One of the things I always skip when flipping through mags are articles on dressing guidelines. Dressing for your figure, style dos and don'ts, you must do this to flatter your assets you must do that to hide your flaws... blahblahblah.
I mean, in theory, it's all good to be sensible. And it's not like I've never read them, I've read enough to recite all the usuals and if I abide by these "rules", I probably should:
- avoid crew neck tees that emphasize my chest and make me look bigger and instead, opt for lower necklines that are "slimming"
- say no to volume
- say no to skinny stripes and accept that only thick stripes are acceptable in my life
- wear black or monotones
- keep away from bubble skirts and restrict my existence to "flattering" A-lines
- only ever pull on dark-coloured tights and look wistfully at riotous colours such as shocking pinks and blues
and so on.
The truth is, I love crew neck tees although I do appreciate how a lower neckline is truly more flattering. I prefer skinny stripes. I seriously do not agree with thick stripes. I love black but I think it's more of a character issue. I do not like bubble skirts but I am amassing some voluminous tulips like nobody's business. And when it comes to tights, I love the brights and patterns as much as the dark solids.
It's not complacency or delusion. It's just that I don't see why dressing up should be synonymous with figure-flattering. How about pulling on pieces you love to look the way you like, even if it means your ass looks that bit bigger than it should?
It's not that there are no rules. More like, as you understand yourself better, you pull together your own set of rules based on intuition and a sense of adventure, lots of time in fitting rooms and a healthy dose of wince-worthy mistakes. For instance, I am careful with skinny belts and would never hitch them around my hips, I do not attempt to wear most shades of grey when it comes to clothing and I've never found a flattering yellow. And while I'm most happy to encase my legs in neon pink, I do not delude myself into thinking horizontal stripes on the calves are an option.
These are pretty common-sensical and rather like what you would see as textbook fash guidelines but what's important to me is that I won't say no until I've proven to myself it doesn't work. There are always exceptions to the rules and ways to get around it if you want to. It applies in life and it applies to what you wear as well.
Generally, I find restrictive style tips patronising what with all their cover this up hide that. On the other hand, there are some how-to tips I've found interesting and more educational. For instance, if your calves are chunky and you want to wear ankle straps, look for those that start low on the ankle because your legs look longer. And instead of covering with with mid- to knee- length skirts, slightly shorter skirts worn with heels can create the illusion of longer, leaner legs.
So there you go. Wear what accentuates who you are, not your figure-type. If you want to wear volume, rein it in or pick closer-fitting volume, if you want to wear bright-coloured tights, sheers work easier than opaques, if your poufy skirt is making you look dumpy, throw on super high heels and stick your hands in the pockets whenever you can to weigh it down. And if you want to slouch around in what looks like a garbage sack, it's still your choice.
And of course, even though I've been living with this attitude for a while now, this entry was triggered by the purchase of two Topshop skirts (May Day sale lah).
Cream flouncy and big bubbly tulip - not the most flattering of skirt choices for me. But I like them too much to care.
I mean, in theory, it's all good to be sensible. And it's not like I've never read them, I've read enough to recite all the usuals and if I abide by these "rules", I probably should:
- avoid crew neck tees that emphasize my chest and make me look bigger and instead, opt for lower necklines that are "slimming"
- say no to volume
- say no to skinny stripes and accept that only thick stripes are acceptable in my life
- wear black or monotones
- keep away from bubble skirts and restrict my existence to "flattering" A-lines
- only ever pull on dark-coloured tights and look wistfully at riotous colours such as shocking pinks and blues
and so on.
The truth is, I love crew neck tees although I do appreciate how a lower neckline is truly more flattering. I prefer skinny stripes. I seriously do not agree with thick stripes. I love black but I think it's more of a character issue. I do not like bubble skirts but I am amassing some voluminous tulips like nobody's business. And when it comes to tights, I love the brights and patterns as much as the dark solids.
It's not complacency or delusion. It's just that I don't see why dressing up should be synonymous with figure-flattering. How about pulling on pieces you love to look the way you like, even if it means your ass looks that bit bigger than it should?
It's not that there are no rules. More like, as you understand yourself better, you pull together your own set of rules based on intuition and a sense of adventure, lots of time in fitting rooms and a healthy dose of wince-worthy mistakes. For instance, I am careful with skinny belts and would never hitch them around my hips, I do not attempt to wear most shades of grey when it comes to clothing and I've never found a flattering yellow. And while I'm most happy to encase my legs in neon pink, I do not delude myself into thinking horizontal stripes on the calves are an option.
These are pretty common-sensical and rather like what you would see as textbook fash guidelines but what's important to me is that I won't say no until I've proven to myself it doesn't work. There are always exceptions to the rules and ways to get around it if you want to. It applies in life and it applies to what you wear as well.
Generally, I find restrictive style tips patronising what with all their cover this up hide that. On the other hand, there are some how-to tips I've found interesting and more educational. For instance, if your calves are chunky and you want to wear ankle straps, look for those that start low on the ankle because your legs look longer. And instead of covering with with mid- to knee- length skirts, slightly shorter skirts worn with heels can create the illusion of longer, leaner legs.
So there you go. Wear what accentuates who you are, not your figure-type. If you want to wear volume, rein it in or pick closer-fitting volume, if you want to wear bright-coloured tights, sheers work easier than opaques, if your poufy skirt is making you look dumpy, throw on super high heels and stick your hands in the pockets whenever you can to weigh it down. And if you want to slouch around in what looks like a garbage sack, it's still your choice.
And of course, even though I've been living with this attitude for a while now, this entry was triggered by the purchase of two Topshop skirts (May Day sale lah).
Cream flouncy and big bubbly tulip - not the most flattering of skirt choices for me. But I like them too much to care.
(Been hankering for a floral piece, finally got one!)
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