Undefined waist w/ wrap tops

mayapple

I am mystified by them. Faux or adjustable, it doesn't matter.

I do not have a defined, slender waist, but it's still smaller than my hips & bust, so I thought a wrap would help give the illusion of a longer, smaller waist. Instead I feel like it just emphasizes how straight I am through the middle, and it also causes this weird split-boob thing to happen...where the boob on one side looks like it's going to spill out. It's hard to explain unless you've experienced it...

I don't really know what I can do to lengthen and emphasize my waist, other than wear more jackets, which isn't entirely practical. To give you an idea of just how short waisted I am, my inseam is literally 1/2 of my body (31", and i'm 62"). I feel like I look much bigger than I really am because of this and it drives me nuts. I feel like all the tricks people use to emphasize a small waist just make mine look even bigger. I'm not sure what to do.

18 years ago

Dressing

9 replies

Latest reply was from Angie

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Mayapple, how long are the tops that you wear daily? Where do they hit you on your body?

18 years ago

mayapple

Active Member

Angie, I try to wear my tops at the hip. Sometimes they hit right around the widest part of my bum which I hate, so I try to scrunch them a bit so they hit slightly higher.

18 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Okay Maya. I hear your dilemma completely and have had clients with the same challenge. If I look back at the pictures you posted a while ago with your jeans, I see that your tops are short and this makes your torso look shorter. I’d wear them a little longer, grazing your crotch point, but not quite as long so that they’re over the widest part of your bottom. This will give you a longer torso. It will also help to layer two tops over each other so that the longer top pops out from underneath. And longer the top should also graze your crotch point. This will elongate your frame and balance out your top and bottom. Don’t wear high necklines.

Now, you know that V-necks and scoop necks are best to elongate your torso and give your bust the room that it needs. Look further for tops that accentuate your waist through knotted ruching details that finish under the bust and remember to wear a camisole. You’re also looking for diagonal chevron stripes that focus in on your waist. Tops with V-necks and vertical front ruching will also do the trick. Try mesh and the brand Sweatpea. These types of tops draw the eye in towards the waist. And at all times, try these tops a little longer. If they are too long in stores, ruch them up to crotch point. And when you add a jacket, make sure that it’s shorter than your top. Keep the stance of your jacket fairly low too. This will help with torso elongation.

I understand the “split boob thing” with wrap tops and there are ways of overcoming this, but it’s fairly hard to explain in writing. See how you go with these suggestions first. I hope that they make some sense.

18 years ago

mayapple

Active Member

Everything made perfect sense. I always heard that petites should keep tops on the shorter side to make their legs look longer, but I guess since I have relatively long legs, it doesn't really apply to me. I have a bunch of Sweet Pea tops on my myshape wish list. I have tried them on before and fell in love but they were too expensive for me, unfortunately.

What about tunics? Are they going to drown me in fabric? I own a couple that I like to wear with leggings, but I don't actually like them because of the particular style, so I'm probably going to give them away. I'm just not sure if I should bother replacing them with "nicer" tunics, but then I wouldn't know what else to wear with my leggings.

18 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

There are lots of sweetpea tops on sale at Macys and Nordstrom on an ongoing basis so check regularly. You can absolutely wear tunics of you keep them above your knee. What was it about the previous tunic styles that you didn’t like?

18 years ago

mayapple

Active Member

I don't know what I was thinking when I got them. They were just a couple of Rebecca Beeson tops that were made out of a flimsy material that wrinkles easily. They also had a tie neck that was way too low so I can't even wear a full coverage bra, and slits at the sides which make my hips look monumental. So there is basically nothing about them that's working for me right now, except that they were discounted, of course.

18 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Oh dear. Well, lesson learned. Start over with tunics and make sure that they have enough structure. Dresses also work with leggings beautifully. Remember this blog entry:

http://youlookfab.com/2007/08/.....-leggings/

Tunics will work with your skinny jeans. It’s a super look and if you keep it tailored in the right place and wear it at the right length, you’ll look great in a tunic.

18 years ago

mayapple

Active Member

I bought this dress for leggings but it ended up being too long on me.

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com.....038;color=

I like to stick to tunics because finding a dress that's short enough is too frustrating,

18 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Super frock. You can always hem.

18 years ago

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