Skinny mirrors - YouLookFab Forum

This has become my biggest pet peeve, when mirror is so distorted that you reflection looks like a completely different person. I know that one of the full length mirrors in my house is a "skinny mirror" and so I always do an outfit check on a different mirror before I leave the house. It throws off my ability to do outfit pictures in the mirror because I know the pics don't come out representing real life. I took a few pictures last week and had to run downstairs and have my daughter take a couple more because I knew the mirror was throwing off the proportions.

Then, I was at a friend's house for thanksgiving and holy moly! Her mirror took a good 40 lbs off of me! You might as well not have a full length mirror if it's going to distort so much.

The part where it really starts to bother me is when stores have trick mirrors. I really think it's intentional. It's part of the reason that some items look so good in the store and not so great once you get home. Old Navy and Loft are the worst offenders. I have to check myself out in my own clothes to see if there's a distortion and then take that into account when I judge the clothes I'm trying on.

Sorry for the rambling rant this morning. Has anyone else noticed this?

15 years ago

Anonymous

I ALWAYS look better in dressing room mirrors than at home : ( Such a bummer. I wish stores didn't TRY to be so deceiving.

Queen Mum

Veteran

Yes, definitely Old Navy and New York & Co. is another skinny mirror offender.. as well as the lighting in their dressing rooms. NOTHING looks bad on me in their dressing rooms. It really aggravates me. I often don't even bother to try stuff on there.. I buy it and bring it home.

I hadn't realized Loft does it too... I guess that would account for why I look good there too

chewyspaghetti

um.......I want a skinny mirror in my house!

crwilson

Ah-ha! This explains why I currently own a lot of Loft clothing that I swear looked absolutely fabulous at the store...and not so fab at home. I thought I was just completely crazy!

It is ridiculous. The worst offenders: Ann Taylor & LOFT. That's the one thing I love most about H&M, their fitting rooms and mirrors are so basic and unflattering.

lynne

I think my Anthropologie has FAT mirrors in the dressing rooms and magic skinny mirrors in the 3 way.

tarzy

Ann Taylor definitely has skinny mirrors! I was quite depressed when I realized this, and I definitely take this into consideration when I try things on. At least now I'm mentally prepared for the at-home reality check!

neatnic

Active Member

It's extremely annoying to me when retail stores use skinny mirrors!

I recently returned a bunch of items to Ann Taylor that looked fantastic in the store and completely unflattering at home.

I think that the Gap may have them too.

(website)

I suppose I can see this as the upside to shopping at discount places - they have bad lights and mirrors that are usually hand streaked with kid palms. No artificial flattery to be had. Great places to see if you need to pluck your eyebrows, though.

Kate

The lighting bothers me too. Some places have lighting that makes EVERYTHING look great, and tempts me to buy colors I know I shouldn't. Other places (like the Ann Taylor I was at today today) make my skin look blue/gray and dead, even in my own clothes which I know are great with my skin tone. Crazy stuff.

Ooo, and apparently Angie did a post on skinny mirrors several years ago: http://youlookfab.com/2008/09/.....ny-mirror/

Traci

Oh wow! Thanks for the link, Kate. It took me a long time to realize that I wasn't crazy about the mirror tricks. Fun to see that it's a peeve of Angie's too!

taylor

This is really interesting.! I never thought of this before...although I am sure I saw Angie's post
I have never noticed size difference from mirrors at home ..stores, or the salon, other than to say skin and hair color varies from mirror to mirror.
I will pay closer to attention and see if I can notice.
Can they really do this?

Sally

I have never noticed this. I will be on the look out from now on.

So you're all talking about the mirrors IN the dressing rooms and not the ones out in the shopping area? Hmmm...I have noticed that some of Target's aisle mirrors are a bit distorted, but more towards "fun house" distorted, not "I look good" distorted. If we can't even have mirrors at home that show the truth what are we to do? I guess use our cameras. Hee-hee!

marsh

Wow I never realized that mirrors are like this. That definitely explains the problem of suddenly not liking something when I get it home. I will be much more aware when shopping from now on!

Beth

I'm simultaneously surprised and entertained by this post. Surprised because it never occurred to me that stores use deception like this (I know, I know, I'm such an innocent).

And entertained because I'm thinking of one skinny mirror I came across recently. It was in a small-town cafe I was in, and the mirror's reflection was the first thing visible when entering the ladies room. I have to admit, I was completely charmed by my appearance and I enjoyed it knowing that as soon as I left the room I'd be 6" shorter and 20 lbs heavier:)

Category