Rose, I think you should go smart casual.

http://youlookfab.com/2006/09/.....or-ladies/

My other comments were:

-You seem to have a lot of nice pieces: the halogen jacket, sweet pea top, CV cowlneck, Joe's jeans, and those fab Theory pants just to name a few. Are they the Max C pants? I am selling a pair on ebay right now and they are indeed amazing (unfortunately they are a good 2 sizes too small for me--are any size 0's listening? If so bid now :p). Anyway, I don't think you're as clueless as you made yourself sound!

-You don't seem terribly busty to me. You have a bust, but it's not all that pronounced and definitely not enough to make you look top heavy.

-I think the one place for improvement I'm seeing is accessories. I don't usually wear accessories in my pictures either, usually because I'm asking for feedback on fit or color or something else, and not really intending to post a complete outfit. I think accessories would punch everything up a hundred times.

Rosemerin, I think you have a great figure and won't have any trouble at all looking as stylish as you want.

Just glancing through your photos- I really like the raspberry jacket. In order to get more feedback on your different pieces, you might break it up a bit. For example, start a thread just for the skirt outfits, or just jackets, etc, trying to keep it to around 4 or 5 pics... that way people can focus more on each issue and give you more ideas. Does that make sense?

You've made a great start on getting your photos up and you have a some good pieces to work with. I predict the stylish ladies here will have you fab in no time.

Welcome!
You have such a nice figure!
You are hourglasse like me.. and short waisted, and busty.. me too!
Angie has a post on hourglasses that is really helpful but I think you are doing it right! The main trick is to accentuate the waist (form fitted pieces, belts), V-necks, cardigans, pencil skirts are perfect for us.

I really love the pink jacket and the turquoise cowl neck top. Like Maya, I think that accessories could make all the difference in your outfits. Adding short sleeve jackets or cardigans to some of the outfits would add interest, too. (I know that can be difficult in the summer.) I'm working on adding accessories myself, and I'm far from an expert on it.

I don't think you look top heavy at all, although I do think that I preferred the more structured shirts over the t-shirts. I think that I prefer that for any body, though.

It looks like you have a really good start!

Thanks all! Your comments made me realize that one thing I am trying to ask for help on is defining my waist and creating a balanced line. I know all the guidelines for hourglasses on how to do this, but it it doesn't seem to work for me, based on these and other pics.

To me, you look slim and tall in the photos. I love the light blue cowlneck top on you! Also the pink Halogen jacket, but I'm a little partial since I just bought one. I like the pattern of the Sweet Pea top, but it looks a little long for the dark shorts.

I think you look most shapely in the cowl-neck ... it looks like a closer fit than some of the tees and the pink button-down. They're kind of boxy, so if you want to define your waist, avoid those.

Rosemerin, you have such a cute shape! I especially love this outfit - the walking shorts look like such a nice length and I adore the drape of your top. To my (very un-expert) eye, you look very balanced and not top-heavy.

As for defining the waist, I'm still figuring out how to do this best. I personally like items that are already structured around my waist (like waistcoats, blazers with curved seams, cardigans, or dresses with a self-belt or very wide empire seam if I can find the right cut) or else a knit that fits tightly around my natural waist but doesn't bunch up at my hips. It's definitely not foolproof for me yet because my waist is so short, and I'm not always sure whether I'm hiding or accentuating that fact.