Here’s the video I said I’d try to embed yesterday. If you don’t have time to watch the whole thing, jump to the sheath dress at 1:23.
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The model Serena doesn’t seem particularly large-breasted to me. For those of us who are curvier on top, this fascinating neckline would look better lower. On this model, it’s too high to draw attention away from the bust. I would skip the belt in favor of keeping a vertical line because the belt, while accenting the waist, also accents the bust line by running parallel to it. Of course, I guess that’s the point of this segment–not to draw attention away from the bust.
So what’s going on here? Why aren’t I “celebrating curves” with Stacy London? Here’s my issue: Most of us don’t need any help learning how to accent our curves. We need help knowing how to keep them from dominating our look. For some reason, when our curves dominate, it’s hard for other people to take us seriously. The women on this video look great, but they don’t look powerful.
I’m delighted that curves are “in” again, thanks to Christina Hendricks, but what do we wear when we don’t want to look secretarial? What do we wear to lead a meeting or talk to investors? We live in 2010, and we have 2010 aspirations.
Our bodies are not period pieces. This is why I haven’t yet made a purchase from Pinup Girl Clothing. I love that they create clothing that flatters curves, but there are only a few settings where I can wear their vintage look.
I want to celebrate my curves without going back in time, but I also accept that living in the present will sometimes require me to divert attention from them. It’s quite a challenge. I used to let this challenge defeat me, but the more I write here, the more it excites me to meet it.
That’s an interesting thought. I do love the whole vintage/retro look but like you I don’t have a place to wear much of it. As you saw in my first edition of staples for my goal wardrobe I do plan on including some things (like the high waist pencil skirt, which I think will probably work well on my body) but then it will be paired with more modern items (like maybe a C&K shirt eventually 😉 ).
I like mixing and matching between the two. One dress that I’ll probably get eventually is the Heidi from pinup girl: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/heidi-dress-black-cherry-new.html but I’ve been trying to think of ways to tone it down a bit. For instance, the one in black polka dots seems a bit more work appropriate (at least in terms of design, compared to something that’s bright red), so maybe with a nice shrug or cardigan I could pull it off.
But I agree that the underlying ideal that a body type can be in or out of style is pretty silly. As a whole humans are attracted to a whole host of body types so saying one body type is on or out of style doesn’t really make sense in the big scheme of things.
I knew I could count on you for a thoughtful response. I think your point about mixing and matching is key. It’s possible to borrow something that has the perfect lines for us from Pinup Girl w/o going all out for the period look.