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ask angie/all: wiw--help working on proportions

bj1111

Veteran

as suz said in a different post, i have the most trouble with proportions and sizing. so over the next month, i am going to work on this so when i pick i proportion that is "off" i want to do it deliberately.

hoping you could help me by commenting. also, please comment on anything else that you think can be improved.

1: dress and wedge heels, worn for the visit to the mil. do the shoes have enough (too much) weight? pick a different shoe?)
2: suede top with olive pants that were previously deemed too short for full length and same wedge heels
3: white outfit with sweater, previously posted. there is something off about this that i can't put my finger on. are the pants too tight? is the neckline of the shirt working against the sweater.
4: white outfit with jacket, also previously posted. is the jacket just a smidge too long or too short? better with sandals or booties are a completely different shoe (pls suggest general archetype--eg. nude pump)?

thanks so much!

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19 replies

Latest reply was from Ingunn

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I really like #2 and think #1 is interesting in a good way. No suggestions for improvements on those.

The white pants seem a little tight to be worn with a form fitting top to my eye. I'd probably wear those with more of at tunic length top or button down left untucked. I don't love the all white outfit with those shoes. I think they are too heavy for the white and something nude, sandals or just a lighter color would be better.

I think the blazer would be better over the above mentioned untucked top with these pants.

Diana

Veteran

I really like the dress in #1! I think the shoes do work with it in principle; however, they do look as if they are a little bit too big for your foot.
I like the cropped pants outfit a lot too.

For the first white outfit, I think what is throwing me about the proportions is that the sweater is too short. Since with the white-on-white you can't see where the top ends (and I can't even tell when enlarging the photo), so the only line I see is the line of the sweater, which is higher than Angie's recommended 1-3" above the crotch. I am not loving the dark footwear here but I suspect that if we could see your hair (it's dark, right?) it would be bookended and hence fine.

Second white outfit: I prefer it with the booties. The black and white together is very striking. The length of the jacket looks good to me, or you could even go a bit longer since the pants/top are fitted. It does end right at the widest point of your hips so if you are self-conscious about that you might want to go a titch lower (but I don't think it's widening as is). The pants and top do look slightly too tight here, but I wonder if it's just the lighting because they look fine in the first outfit (it's the same pants and top, right?)

bj1111

Veteran

texstyle, thanks for the feedback on the white outfits. i like the tunic suggestion. i've been trying to find an outfit that works with the sweater. maybe with the pajama pant outfit.

diana, lol on trying to find the bottom of the white top! i tucked it in. i hope you didn't find it. i'll try the top untucked and see where that goes. in the white/black outfit, i think if the jacket were longer and not ending in my widest part, the whole thing might not look too tight. or perhaps the slouchy ankle makes the upper part of the pant look more snug.

Anonymous

#1 is good but are the shoes a smidge big? or is it the photo?
#2 - I think you should either untuck the sweater or tuck the whole front of the sweater, rather than just the center bit. That is what is throwing your proportion off. I often struggle with the long sleeve/ cropped pant and sandal combo, it can look seasonally confused. ( Winter on top/ summer below)
#3 - What I see a bit off is that the shoes do have a very different vibe than the rest of the outfit, so they clash a bit, which can be what you are looking for anyhow. The pants look a little bit under ppl, but I don't think is anything to fret over.
#4 is great with both shoes. I would like to see it with a more flowy/ unstructured top also.

RoseandJoan

Veteran

BJ you have such interesting pieces that I sometimes think you are needing a blank canvas to highlight their uniqueness. I can understand how these pieces take a little work and patience to style.

Outfit 1 - my personal preference would be for a darker shoe to ground the look but there is nothing wrong at all with the version posted.

Outfit 2 - would not change a thing, the light colour of the top balances the tone of the shoes. I love the idea of a suede top in sch a simple design and unexpected colour.

Outfit 3 - I think if the neckline of the top echoed that of the jacket the overall result would be more minimal. Is that a look you aspire to?

Outfit 4 - I see nothing wrong with the look at all.

bj1111

Veteran

zap, you and diana are right...those sandals are a smidge too big from the back. needs some insoles. in #2, i was trying to do fun sneakers with more "formal" outfit to get the unexpected pairing that seems to be "2013". falling flat. i think i may need to swap out the clutch for something less formal, "bookending" the informality of the shoe to make it intentional.

bj1111

Veteran

jules, thanks for the compliment on the interesting pieces. as i mentioned on anna's previous epiphany thread, i need more chorus members, fewer divas.

on #3, i think wearing the sweater open is draws attention to the neckline asymmetry which i don't find harmonious but does have a long line of white. if i wear the sweater closed to get the necklines to play together, then i lose the long line and feel chopped into pieces looking shorter.

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I really like the dress in #1. I do not like your nude wedges though, sorry. I do prefer the all white outfit with the jacket.

bj1111

Veteran

no sorries needed, anna, that's why i post them.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

BJ, I LOVE your style. Full stop.

You have already received some excellent feedback. I will add mine FWIW, with the caveat that I think in some cases, not seeing a person's head means it is difficult to judge proportion and balancing. I understand you do not want to show your head, but I would just caution you not to take us too seriously, because we might be utterly wrong. As Diana mentioned, it also effects the way we see an outfit's cohesiveness (or lack thereof) because your hair does bookend and we can't see that.

#1. I LOVE that dress. Gorgeous!!! And I think it's fine with those sandals, but they look a little big, as others have remarked.

I also love the cropped pants look. It looks like unstructured structure to me!

In the all white outfit, I don't think the pants are too tight, per se, but our eyes are all adjusting to a looser fit, and given the shorter top and flatter footwear, maybe we see them as such. I actually like it without the sweater/ jacket. As Julie said, you have such interesting pieces, sometimes it is important to have a background to display them against -- trying to wear them at once can be a challenge.

In the last look, I prefer it with the booties (and love that necklace, by the way!). To me, the jacket works, and I suspect with your dark hair the whole effect is even more striking. You would wear a dark pump, too, or darker sandals.

I am glad I am not alone with my confusion and struggle over proportions. It is a real puzzle to me when I buy things. I will imagine that they'll work with other items in the closet, but then I will discover that the necklines or the lengths are off somehow.

bj1111

Veteran

suz, i totally get the disconnect between the ylf world and the rest of the world (and its microworlds depending on which coast you are in). from the exposure on the blog, i am inundated by the slouchy fit that i feel weird for wanting things to be tighter. or that i am over the slouch, but it's not as represented in stores yet. or that i want to be part of the slouch crowd but can't seem to make it happen. so so conflicted.

this is my little way to staying on top of the trend while being true to myself, narrow bottoms and all.

Beth Ann

Veteran

oooh! I love the first dress! So easy, but stunning! The second look is a wonderful take on modern casual. I must say, however, that I find the shoes a little big and heavy for both outfits, and the scale of your frame, perhaps.

I'd suggest trying a white top without neckline detail. I think a turtlenck or simple crewneck would work better as a difference canvas.

We never cease learning and tweaking! I've been playing with both proportion and scale recently -- learning that some silhouettes dwarf a dainty figure, but work for me, and some make me look like a giant wearing a preschooler's dress!

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

#1 - The proportions in the first frock look great!

#2 - Love the suede top with the olive pants. KILLER proportions. Unstructured structure.

#3 - The proportions of the layers look good to my eye, bj. I do think the top is overly tight for the skinnies, and would prefer a light coloured shoe despite your dark hair. So I vote looser top and a shade of white, metal or taupe shoe.

#4 - The option with the black jacket and black heels looks fabulous! The longer jacket needs the heel. Still a slightly too tight top (although maybe the photo makes it look tighter than it is? ). Loving you in black & white

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Great outfits! What Suz and Angie (of course) said! I do want to see the dress with different shoes, but overall great, interesting style!

rachylou

Veteran

You do have great pieces. Zero boring factor. I think your proportions are good in 1. For the white - I thought it was a jumpsuit? - I'd do a longer jacket in general (I feel both are a little on the short side). Or no jacket and shoes high in bling factor. Or white booties...

bj1111

Veteran

Not a jumpsuit, rachy, bu how cool would that be?!?!?

I need to get over my fear of white shoes. The tibi sandals with the plastic clear ankle strap might be the ticket for this all white outfit.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I don't think I'm adding anything new - LOVE #1, except for the shoes. A little big and somehow don't mesh with the dress. I like #2 a lot with the sweater, too. The tight white top with tight bottoms in #3 isn't my cuppa... probably a poison eye thing as it makes me think of a unitard. Take with a grain of salt.

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

Here are my thoughts.

1. Love the dress with the nude sandals.
2. The cropped pants and suede top look fab. The shoe color and height are great but just a little dressy or feminine for the rest of the outfit. But this has nothing to do with proportions -- they are all great here.
3. I like the white outfit with sneakers best when worn with the jacket closed, that seems to bookend the footwear best. When the jacket is removed or open, I crave lighter footwear.
4. Love the black blazer with black booties and white outfit!

Ingunn

(website)

Veteran

I have nothing to add that hasn't been said, but I wanted to tell you that you have fabulous style! My favorite is #4 (b/w with booties).