WIW 2/1: In defense of bombshell! - YouLookFab Forum

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WIW 2/1: In defense of bombshell!

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

OK, all this talk of how to strip outfits of bombshell style has me riled up! I am surprised at the negative reaction the word bombshell generated (see Angie's thread http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ombination) and that someone said bombshell cannot be ladylike. Or that bombshell equals tight or sexy clothes. Or that you have to be a voluptuous sexpot to be a bombshell. I am not busty or curvy or an hourglass, but I am a bombshell and proud of it!

Let's see...bombshell elements:
Ruffled peplum polka dot jacket with nipped waist and belted--check
Red satin blouse (with leopard print lining)--check
Double dose of leopard (belt and high heel pumps)--check
Pencil skirt with flirty back flare--check
Sassy pose with hand on the hip--check

White House Black Market pindot jacket and pencil skirt
WHBM red satin tee
Loehmann's leopard belt
Black necklace
Fossil red tote
B Makowsky Heist leopard pumps with strap and red trim (although I had to make a practical concession and switch to Stuart Weitzman red Giveable ballet flats since I was on call at the hospital and on my feet and walking around all day)

I always thought that bombshell was ultra-ladylike and super feminine! For me bombshell is all about waist definition to create an hourglass figure and a hint of retro and glamour, like the 40's pinup girls or 50's stars like Marilyn. And maybe some red and leopard and faux fur thrown in once in a while. Fun and flirty and a little girly and sensual. Of course, there is the voluptuous sexpot look, but I don't think that defines bombshell. I guess that's why I'm a demure bombshell, since I am neither voluptuous nor sexpot! My bombshell style aspiration is the 1940's secretary look.

So, what do you think? Bombshell enough for you?

ETA: LOL I am not mad at you guys! Just fired up! And what true bombshell isn't a little fiery?

ETAA: OK I think I figured out why I am having this strong reaction to the comments in Angie's thread. I think it's because my mom tends to dress in the style that people were equating with bombshell--she is kinda busty (esp as she has gotten older) and dresses in flashy clothes that are a little too tight and low cut and a little young for her age. Her style is diva glam bombshell at its best, and Peggy Bundy bombshell at its worst. Whereas my style is also bombshell, but very demure and ladylike. I don't like it when DH says I'm dressing just like my mom, because I don't! OK, that's my 5-cent psychoanalysis.

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32 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

Sara L.

Veteran

I agree that you're a bombshell! I haven't read the comments on Angie's post so don't know anything about the negative reactions. I generally think of the word bombshell as a compliment. Great outfit - I like the leopard print accents.

MsLuna

Veteran

Hey Goldenpig! I'm one of those people who said Bombshell was equivalent to "sexy" so I apologize if it has offended you! It wasn't my intent at all - I guess to me, when people say "bombshell" there's a certain silhouette and accessorization involved. I should've been more clear in my definitions!

Sorry all!!!

Now back to you, GoldenPig: I love the outfit! The accessorization and the silhouette definitely screams "bombshell" to me

Transcona Shannon

Veteran

I think you're gorgeous Natalie! And please don't take any of the bombshell comments to heart - none of them were directed your way.

As for this outfit, it's fabulous. I love the repeated animal print in the shoes and the belt (are those the shoes Angie had posted back in the fall? Wish I'd gotten those) and then the repeated red in the top and the handbag.

Rock on Queen Demure Bombshell!

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

First of all this outfit looks smashing on you. I see the bombshell element in the silhouette, but really what I see is a great look.

modgrl

(website)

Veteran

Me and fever pink will always have your back... I think if I actually had a waist or boobs I wouldn't be so obsessed with creating the illusion that I do.

Kari

Veteran

Natalie, thank you! I was reading through that thread and hoped someone would speak up in defense of bombshell style. As a curvy, larger framed woman who prefers wearing structured and waist defining shapes, looking a bit bombshell-y is a bit unavoidable-but I don't think bombshell style has to mean looking like I'm trying to be overtly sexual.
I totally dig the outfits you posted here too.

Jewell

Veteran

I love the fun spirit of this post almost as much as I love your bombshell look!

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Anonymous

Go bombshell, go bombshell!!! : D

Love your style!

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Natalie, I always admire bombshell style on others like you, MaryK, Kari, Sarah but every time I try to do it myself it just feels wrong. I am not busty but curvy enough on the bottom with a small waist so theoretically I should be able to pull it off. However I just don't feel like myself in this style, like I am pretending to be somebody I am not.
I also don't think bombshell style is equivalent of sexy - more like sensual and feminine to the extreme.
My point is that it is nothing wrong with the bombshell style but rather it is wrong for me and my sense of style.
I think your style is ladylike first and bombshell second - and I really like your outfit here!

Carole

Veteran

Funny how certain labels can be interpreted so differently. All our own personal experiences come into play and the variations of the meaning are divergent.. I like "demure bombshell" but to me that's sort of an oxymoron. Whatever you call your style, I like it. I like it alot!

RandomThoughts (Andrea)

Veteran

I think I posted on the blog today that I love the bombshell look and I find it very ladylike and attractive. In my dog show outfits I like to give it a nod but I don't think I look all that bombshell-y due to my silhouette. I would not complain if I did! Just like ANY other look, it can go from demure to all out sexy depending on the wearer and how she does it.

My AllSaints suit always gets the "sexy" comment from friends/competitors (I say always, I mean, both times I've worn it) and while I agree, it is pretty sexy it's not sexUAL or lewd. It shows that I have a figure. But I'm not t&(@ out or showing tons of leg. You just won't mistake me for a boy! (And I have been so this is a GOOD thing.)

I love this outfit. It's pretty, put together, demure and BOMBSHELL!

ETA: I had missed that other thread but I think Suz hit the nail on the head. Angie's outfit, IMO, does have bombshell qualities to it. If she popped a waist defining jacket over the whole thing, I'd say (demure) bombshell fo sho!

HelenInCanada

Veteran

I love that you stood up for your respectable bombshell self, Natalie! I adore your Demure Bombshell style - honestly, you have more ladylike pieces in your wardrobe than most women I know. Ultra feminine and tasteful - no explanations necessary. Any negative connotations to 'bombshell' occur when the look is out of balance and extreme - cheap stretchy fabrics, all cleavage and all legs and all stilettos all at once, and the like. There are certain looks that might have given the word a bad name to some, especially those who haven't seen it in its tasteful context. You are a prime example of how it's done beautifully!

Tina

Veteran

As I noted in Angie's thread, I do not equate bombshell with sexy, nor do I think it is a negative style or statement. i think the term is often used in a negative sense when really the better term would be overtly sexy. To me bombshell does still require a bit of curvaciousness (if that's a word). I know that it has been said that there is a difference between bombshell style and generally being a bombshell (figure, hair, makeup and personality) but to me I will not see bombshell without at least some of the general components.
I think you look amazing, GP, but honestly if I saw you somewhere dressed like you are in the pictures above, my thought would be 'there goes one lovely looking lady'. I would not ascribe bombshell to this look. I know how you describe your style so I am looking for it but I would not immediately come to that conclusion.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Natalie and Kari, in my YLF forum experience, no one has ever commented negatively about your bombshell styles. In fact, it's always quite the opposite. You both receive and deserve extremely positive comments about your outfits. My thread was trying to pinpoint was it is about an outfit that makes it "bombshell" - is it the clothes, or is it the body, or is it about both the clothes and the body? When bombshell style became intertwined with sexpot style - the comments became negative. Rest assured, neither of you have sexpot style.

Furthermore and to Carol's point, people clearly (and understandably) interpret fashion personas differently. Classic style has been misinterpreted on this forum over and over again. The same goes for Bombshell style.

I hope that you both feel reassured that your styles are great, because that's the most important thing to remember in all of this.

catgirl

Veteran

Natalie, you are cracking me up! I see no negative connotation to Bombshell style - in fact, I feel it's one of the more "ideal" sought-after styles here and in general, like the hourglass shape. I could be wrong, though.

This is kind of what I was getting at when I said, rather inarticulately, that I'd differentiate between Bombshell as a style vs. a specific look. There's the obvious meaning common in society with all its connotations - Jane Mansfield or at the other end Peg Bundy (though could you really call Peg Bundy anything but trashy?), and then there's the Bombshell style as you, Mary, and others here interpret it. Sort of like the difference between a tomboy and tomboy style?

Regardless, I think you're a great example, and Im fascinated by how you broke down your reaction and analyzed it to pinpoint the cause of your reaction. Very much like a physician! I do agree with Tina that I would not peg your style as bombshell on my own - I think it's very feminine modern classic (and I don't have a negative connotation there either!).

Jjsloane

Veteran

Like Carole said, people interpret labels differently. I am one who immediately thinks sexy when I hear bombshell, but you've opened my eyes to new interpretations. I really don't like labeling, but see the need sometimes. People's views on bombshell are just their own interpretation of the word. I equate it to Angie's discussions about hot pink/fever pink/fuschia. Each has a mental image of this color and all are flavored by experience. I love your outfit, but would never call it bombshell in my view of the word. I just call it beautiful and flattering.

Sona

Veteran

GP: you look great and I love how you articualted your viewpoints. I will say that you will always be DEMURE bmbshell in my mind because even though you ascribe to and incorporate bomshell elements in your style ( fabulously well as in this post) its not what I always think of first. I think for many of us our subconscious self has been schooled into lots of curves=bombshell but clearly that does not= bomsshell style.

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Thanks everyone! But since many of you are saying my style is not really bombshell, I am thoroughly confused. When I read the Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style, the bombshell style is what seemed to mesh the best with my own. I don't wear corset tops and bustiers, but I would wear pretty much everything else. Maybe I don't understand the term? I think I need a tutorial then on what bombshell style is--help, Angie! I know I don't look (or act) like a Bombshell but I thought my style had a lot of those elements, am I mistaken? Maybe I need to completely re-evaluate my style persona? What is my style?

Isis

Veteran

GP--

Yay for bombshell! This looks great!

Bombshell seems to be one of those words that people interpret differently, some with negative connotations......

You have your own Natalie spin on bombshell, a feminine-enhancing style that embraces and celebrates the female body....it's working for you. I wouldn't worry about finding new words!

It really is da bomb!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ah, Natalie - whatever you call your style, it's great!

I think that ALL these style labels get interpreted differently; as Angie pointed out, "classic" also got interpreted in different ways by different people, with many people associating "frumpy" to "classic" just as some have associated "sexpot" to "bombshell."

I think you do indeed incorporate elements of bombshell style into your own personal style...but because you do not dress to appear overtly sexy, it all comes across as much more "demure" or ladylike. There is a reason you call yourself "demure" bombshell, after all, and it's very accurate. I do think the first impression you give with most of your outfits is feminine and ladylike, just as the first impression that Angie gives with many of her outfits is ladylike and modern, or ladylike and crisp.

teri

Veteran

I also embrace the bombshell title.

Most of my outfits would be described as "bombshellish" see below

I love feeling sexy and don't think sexy is a bad word

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goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Teri--I LOVE all your outfits and agree that your style is very bombshell! Down to the fabulous hair, makeup and heels too! Yay for sexy!

Isis

Veteran

Teri-- You ARE bombshell and you look so fab! (And sexy!)

I'm so glad you said this, as I was thinking the same thing. Sexy is not a bad word!

OK, I gotta log off for the day and get some work done.....

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

Ty teri!!!!! Sexy is grate and u show it can bclassy as well as bombshell!!! I need to do a bshell look meself, its been a while...

Heehee - anyone who thinx angie and Natalie do not have the figures to carry off bshell has not been paying attention.

Little wink! Happy day !!!!! Steph

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I agree that Teri has bombshell style. Kari, TX Sarah spring to mind too. MaryK is bombshell in a very uniquely professional way, and Anna in a very edgy way.

Natalie, bombshell style in not the first thing that pops into my mind when I see your glorious outfits. I am 100% with Suz's perception about your style. Demure Bombshell never made complete sense to me and is an oxymoron in my mind.

So FWIW, I see a Playful Romantic, Retro Eclectic, Romantic Eclectic, Arty Romantic, Cheerful Fashionista, Eclectic Classic or Playful Classic. Bombshell doesn't even feature as a main descriptor to my eye.

If you were my client, this is how I would describe your current style:

- Eclectic
- Romantic
- Retro
- Playful
- Arty
- Classic
- Ladylike
- AND Trendy

Take my opinion for what it is worth to you

goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

Thanks Angie! Those are all good terms for me to think about! I love talking about style! And LOL about Cheerful Fashionista! That's a new one for me! Very interesting...fun!!!

Carole

Veteran

I've been thinking about the term " bombshell" and realize that for me it holds a negative image or association I can't get past. I think it's because I worked in a very male dominated environment in the early 80's, at the height of the women's movement. To be taken seriously and avoid unwanted attention or even physical contact in the workplace, your womanhood needed to be played down or masked!

Kappy

Veteran

This is a great outfit (better with the heels, but, sigh...comfort is key). These are cute and comfy wedges that have a bit of a retro look (they carry them lots of places online):
http://www.endless.com/Me-Too-.....B004XH1XIY

I think "demure bombshell" is a great description of your style! Your style is so fun too. I loved you in those two dresses you tried for the Wild West party; I thought that style looked great on you:
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....iday-party

And how fun to find "demure bombshell" inspiration pics:
http://www.chictopia.com/photo.....zara-shoes
http://www.chictopia.com/photo.....p-white-as
http://www.chictopia.com/photo.....rlet-pants
http://www.chictopia.com/photo.....irt-pin-up
http://www.chictopia.com/photo.....op-shorts-
http://www.chictopia.com/photo.....irt-pin-up

catgirl

Veteran

Natalie, I think the thing to hone in on is what defines your style as you try out different personas. When you dress UWP, it's feminine and ladylike. When you dress bombshell, it's feminine and ladylike. When you dress casual, it's feminine and ladylike. See the theme?

Teri, you are always a knockout, and I see nothing wrong with sexy either! However, I don't think it has to be exclusive to bombshell looks... I can think of ways to dress UWP that would quite suggestive right down to the Comicon version.

What's nice is that we can use the rules without being locked into them. Natalie, just keep on being you because you have a strong and clearly honed style - maybe we should just call it "Natalie"!

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