Hello everyone,
I am new here, and still learning my way around.
I have been reading this site occasionally in the past years. I've been on a re-learn my own style process for few years, and reading quite a bit around the web.
I am approaching the big 4-0, and I think I have a some kind of an age crisis, ha ha. That has contributed quite a bit to my current quest. That, and a complex life situation that lasted several years, that left me very out of touch with my style, both mentally and physically.
I'm so new that I'm not yet familiar with usual protocols of this site. I guess I could list some things about me.
- In from North Europe. We have 4 distinct seasons, and our warm season is relatively short. This affects my clothing choises a lot.
- I lead a relatively active lifestyle, compared to many North Americans. I walk a lot, bike a lot and don't have a car. Combined with the previous pointer, these two affect my outfits quite a bit.
- I am currently a student, but hopefully will graduate later this year or at the latest, early 2016.
- I am relatively tall, 174 cm (if I recall correctly, that's 5 feet 8 inches). I am also relatively slender.
- My body is hourglass-ish. This is measured shoulders, waist, widest point at hips. If I'd measure bust-waist-hip, then I would be pear.
- my main "problem" area is that when looked from the back, I carry my weight at the high hip to buttock region. This area looks out a of proportion heavy, and it's my main focus usually to find ways to flatter this area. From front my hips are not heavy looking. My hips are what some other sites call figure-8 hips, or cello hips. This means my hip bones form a sort of shelf right under waist, and this gives a boxy look to the hip area.
- I have slightly longer upper body than legs, although my legs are still quite long and I often buy 34" inseams in jeans, for example. I often try to make my legs appear longer.
- I have short waist, but since I am so tall all and all, many times a shaped shirt off the rack has its waist too high for me. My waist is very well defined, and I love some waist shaping. But rarely I can cinch in the waist fully, because on most outfits that would accentuate my heavy hip area.
- I also have long rise. Combine heavy, boxy hips, long rise and short waist and slightly shorter legs, you can see how my problem area is a bit difficult to deal with. Most of my torso length is at the rise and at the bust to chin area. I would love to lean more about how to flatter my body type.
- I like a capsule-ish, more minimalist approach to my wardrobe and style.
- I like clean lines, comfortable clothes that feel nice, functionality. I am not feminine, but more androgynous in my style. I love certain rock and roll touches. I love love love black colour, and in addition to it, I have only few colours that make my wardrobe colour scheme (dark blue, olive, wine red mostly). I would love to have some help with putting my style into words, as it escapes me (partially a language issue).
- I have been on Pinterest for years, and have several style boards. Interestingly not once I have found other people whose boards would have been 100% like "me". Similarly, the current fashion has not been "me" for several years now, and I have difficulties finding clothes that I like.
- Goals: visually longer legs, balancing upper body ratios, flattering
the back view of my hips area, re-finding and refining my own style,
finding pieces that work together.
Oh my, I hope I didn't go into too many details in this intro post.
