Friday, May 10, 2013

Me and Fashion? Ha!

Jo-Lynne did a great fashion post today. I usually ignore her fashion posts because I'm not, um, a fashion person. Eventually her links led me to Kelly's blog, and her "What I Wore Wednesday" posts. I looked at every single post. Because I need lots of help. (I confess to lifting 3 photos straight from her blog, to use here. I hope that's okay. If not, I'm happy to delete them.) I picked Kelly because she's larger, like me, and she's not 22 anymore. Like me. Here's what I've decided about fashion for me:
1. There are blue jeans out there to fit my body. I know this because I have now seen other larger women wearing them. I just need to go find them.
2. Do Not Wear anything but solid colors from the waist down.
3. Shirts: try to achieve the 2-colored layering around the hips. It looks good.
Now that's what I'm talkin' about. Utter cuteness.

4. I still don't like boots.
5. But ballet flats are still in, big time. I do not own a single pair. Sigh.
6. Three-quarter length sleeves are wonderful.
7. Fly-away cardigans are even more wonderful. I want twenty of them.
8. Really, long, drapey cardigans of all types look great on women my size. Not baggy, just enough to give a good vertical line down the front.
9. Rolled-up pants are in fashion but I loathe that look.
10. A long line of black (tank/shirt and slacks) paired with a bright, cropped jacket, looks really good.
Doesn't this look GREAT on her? I love this look. And it's yellow!

11. Cover the arm above the elbow if you can. Just do it.
12. I will continue to avoid horizontal stripes at all costs, and cargo pants with side pockets.
13. The lower the neckline (while still being modest) for us big-chested women, the better. V's and scoops.
14. All the cute clothes seem to come from TJ Maxx or Target. These stores are where the blue jeans are hiding, along with J.C. Penney.
15. Avoid empire waists.  Avoid cleavage. Avoid 2-colored layering at the chest. Basically avoid anything that accentuates the chest at all. It doesn't need any help.
16. Even though I'm fat, I still look better with a waist.

If you want to see a kazillion blogger ladies, all linking up at one spot to show what they're wearing each Wednesday, go over to The Pleated Poppy. Oh my goodness, I'm so glad I only checked out the fat ladies, because otherwise I would have been clicking over to blogs All Day Long. It was worth it just to find Kelly Rowe's blog and her WIWW posts. She's a huge help.
I'll end with this photo, which I also lifted from Kelly's blog.
She went to an event at a local home store, and this photo was taken of the employees involved in the event. Look at the ladies. I see only one that would even qualify as lean at all. The rest are round like me. We're a nation of fat ladies. But if you look over at "The Pleated Poppy" and all their fashion linkies, you'd think we were all 28 and skinny. Most fat ladies don't do fashion posts. Most fat ladies avoid being in photographs. If they are in photos, they try hard to stand behind other people. If everybody's fat, there's usually a fight for the back row - haha!

So, if you're fat like me, take heart. There's fashion for you, and Kelly can help show you what it looks like. I'm subscribed to her blog now. And after I get my Visa bill paid off, and pay for the crown I had done at the dentist's office, I'm heading to TJMaxx and Target for a terrifying day of trying on blue jeans. I might even take along my camera so you can enjoy the pain too.

(When applying labels to this post, I had to create a "fashion" label. I guess I've never, ever posted about clothing before!)

7 comments:

Gumbo Lily said...

One thing I've figured out about jeans that fit.....look first at the thrift shops for the "good brands" like: Lucky, Silver, BKE, American Eagle, ANA, and so forth. I'm sure there are more I can't remember. My DD and I went clothes shopping this past week and started at a thrift store that has GOBS of jeans. We each bought 3 pair for $40. You can't buy one good pair for that price.

I like this post. None of us has the perfect body, but we can all find clothes that fit and look good. To me, it's mostly about the fit....and I'm no fashionista either.

Gumbo Lily said...

P.S.
You can't find one good pair of good-fitting jeans at retail price for $40. The higher the price, usually the better the fit. At least I find it to be true when it comes to jeans.

GretchenJoanna said...

I find that I obsess about how fat and unfashionable I am, but I rarely look at other people and try to figure out what makes their outfits look good, even if they are on overweight bodies. So your post was very helpful for me!
But about the horizontal lines: I notice that on May 1 Kelly wore a dress with horizontal lines, and it looks cute! I read in a book - I think it was Never Look Fat Again or something like that - that horizontal lines don't necessarily make you look wider.
I have been planning for many years to do as Jody did - just take the (extended) time to shop at thrift stores and try on many pairs of jeans....

Leslie said...

Good post! I wish I could toss my whole closet and start over. I have also decided that my favorite clothes are SOFT. Life is too short to wear scratchy stuff.

Carolyn said...

I hadn't worn jeans since ... certainly before Tessa was born, maybe since Cono, until a few weeks ago when I went into Safe's Attic and found a pair that fit PERFECTLY. $3. Still marveling. Thank you Lord for this unexpected gift!

M.K. said...

See, Carolyn -- that's exactly what I mean! There is at least ONE PAIR of perfect jeans out there, destined for me, and it's my job to find them! Oh, how I hope mine only cost $3!!!

Jody, I've tried on jeans at thrift stores for many years, but when you're larger, it becomes much more difficult to find a good fit. I'd LOVE to be a size 10 again, but alas, that's not happenin. I may end up paying steeper prices.

Carolyn said...

This jacket looks like the ones in your photos, and it's only $10 right now (an additional 50% of clearance price which is already 60% off!) http://www.christopherandbanks.com/solid-knit-swing-jacket-zid9-00505946457/cat-9-catid-100202?vva_ColorCode=240&_t=pfm%3Dcategory

Shipping is $5.95 -flat rate- and free if you have their card or go over $60. And you can get $10 off your next purchase by signing up for their emails.You might want to check it out!