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August 12, 2022
Two different figures and how to flatter their figures.
I like following folks in leadership positions because 1.) they have to look modern, recent and with-it, but at the same time 2.) they have to look level-headed, professional and able to be in charge. They can't look fuddy-duddy but then they can't look weird or funky.
This may seem like a hard bargain, but the truth is that these kids of people offer us ample inspiration and ideas. Two of my favorite "models" are Nancy Pelosi and the Duchess of Cornwall - both have very flawed figures and yet manage to show up in outstanding clothing that makes them look modern yet professional, and most of all flattering in their clothes.
That's why I like using them as an example and why I like taking it apart for you all to show you how they do it. And BTW they don't actually do it. They have stylists who help them a lot. But we can learn how to be our own stylists and don't have to pay the very expensive fees those stylists charge!
First let's start with Nancy - she does this very well, except for one thing. And this "one thing" has been more and more of a problem lately as she has matured!!
Here are some great examples of Pelosi in her best:
 
Here she is in a total great look - from shoulders to hem great attention is given to how the garment hangs and fits across the body. In both cases the garment starts beautifully fit around the shoulders then hangs well through the chest and bust, with a slight indentation at the waist, then straight or moderately flared down to the hem. The big problem here is that you don't notice the fit because
you don't see any mistakes. It's the mistakes our eye is trained to see and as a result we don't see anything, and fail to conclude that the garment is fitted well.
Now something else happens here when the garment fits and flatters well like this, and that is that we don't dwell on the clothes (unless you're a clothes nut like me and then I notice how well it looks), but most folks then go to the face and facial expression and what she's saying and what she's doing. And in reality isn't that what we want? We want our clothes to be flattering and fitted so that folks focus on our face and eyes and mouth to listen to what
we have to say or simply to see our smile.
That's why the fit is so important - the clothes drop into the background and our face shows through.
So here are some mistakes and some cures.
So I'm not sure what was going on with Pelosi this day because this isn't like her to do this. That second button doesn't really need to be there. The first button is the key (more about that later). But the second button is so tight that it literally binds her waist so that we see every bump and wrinkle through her waist. The waist button is too tight. Pelosi has a little tendency to make her buttons tight, but it's almost too
tight but not quite. In this case it went over and it's too tight.
How do you cure that. Very simply ease out space around the waist, while keeping the more indention just above the waist. If you look closely you can see how the most dip in the silhouette is just above the waist and not at exactly the waist. Pelosi has a definite Apple shape and this is a key point to all Apple and Rectangle shapes. In the version on the right, the jacket has been released(yes I did some morphing to show the effect of releasing the waist line), and
the hang of the jacket is much more flattering. It's hard to understand that releasing a seam and allowing the jacket to hang flatly, can make you look thinner, but it does.
For me there is another problem here - and this picture (and the one below) show it in spades. Ladies, I do not care how old you are, but keeping a well-fitted bra (at least every 2 years at the minimum - if you have a large size bra, probably more often), change out your bra. The elastic will wear and it will not last forever. Excuses like, "It's still comfy," or "It still holds me up," (while that holding up has sagged over the years), or
even "What does it matter anyway," are likely to get a shaking head from me.
Here's why it matters:
The dress on the left has the waist-too-tight wrinkle (solved with just a little release from the waist seams) and a too--low bust line. The version on the right looks like she's ready to dance she looks so dang perky! Wearing a well-fitting and well-supporting bra can literally take ten years off your figure.
Another Favorite of mine is the Duchess of Windsor. To be honest before she married Prince Charles, I thought her figure was hopeless and furthermore we fashion people were going to be stuck with a dowdy figure that could never look in the least big attractive.
Never underestimate the power of a stylist or good fashion designer. And Camilla is the perfect example.
This is why we never want TMI - there is too much information revealed in this photo of wrinkles and places I really didn't want to know about.
The purpose here is not to point and laugh (so don't point and laugh even though I can hear you laughing. The point is that Camilla does not have anything close to a svelte or even slightly attractive silhouette. But with the right styling and fitting mechanisms, we can cure this abysmal figure and make her look positively thin!
Here's the fun thing here, is that all the same points as in Pelosi's clothes are applied here:
- Great shoulder fit hanging well from shoulder through chest and bust
- Nip at waist (just above the waist to give the illusion of a waist) and
- Contained or tacked in place at the waist area.
With all the points hit well (above), it
doesn't take any time to get Camilla into shape and looking like a regal duchess. The main key here is that nip in at the waist on both these jackets. But what you don't see is that nip at the waist would mean nothing without a great shoulder line to hang from.
Here's the figure that is the base above - this figure has lousy shoulder fit, as a result the hang from the shoulders is very poor, then the waist is not fitted well,
So then we have this shot of the Duchess and where's the waist? Where's the nip in at the waist? There's something else going on here. There's length, and the designer/stylist made the most of it. Shoulders again are beautifully fit and the garment hangs very well from the shoulders. It's moderately straight, but because it has length with the pants (at the right
proportion), she looks tall and positively svelte!
And we have the similar one problem that sticks out even when both of these ladies are dressed beautifully, and that is the bra thing. (On my tombstone it will read: "...and she wore a great bra for all the days of her life!")
Maybe it's just me, but the gal on the right looks like she's lost at least 5 if not 10lbs, and looks so much younger - only difference is that her bust is a little higher.
For the major points in fitting:
Fit the shoulder - this means making sure that it's on the shoulder and not half way down your arm, or extended like an NFL defensive lineman. It's on your shoulder about where your bra strap would almost fall off, but not quite.
Nip in slightly above the waist - even if you think you don't have a waist, you have an slight indent under your bust, then let it hang straight, or if need be, flare with the slightest angle - not a lot - to the hem.
After you go to all that trouble of working on that silhouette (step just above), make sure it's stable - with a hook, button, zipper (it could even be a small separating zipper) - but something to keep it contained and looking sharp and tailored to your body.
A Good Bra - more than anything else, this can make or break an outfit, and it's not that hard to do. Warning: if you get a new bra after a few years, and you've been fitting to that older bust point, you will need to raise your bust point a little. Don't forget that the point of your bust dart is just as important as the bra itself - both often need to be tweaked a little after you get that new bra.
Keeping these simple parts in focus can help make your shape flattering, comfy and really together-looking - so much so that suddenly your clothes fall into the background and you end up with your face, smile and eyes being the focus of people's attention!
And that's as it should be!
This is a beginning guide on what to do with your core pattern after you have fitted and worked on it.
All the work that you have done in your core pattern contains all the information to make a garment that you will totally love. This means you really don't have to buy another pattern for making skirts, pants or leggings. Variations on your core pattern makes it possible for you to have the styles you see in a photo or on Pinterest without having to look for the pattern that looks like it might work. You can now simply trace it onto your core pattern and
you're done.
This resource also contains some other important resources at huge discount because they are so important to this creative process of varying your core pattern. It also contains some downloads that aren't available in the Resource Library at all, but are vital toward making good design.
In this world of crazy, illogical fashion, we sewists are having to turn into designers. That sounds really hard and foreboding, but it's not. Unlike designers, we simply haven't had all the experience they have, most of that experience they got when they went to design school. More than anything I wanted to make this process encouraging, empowering and enlightening without having to worry about whether or not you could vary your core pattern.
You can! It isn't that hard. It is knowing some guidelines and charging out into the unknown. That's what we sewists do and we do it very well most of the time.
This is the beginning of the series into variations on core patterns. I wanted to start with something basic, so that you wouldn't feel so intimidated. It takes a while to write these up, cause I'm an idea factory, and coordinating and organizing these ideas can be monumental with the sewing muse yacking in my ear 24/7.
The resource is available now at a discount so that you can enjoy it before spring starts in full force. Right now, I'm thinking happy, colorful and pretty. Those are all fresh looks for future clothes. When things seem upside down, it's great to have something to make us happy and often bright, springtime and summertime fabrics are just as much as drab, dark and somber fabrics. I'm ready to be beautiful, comfortable and look flattering in my clothes and
I'm dying to share that with you.
Skirts, Core Pattern Variations, Part 1 (but there's more than skirts in here)
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