Can we talk about disproportionality? - YouLookFab Forum

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Can we talk about disproportionality?

April

Veteran

It's hard enough to find well-fitting, stylish, comfortable clothing when you're kind of the same size all over (whatever size that may be) but when one part of you doesn't match the rest of you, it's much harder.

The only place where we seem to allow for these differences is in maternity wear. But what if the part of you that's out of proportion is something other than a pregnant belly?

I'm curious about what sorts of disproportionality people are working around. Do you have a body part that's hard for you to fit because it's quite different from the rest of you? If so, which part and what solutions have you found?

General

37 replies

Latest reply was from Stagiaire Fash

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

I have a lot of feelings about your post, and the big one is: EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL. You are not disproportionate, you are perfect. It is the mainstream fashion industry that is limited and narrow.

I'm short and curvy, with a larger chest, and a higher hip/hip dip. Severely tailored clothes just don't work for me, so I favor clothing that wraps, has some soft drape, or is fitted with some stretch. Separates, separates, separates. My closet is 90% separate pieces. I stick to a specific color palette, which makes it easier to match colors, although I mostly wear neutrals. I mostly shop secondhand, which makes it easier (my opinion) to find pieces that fit my shapes, in my colors.

For dresses, I find retro styles work the best. 1930s, 40s, 50s, early 60s styles seem better suited for curvier women.

If I can't wear a bra under it, (or it doesn't have the most *amazing* built-in, bridal-level bra cups already sewn in), I'm not having any of it.

David Zyla's book was amazing for sorting out my color palette, and David Kibbe, via Aly Art, has helped me immensely for body type and clothing selections.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

LBD, thank you for your statement. I read this and immediately my mind went to judgmental thoughts about the things about my body that are hard to fit. Why do I always blame my body and not the clothes? We are not all meant to look the same. So...Shirts with gaping buttons. Most pants being too short, and not accommodating of thighs. Shoes slipping off the backs of my feet. I need to start criticizing the clothes, not myself.

Liz

Veteran

I think what I'd "blame" is the era of ready-to-wear clothing that I live in. In a world where people sewed their own clothing or had it made for them, these fit issues were taken into account when the clothing was made. When I make a garment for myself, I lengthen it, add more width to the hips, taper in the sleeves, etc. Then I try it on, and fit it some more to my actual body. If this were the way I got all my clothes, the idea of "disproportionate" would disappear unless I was comparing myself to other women around me or someone in my life were criticizing something about me because of the proportions.

Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like before photography, when mirrors were only a piece of polished metal, and when a full-length mirror was unheard of. People still had ideals of beauty, and I'm sure everyone in the village or city still knew who the "pretty" woman was, but they weren't also being fed a gazillion images of "perfect" bodies from around the globe, and nobody had a way to see a full-length image of themselves, for comparison.

cat2

Veteran

Don’t approach this like something is wrong with you. I realized after reading comments from many women that each of us has challenges finding clothing and shoes that best work for them. What helped me was to realize each brand usually cuts to a specific shape, and that the shapes vary substantially, so my task has been to find the right brand mix. Then I can confidently order from a known brand and most of the time it will work. If you ask for suggestions to fit your shape this group and particularly Angie can send you in the right direction. Or you can do what a dear friend and I did, and go to a department store together and try on every brand of jean they had until each of us found a brand that fit.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

What LBD and cat2 said.

I notice this a lot because I often look at size charts—I’ve lost weight and changed sizing systems in the last couple of years (and I sometimes order from the UK, which has yet another sizing system), so I never know what size I am. It often jumps out at me that their idea of how a woman is/should be built is different from mine, sometimes by a few inches. I don’t mean that I care what dimensions correspond to what numerical size—I don’t. I mean that looking down the column of what numbers they see as making up one size body, the proportions of one part to another often seem strange to me. So I guess at which will work the best and see what happens.

A silly story about myself. As a teen, I recall feeling clumsy next to my small blonde, delicately-built older sister, but I was stronger than she was! When a fitness studio opened in our town and offered free trainer sessions, my parents figured that would be right up my alley. She and I did the whole analysis—measurements, cardio-vascular tests, max weight I could lift, etc. Then we sat down to go over goals and the program she had written for me. She said I needed to take a couple inches off my thighs, so they would be 19”. I explained to her that I played soccer and that a good kick was my “secret” weapon in swimming distance events. She didn’t care—they were too big. I thought she was crazy. I’ve never thought of myself as a model of body confidence, but my ideas of how I want to look have always overridden what anybody else says.

rachylou

Veteran

I’m short waisted and my waist is wider than average. Often the waist in a garment is too low and too narrow, when the shoulders and hips are right. Stretch is frankly my friend, as is the empire waist, but I look closely at measurements and design because many things bypass the waist.

Style Fan

Veteran

I like what everyone has said above. I do find that some trends and labels work better for me than others.

always trying

Veteran

I have broad shoulders so sometimes I have to get larger sizes in tops that are fitted like blazers. Then it looks too big around my middle and have to get sleeves altered. Hate this.

Anonymous

Sure . I often , well almost always , feel disproportionate . And it’s absolutely a product of the media images I’ve fed my brain since I was 12 or 13 years old . I’m quite petite in bone structure but have a propensity to pack on weight in areas that make clothes difficult to fit . I’m a size 2 in a size 8 body . I’ve lost the plot here - sorry . State of mind these days .

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

What cat2 said.

April, if I can help you find items that fit in a better way, let me know.

Like Style Fan, I hone in on brands that tend to fit my body better. I also have the backs of waists and the hips of pants that are almost right altered. It's a $22 alteration I gladly pay for.

The hardest parts of my body to fit in a great way are my feet and head. That means shoes, socks, hats and eyewear. I just keep on trying until I find the right items.

Irina

Veteran

I don’t feel I’m disproportionate, I know I am I don’t fault retailers, it would be impossible to cater to everyone individually. My answer is alterations. Button up shirts and blazers that fit me in the shoulders will be unavoidably tight in the chest area. Oversized and dropped shoulders styles is a way to go. Finding a tailor to have some hard to fit items custom made would be ideal. I don’t have one right now. But I have a very, very good tailor to alter clothes. It’s not cheap but I’m annoyed if sleeves are too long or some other issues, so I pay

nemosmom

Veteran

I love LBD's comment above!! I have a handful of fit challenges off the rack - broad shoulders, small bust, long torso, narrow waist, long-but-not-long-enough-to-be-TALL inseam, thick ankles... jacket stances and sleeves are almost always "off", once I fit the shoulder properly; pants almost always have to be taken in at the waist, and I have to cut elastic in the ankles of most joggers. A tailor is my best accessory!!

April

Veteran

Thank you all for your thoughtful words. I should have been clearer -- I don't thing there's anything wrong or off or unattractive about having a body part that's sized differently from your other parts. I just note that clothing tends to fit a body that's smaller/shorter all over, or larger/longer all over, rather than a mix of those things.

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

As someone who’s been a cusp size her entire adult life. I’ve definitely dealt with this. The easy/quick way to grade something up to a bigger size is just to enlarge every dimension equally. But of course, that doesn’t map to real human bodies very well - plus size people aren’t always taller than misses size people, for example.

I think it’s a lot better in recent years, with specialty brands focusing on a particular market and the internet increasing availability.

celia

Veteran

For me it depends on the brand . Generally speaking my hip/waist ratio is the hardest to accommodate but it is usually a easy fix.
The difficulty comes from garments that seem to assume certain body proportions, like ' if your shoulders are these wide it means that your waist is this thick/thin', and although I tend to go for brands I know usually fit sometimes that doesn't work. For example I know that RW&co( a Canadian brand) regular pants fit my proportions, however when high waisted pants appeared in the same brand not only they assumed I was taller than I was before and the waist was really high but also that (for the same size) my hips tapered much faster to a smaller waist then before.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

I think for me this depends a lot on the current trends. I used to have a heck of a time finding pants high enough in the rise, and now that's not an issue AT ALL. HOORAY for me, sad for folks with a shorter rise, right?

I find that my boobs are bigger than most other people out there - somewhere around 34HH to 32J (that's 9D and 10D in US sizes), so I have to be careful about a couple things there - I don't like when a certain kind of drape tents out from my boobs - this is very subjective and it really depends on both the fabric drape AND the garment construction, and I don't mind certain tenting looks wear as others drive me crazy.. Second of course is simply is there enough fabric to go over my chest. Some cuts this matters more than others. Unless the top is custom made there really aren't tops that are actually cut for my chest size.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Jenava, you're right. I had less trouble finding good fit in rises when lower rises were trending. Now a correct fit in pants from crotch to waist is much harder for me to achieve unless I find a rare mid rise. Add that to the difficulty I have in finding pants with sufficient length that aren't cropped, and wide enough in the thighs, and it's a real effort.

Joy

Veteran

Small boobs are a problem too. Some brands I no longer even look at like Lands End and LL Bean. If you don’t fill out a garment arm holes become low and sloppy, whether their are sleeves or not. Does anyone else remember darts? They were always in the wrong place, usually way too low. When they were right they were flattering and slimmed the torso. Don’t even get me started with the problems of slim calves and arms.

slim cat

Veteran

My body never developed in a way they expect women's body should - small in bust, straight in hips and no waist to talk about . In addition I'm often sized out of some brands.
Oversized clothes/trends almost killed my mood to shop - there is nowhere to size down in some garments. High rise is another problem for my short waist/rise.
Recently I risked asking a seamstress to lower the waist in my velvet cropped pants ( mid rise - always sliding on me ) - the results exceeded my expectations. The price is high but it beats out waiting for the trend to change.

Echo

Veteran

I have a very long waist on a rather short body, so the waist in most garments is in the wrong place and one piece swimwear is almost always too short. I also have t-rex arms, and short legs, so sleeves are always too long. And I have a similar issue to Lisa, actually. I had gained weight for a while, but my body proportions never fit into larger sizes. The arm holes would be in the wrong place, the neckline would gap, and I had a whole host of other fit issues. I am on a journey towards getting healthier now (I've lost 35 lb so far or 2-1/2 stone), but that won't change the length of my limbs or waist!

And yes, this IS the fault of off-the-rack clothing. In the past, when clothing lasted longer, people had less of it, and it was sewn for the person in question, there weren't so many people who felt there were issues with their body. Indeed, a lot of clothing in the past could more easily accommodate weight fluctuations and gave the illusion of the desired silhouette, so it put less pressure on the wearer to conform to some outside standard. So while I wouldn't want to go back to the past, there are some lessons we could learn from it.

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

I appreciate what LBD and others said about not seeing disproportion as a flaw but a feature. That said, my waist is large in relation to my hips and thighs, which makes high waisted jeans very hard to fit.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I don't think of myself as "disproportioned" -- even though, technically, I guess I am. But aren't we all?

I think more in terms of "fit challenges." And yes -- I've got a bunch of those. It's really helped to be on the forum and learn about different fit models and get Angie's and forum members' advice when I run into difficulty.

Greyscale

Veteran

I happen to have easy-to-fit proportions in most ways, but my legs are very short. Though, all things considered, that's one of the easiest fit concerns to accommodate. I'm medium height - just over 5'4", exactly average for US women - but my jeans inseam is only 26". My old roommate was 5'10" and I was taller than her sitting down. Anyway, the consequence is that I am hopeless at judging how long pants and skirts should be on me! And an extra $10 for hemming, but that's not a big obstacle.

That's not to say I don't have other fit challenges, since all of us are three dimensional and trying to fit into clothing that varies along only one or two dimensions, but the leg length is the one that I just keep getting wrong!

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

April, given your clarification, I really agree with you. I often look at size charts & think the waist column has shifted so they’re all bigger than makes sense, or the chest column is all too small for the rest of the measurements for that size. And I don’t even have a big chest!
I thought it was humorous & interesting when I said something to a SA in a lingerie shop about breasts having various shapes, she immediately agreed & said that when English women have large breasts, it’s like more piled on top, but when German womens’ are large, the lagniappe goes out to the sides. I’m used to seeing different sizes & shapes in showers at the pool, but have never analyzed for ethnicity. I’m going to have a hard time averting my eyes whenever pools open again, lol.

Anonymous

It's not you- it's the clothes!
Or the shoes in my case...
The front of my feel are AA but my heels are 6A. Plus high arches. Sandals work, and often boots, but transitional shoes are nearly impossible. They don't stay on my feet. Inserts only work so well- tried them all.
Luckily boots and sandals work 90% of the year here! And the acceptability of Birkies with socks fills in that transitional time- though not for work of course.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Suntiger...I feel your footwear woe! Same here, though my feet are not as narrow. But the difference between forefoot and heel is similar, as is the high arch issue. Sigh....

Anonymous

Echo - 35 lbs is a lot of weight to lose, and difficult to do too. I applaud you for this as it's a health benefit too, and I'm sure you are feeling great. Good for you , xo. The t-rex arms expression made me laugh - because I think I have this issue too ! What the heck?

jacquez

I have started making a lot of my own shirts due to being quite busty. Most clothes are cut for people with bosoms not as large relative to their ribcage as mine! It's been something to do during the months at home, and I've learned a lot about altering patterns. I now have a couple patterns that fit me very well through the shoulders and bust, and I cut them to skim down to my hips because of my waspwaist.

The waist causes a lot of fit problems on the bottom, as you might guess! I have a small waist, flat stomach, wide hips and a rounded bum. Finding anything that can fit at the bum & waist is a TRIAL, and it's not an easy alteration to make at home (pre-pandemic it was easier -- buy up for the hips & have the waist altered). I'm plus-sized, which means that items are even more likely than smaller sizes to be cut to accommodate a tummy. I have my best luck with fabrics with a bit of stretch. One reason I like Warp + Weft so much is that their Oneder fabric has enough stretch that I can go down a size to get better front & waist fit, while still having enough room for my hips & bum!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

In reading through this thread, I realize I do think of myself as disproportional, even though I like the way I am proportioned. It makes me a little sad to realize that even though I wouldn't trade my proportions for different ones, I think of mine as "off" in comparison to an (unattainable) ideal. Wow.

Fashintern, I am impressed with how sensible you were about your body as a teen. Your sports gave you an alternative to the aesthetic system that your trainer was so oddly and inappropriately using, to assess your body's strengths.

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