Does anyone else struggle dressing for their body shape?

[OldChinaJug]

Part of me thinks I shouldn't care because of the whole body positive thing but I have a really unattractive body shape; one that is often mocked and derided in the media and real life. It's often been commented on negatively so I don't really want to wear anything that is going to draw attention to it.

I have literally found one dress style that suits me and that's it. But I'd really like to wear something different sometimes 😕

Anyone else?

Yes me especially in Summer, I have big legs and calves I can only dream of shorts, short dresses or even a skirt to the knee. Both my parents had/have gorgeous legs I am some genetic throwback...it is very tiring trying to dress around it.I do focus on my positive aspects cute bust and flattish looking tummy.What is your shape what are the negatives and positives?

I went to a personal shopper to get a dress and she gave me tips on what suits my body shape, was very helpful.

I suit fitted clothes (not tight, just properly shaped so that they skim the figure. Sadly everything in shops seems to be horrible and shapeless :( I am small, so they just drown make and look so very frumpy.

Trousers are made for giants. I can rarely find any affordable ones that don't need a huge chunk cut off the legs, that can ruin the cut. I also have diastasis recti and bloating due to suspected coeliac disease (I'm awaiting hospital) and can easily look like a sack of potatoes.

@britnay

I suit fitted clothes (not tight, just properly shaped so that they skim the figure. Sadly everything in shops seems to be horrible and shapeless :( I am small, so they just drown make and look so very frumpy.

That's why I buy most of my clothes from Collectif! They really have changed my life - for the first time in years I can buy clothes that go in at the waist and fit my shape. High streets are the worst places to look. Once you find a specialist company there's no going back!

You should post in style and beauty, there are some really helpful posters who can make recommendations about things that suit you.

Tops for larger busts. I don't do high neck, turtle neck etc.

I love wrap tops or V-Neck but it is virtually impossible to find any nowadays.

I have never heard of collectif, will google now. Thank you for the recommendation.

What is your shape OP? I bet it isn’t derided as you think.

Ah so many of us!

My measurements are currently 38 26 39. Which makes me an 'hourglass' according to online body shape calculators. I always lose/gain weight in proportion but I have a very round bottom. I'm not very tall and I always just look 'unsightly' in clothes!

I tend to wear jersey wrap dresses that I can pull in around the waist because they are flattering. I find tops and skirts look a bit frumpy. Tops and trousers are a bit of a no go. Dresses in rigid fabrics don't fit properly and neither do other styles. I'm not very tall and my height is in my legs so i need petite tops.

The new Joe Browns catalogue arrived earlier and I just kept seeing things i really liked but know instinctively that they won't fit properly/suit me/ I wouldnt be able to find anything to wear them with. Just a bit crap really.

Yeah, i look frumpy too!

I might also look at Collectif...

Me too!

I found Trinny and Susannah’s book really helpful, from What Not to Wear and their Body Shape Bible.
I’m a Vase - broad shoulders, wide back, big boobs, tapering down to No bum and narrow calves. Not an easy shape, I look so top heavy. They had loads of good tips.

Yes. 20 years ago I lost weight (went from a Size 18 to an 8 within a year through healthy eating and exercise). I have excess skin on my stomach, it’s a low hanging pouch. 20 years on I have to be conscious of the underwear I buy, jeans, shorts etc as I need to ‘tuck’ the pouch in.

I just find it so difficult. I look awful in jeans. I look 'ok' in my fitted black work trousers but I hardly want to wear those outside work! And I look 'ok' in the straight, wide legged linen trousers I've bought previously. If I don't wear something that pulls in at the waist, I look like a frumpy, squat box. Rigid fabrics 'pull' across my boobs and bum.

motherrunner that's a phenomenal weightloss, well done! It must be really frustrating.

I might have a look at those books, miimblemomble I'm just really self conscious that I always wear the same style of dress and not a lot else! And bored of it!

Take a look at Styled by Susie. She has a website and a really useful Facebook group called The Styled by Susie Sisterhood. I spent £65 last year on an analysis (she's got lots of different packages) and it was the best money I've spent on myself ever. She gave loads of advice on what would suit me and what to avoid, suggestions for a capsule wardrobe, tips on dressing for my shape and which colours suit me and don't do me any favours. I'd definitely recommend!

Key lessons for me that have dramatically changed how I dress (I'm an hourglass too) are high waisted trousers and jeans as you say and tucking my tops in, almost always. Also footwear with chunky soles to balance my shape (ditch ballet pumps and kitten heels) and v neck or scoop neck tops to flatter the bust. But definitely take a look at the Facebook group there's some great before and after photos.

I’ve been sewing more of my own clothes as I get older for the same reason. Short hour glass figure with a large bust I struggle to get things that fit and flatter. It’s not as hard as folk think and there are several sewing groups on face book which are great for inspiration.

Your figure sounds very nice OP. Just needs a bit more figuring out. I bet those tied ballerina cardigans look great on you.

@Pepperwand I've been wondering if tucking my tops in is the way forward, but just feel like it will highlight my tummy. I then end up wearing baggy tops which prob make me look bigger. I'm a 16 with decent waist, but a mum tum!

I think the key problem is that hourglasses look best in formal, fitted clothes, which makes shopping for casual things really hard. I’m roughly your shape, although a couple of inches bigger all round. Palazzo pants work really well for me.
I’m also making some tentative forays into jumpsuits - which I’d always though would make me look like a bag of flour with a string round it - but the right cut is amazing. Try googling ‘forties jumpsuit’. Good luck - you will find things but they are few and far between. However once you know what works for you it’s easier to spot them.

@MrsMcTats try the tuck! I've got a mum tum too and am a size 14 but it makes such a difference.

I've also got a bit of a 'mum tum'. Working on losing it though...

0Fingerbobs it's true that hourglass figures look best in formal/fitted others but I don't really feel comfortable in those and certainly dont want to wear them all the time. It doesn't really suit my taste/style.

I've just had a look at some jumpsuits but wouldnt know where to start! I'm only 5'4 so that kind of thing generally swamps me!! I do like palazzo pants though and tried a pair of my friend's on a couple of years ago - they were really flattering. I'd forgotten about that...

cheezy ballerina cardigans do look quite nice. Its finding things to wear underneath them I find difficult!!

Pepperwand I'm worried that high waisted trousers will make my bum look enormous! I do wear v/scoop neck tops for work and boots rather than heels to balance my shape.

It's almost reassuring that other people are saying similar. And frustrating when I keep reading that it's an 'enviable' figure or the easiest to dress!

Straight up and down would be so much easier 😫

I think I need to be brave and step outside my comfort zone a little.

Thanks for the ideas, they're great.

I’d agree with the jumpsuit suggestion. I thought it would look awful but I made one and every time I wear it I get positive comments. It’s a pain going to the loo though! Try petite versions of things may help, I’m just about 5ft3 and always shortening stuff so Capri length very often is full length on me

My measurements are currently 38 26 39. Which makes me an 'hourglass' according to online body shape calculators. I always lose/gain weight in proportion but I have a very round bottom. I'm not very tall and I always just look 'unsightly' in clothes!

Which is exactly why you should buy clothes from Collectif and other vintage-style companies. They are all designed for hourglass shapes, plenty of bust allowance, even on the Caterina shirt dresses, and don't be put off if it's not your style - they actually have loads of plain stuff too, plenty of work-appropriate stuff.

I'm 5ft 1 and all their tops are the right length for me because they're designed to be slightly cropped on people of average height, so they're a normal length on petites. They tell you the length on the page for most items if you read the info - typically 21 or 22 inches.

Also try the petite range at Boden - I know that's such a cliche on MN, but if you buy the petite Jersey dresses that have stretch then they do fit properly.

I'm always amazed by the number of hourglass women who say they can't find anything, yet are constantly trying the same old high street shops. Find your niche and you'll never look back. I have the odd summer dress from Dorothy Perkins but apart from that it's very rare for me to buy anything on the high street any more.

@Pepperwand

Take a look at Styled by Susie. She has a website and a really useful Facebook group called The Styled by Susie Sisterhood. I spent £65 last year on an analysis (she's got lots of different packages) and it was the best money I've spent on myself ever. She gave loads of advice on what would suit me and what to avoid, suggestions for a capsule wardrobe, tips on dressing for my shape and which colours suit me and don't do me any favours. I'd definitely recommend!

there's a very long & long running thread in style&beauty full of dissatisfied customers - so I don't think this is the answer!

Gah. Just lost a long answer! But the guy of it was: OP i have pretty much the same height and figure as you. Saved from years of depressing dressing by discovering trinny & Susannah's hourglass rules. bodyshapestyle.com/2011/01/11/trinny-and-susannah-the-hourglass/

Some staples that helped me:

Forget jeans, I now live in Robell trousers, Rose style, 7/8 length www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07CDVYFJD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fpeoFbY3K7HYB?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Bravisdimo notch neck cardigans with a skimpy(as in non-bulky) cami underneath www.bravissimo.com/products/notch-neck-cardigan-pt214/?gclid=CjwKCAjwj975BRBUEiwA4whRB1NFrHktOKb3wufc2pwibnzxNdRSQ7vgx3WD7nlKpFdatZFjmkOg8RoCsmUQAvD_BwE#navy-pt214nvy

Any tunic-stule top that finishes at your hips with leggings and boots - basically dress like the principal boy in a panto

And a properly fitted bra

Changed my life - good luck!