fit to flatter

I've been meaning to post a link to this fabulous series of tutorials over on Stash, Knit, Repeat for a while. Although they are designed for knitters to help in choosing patterns and making modifications to get garments that really flatter your body shape, most of what's in them apply to any garment choices, not just knitting. There is so much to be learned from what Amy writes, and her photos are wonderfully illustrative of the difference a choice in neck shape or sleeve length can make.

I'm not creating an argument here that all clothing choices should be based on what is most flattering - that line of thinking can land us all in 'invisible' clothes pretty fast. But nonetheless, sometimes you want to know if something really suits your body shape more than something else, and Amy's lessons are really helpful in that regard. I think in part the value is in really looking at our own bodies in greater detail and recognising (as Trinny and Susannah would say) that it is all about shape, not size.

There has certainly been a few light bulb moments for me in understanding that choosing for shape isn't the same as choosing for size, and when you really do get your shape, your clothes look and feel so much better. In many ways understanding how to flatter my shape has helped me make bolder clothing choices, to stop dressing so much like a fat girl and more like someone who wants to make the most of how I look.

So head on over and check it out. And then let's all cross our fingers that someone half as smart as Amy can put something similar together for skirts and pants...

plus size vintage and the daily wardrobe peek

There's an interesting discussion over on Gertie's blog about what is plus size anyway. You might want to check out her blog if you like vintage stuff, she's working her way through Vogue's guide to better sewing from 1952 and has done a few posts about fit and adjustment and sewing from vintage patterns. She's doing really well at including the plus size angle in an area notoriously small sized! (Thanks to Kate for putting me onto her!)

And while we are on sites I am currently loving, I am addicted to frocks & frou frou. Lilli posts great clear pictures of her fabulous and extensive wardrobe, plus info about where she buys and some shopping experiences. Already through her site I've finally found some really good reasonably priced leggings (sadly they are currently out of stock of larger sizes but I am sure they'll be fixing that soon). Lilli is not as big as me but I just love how she dresses and her extensive shopping knowledge. I'm hoping she'll head over here and do a few posts on Large for us. (Thanks to Kim for discovering this site for me!)

shopping by body type

So a friend of mine who is in search of a dress for a special occassion has been spending quite a bit of time looking for ideas on line.

Now I don't wear dresses much (recent sewing notwithstanding) since I spend most of my time running around after children, doing domestic chores and generally being a graceless slob, but I so think a good frock can look stunning. I also think a badly chosen frock can make you look really awful.

Anyway, she found that the large US retailer Nordstrom has a really excellent feature for their online dress shop - that capacity to search by body type (see the drop down menu on the right hand side half way down the screen). You can also search by plus size or garment type.

I don't have plans to buy anything from Nordstrom any time soon, but I think this is a fantastic way to think about garments and feel a little more confident that the dress you like might suit you. I haven't explored the site in detail but my guess is we'll be seeing more and more of this kind of thing, assisted shopping. Anyone else know of other retailers or sites that offer similar features?