Golden Mean, what does it really mean?

ElleH

Looking at the Golden Mean on Inside Out Style it makes sense. The outfits do look better when adhering to that. So with that info I started shopping for a cropped denim jacket to go over dresses.

I'm not trying to find one that goes with everything as that is not possible but, trying to find one in the correct ratios for my dresses is proving to be very difficult.

Also I was advised by a program I paid for at My Private Stylist that cropped jackets are not good for someone with a large bust. I do wear a 32DD but never feel my bust looks too big. It is the same measurement as my hip & smaller than my shoulders visually.

So if I got one that is not cropped it would look odd with dresses to my eye & would look odd according to the Golden Mean.

Now Angie always looks fab, including when she wears her cropped denim jacket & including when her ratios do not follow the Golden Mean & are closer to 1:1 1/2. I know her & I have different bodies. I'm 5' 7" IT I think with large bust. 37 1/2", 30", 37"

Angie please chime in I am exasperated!

12 years ago

Body Type

12 replies

Latest reply was from Marley

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

hi Elle! if you want Angie to see your question, you might want to start a thread by clicking on the 'Ask Angie' button at the top left of the screen, just under the 'you look fab' title. This flags your thread so Angie can find it more easily. You can cut and paste your thoughts into the new thread and change the title of this one to 'duplicate thread' if you like.

re: Golden Mean. i've taken a lot of art practice and history and it's still a little fuzzy to me but practically speaking, it means 'do not cut yourself in half!'. So, for example, if you're wearing a knee length skirt a cropped jacket or one that hits at the hip will look more pleasing than one that hits at the natural waist because the natural waist is usually halfway between the shoulder and the knee. If you''re wearing a midi skirt that hits at your lower calf, an overblouse that hits at your hip will be likely to cut you in half and look more awkward than one that hits at your natural waist or a bit above mid-thigh.

It's not an exact science -many women with a fuller bust can wear cropped jackets, it depends on so many factors (shoulder width and shape, length of torso, contrast between jacket and what you're wearing underneath). If you look good in the mirror and friends say you look good - you look good!

HTH!! steph

12 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

Elle, it sounds like your figure is similar to mine. I'm much shorter than you, but my measurements are 33.5-27-34, so bust and hips are very similar. Unlike you, though, I feel that my bust looks disproportionately large. I'm a 32D. It's not that they're SO huge, but compared to the shape of the rest of me, they're ample. I'm always trying to play them down. I'm a rectangle, but I do have IT tendencies, and cropped jackets look HORRENDOUS on me. They make me look like I'm going to tip over. I've not got the hips to balance out the volume on top.

What works much better for me is a tailored jacket that ends somewhere between the low hip and the upper thigh. Low hip length is better generally; longer than that and I need heels to balance things out. A knee-length tailored coat is OK too, if I wear heels. I don't know if all this stuff conforms to the golden mean or not, but I do know that cropped jackets are not an option for me.

12 years ago

cinnamon fern

Veteran

Now I am confused - I think of cropped as hitting at your natural waist (as opposed to pants/skirt waist) - but on me at least this is nowhere near halfway between shoulder and knee.

12 years ago

ElleH

Veteran

Elisabeth thanks. I considered whether I might be a rectangle too because even though I have a waist it is less than 8" difference from my hip.

Mrs Eccentric, thanks for your explanation. I guess I get what the ratio should be. It's just difficult getting them to actually occur with clothing & then also having the clothing work for your body type. I have seen Angie break the rule & look great though. She wore her cropped denim jacket with Kate Spade skirt & it was not a 2:1 ratio.

12 years ago

ElleH

Veteran

MrsEccentric thanks for the tip to ask Angie:)

12 years ago

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

hi cinnamonfern! well, i sew a lot and in the pattern industry 'cropped' means above the waist. And you bring up an essential point in all this: "... but on me at least this is nowhere near halfway between shoulder and knee."

Everyone Is Unique! These type of guidelines are best approached as that - guidelines, not set in stone rules. Plenty of ladies do not have their natural waist hit halfway between shoulders and knees. That's why there are terms like 'long-waisted' and 'short-waisted' and so on. Frankly, you can drive yourself nuts.

Elle addresses this point here: " I have seen Angie break the rule & look great though. She wore her cropped denim jacket with Kate Spade skirt & it was not a 2:1 ratio. " yep, she does! You will notice, though, that she doesn't cut herself in half - the length of black (skirt and top) is longer than the length of denim jacket. She DOES cut herself in half where the hem of the top hits the skirt - but she mitigates this impact by keeping the tones very similar (black on top of black with a bit of grey and red) and the hem of the top is not a straight-across line - it droops towards teh center, then hops up to make an upside down vee.

Whic is why Angie's running this forum and not us! But for starters, no matter what your proportions are, i would say when you look in the mirror either your top or your bottom should be noticeably longer than the other. And you'll find a place or two on your torso where a horizontal emphasis looks pleasing, when you find this spot you can emphasize it by having hems hit there and belting there.

" It's just difficult getting them to actually occur with clothing & then also having the clothing work for your body type." i feel your pain! that's the main reason i make most of my clothes, and most of the rest i alter. Hope this isn't too wordy and hope it helps (at least some time to go pick up hubby from work, have fun! steph

12 years ago

ElleH

Veteran

Steph thanks yes it helps a lot. So if I have a jacket that is shorter than the skirt or part of the dress which is showing then as long as it is closer than 1:2 than 1:1 do you think I need to be so precise? That is where I'm having difficulty.

I tried doing the same thing with jeans next but mostly wear them with boots so now I get a 1:1:1? Do I have to skip the boots if I wear a jacket?

12 years ago

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

Hi Elle! :... do you think I need to be so precise? " nah, especially not when you're first trying to get the hang of it. i'd say just do your best to emphasize one part over the other and don't drive yourself nuts do take the time to look at what you put together and see how you like it and how it changes how your body looks. And feel free to try out different things - that way you'll develop your eye. When you have more experience you'll notice the little details more and realize exactly where you like your hems to hit, your favorite belt width and where you like to wear them, and so on.

hmm. re: boots etc. Here's where color and dark vs. light makes a big difference. So, let's imagine a lady wearing an optic white jacket, hot pink pants, and navy blue boots. She would be cut into roughly equal thirds and it would make her look shorter and broader - plus the eye would be confused, which is the most important part?

Let's imagine another lady wearing black slacks tucked into black boots, and a camel jacket to her hi hip. The boots and slacks blend together since they're both dark and the same color. So her proportions read more as the golden mean. You don't have to match two items exactly in this formula, close enough is good enough and in the end it's personal taste. Another way to create a flattering, long line with this outfit is to wear all the same color of variations on one color - dark greys & black; cream, ivory, tan; denim, periwinkle, and dove grey (this last one is pushing the monotone definition but can be very pretty if they are all the same in terms of light/dark).

Now i'm off to bed! Thanks for your questions, it gets me thinking and helps me dress better myself Let us know how it goes!! Steph

12 years ago

Gaylene

Veteran

Steph, great explanations!

12 years ago

ElleH

Veteran

Thanks Steph,

I will try to only wear my dark colored boots then.

12 years ago

MNsara

Veteran

Wow - what great explanations! I need to reread this tomorrow - after a good night's sleep

12 years ago

Marley

Veteran

So glad that you asked this question because I have wondered about the Golden Mean as well and have not ever been able to wrap my brain around it! This really helps!

12 years ago

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