Fashion Philosophy: Finding What Works for You
July 15th, 2008
Today, we’re taking a break from our regular fashion advice to spotlight an excerpt from a very smart reader comment on our Figure Flattery Guide: What to Wear to Flatter a Large Bust.
“The trouble with formulaic rules is that they are in conflict with the uniqueness of each person’s body and so are completely unreliable. Better to do as the Europeans do - dress from your heart and your increasing knowledge over time about fabrics, colour tones, textures and drape (how a fabric hangs). Find the styles that suit you by trying on everything until you know what principles - not rules - apply to your unique shape.â€
-Beverley
Beverley is questioning the "rules" that we provided to flatter a large bust. And she’s right–the advice we shared was not meant to be rules to be taken as law. Rather, we intended for you to take the advice as a guideline.
It’s our philosophy that you should dress based on your holistic body type, instead of merely concentrating on one part of your body (e.g. large bust, short legs, etc). Furthermore, only by trying a bunch of stuff on (yup, trial and error) do you find out what really works for you–-for silhouettes, for fabrics, and for colors.
Please take our advice as a starting point in your fashion exploration. Your body will change over time, as will your tastes, and as will fashion. Excuse the cliche, but finding what styles and colors work for you and what doesn’t–it’s a journey, not a destination. So get out there–try stuff on, both items in your closet and new items in stores. Find what’s right for you. And please continue to share what works (and what doesn’t) for you with the rest of the Omiru community!
Cheers,
Trisha and the Omiru Team
6 Comments
1. jiawei Liu | July 15th, 2008 at 8:17 am
I’m a chinese girl,I’m 20 years old now,but I still don’t know how to dress myself.I’m 156cm tall and 49kg,I have an apple face,yes,a little cute,but my eye is so small that my face looked so big.I really want to change myself,two years later,I’ll put myself into society,so I want to be a lady,please help me.Oh,what’s more,I’m a student,so I don’t have so mach money,I can’t pay more on my dress,I’m so sorry.I really want to get some suitbal suggests from you,so much thank you
2. Marilyn | July 15th, 2008 at 10:42 am
It is certainly true that discovering what looks good on you and what doesn’t is a journey but the “rules” can absolutely provide a shortcut on that journey. Without reading a number of “rules” in fashion books and on your site I wouldn’t have awakened nearly so quickly as to why turtlenecks, droppd sleeves, sharp color distinctions between tops and bottom, and regular length jackets look so horrible on my petite, chubby, narrow shouldered body. So I am nothing but grateful for the insights of people like you who have been studying these matters for years and have real insights to impart to us. So, for my part, bring on the rules! They’ve helped me enormously.
3. ya Liu | July 15th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I am a Chinese girl, a gradate student major in science, I want dress myself formally but I’ve no idea what is suitable for me, especially I want to choose some proper dress. my face is a little wide, but not short, my skin tone is close to fair,and I have a little wide hip circumference. I am 158 cm tall and 53 kg, usually I wear my glasses with black color, actually I want be dressed more active and cute. I also hope get some valuable things without so high prices. could you give me some suggestions? thanks!
4. Mimi | July 15th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I have my own rules– clear colors rather than muted. Skirt length at the knee or just above. No sleeveless (I feel awkward ). Heels look better than flats. But what I love about this site is it shows me what’s new and trendy. I can see how to incorporate a look or a style in a way that works for me.
And sometimes I could use some “real life” advice…. like, how do I show off my waist (hour-glass type figure) without wearing giant, heavy, or chunky belts? I’d like something delicate and feminine– I’ve been using scarves and even ribbons.
5. Inna | July 17th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Well, I like different fashion rules and lists such as “10 essential things” and others. I never take them seriously or, to be more accurate, I never use them as strong rules, but mostly as information for my reflections and meditations on fashion in general and on my wardrobe. But I like thinking about fashion, viewing catwalks, reading magazines and so on. And there are many people who do not want to think about fashion, and for such people all pieces of advice are very helpful.
My rules for myself (I am about 30 with 170 cm height and 50 kg weight and I don’t have dress code working as a freelancer): an edgy fashion haircut, plain slinky clothes especially dresses, colours which complement my skin perfectly. I try to avoid wearing sports wear and trainers outside a gym and never wear flip-flops (may be only on a seaside).
6. Elsie | July 28th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Late to comment, but oh well:
I have learned a great deal from reading all kinds of different “rules” for my body type and coloring. Some of them don’t agree with each other or with what I’ve found to be true FOR ME. But all of them helped point me in the direction I’m going now.
As to the “do as Europeans do” comment, I always think the people who say this kind of thing can’t have spent much time in Europe (also, which country are you talking about?) Guess what? There are tons of badly dressed people here, too . . . same as the rest of the world.