Do high-low sweater hems make you look dumpy? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Dressing

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Do high-low sweater hems make you look dumpy?

Gigi

Veteran

I just ordered a high-low-hem sweater from Anthro. This is my first time trying something like this. The high part in front is kind of a curved shape, like many high-low sweaters have, where the highest part is in the middle of the curve.

I felt like I looked really dumpy in the sweater, although the rest of it (shoulders, etc.) seemed to be the proper fit. Does anyone else have this problem with these types of sweaters? I'm wondering if it's my body type (figure 8, with the high shelf hip) or if it's just the cut of this particular sweater.

Sorry, no camera so can't post pics. I will say that the model has her arm up in the photo, which means that the hem is falling higher than it does when you're just standing regular.

Coral Confetti Pullover

View Info

Top Pick

1

Dressing

21 replies

Latest reply was from Suz

Day Vies

Veteran

It depends on how it's cut through the body -- not to mention where the hem in the front hits you. Proportion is everything.

Gigi

Veteran

Day, good advice! The hem in the front hits (at its highest point) about halfway between my belly button and my crotch. Also, the body is cut kind of wide. Maybe the combination of these two factors is doing me in... I am short waisted, and maybe this top is just accentuating that.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I am the figure type you describe. Here is not so much a high/low as a drapey fit that becomes high in the middle just how it falls on the body.

EDIT: I think as an almost petite, with said high waist, a longer sweater would make me feel dumpier. And the sheer stripe parts of this one no doubt helps it not feel blocky.

This post has 4 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

Thistle

Veteran

I second Day Vies. The photo makes it look like it is a shorter high low top. I think these are more difficult to pull off than something a little longer.

I am partial to these EF pieces, but again, they are longer.

Eileen Fisher Scoop Neck Linen Sweater (Regular & Petite)

View Info

Top Pick

17

Eileen Fisher Ballet Neck Organic Linen Top

View Info

Top Pick

9

MsMaven

Veteran

I think it's trial and error to find the right fit and proportion. I have a couple of sweaters similar to this and I think they look fine from the front, but like I'm hiding something in the rear. That's what I get for buying from BR on sale without trying them on--my worst shopping fault.

Gigi

Veteran

Mo, I really like that top! Your top has a more distinctive curve in the front than mine does...maybe that is also part of my problem. Having the curve be too subtle might be contributing to the wideness/tenty factor.

Thistle, I will be on the lookout for longer tops with this silhouette. I suspect I am sized out of EF, but I will try the pieces you posted next time I am in Nordie's.

MsMaven, maybe you are right and I'll just have to try a bunch on to see what works and what doesn't. Sorry to hear about the BR sweaters. That's crummy!

ETA: Mo, with those extra pics you posted, I'm wanting that top! Where did you get it?

Mo

(website)

Veteran

LOL. Willow & Clay (?), off Karmaloop I believe. Late 2012, though.

Upon further investigation, it is a Full Tilt open weave sweater bought through Tilly's.

MsLuna

Veteran

I am very very selective about hi-Lo tops. Like you, I first thought I looked dumpy in them until I found the right proportions and the right amount of difference between the front and back hem. I'm a different body type from you so I would suggest you consider Mo's recommendation as she has a similar body type as you do.

In my case, I had to discover the "sweet spots" by trial and error. What worked for me is to have the front hem end at the narrower part of my torso - and as an IT/apple, it's that area where my tummy begins curving down (high hip area). I can see that Mo positions hers right around the waist, which makes since for an 8 shape.

carter

Veteran

I think it's also the thickness of the sweater. The only one I've really liked on myself is an EF similar to the ones Thistle shows. They're thinner, so they drape and flow nicely. Somehow that keeps it from looking like your sweater's askew.

Gigi

Veteran

Mo: Thanks!

KatieKat, looks like trial and error it is! I'm glad you found what worked. I'm wondering if you're right that positioning the high part of the hem at my waistline will be best. That might build in some structure.

Carter, good point about the drapiness of the fabric. I hadn't thought of that. I'm mainly looking for a heavier sweater—my sweater stash for fall and winter is meager—so I might have to look for something that's cut pretty narrow in the torso so that the thicker fabric won't create a "wide" look.

Mo

(website)

Veteran

I do have one more boxy, that makes for a hi/low look, sweater that is not thin or drapey. So I have to wonder if maybe my inherent wideness at the high hip then makes the knits fit me naturally in a hi/low look without the sweater needing to be pre-cut that way??

This post has 2 photos. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

MsLuna

Veteran

@Gigi: try it out! post your results (even if it's in the dressing room). We will be able to assess if it works!

@Mo: that sweater looks lower. Based on the photos, I noticed the front part of the sweater hits you about a half inch above your widest part of the hip (just before it curves out). I think this is a flattering area to end the front part of the top, which is why it works.

Gigi

Veteran

Hmm, KatieKat, you really have me thinking. My sweater hits me right at the widest part of my hip. That's never a good thing . Also, Mo's sweater is drapier than mine, so it doesn't create as much of a tent look.

Sigh. I really loved this sweater. And I even checked the fabric content to see if I could shrink it—but it's only half cotton (the rest is acrylic and nylon). So that's not likely to work. Back to the drawing board!

MsLuna

Veteran

Yeah, you want to be careful about where the sweater hits you. Sometimes an inch or even half an inch above your widest part makes a difference! Unfortunately, you'll have to try a bunch of sweaters to figure out what works. It can be tricky, especially for shorter waisted gals like us! But - the perfect hi-Lo is out there!

Have you tried EF sweaters? Maybe look into the petite section?

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I don't actually have very many hi-low sweaters. i don't have any with this shark bite shape. Although I like them a lot, I haven't found one yet that works for me. Not that I have made a concerted effort.

The reason I haven't bothered is that I've made do with a faux tuck or semi tuck and a drapey fabric or fluid fit. The allows me to create the curve at exactly the place I need it. I do notice a difference between the way this looks with a lower rise pant and a more mid-rise one -- even with my shorter legs/ longer body it tends to look better with a lower rise pant. But for now, it's my solution.

I don't think I am an 8 (more of an x shape) but I do have a short waist (relatively).

Gigi

Veteran

KatieKat, I do want to try out EF. I've never tried her clothes because I've always assumed I'd be sized out, even in petites'. But I checked her sizing chart the other day, and if she runs according to her chart, the clothing might be OK. I hope this is the case because I so love her designs!

Suz, I occasionally do a semituck too and have noticed the same thing. The low-rise bottoms work much better on a short waist.

rabbit

Veteran

This sweater might be too body con at the top to do this with, but I can sometimes make the bottom curve of a wide hi-low sweater or top hit me in the right place by either pulling the neckline upward (accentuating the bottom seam curve) or downward (flattening it out and lowering it a bit).

Gigi

Veteran

Rabbit, I have wondered about doing that. The sweater is made from a pretty loose weave...I was actually thinking about washing it and then seeing if I could block it the way I wanted. I'll have to think about it more.

The sweater was on sale for $30, so it wouldn't be a huge hit...and they're offering an additional 20% off sale items now, so I could even get a price adjustment and get it for cheaper. I'll have to play around with it and see if I think it's worth the risk.

anne

Veteran

Gigi,
You have commented on my own struggles with a hilo sweater - I do sympathise!
One issue that hasn't been mentioned is a tummy bulge. Since I don't know exactly what you look like this mightn't apply to you at all, but there are some women who I have seen wearing hilo tops where the highest point really seems to showcase the point where their tummy sticks out. I remember thinking that a few inches lower and I would have had no idea that it existed at all.

Joyce B

Veteran

I stay away from that type of cut because it emphasizes the hip, relinquishes the waist and gives me the frumpy look that you describe with the prominent hips, more so if it hits in the wrong place as others mentioned before.
I think that where the top falls and if the fabric drapes are key.
I like the shape on others but I do not sport it well so I will pass on it.
Your idea of blocking it to the right length for you sounds interesting. I hope it has enough width for you to play with the length when you block it.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

This shape seems very kind in general to apple body types...if the length is right, for I hear what Anne is saying about tummy bulge.

Might be interesting to post an Ask Angie question -- which body type is best in this shape?