(update #32) what kind of clothes fit & flatter a person with..

[elektra]

Lots of great advice here. I want to second (third) the Nordstrom personal shopper thing too.

I went in about a year ago when I needed some specific things- work attire that could also be worn outside of work and still look stylish. I also said I wanted to de-emphasize my boobs.

The woman who helped me was awesome. She helped me mix and match about 6 different pieces, include the Ava jeans I still love, a small black cardigan that goes with everything, and a belt I am still wearing all the time.

I was then able to build on a lot of that shopping out on my own.

If you want some one and one help and just a jumpstart, I would really recommend it.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

thanks again for the replies!!!

i signed up online for the Nordstrom personal shopper thing. i think that should help a lot. i don't want to spend too much (since i vow to at least lose ~30 lbs, and i think my size will shrink considerably once i stop nursing) but i think if i just had a better idea of what works for my body type and a few basic accessories it would really help.

i also just ordered stuff from Boden from the sale..never ordered before, and i don't like to order clothes for me online, but i figured what the heck, with all the sales and free shipping/free returns. i do like the styling of the clothes. if just ONE thing i ordered fits and works out, i'll be very happy!!

as for Hanna, that is a good point. too bad my local Hanna stores do not carry adult clothing to try on! i do have one Hanna winter sweater dress i bought last year, on sale to match with DS' Hanna stuff at the time. i got a size MEDIUM and was able to wear it easily when i was 5 months preggo!! Granted, my tummy stuck out and all, but i was surprised at how generous the sizing was. That's definitely something i will try to wear again this year, thanx for the reminder!!

[KrisM]

What did you order?

I'm that shape as well, even if I were to lose the extra weight. I'm working on revamping my wardrobe and like ideas! I'm hoping to shop next week in some actual stores.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

from boden i got

favourite tie front cardigan


this looks so cool, i love the idea of it. i just realized, in my closet i have like half-a dozen "twinsets" with cardigans/ & matching tops and NONE of them are flattering (even before i had kids). they have tons of buttons, look very boxy, and are SHORT, so you can't wear the cardigans with something else like a tunic or whatever. and i could never button them at allbc it would just look horrible. i love the idea of a cardigan where you don't have to worry about buttoning it and looking like boobs/tummy are spilling over everything.

flippy cord skirt

i love the look of this.. i really hope this works out bc i love skirts and often (if cut right) tend to be more forgiving for me than pants. they didn't have a lot of sizes in regular length though.

alice wrap dress

this is just a shot in the dark, but i really love wearing dresses and this looked like all the extra fabric could hide a tummy

mayfair jacket

as pp suggested, jackets/blazers (not buttoned) may help disguise a tummy. also, something like this would be nice enough to wear to work (when i eventually go back).

[KrisM]

I like that jacket. I need a jacket, too. I don't wear wool though .

[Katigre]

..a really big tummy? like as in, looks 6 months preggo but isn't? i'm having MAJOR trouble finding anything to wear that a) fits and b) looks even *remotely* flattering.

the thing is, this will be the first fall/winter in three years that i'm NOT actually pregnant. however, right now, the only things in my closet that fit me are my maternity clothes (i am 30 lbs above pre-kids weight, 99% of pre-kids clothes don't fit at all). there are a few maternity pieces that are nice (that i splurged and got from Pea in the Pod when i was preg with DD.. Joe's Jeans, a couple long sleeve Vneck tops, and a sweater), but most of it is rather cheap, frumpy-looking stuff. The other problem is that a lot of my maternity clothes draw attention to the tummy, which of course I do not want now.

anyway, seems like a lot of folks here have a lot of fashion sense and are aware of various types of brands (e.g. i never even heard of Boden before BBB)so i was wondering if anyone had any suggestions, maybe what brands or style of clothing, or whatever.

if it' helps, i'm 5'6" and pre-preg I used to wear size 4/6 pants and size Medium tops (sometimes Small) from J Crew, Banana, Ann Taylor, etc. Nowadays, I can barely fit into their size L tops or size 12 pants (i think the largest size?), so I don't even bother anymore. Even when i find a pair of pants/jeans that I can button around the waist, they're RIDICIOUSLY baggy in the butt & thighs and just looks bad (i had this problem even before getting pregnant and gaining weight, but now it's 1000x worse).

Anyway, sorry this is long, help or advice would be appreciated. Now that the weather is finally starting to cool down I really want to start shopping for stuff that is actually somewhat flattering (if that exists...) I would love to be able to go out wearing something nice and not have people asking me when my baby is due!

Get this book from the library (or use amazon.com's search inside this book feature to find yoru type): The Science of Sexy It was pretty spot-on for what was flattering (and totally not flattering) on my body.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Get this book from the library (or use amazon.com's search inside this book feature to find yoru type): The Science of Sexy It was pretty spot-on for what was flattering (and totally not flattering) on my body.

WOW, thanks so much for this! i am definitely checking that book out! i am a very science-minded person so i think this would be a very interesting read!

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Katigre - got the Science of Sexy book from amazon today. haven't really read it, just flipped through it, but this is JUST what i needed! Thank you so much for recommending it.

i liked how it had the pages (with lots of pictures/illustrations) of what NOT to wear, and then what to wear, for every body type. i liked the reference section in the back too, since i often don't know the names of certain styles of clothing.

anyway, from what i read, i guess i am the "inverted triangle" body type. i read of the "what not to wear" and some of it i already knew..like don't wear shirts/jackets with shoulder pads or puffed sleeves..that makes me look like a football linebacker for sure. the other tip said try not to wear really bright/light tops with black/dark bottoms, bc then that makes the top appear even larger, and bottom half even smaller. that makes sense, too bad i didn't realize that earlier!

and i signed up online for the Nordstrom personal shopper thing a few days ago, but haven't heard anything back. i actually signed up a 2nd time after no one called me back the first time, but still nothing. it said someone should contact me within 24 hrs, but no one ever did either time, so maybe i have to call and hassle them!

[Katigre]

Katigre - got the Science of Sexy book from amazon today. haven't really read it, just flipped through it, but this is JUST what i needed! Thank you so much for recommending it.

i liked how it had the pages (with lots of pictures/illustrations) of what NOT to wear, and then what to wear, for every body type. i liked the reference section in the back too, since i often don't know the names of certain styles of clothing.

anyway, from what i read, i guess i am the "inverted triangle" body type. i read of the "what not to wear" and some of it i already knew..like don't wear shirts/jackets with shoulder pads or puffed sleeves..that makes me look like a football linebacker for sure. the other tip said try not to wear really bright/light tops with black/dark bottoms, bc then that makes the top appear even larger, and bottom half even smaller. that makes sense, too bad i didn't realize that earlier!

and i signed up online for the Nordstrom personal shopper thing a few days ago, but haven't heard anything back. i actually signed up a 2nd time after no one called me back the first time, but still nothing. it said someone should contact me within 24 hrs, but no one ever did either time, so maybe i have to call and hassle them!

I'm glad the book looks helpful for you! I like how it's not just about body shape, but also height/weight (like how the recommendations for a petite 'apple' shape are different from a full-figured and tall 'apple' shape, yk?). I hope that the personal shopper helps!

Do you know what colors/patterns/fabrics are most flattering on you?

[♥ms.pacman♥]

Ok so I went to anthropologie for the first time this afternoon..inspired by the other thread. Well it was a major fail...I wanted to run out of there in tears. not sure if it will work for me, at least right now..or maybe I don't know how to find the right stuff? Dh was with me and so I didn't have that much time to look around..

First off, it seemed like most of the clothes in the store were only in small sizes... only went up to size 10 or 12. I tried on this gorgeous promising looking dark green skirt in a 12 and it was waaaay too tight on the waist. As a person who spent the past 10 years (prekids) as a size 4, you can imagine this is extremely depressing. Pretty much everything else I tried was the same story.

I tried on the red trench coat in the biggest size they had (10)..waaaay too small...I'd prolly need a 14. And then again, I'm hesitant to spend that much money on something that I hope will no longer fit in a few years. If it was only 1 or 2 sizes bigger than normal I'd totally go for it, but we are taking five sizes here.

The ONE thing I tried on that actually fit and looked decent on me was that purple cape thingy. I guess the dark color and how it just drapes and doesn't cling at all and it totally hides my figure which is great. But I didn't get it bc it don't know how often I'd get to use it...it doesn't get that cold here...I'd use it maybe 2 mos out of the year. Plus my dh didn't like it and kept saying it looked odd to him (but that doesn't mean much...he is colorblind and has no fashion sense whatsoever). I don't know.

So, I don't know. I'm expecting a huge stash from Boden next week, and I have a feeling I will be sending it all back, if the sizing runs similar to anthro...

Argh. Are there any clothing brands that make stuff that is not so tight-fitting around the waist? At this point I am considering just giving up and hiring a tailor...it seems like nothing I try on will ever fit bc of my huge waistline.