As I get more and more frustrated during my recent - and futile - attempts to find casual yet pretty clothes for the upcoming big trip, I also realize that I probably don't know as much as I'd thought about my own body type. I've been reading Angie and Imogen Lamport's advice religiously but I still have troubles finding clothes that fit and flatter in all the right places. I hope I'll be able to post some pictures later, but for now, I beg for your suggestions on how to dress my fussy body type based on the following description.
I'm 5 ft 2 in, hourglass (equal width of shoulders and hips, pretty defined waist and relatively flat tummy, smallish breasts), short-waisted, with wide, curvy hips, thighs, calves, and ankles. I believe that there's only one solution to my problems - A-line skirt or dress - but I also have ongoing problem with swelling legs and varicose/spider veins, so wearing anything but long pants in summer seems unthinkable (and unappealing) to me. Also, a lot of guidelines for short waists and hourglasses seem to contradict each other - how can I define my short waist, which also happens to be the slimmest point of my body, along with arms/wrists, without totally screwing up my proportions?
To add to my misery, I'm also blessed with rather large feet and muscular calves, and finding boots that fit them is also quite a challenge. I'd love to wear riding boots with skirts and dresses in colder months
Dear ladies, I know you're much more creative than I am - can you help me see the light at the end of the fashion tunnel? Any styles and cuts you recommend?