STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Metric · Gucci

RE: Dressing around figure flaws

cc · Marc Jacobs

I guess the thing that's the biggest obstacle for me is that I'm totally flat-chested. I'm pretty skinny so I'm proportionate but even when I find tops that are small enough overall, they are often too big in the chest. I am resigned to only wearing knits because of this. Also it means that dresses never ever fit me and whenever I do need to buy a dress I usually spend a lot of time hating my body and spend a lot of money on alterations.

Other than that, maybe my legs. My lower legs are shorter than my upper legs and I usually feel like anything that hits me below the knee makes me look weird and stumpy.

kittenheels · Coach

The girls. They ruin lots of pretty dresses for me!

Shello · Kenneth Cole

Elle wrote:

Hmmm, I would have to say my short legs are my hardest to work with. It eliminates the possiblity of me wearing about 75% of available pants and skirts. Second would be my thighs (wider because the legs are so short!), which eliminates another 15% or so of the available pants .

Me too! And I have really thick calves, so sometimes even if the rest of the pants work, the calf area is way too tight. Not to mention, boots that fit are really hard to find.

blubirde · Chanel

1) I have some serious big butt issues but my biggest figure issue is finding shirts that are long enough (I'm long waisted) but not too long. My butt takes up a lot of room so the shirt has to be long enough to cover a bit of that but not so long that covers too much and makes my hip/thigh area look bigger.

The current trend of longer shirts are both a blessing and a hurdle.

2) Oh and I have to make sure skirts aren't shorter in the back and longer in the front - due to the larger behind. I hate that and I'm always uber-concerned about it.

3) Dresses are always so tricky on me because my bottom is at least 2 sizes bigger than my top. I love dresses but I have to try them all on because if they fit the bottom they'll most likely slide off my shoulders on the top.

Kelly · Hermes

oh my gosh, my boobs. They're way too big to be worthwhile. I know that doesn't sound much like a "flaw," but it really is my biggest concern. They made me look a lot heavier, just because there's a lot more mass up there, but also because any shirts that look okay in my boobs inevitabley tent out a few inches in front of my body and make me look so much heavier- because most shirts don't have room for big boobs. Also, it's hard to find a bra that looks right under clothing, or that isn't so huge and ugly that it peeks out over the top of low-cut shirts. (not to mention I am paranoid 24/7 about early sagging, which I know is inevitable)

Also, my chest, waist, and hips are all consistantly three different sizes - sometimes spanning at many as 4 sizes. That means finding a dress is near impossible. I've decided to start taking sewing lessons so I can alter things myself, I'm getting so frustrated with off-the-rack clothing

-- Edited by ttara123 at 16:50, 2006-08-08

jettie · Kate Spade

My biggest figure flaw that I have to dress around are my wide hips and large chest. I hate wearing non a-line skirts. I also have ugly stretch marks on my breasts which I try and cover up (they aren't super visible but I am self-consious about them). This rules out lots of dresses and low cut shirts for me.

Lilykind · Hermes

where do we start?

I, like blubirdie, have all those fun butt issues. However, since most mainstream clothing companies seem to understand that most women have larger hips/thighs/butt, what really gets me is the chest. I have a large chest and narrower shoulders, along with a small waist. It's really tough to find tailored tops that fit properly so I'm usually wearing knits or hoodies or tees which are sort of more forgiving. Most companies do not seem to understand that NOT EVERY GIRL WHO IS A DD IS A STREETWALKER!

I think shirts should be sold in bra sizes and sleeve lengths, similar to the way mens tailored shirts are sold by neck circumference and sleeve length.

CheryleB · Kenneth Cole

I have a few. I'm the opposite of lilykind in that I have wide shoulders and a very small ribcage. I almost always buy 32DD or 32E bras and then have an inch or two taken out of the band. It can be hard to find shirts that are wide enough in the shoulders have room for the girls but aren't baggy around the ribcage.

My hips are also a bit larger than my chest. I usually get my dresses taken in a bit down the side from the waist up. Luckily I have found a great seamstress and she usually charge about $6-10 per dress depending on the fabric, lining, and detail.