Here is the second part in the series of in-dept analysis of my body type. I was going to have one on vertical proportions too, but that was already discussed in my original post so no need.

As I have already listed in that post, my dimensions are (first one are the shoulders) are 37-34-24-36. Actually, those were rounded up, more accurately it is : 37.2 - 33.9 - 24 - 35.8 (yep, you can say I am a scientist ). We also concluded I have an hourglass/X body type.

Before coming to YLF, I was pretty confused about this. If the main criterion was bust vs. hips, I would be a pear. If it was shoulders vs. hips, I would be an IT or at least have IT tendencies. I can look like an IT sometimes when I wear boat necks or of the shoulders necklines, both which I love, and the whole IT look as well. Finally, with more recent fluid fits, I can easily look like an rectangle. Beth Ann suggested the use of the "slender" hourglass modifier on my previous thread.

I also admitted that, for various, reasons, I have always wanted about 2" more in the bust. One of those reasons would be to have the, so called, perfectly balanced hip and chest measurements that are supposedly a benchmark of the ideal female shape. ( Notice i say supposedly - this is what I read in popular culture, it does not express my own opinion. I personally think that there is no such thing as ideal and that we are all ideal as we already are as long as we are healthy - dealing with a serious disease will make you appreciate your body whatever its shape might be). Another reason was, well, purely to attract opposite gender, especially when I was younger. I was called "flat" more than once when in high school and early college, and deeply suffered for that. Denise suggested that I really should not want those extra inches as they would limit my dressing options.

I have also had issues getting proper fit in off the rack clothing, or even guessing the right size. Most tailored items would gape at the waist. I could not fill out certain tops. In my younger days, I always bought the smallest possible size in a top thinking that I am so small on the top that nothing else would do. Sometimes that would lead to the common pulling at the buttons issue that I simply ignored or chose not to notice. This happened as recent as 6 years ago, when I was 30. I still might have some clothing items which do that ever-so-slightly, from the more tailored/body con fashion days, because I simply did not want to buy the next size up and deal with yet another waist alteration.

Then I compared my measurements against various size charts. I know that various designers have their various charts which are somewhat different. I do not know how they come up with them, and I do not mean absolute size, but more the bust-waist-hip ratios, which are pretty consistent between various sizes. Are these supposed to be the "ideal" measurements for a particular size or "average ones"? I am attaching current size chart from Theory. I chose them on purpose because the brand runs small, which is kind of more representative of sizing 10 or so years ago. My sizing would be ever-so-slightly different in different charts, but in general the conclusions are similar.

I currently most typically wear size 0/2 depending on how the lines runs. Now according to this chart, my bust measurements would land me in size 4, waist in size 0 and hips in size 2. In some other charts I might overall move one size up or down. In some other ones waist and hips would fall in the same size. It looks tough, that I can rarely fit in a single size , which explains my various fit issues with more tailored clothing. More strikingly, in most of the size charts there is a 3-4" difference between hip and bust measurements within the same size! I do not how how this fits with the so called balanced proportions of ideal figure. Finally, if I had those extra 2" in the bust I would need size 8 on the top which would make for difficult shopping and expensive alterations. So, Denise, you were right that I should not want those extra 2".

I apologize for all the incoherent ramblings here. This is mostly me trying to come to peace with my own figure, as well as understand how to dress it in the best possible manner. For a huge part, I have. But, if I have a date or am going to a special event, I still might steal some dressing tips from pear or rectangle guidelines when it comes to dressing the chest area or wear a push up bra. Or both.

ETA: For a better discussion, added the size chart from Banana Republic (2) and Land's End. Again, I am not talking about absolute sizes here, as in one brand runs bigger than the other. I am talking about the whole chest-waist-hip ratio business.