Monday, July 30, 2012

Introduction 2 - My Clothing Experience

Hi! I'm back for my second post!

This time I'm going to be talking about my experience with clothes, and how difficult it can be to dress the curvy hourglass figure.

I mentioned in my last post that at the age of 16, I had a growth spurt of the bust almost overnight, and because of that, my entire wardrobe no longer seemed to suit me.

Not only was it no longer functional (buttons popped open, dresses would not zip up, shirts would squish me or not pull down all the way), it was also no longer flattering.

The styles in my closet which had once suited my more slender hourglass figure, now made me look heavier than I actually was, or - to my horror - even bustier!

A turtleneck sweater-dress that had fit me like a dream only one year earlier suddenly made me look disproportionately top-heavy. Not only that - it was suddenly too short! And I mean, Britney-Spears-Coming-Out-of-a-Limo short. I hadn't gotten taller. No, still a 5"2 munchkin. What had actually happened was that my chest took up extra inches of fabric, making the hem of the dress about 3 inches shorter. And trust me, 3 inches can be the difference between a cute little dress, and a cute little butt peeking out of that dress.

As for clothes that added pounds, looser tops and dresses that had once draped over my figure, now only draped over my bust, adding inches of empty space to the front and sides of my stomach. My torso looked like a perfect square.

Over the years, through a lot of research (and trial and error), I began to understand the shapes and cuts that worked for my tricky figure. Unfortunately, these things are difficult to find in mainstream retail stores.

That is why my upcoming blogs will give tips on what to look for, where to go, and what alterations to make for the curvy and/or hourglass figure (and perhaps the petite figure, as well!)

My next few posts will be reviews of two excellent online stores based in Poland. Biubiu and Urkye both have a phenomenal sizing system which takes into account both your bust measurement and your waist measurement. In my opinion, it is far superior to the S, M, L system typically found in mainstream retail, which assumes that if two women are a Medium, they have the exact same waist and bust measurements. Ridiculous, non?

I also plan to talk about thrift shopping, which can be surprisingly successful!

Here is a dress that I found at Value Village:




I will explain why this dress (and a few other thriftstore items I've nabbed) are flattering in an upcoming post!


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