until Michelle.
What refreshing change to have someone who looks great, enjoys her clothes, and in many ways outshines her husband (although his rendition of Amazing Grace last week was very touching).
Michelle has a feminine, shaped figure, with relatively large hips. She is also, for a woman, very tall at 6′. She is toned, with good muscular arms and really great legs. She has deep-cool colouring and looks best in strong colours, with bright colours working well too.
Here she is in patterned knee length day dresses. Certainly the overall silhouette is good. Her slim upper body, long limbs and delicate hands are all shown off with the knee-length skirt and the bracelet level sleeve. Unfortunately I don’t think the scale of these patterns (see below) or even the colour is great on Mrs O. I feel she should stay away from pastels, fussy prints and muted shades.
The black dress with pink and green is nice enough, but the high neck and boring black belt make this a characterless choice. Also as she is so tall she can get away with a much more dramatic scale of pattern. This looks almost ditsy. The green dress is a bit better with the round neckline, but again the pattern is again a little bit small. The creamy shoes are too light for her legs and pick up the beige background in the dress. The skirt and polo neck is a nice shape but it really doesn’t come together, does it? The sweater is a good colour but it needs lighting up, or bringing out, with a better skirt. I would have had her in dark red boots or tights too rather than black. And the colours in the skirt are far too warm – it’s a good skirt but would look far better on a red-head or someone with reddish-brown hair.
When Michelle choses strong, bright colours, colour-blocked or just solids, she looks amazing. Her skin, eyes and teeth look so bright and vibrant. These looks are also a bit more fashionable and daring. The lower necklines give a more open look and actually stop her looking so very tall. The large colourful jewellery with the plain fitted “body con” dresses are on the right scale for her. And although she looks just fine in a fuller skirt some of the styles she has chosen make her hips look really big. The colour blocked dress in the middle gives some interest at the shoulders, making her hips look in proportion. The neckline on the red dress has the same effect.
Let’s have a look at Michelle wearing the pants. Trousers tend to work better on women with slim hips and straighter, but as someone who has much of her height in her legs Michelle can certainly look very nice in trousers. Below we have a bad look, and OK look and a successful look.
The peplum top and white trousers is not a good look. Michelle looks good in white (much better than cream) but the yellow ruffle draws our eye in and we feel that she is short and wide. As her hips are bigger than her upper body I would generally suggest darker pants, although in all these pictures Michelle has gone the other way. The fuller cream trousers and embroidered cardigan is a nice, modern look, but the colours could have been so much better. Best of all is the monochrome look in the last picture. These purply blues look amazing on her, creating a pulled together, elegant effect. The long silver beads just help to make the outfit a bit more interesting and she looks completely at ease, unlike in the other two pictures.
The very best look for Mrs Obama is wearing a full length evening gown. I will cover this in a future post.
Are you a tidy person?
My friend Arlene, who lives in Baltimore, drew my attention to an article which divides the world into tidy and untidy people (she should know – she is a proper, tidy lady). Here are a few of the questions we can ask ourselves:
- Do you always push the chairs back under the table?
- Do empty containers in fridges etc amaze and annoy you?
- When entering a room does your eye inevitably focus on things that are out of place?
- Do you try to find polite ways to ask others to tidy up after themselves?
- Do you find it impossible to sit down and relax in a messy environment?
- Do you notice dirt around you and want to attack it (not because you enjoy cleaning, but because you don’t feel comfortable in a grubby space)?
- Does your eye tend to focus on crumbs, stains or shabby cuffs rather than the person who is talking to you?
I may have become a tidy person.
It is a bit of a nuisance but I have discovered the truth in the saying that everything should have a place. I used to be inspired by Einstein who had a messy desk. I used to smoke a pipe too (only joking).
I used to associate messiness (not dirtiness – there is a difference) – with creativity.
How we laughed on a Swiss walking holiday to see that every single Alpine household had their logs beautifully arranged into neat piles. We arrogantly, and immaturely, decided that the Swiss were “boring” on account of this. We even asked local people how they forced themselves into to such tidy uniformity. “Well we make our children return their crayons into the box that they came in, and we show them how to put away effectively. So we are trained from an early age”.
But to be honest the downside of “creative messiness” was that I was forever losing things. I even formed something of a relationship with Leroy in the Transport for London lost property office. He would telephone me at home if they found something. Only three months ago I left two of my priceless SWAP items on the train from Preston to London. Although I have a responsible job in a £350m pa turnover company I can be a bit scatty and disorganised.
Despite minor chaos cleanliness and neatness have always been important to me – for example if preparing a report all the figures have to line up, the boxes need to be one style; when laying the table I want everything to be symmetrical and attractive; I dress in a coordinated way; I find badly tiled bathrooms and uneven hair cuts irritating. So I was probably a fairly tidy person rather than a complete disgrace, but nothing to write home about. I would leave stuff in piles on my chair and only tidy up once a week or so for example.
So, now after weeks of Kondoing my home, has it been life changing?
Yes. I have become a tidy person.
And it hasn’t undermined my creativity at all. I do spend a few minutes tidying away my daily things, putting everything back into its home. And I keep my surfaces clear. These two small changes have reduced the stress in my life by a considerable amount. And actually having a greater amount of order in my life has helped me be creative.
If you are considering becoming a tidy person, here is a diagram that might help, from the Book of Awesomeness.
Late 20th Century body shapes – which decade are you?
Yesterday I did a post, illustrated with vintage patterns, showing which styles are best for each of the three main body types (shaped, semi-straight, and straight).
!950s
Are you a curvy girl with a shaped figure? Then the shapes of the 1950s will flatter you. These two patterns are reproduction of two designs from the 1950s. I really like that the big companies have reproduced some of their archives (but sadly they don’t seem to cover the 1960s). The silhouette is now quite different, with lots of fullness at the hip, which serves to make the waist look tiny. Of course the drawings are exaggerated but this look basically evolved from Christian Dior’s post war New Look. The full, petticoated skirt really makes the torso appear diminutive. The close-fitting through the bust is often achieved with princess lines, allowing a nice long slim diaphragm. The shoulders are natural and soft, probably without pads, although the skirt would be supported with at least a stiffened petticoat, possibly more. The necklines are often open and a little bit revealing, making the neck look slim and long. My personal view (as someone with the traditional hour-glass figure) is that these very exaggerated skirts are not as easy to wear. I prefer the 1940s skirt look, although the upper half of these dresses are very fetching. For shaped women I suggest trying them more as a knee-length dress, with some of the fullness removed.
1960s
I have to admit I favour the 1960s. I just love the simple styling that allows neat tailoring. The ideal body shape for the 1960s is a straight figure, summed up with the well-fitted sheath (the dresses on the left). The dresses on the right are more of a shift shape, with an A-line flared skirt, which was also very popular in the 1960s. The shift is a much looser fit than the sheath, shapes are rather better for women with hips and bottoms. However the most interesting about the sixties is that it is essentially a youthful silhouette (girls have straight body shapes, women tend to curves) although all these models appear to be in the 30s or 40s.
1970s
Although there is an association of 1970s clothes with extreme trouser shapes, huge collars and lurid colour schemes, in reality the 1970s produced a wide range of wearable dresses for shaped bodies. The simple shapes of the 1960s now have much more bust and waist shaping introduced. I especially like these empire lines which can really flatter shaped figures. We often see the nice slim fit through the upper body, a defined waist (often a high, empire waist that flatters a nice bust, and makes the legs appear longer. I noticed that Sewitorthrowit just made up this dress. I love her blog and it made me laugh that she had made this dress up twice (and hated it both times). With the more tailored styles we still see waist definition and elegant sleeves.
1980s
If you like the 1980s the patterns are really cheap. In fact most charity shops have them for 50p or £1. Your aunty will have some flappy blouses and enormous pleated trousers patterns in her store, for sure. The 1980s is also a decade that has a bad reputation, which isn’t really deserved. The best body shape for 1980s styling is also the straight or semi straight body. The fitted, column dress often has plenty of shoulder detail – often complemented by a dropped or absent waist and hip detail. The shapes are actually similar to the 1920s look, to some degree, but more relaxed.
I am going to stop at the 1980s; I cannot personally really discern clear trends as we went into the next decades and century. To sum up
Which decade do you like best?
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