When did you figure out your unique figure challenges... - YouLookFab Forum

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When did you figure out your unique figure challenges...

ironkurtin

Veteran

And what did you do to overcome them?

I ask because my body is so weird to me right now! It's changed shape from working out. I'm very muscly and have big arms and shoulders - I literally hulked out of one of my favorite shirts! (The moment I heard it rip, I was like, why not, and did my best mean green imitation). My waist is smaller, so even though my thighs aren't bigger they're proportionally bigger now. And my calves are curvy enough now that I can't pull some pants over them. Nothing like standing with pants puddling around your ankles because they've stopped mid-leg... Plus I finally have something that looks like a butt. Bizarre!

I can still fit into most of my clothing, but differently, and I for sure am looking for more shaped items to look as female as possible. It's taking me a while to get used to this new shape and I haven't figured it out quite yet!

What was your challenge and what did you do to deal?

Dressing

14 replies

Latest reply was from leopardluxe

Mo

(website)

Veteran

My waist. Never knew it was high until coming here. I do recall giving measurements for a bridesmaid dress 15 years or so ago and the waist being too tight. That's because 'my' waist and the dress's waist were not in the same spot.
I'm also slowly changing shape. Bigger in the torso and squarer in the navel to hip zone.

Now I'm sure to get specific measurements for the waistbands on everything and the corresponding rise. I won't do any drop waist styles, or ones that seem even a tad low.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I think I had a reasonable idea a few years ago - I knew that most pants gaped on me at the waist, that I needed a longer than average inseam, and if my outfit didn't define my waist somehow I would look like a refrigerator box. But I really started getting to grips with all my figure variations when I started sewing. For years and years I thought I was shortwaisted, mainly because I could never find dresses that fit me. After doing all the measurements that help you figure out your pattern size and alterations, a lightbulb finally went off and I realized that I am long-waisted (long between shoulders and waist) but short-hipped (short between waist and hip). Hasn't made it any easier to find dresses that fit in the stores, but at least I know why, and that I can sew my own if I really want to. And it's made me focus my efforts in buying RTW with the brands and cuts that work for me. Of course, when I lost weight last year it threw everything up into the air again, but my proportions didn't totally change, just become a bit more pearish rather than apple/pear combo.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Ever since i was a teenager, I've always had relatively big hips and thighs for someone with my relatively smallish build (meaning that I am small-boned, not short). My actual hip bones are wide set, so there is only so much that weight loss or exercise can ever do for me, as far as changing my shape. Also, ever since I was young I had challenges with pant lengths being long enough to wear heels, and getting fitted button-front shirts to fit well without gaping at the chest.

I still grapple with those same challenges, plus some new ones. Oh well!

Peri

Veteran

Well, I don't think I have! I am looking for a dress and they just don't work for me!

Jules

Veteran

Well I was always self-concious about the size and shape of my hips and thighs. Around 30 I had a wedding dress maker tell me I was short-waisted. It explained some things, but interestingly, while I realize it effects fit and so on, I don't see it as a flaw in the mirror, or on others. I'm just used to those proportions I guess. But I guess my preference of longer shirts to cover some hip and thigh also elongates my torso.

Gigi

Veteran

Wow, IK, it sounds like you are making some serious workout progress! I would love some curvy calves (says the chicken-legged gal).

My sizing challenge was being short waisted, as others have mentioned, plus discovering that my hips are the figure 8 "shelf" type. Shopping petites helped immensely for the short-waistedness (I also have sloping shoulders too, so the petites' help that as well), and I found that by wearing low-rise bottoms, I can create enough illusion of a longer torso to tuck. As for the hips, studying Imogen's guidelines on how to dress figure 8 body types on her blog helped me determine what kinds of clothes would be most flattering.

I found out about being short waisted when I was in my twenties. My mom finally got tired of shopping with me and my not finding anything that fit right, so she took me to the petites' dept. at Sears. Finally, stuff fit! But I couldn't help but wonder how long she had known about petites' and why she didn't tell me before I was graduated from college!

I found about my figure 8 hips only about a year ago. It was such a relief. I could never understand why my hips looked so different compared to other people's. I thought I was a freak. Now I know there are lots of other people like me. :^)

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think mine are changing as we speak...

My body type modifiers include relatively large thighs, relatively short arms, a long neck, small bust, short waist, longish rise, plus a borderline petite height. And these do affect what I buy and what works on me.

But in some ways my biggest fit challenges these days are boots, bras, and low vamp shoes.

Bras, because I have small, widely spaced breasts yet I like my bra to offer a bit of support and, ideally, to look pretty. Or at least not actively ugly.
Boots, because my calves are short for my height and muscular -- yet technically still on the slim side (i.e. narrower than the shaft of most boots). So most knee high boots are too tall and fit me all wrong. And I need knee high boots in my climate.
Low vamp shoes, because nothing stays on my narrow heels.

I deal with #1 by careful shopping in a specialty lingerie store and by spending more than seems reasonable on tiny whisps of fabric.

I deal with #2 by scouring reviews and trying on endlessly and persisting until I find what I need. And then buying it, even if pricy. Because it's a non-negotiable where I live.

And I deal with #3 by complaining.

Liz A.

Veteran

I learned in my late teens that I have a long torso. My aunt pointed it out to me one day when she saw me in a bikini. No wonder my shirts were always too short! Finally I got it. I didn't really deal with it at all until like a year ago. I just bared my midriff more than the average girl. Luckily, I had the body for it... and luckily longer shirts are in now! I pay attention to shirt lengths when I order online and make it work!

In my early 20s, I realized my shoulders are huge in comparison to my waist. I had to get all my jackets to fit my shoulders and taken in at the waist... woven shirts too. Then I went into my phase of wearing almost exclusively stretchy knits... kinda over that now though so we're back to altering. And waist surrendering cuz that's in now.

I could go on, but really if you're interested in my strategy for dealing with my fit issues, it's honestly obsessively knowing all of my measurements and comparing them against size charts and listed measurements. That's why I love Boden and Zappos so much. You also come to realize which brands fit according to their size charts and which you have to size up or down due to specific fit issues. Oh and reading reviews and hoping for someone with my same issues who can give me some insight. GOod luck!

rachylou

Veteran

I love that image IK: buffed out like the Hulk! How cool is that!

Maybe it's when I became diabetic that I started grappling with the whole thing. The evil weight loss that almost put me in the hospital and sudden need for all new clothes was traumatic. Before I'd take things to the tailor and just let them fix it and didn't pay attention to the details.

In short order I then discovered I'm short of waist, long of leg, and do not come close to the magic ratio between hip and waist.

One thing about learning all that - its allowed me to move away from being super classic, which is not my thing as we all know. I'm no longer the pony with the one trick - the princess seam.

Dee

Veteran

Your comment about hulking out cracked me up!

In terms of challenges, I have two. First, I have large thighs for my frame/waist. No matter what weight or size I've been in my life, my thighs are always a size bigger than my waist would indicate. I realized that's why I could always size down in dresses or skirts compared to pants. Switching from juniors pants after college helped a little, but I've also started paying attention to which brands are cut more to my shape.

Second, I have wide feet, which makes shoe shopping a pain. I haven't yet figured out the solution there, but Zappos definitely helped! I'm also more willing (and able financially) to pay a little more now for shoes that fit and are comfortable when I find them.

ironkurtin

Veteran

Thanks for the stories, ladies! It's so interesting/frustrating how an inch or two bigger or smaller in different places makes SUCH a big difference as to fit. Sometimes I think how cinched my rectangle frame would have to be to wear a hoop skirt, or how uncomfortable I would be as a braless flapper, or how freakishly tall I'd be in the Middle Ages. Then looking for a shirt to fit my shoulders doesn't seem so bad.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

IK, you're right! I sometimes try to console myself that at least I'm not dressing in the flapper era. Cute style that looks completely wrong on my body.

JayS

Veteran

I totally relate to your story of a changing body. Five or so years ago I lost nearly 70 lbs. What was really weird was that my body was completely different from when I was the same weight at a younger age. First time around, I was a very defined hourglass with the problems that brings...waist too big, stuff pulling across the bust, stuff pulling across the crotch..I had saddle bags, also.
Now, I'm more of an inverted rectangle..maybe with slight hourglass tendencies. My hips are slim, my waist isn't nearly as defined, and my shoulders seem more prominent. Clothes shopping is actually easier now than back in the day..which could be because I have finally figured out a little of my fit issues. Only recently have I realized that even though I'm short, I do better with regular sized pants. I have a long rise and end up with wedgies with petite pants. I always thought that length was most important..yeah, rise trumps length. Also, with a short waist, I really need petite dresses to get the waist in the right place although sometimes I prefer the length of regular dresses. I try to pay much more attention to fit now. Some things work, lots of things don't. Btw, I'm mid 50s and still learning...

leopardluxe

Veteran

When I was bodybuilding I found that all my curves pretty much burned off and my body (most especially my shoulders, arms, chest and hips) became much more cut and angular. I found that things I used to be able to wear and look good in (low cut halter or wrap dresses, for example) weren't as flattering as they once were (they didn't look bad, just not quite as flattering because of minimization of my curviness).

I did find that I had to add more feminine elements to my outfits to counteract the fact I sort of now looked like I was built like a teenage boy (or Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 --that's the comparison I got most often from folks. She never got bulky but if you compare her physique in that movie to her non-training physique you'll see what I'm describing).

I've found I like both of my bodies. There are pros and cons to each (like at max training I had to shop for jeans almost exclusively in the children's section if I wanted super skinny fit or pay to have the smallest sizes altered on everything for adults but I also found more styles draped well on me so I could experiment with different styles more successfully).

I'm just now getting past the health issues that made it so I had to stop weightlifting for quite some time (which I'm grateful to be able to get back to because my pain issues are almost nonexistent when I'm training hard --whereas when I can't train the chronic pain issues can be debilitating) and I'm interested to see how my physique responds to the conditioning and what impact that may have on my fashion choices/style.

The body is just a fascinating thing, really :-).