April Golightly |
The least seen clothing item in my experience is the dress. Although not extinct, the dress is relegated to special events like weddings, dressy cocktail receptions, and dress-to-impress business functions.
At my last job I fell into the "dress as everyone else", wearing pants, and the occasional skirt when a new-hire in my department declared, "I always wear a dress". She looked good and did stand out in a good way. Louise, you rock!
I love wearing a dress although seldom do. It is a matter of blending and not standing out as overdressed. My LBD with hose and killer heels is one of my favorites. However, it has been at least a year since I wore it. Opportunity, yes, but not the will.
April Golightly's blog had a wonderful post titled "Wearing Dresses for Beginners". Here is her opening:
Some women are anti-dresses. To me they are the most comfortable things in my wardrobe and you don’t have to match a top and bottom! I writing about wearing dresses for beginners so that women will try out wearing a dress so that they can join in the bliss that is being female. One of the few things women can do that men cannot is wear a dress. Embrace your femininity and look slimmer!
I could not agree more. Here are her 10 rules for wearing a dress:
Rules for Wearing Dresses for Beginners
1. Make the dress fitted in the places you want to show off.
2. Sheath dresses work on almost everyone. Here is a great one.
3. Get a tailor. Not all women are the same on top as they are on the bottom. Buy to fit your largest part and get the remainder of the dress tailored to fit you. It is investment in looking great that does not cost as much as you might think. Add the cost of alterations into the retail cost and forget about it. If you have to buy one less piece to look great in the pieces you own, it is well worth it.
4. Belt everything. If your dress does not come with a belt, find a way to belt it! Drawing attention to your waist makes you look slimmer every time. I do this all the time! (here with a button down dress, here with a summer dress, and here with an eyelet dress)
5.Smaller prints make you look slimmer.
6. Get great lingerie that fits. Also, pick up some Spanx or a girdle to slim yourself and make you look your best in a dress.
7. Wear color! Nothing looks better than wearing a bold color dress! Everyone has a LBD, embrace color and wear a little red dress or a little purple. What is your favorite color? Which color looks awesome on you? Buy a dress in that color! Yellow is one of my faves! If you must wear black, accessorize it with a statement necklace like I did here.
8. Don’t compete with detail of the dress. If your dress makes a strong statement, let the rest of your jewelry, accessories, and hair be simple and sleek.
9. You got to know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em, Know when to walk away, know when to run! Know your body type and only show what you love and show only a little bit at a time. Never show cleavage and your legs at the same time.
10. Try the dress on with the shoes you will wear with the dress. Bring them with you when you shop if you can or buy from a store that carries the shoes you already own. If the shoes are not comfortable or does not fit properly, you will not wear them so don’t try them on with your new dress.
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Here in Seattle, on any normal day, the chances are about 50/50 that anyone you see in a dress is a cross dresser. :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree with all but the belt part for myself. A belt just distracts from the silhouette and emphasizes the thickness of the torso. It's not that I'm terribly overweight, but my rib cage, being larger than the average woman's, makes it difficult to have the waist of the average woman, as well. A belt just chops me off at the wrong place.
I made a little comment, in response to the one to which you referred. I thought the comment was a little over-the-top, even of I understood the sentiment completely.
Dresses are one of the most difficult things for most of us to buy - as our body shape (inverted pear shape) is so different to pear-shaped GGs. I only ever had 2 successes with dresses - the first was a loose fitting cocktail dress with an elasticated waist (and a chiffon overdress to die for) - and the other was a fit 'n flare dress. The feeling of freedom and femininity with these two dresses was extraordinary - particularly with the second one.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that something that feels so good should be so wrong? (I'm doing cold turkey - haven't dressed for 12 years - but not a day goes by without me dreaming..)
Found this blog a few days ago.. Love it!
G
I meant to add that I'm lost in admiration for you Rhonda - I wish that I could follow your example but, without even addressing wifely concerns, the raw material simply isn't present. So, I'm sure that there are many others 'out there' like me who live vicariously through your chosen path.
ReplyDeleteIf I was ever to embark upon a similar path to you - and take feminising hormones (as I once did for 4 months), and live as a woman, then sooner or later the question of men would arise. Assuming that my sexual orientation wouldn't change, I wonder how many RGs would be interested in someone like me? Very few I imagine. I think I'd be happy just to be an Honorary Member of the Sisterhood..