Last night, I had a great time being on a panel about Asian American women and fashion (hosted by ASPIRE). It was my first time talking about blogging as well as my career path and goals, and it was a treat getting to meet so many interesting women and to hear about their aspirations as well. One of the questions asked was how to truly gauge if clothing fits and flatters your figure. A trick that’s worked for me is to snap photos of yourself from the front, side, and back and inspect for unsightly gaps, tugs, pulls, and bunchiness. Cameras pick up things that get overlooked when one gazes into a mirror. Clothing that fits should usually graze your figure – not constrict nor swallow it.
I initially realized this simple tip while drafting this oldie post, and have had many more “yikes” moments reviewing photos since then. One such occasion was with this H&M; dress. I fell in love with the print and convinced myself that shift style dresses were meant to be non-fitted. Only after seeing multi-angle photos did I realize how wildly unflattering and nightgown-esque it was.
A next step to understanding fit is learning about simple adjustments that can make a big difference. Thankfully, this dress just needed some slimming along the torso and sleeves…
…which made an immediate impact. Next, I chopped off the bunched arm openings to streamline the “shift” silhouette even more. I then shortened the length on the main dress and sleeves to show more skin and balance out the covered-up torso.
These small alterations made the dress feel so much more contemporary, and were simple enough to do at home. I left the original hem in to be let down as I age and grow more conservative : ) The length as shown worn with mid-heels was perfect for a spring dinner out.
I’ve gotten into the habit of wearing jackets draped over my shoulders (provides warmth, while preventing the elbows from rubbing constantly on a desk and wearing out). Unfortunately, a consequence is colleagues being stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of a four-armed woman.
Readers – What are your tips for gauging and understanding fit? Have you ever come to stark realizations after seeing yourself in photos?
Great tips Jean and the minor alterations make a big difference! I think I need to start taking more photos of outfits to gauge whether or not to keep them. =)
Hey Jean!!
I love how you slimmed this dress!! And I always love seeing that H&M; purse…so glad that it gets so much love!! 🙂
Also want to say that I love your pics from the Philippines! My favorite was the foot bath that you and Nick received! 🙂
Yup, he was the one that disappeared after the panel discussion. I think he felt out of place to mingle with all the ladies. I hope to join him on one of his many business trips to Boston in the near future!
I love the color palette in this outfit and the shift dress looks great on you post-alterations. I think the camera trick you mentioned is the best method to see if something fits. You can't really see behind you when you're just looking into a mirror.
Jean, have you tried theory frayne pants?
They are on sale on shopbop at the moment.
Its so hard to find nice fitting pants if you are petite so I thought I'd share! I bought a size 2.
I actually remember this dress from one of your posts last year and at the time, I didn't think twice about the shape of the sleeves but after seeing it post-alterations, it makes me wonder what else I could be overlooking in terms of fit and such. You did such a great job altering this dress- I love that you hemmed it a few inches shorter too! Lol, I think it's time I start to learn how to alter my clothes too…
Great tips, thank you for sharing! It's good to see the difference a few alterations can make 🙂 I like your pairing of that dress and the orange jacket too!
I love the print of this shift dress as well as your heels, they're so cute! I usually go shopping with somebody who is blunt about whether or not an item flatters my body, so I don't usually run into fitting issues. But on the rare occasion that I do, I usually have to hem items myself so that they fit better.
xoxo,
Genie
http://www.uniqueandchicstyle.blogspot.com
Hey Jean- love your blog! I must admit to reading it all the time, even though I'm not petite at all. In fact, I'm acually quite opposite. I'm 5'9" so I am always on the look out for 'tall' sizes that fit, much like you are with petite.
I have a random question that I hope you can help me with. I'm moving to Beijing in a couple of months (for my husbands job, for 3 years) and am super excited to have affordable custom tailoring and garment construction options. Do you have any you recommend or any tips on finding a good tailor? I'm planning on trying out a few different tailors before settling on one that I hope to be loyal to. Would love if you could give me some pointers, if you have any.
You can email me back becca_sanders 23 (at) yahoo . com (without the spaces). Thanks!!! Any other tips for China would be greatly appreciated as well!
I am following u, nice blog! hope u follow me back?
I just wanted to drop a comment saying I check your blog everyday
Your my favorite blogs because ou are so down to earth
I love how you manage to be a fashionista while on a bargain and budget
You look adorable in this outfit and it's amazing what a few alternations can make to an item!
Love those shoes! You look splendid in that orange blazer. I remember looking at it at H&M; and passing on the purchase. If I had seen how good it could look, I would have totally bought it!
You are so right about photos exposing unflattering clothes. For me, I notice the problems when pictures have been taken after a night out. Some clothes look great during the try-on, but thirty minutes to an hour later, they fall apart. I've had problems with dresses that puff up on me in unexpected places when I sit and such.
you are so talented to be able to do these fixes at home and even envision how to do it. i love how you re-vamped it!
there are so many pictures after the fact where i've said "why did you think you could wear that.." O_o – lol. you look stunning! xox P
You look lovely!
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Hi Jean, care to share your career path and goals with those who were not lucky enough to attend the session?
-Rach
the alteration made such a huge difference! love the pairing of the orange jacket and the yellow sandals! looking classy as always 🙂
Omigoodness! There were four men in the audience so I'll assume your husband was the one I didn't get to meet. I wish he said hello, as the other men who attended (either with or in lieu of wives) were wonderful to chat with. He was very brave to come and I really appreciate it – I hope you'll get to join him in visiting some day and we can meet : )
I took a class for beginners (in China, though) and I highly recommend anyone interested in learning how to sew to do the same. I would have no idea whatsover how to get started, and books confuse me.
I think your complexion/hair combo would look great in jewel tones, like fuschia, turquoise, cobalt blue, etc. The easiest way to pair them is with a neutral like ivory/cream. Have you tried?
I love this outfit. She shoes are really pretty. But the whole outfit looks amazing. Really love it.
octoberchic.com
i think shortening the sleeves was a good idea, though I wish the bunching style could've stayed intact. i like how the sleeves of the dress peep through the jacket.
i always thought draped jackets were merely for pix. when i see it in person, it never seems practical. when i do it myself, slips off everytime. I actually feel more constricted. but for sitting at a desk, it definitely works to keep bare shoulders warm.
I like the dress a lot more after and I totally agree that it looks more contemporary. Also I love the shoes!
I saw your FB post about the ASPIRE event. My husband was in Boston for work this week and it just so happened that he was staying near the Boston Library, so I told him to stop by since he knows I love your blog. He said he stuck out like a sore thumb since he was one of the very few males in the audience. I wish I could of been there!
Jean, I love love love those prada caged sandals. The color is gorgeous too.
I love the orange color hue of this outfit. The dress is so cute with a retro vibe to it. The ASPIRE event sounded lovely and great styling tips that you provided =)
xoxo,
http://www.StyleCueBySuzieQ.com
Where did you learn how to do alterations? Any books/websites you can recommend? I have all the materials to sew but have yet to take the plunge on my clothes (or creating clothes from scratch), mainly because I am not yet sure I completely understand this elusive concept known as 'fit'.
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Wow- what a difference the alternations make! Although to your credit, I remember you wearing this shift with a thin belt last summer!
I love your tips. You look beautiful in this dress and jacket, the colors really compliment you.
xo, Yi-chia
This looks so beautiful on you! <3
The shoes are gorgeous!
Love the orange with this print & the overall retro vibe! I completely agree – sometimes we take pictures that I never use on the blog because I realize afterwards how bad the outfit looked…it's a great way to learn, though! 🙂
http://www.pennypincherfashion.com
I love the orange blazer and print on the dress! It's all very retro chic 🙂
Maria
http://www.daintyanddecadent.com
Wouah, you're really talented to match colours 🙂 I have a very pale skin and dark brown hair and it's difficult to find clothes which don't make me look "a bit off-colour". Would you have any suggestion? Thanks a lot 😉
Beautiful as usual. Your posts are so inspiring. Thankfully I don't *need* to alter my clothes often, but seeing what you do and how you pair some patterns/colours has increased my sense of adventure when I shop!
I'm still never going to buy that orange, because I know it's a disaster on me. However it really looks so vibrant on you. And, I LOVE the sandals -I've like to find something similar. I hate showing toes at work but I don't have anything as an alternative to pumps (is that what you call then? Court shoes?)
LOL for keeping the original hem to be let down as you age and the 4-armed woman comment. Your fit posts have made me more discerning when shopping, but I still get duped sometimes. Case in point, I thought your dress looked lovely before until you showed me the after!
a very beautiful dress .. and in conjunction with this jacket so stylish!.хохо
I loooveee how you altered the dress! Such a huge improvement. The more streamlined sleeves really made a different.
Those Prada sandals are amazing… and love that you found them on ebay!
I agree! I was JUST noticing some things in my own photos like… 5 minutes ago. I see where you're going with this and I see the improvements in your revived shift dress! I'm going to have to inspect my other outfits now!
kat
aneyeforfashion.blogspot.com
You did a fantastic job modifying the dress to fit your body type without sacrificing the overall integrity of the piece.
Yes, my mistake is always thinking what I see in the mirror is usually dead on what everyone else sees. Not true. After taking photos of outfits, I realized what look good in the mirror is only one dimension. I haven't gotten into habit of getting things altered, which I need to start doing.
Helen
Great pairing!
You look lovely!!
xoxo
~Natasha Fatah~
~Natasha Fatah~
I think the patterned dress and jacket look great together! Very cute outfit!
What a great DIY and the result is amazing. Really is flattering even tho still a shift dress. I have to take more photos of myself!
I love your outfit in this post! I'd love to see you post how to do alterations like on this dress. I'm new to sewing. I last my mom last year. Just now I'm going through her clothes. We were basically the same size. There are a few dresses that are too big and could use alterations like the ones you did to this dress. I'd love to wear some of her retro floral dresses this summer if I can get them the right size!
What I do? Stare at myself in the mirror. LOL. But in all honesty, that's what I do. For the most part, I can generally figure it out pretty quickly unless I really love something and am in denial about the fit. It helps sometimes to try on something similar in shape that you have (that fits perfectly) and compare. And it also helps to start pinching and pinning things in areas to try and figure out what exactly is wrong if it doesn't jump out at you right away. Photos help as well. If you don't have a 360 degree mirror you can't always see how the item fits at all angles. It can knock some sense into me when I'm in denial about how a certain item fits because I want to keep it so badly. It makes me sad, but it's money saved.
You look lovely! For some reason this dress reminds me of the Lacoste perfume advert a few years back, all you need are those white boots the model wore! The Orange blazer compliments your outfit very well!