I dress for something I think I look like , and that's probably my biggest problem. I want to wear the clothes I buy, and the picture I have of myself in my head doesn't match the reality of what i really look like. So - I'm the idiot stuck in forward gear no matter what is going on. I have been 20 lbs thinner and dressed exactly the same way . I operate in hope and optimism - like the village idiot again The only big change that I could actually recognize and cope with myself would be if I had smaller breasts. I would LOVE to have that gamine, flatish chested body. I feel like I was meant to be that way, quite frankly. I think I could and would wear different fits and styles of tops, and would find dressing a whole lot easier. However, mine are healthy and look good, so I feel thankful to have them. Sort of

But style being different? Nope! In fact, I'm dressing for the "job I want to have" .

If I could have a different body, I'd ask for my arms to be one inch longer and my legs two inches longer so I wouldn't have to wear petite sizes. That way, my shopping options would be widened considerably. Alas, that might not be such a great idea, as I spend enough on clothing as it is, even with the restrictions I impose upon myself and with the relatively limited availability of petite-sized clothing.

Now that I've said all that, let me say this. For years I have bemoaned my no-longer-flat abs. I have tried, sometimes successfully but most of the time not, to find clothing that creates the illusion of flat abs. It wasn't until the past two or three months that I came to realize that I was buying the wrong silhouettes. The reason I never wore my pencil skirt (which I culled, btw) and never really liked A-line skirts was because I look so much better in a full skirt. I bought several high-waisted full skirts this year, and they make me look like I have my old figure back. The dress I bought from eShakti has that same type skirt, and it also looks fab. Seriously, I couldn't be happier. I also rediscovered how good I look in a wrap dress.

So my body is telling me it needs something different. I don't mind going in the direction my body dictates now that I know what it is, but it took me a while to figure it all out!

FASCINATING and FABULOUS replies ladies - thank you

It sounds like for most of you that although you may end up changing stores or brands or the specifics of items, your core style would remain the same.

Joy raised an excellent point about suddenly being sized out (could be up or down) of a favorite designer which could influence a style shift.

Viva - maybe there's a market out there for 3-armed clothing - lol!

As a matter of fact, I did change stores, Transcona Shannon. I have shopped at several stores that didn't previously get any of my business, and I have stopped shopping at stores that (for now at least) don't carry the styles that suit my body and personality.

Late to the party but I have lived thru dramatic weight loss, and my style remained preppy, sporty, collegiate and classic. It's not strayed from those key words in 35 years. Obviously pieces have changed, but the overall look remains true. Brands change, stores change, sizes change but I think my style has remained the same but freshened each year.

To me it's like that country song, Lookin' for Love in All the Wrong Places, except it's shopping for clothes in all the wrong places. I am essentially returning to the same silhouettes I wore years ago, as I've found them to be the most flattering. I just didn't know where to find those pieces, and I wasn't looking in the right places. It's like Back to the Future, lol. I just need to make my silhouettes current so I don't look dated. YLF is a valuable resource, and everyone on the forum is so helpful and non-judgmental. I really appreciate how you all so patiently work with members to help them find the looks that are perfect for them and their lifestyles. I wish this site had been available back when I was young. Heck, the internet wasn't even available, lol. Good God, now I'm really showing my age, aren't I?

I don't think the way I dress would change a lot either. My style preferences (Angie, I could literally have written every word you wrote, high five:-) have been pretty consistent, regardless of weight loss/gain. It's Urban Prince with feminine touches all the way for me:-) I am lucky in that my overall proportions remain mostly the same with weight gain, so right now there's quite a bit more "padding", but my hip-waist ratio is the same and the extra weight is distributed evenly all over my body. That makes it easier to continue to dress true to my style persona and style preferences.

P.S. Sveta: I'm actually also more of an hourglass with rectangle as my secondary body type.

In a word, no. Regardless of my weight, I still love all the same things: pencil skirts, skinny pants, classic high heels, beautiful lace, leather jackets, equestrian boots, and pearls.

I would just size accordingly, and make adjustments for whatever shape I am.

I have weighed 90 pounds and dressed in much the same way I do now. For me it is age and work related. When I worked in the banking industry, I had the bankers uniform at work but more bohemian at home. When I lived in Susanville, it was bankers attire and cowgirlish with a hint of hippy. But age seems to be the biggest factor. I am not comfortable wearing the same style I did when I was 20. Of coarse I moved a lot then and lived in various states and countries which really makes a difference.

Shannon - this is a really interesting question. I've always thanked the heavens that I have a rectangular, slim. flat chested body that allows me to wear the style I like - 90's minimal, straight, long jackets, formal, tailored menswear and the clear rosy skin that lets me look good in black. My only problem is finding the clothes I want to wear!! My style does evolve with age, better pieces, more sophisticated and a bit edgier, slightly lower hems, less bodycon but the aesthetic remains the same. Wistful that it would be nice to be prettier but grateful that my body type allows me to wear what I want to wear.

I think we talked about this once before, maybe a year or so ago. I would probably dress similarly to how I do now if I gained or lost a size or two, because my basic body type/shape doesn't seem to shift a lot with my size (keeping in mind that my weight has only swung within about a 25 lb range through my adulthood, and right now, I'm pretty much in the middle). At all of those weights, I stay pretty much an hourglass with pear tendencies. Although I'm noticing the waistline is starting to do, um, interesting things in the last year or so as I approach *that* time of life.

However, if I could somehow change my body *type* and could magically 1) make my hips and thighs a little smaller and my legs a bit more shapely, and 2) straighten out my crooked spine to gain an extra couple of inches in my torso, my style would open up a bit to include things that show off the legs more. I definitely feel like my rock'n'roll style preferences are slightly hindered by my curvy body type, but I try to adapt and I think I generally make it work.

Now that I think about it, I'm not sure it's an actual change in body type that I would want -- do I want to be an IT or a rectangle? Probably not. Just a slightly more streamlined, proportional hourglass.

Great question!

My inner style self is a taller flat rectangle (no boobs, flat butt).

I definitely dress differently because of body shape - originally a pear and now a heavy hourglass.

My dressing has turned upside down. The volume is now on top - very waist-surrendering and slim on the bottom - which I thought I'd never do with having heavier legs.

The part of me I find hardest to dress is the "girls". They are definitely bossy. I only started to grow them in my thirties so was at a loss for quite a while - and I still get it wrong sometimes.

What wouldn't change no matter my shape or size is my casualness. I am very casual in dress, attitude and approach.

Agreeing with Gaylene, climate & lifestyle are bigger influences on me than my shape or size.

I think I'm more interested in how I feel in clothing than how I look - of course I want to look good too but not at the expense of how I feel. A mix of structure & drape for me too.

Such a fun read, Shannon! I definitely think my core style would be the same. Even when I was lighter, I shied away from anything too form fitting and tended toward the more masculine, shape obscuring styles. I also agree that we tend to dress the way that is most flattering to our body type so unless my shoulders became narrower (my defining feature in my mind,) I would likely dress pretty much the same.

Really cool thread. I think body type and also facial features and hair style make a difference to what looks good and usually we gravitate to what flatters our face and figure.

I suppose that is the foundation of the Kibbe types which does make some sense to me. So, yes if I had a very different body type with say, long legs, large bust and thin legs which is opposite of now I would likely have a somewhat different style but I don't think it would be too much different because my personality would be the same.

I'm trying to think if there's any style I feel I can't do because of body type. Not really coming up with anything. It would probably give me a leg up on Mod if I were wispier, and I could achieve *buxom washer woman* in my Ren Faire costume with more bust... but this is probably not something that should be encouraged anyways.

Such a cool question! I honestly don't think I would wear anything different. Like you Shannon I am seeing good results from my eating changes and if anything I think it's just a matter of looking "better" in my chosen style. What I do acknowledge is that as I slim down, the few more body con pieces I have will like be worn more. For example I have a work dress that is draped but still fitted and I feel a bit self conscious in it right now. Same for a tank dress I have. Two of my special occasion dresses are more fitted to the body and do fit me nicely but a little less tummy would be nice lol. I am pretty committed to my style irrespective of size/body.

Interesting discussion. I haven't read all the responses yet.

I would say that from my perspective, my style would probably change. I think that if I had a different body type, I would think of myself differently, and therefore my style would change in at least some ways—because I would be a different "me." For instance, if I were large busted, I would probably feel more bombshell and would either appreciate that and dress more va-va-voom or else would feel uncomfortable with that and would enjoy styles that dressed it down. But when our whole body shape changes (I'm talking about body shape and not simply gaining/losing weight and staying the same shape), I think that *we* change too and our perception of ourselves changes. That would indicate a style change to me, because I think the changes would be on a deep level.

I also think that we often gravitate toward styles that make us look good, and over time, those become genuine likes for us. So if different styles make you look good, you will be fishing in a different pond, so to speak.

Goodness, no. If I had lush curves, I'd dress a lot more Mad Men and a lot less hipster tomboy.

If we're putting in requests, I'd ask for one that didn't hurt. And then my basic style wouldn't change, but I would get to be much more stylish than I am now because I could wear whatever shoes I wanted and that would open up so many more possibilities. I would wear dresses a lot because I could wear shoes for them, especially in the summer. I would wear the ankle pants that are so trendy. And I would wear jeans. And skinny type pants because they wouldn't hurt either.

This is probably not the change you meant, but it's the one that would be significant for me!

Interesting question Shannon. If I had a completely different shape - taller or with a waist let's say, I am pretty sure I would dress differently because part of how I dress relates to what I like on me and me would be different as Gigi points out. But I think my general taste would be similar. The biggest change would be if I were different from the neck up - completely different face and hair as Mia suggests. I am sure I would see myself differently and have a somewhat to very different personality, so who knows what I would like.

My sense of style (or lack there-of) is in my head. So, if I had a different body type, I don't think I would dress differently.

Very interesting question. As others have pointed out, changing body size and body shape are very different things. My size change has always been pretty proportional - bottom half is always larger than the top, and bust is some variation of small and smaller. This makes keeping the same style pretty easy. But if my whole shape were to change? I'm sure that would change the face of my style pretty significantly. I do think that certain preferences like color/contrast and pattern/texture combinations would stay the same for me (those are very natural and intuitive to me and deeply ingrained in my sense of self). I sometimes give myself a reality check and acknowledge that I might not actually love the changes if I magically received some of the things I've wished for, and then I give the body that I DO have a little appreciation. Fun topic! Thanks for that.

Interesting thread! Like many have said, I think my basic style preferences wouldn't change, but I would play with different proportions, fits and silhouettes were my body type different. These are the things I've changed most -- both because I'm no longer the pear-leaning hourglass I was in my early twenties, and because these elements change with the times.

My weight is the same from last year, but it has shifted higher -- to my torso. This has changed my general approach to outfit formulation. I don't mind adapting, but I often know that a change of lifestyle (diet and exercise) is in order when I find myself indulging in what I call "camo dressing": dressing to hide flaws, rather than highlight assets. I'm at that tipping point at the moment, but I refuse to think less of myself because of it.

Very interesting question, Shannon, that I contemplate frequently. And I think that the answer is a tentative "yes". First, my size limits what I can find to purchase. For example, as a petite who nearly always has to wear petite sizes, I feel quite limited by the number of brands I can wear and within those, the number of styles that are available. This is especially true for jackets. For example, I recently bought a felted wool moto jacket from Ann Taylor. It's black, not my ideal color, but I really wanted to try out that style, and I have had the darndest time finding petite moto jackets. So I gave it a whilrl, and I love the way it gives me a different vibe than the bzillion blazers I have in my closet. I'm so glad that I gave it a try, even though the color wouldn't be my first choice.

Second, I'm drawn to looks that I know wouldn't work for me but that I would probably wear if I could. For example, I love Cocolion's casual uniforms, but drapey tees with skinny jeans simply don't translate from her tall, lean frame to my shorter, busty, non-lean one. I've gradually realized that there are certain looks that simply won't work for me, and I need to dress the body that I have. But it's a hard lesson that I'm constantly relearning. Just tonight I returned a dress to Anthro, one of Angie's picks, that was a complete disaster on my short, busty frame with my muscular quads.

I don't think my style would change a lot as I would translate the same style in clothes that fit me right. I think I like both feminine ba ba boom and a more androgynous/tomboy style. Maybe I would keep the same style and wear specific items that I like but don't wear right now (which are basically a few). Really is one of those type of things that I don't want to think too much because I'm happy like this.

That's a very interesting question, Shannon. I think that a change in body shape will inevitably lead to a few tweaks becoming necessary. For instance, my rectangular body morphs into an IT when I lose weight, and I find that anything too skinny on my bottom half tends to make me top-heavy. The style of my clothes doesn't change, but the proportions certainly do.

I'm another one that dresses my personality, not my body type. I'm a curvy hourglass with secondary IT tendencies and a fairly large frame (5'9"-- long legs and arms) yet I enjoy masculine/tomboy-based fashions.

It would be great fun to try out a new body type - for example, to show off a tiny waist instead of attempting to camouflage waistlessness.

Heh, if I clench my glutes and slightly rotate my hips outward, I can make my saddlebags temporarily disappear -- and...instant IT! It's kind of hilarious. Too bad I can't walk around that way. Hehe.