The Style Express

Did you used to be a size 6?  Or a 12?  Did your blouses used to button and not gap?  Do you have a pantyline with your summer pants that wasn’t there last summer?  If you answered yes to these questions, and unless you are really and truly sticking to a diet or tone up plan, then the answer is simple.  You must buy a size up. Yep. An 8 or 14 or 34 C instead of a B.  It’s not an answer we want to hear or follow.  But the deal is, while it may just be a minor thing to you, others are looking and wondering why you show up wearing clothing that is too tight and not flattering to your body type.

It seems like such a small thing that the waistband is a tad bit tighter than before but that small thing is creating a roll that doesn’t have to be there.  And yes, the going one size up may not fit everywhere just perfectly either, but that’s where a tailor comes in. It may be possible to let out a garment at the seams or waist and I would check into that for sure. Just be aware that you can accentuate or even create lines and rolls where the clothing should lay smooth.  Sometimes, even with a perfect fit…well, our bodies are what they are and we should embrace them no matter.  I’m saying, fix areas that can be fixed clothing wise.

For instance, take this pic below.  All looks fine until you look from the bust down.  It starts to pull at that first button.  The pulling is unsightly and worse, when she sits down will actually gap open and show skin.  And, the fact is, a size up may be too big and not worth the money to tailor.  Therefore the blouse/top you are trying on may just not work.  If you feel the need to pull and tug at your clothing it takes away from the  overall look of the outfit and is usually a clear sign the clothing doesn’t fit you well.

This is one more example of a ill-fitting blouse.  Too bad it’s worn by our First Lady who usually hits home runs style wise.  Sizing up may not have been an option here so as I said before, you may just have to go with a totally different garment.

Another area that can be very unsightly is pants and jeans, or as we really get into warm weather, shorts and skirts. While being a lifesaver as far as comfort goes, lycra and spandex have made it possible to fit into increasingly smaller sizes!  In this instance, the way the garment feels may not be a big clue.  Your mirror needs to become your best friend in a constructive criticism kind of way.

It must be awful to have cameras aimed at your every move and media printing every clothing choice for the world to see.  This is Katherine Heigl caught in an unflattering pair of light colored denim.  This girl is beautiful and nowhere near overweight, why the overly snug jeans?  Someone may have told her they looked great, hopefully not her stylist!  Anyway, point well taken for the rest of us…and we all have that outfit we wish we’d never worn!

Here again is a lovely lady with a bad clothing choice.  Even those with the means sometimes don’t hire a tailor.  Here she should have looked into letting out the skirt side seams or sizing up and tailoring it to fit.   The wrinkles across her tummy do her no favors and the skirt should ideally skim down the sides of her body.  It  is stretched too tight all around. Eva Mendes is famous for her clothing fitting very snugly but….. the clothes fit well as opposed to too tight (usually) and she uses the proper undergarments.  And, just as an aside, Mrs. Brown should have chosen a different suit!!

Before I close I want to comment on some news that local celeb and actress Ashley Judd made this week.  This is my condensed version.

Ms. Judd is currently starring in a TV series called Missing….I’ve watched, it’s a decent show, she’s a great actress.  Anyway, I noticed her face looked very puffy and obviously different and I wondered about that.  Turns out, it’s from steroids which do notoriously swell the face and other areas sometimes.  Evidently, besides little ol me wondering, most of the media did too and it became somewhat ugly with untrue accusations and wrong assumptions.  Ms. Judd spoke at a fundraising luncheon here in Nashville on Tuesday called Power of the Purse that benefits local women’s charities.  She addressed the comments there and also wrote an op-ed piece for The Daily Beast.  You can read it here.  I agree with most of what she said with just these two observations…..her situation and sex-trafficking are two vastly different things. She may be being bullied, but victims of sex-trafficking are enduring much worse.  Her situation does not rise to that level.  Secondly, men are also portrayed negatively much of the time on TV also being made into the stupid dad or husband, not participating in child-rearing, or sports and beer being their only interest.  We laugh at that just like we do commercials that use women and sex to sell goods.

Awareness is always a good thing, and that is what Ms. Judd has done, but she is in the eye of the camera and by that choice is “setting herself up” for criticism.  It goes with the territory.  The same people who are in awe of you one day and write about how beautiful you are, will also then write about an obvious change in appearance.  I agree though, it doesn’t have to be ugly.  That being said, I’m glad she has tried to remind the public about the damage that can be done by the media.  Maybe the journalists, so-called experts, bloggers, etc. will take a note and use their platforms a little more wisely.

So, as I conclude my blog of ”don’ts”, can you believe I posted this material plus the Ashley Judd thing together!!??…oh well.  Let me just say, start really looking at the way a piece of clothing fits. Sometimes we want it so badly we “will” it to fit!   Consider finding a tailor you like.  If you aren’t prepared to altar and it doesn’t fit great, don’t buy it! Something else will come along.  And if it’s already a part of your wardrobe, consider tossing it:)

I hope you enjoyed today’s post….always good to re-consider your clothing choices.  I’d love to hear any comments on the Ashley Judd brouhaha or anything else on your mind!  Of course if you need me to help, I’m available! Shopping your own closet, the mall, or editing your spring/summer wardrobe, I’d love to hear from you.  Click my info page for email, phone number and Facebook page.   Have a wonderful rest of the week and thanks for reading!  Be watching for an invitation to shop with me at the new Opry Mills soon…more info later.