A Lesson on Tucking In

I tried another kimono today. I think it was a success! I bought this one during a consult on Sunday. Found it at Goodwill for $6! You cannot beat Goodwill. Seriously. My clients are impressed every. single. time.

We're on Sneakers Week, so naturally, I wore sneakers. Honestly, they were a bit clunky for the outfit, but I suppose I'm better informed for next time. The top seems too delicate and whimsical for the chunkiness (and color?) of the shoes, but some may say the sneakers ground the outfit, so I suppose it's all a matter of opinion. I like the sweetness of the bow at the neck and the color palate overall. The kimono has drop sleeves (meaning the sleeve seam is not at the natural shoulder, it's dropped down the arm a few inches) and they make my shoulders look quite a bit larger (bulkier) than normal, so my chest looks wide. It sort of balances out the shoe choice, but I think this kimono might look better with a v-neck tank or blouse instead of one with a huge bow in the middle of the chest.

I know there are many people in the world who do not believe they can (or should) tuck their shirts in (very likely due to a perceived larger middle section and/or the desire to conceal that area), but I would like to illustrate in these photos why I am a huge proponent for tucking in for all shapes and sizes. In these first few photos, I have left my shirt untucked. Generally speaking (but not always), to have an untucked shirt means that you can't see the zipper/crotch and the leg line looks shorter. See for yourself:


Kimono: Thrifted (Target) -- $6
Blouse: Forever 21 -- $12
Jeans: Citizens of Humanity -- $180
Shoes: Thrifted (Gap) -- $8
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Outfit Total: $206



As shown above, the untucked shirt comes to an end at the widest part of my thigh and so not only does it cut off my legs, it also highlights the width of my largest area. Proportionally speaking, my legs and my torso look to be about the same size (in length). In contrast, I could draw my waistline a bit higher (with clothes) which makes the line of my legs look longer and my torso look shorter. The next few pictures (below) show exactly that: I'm visually drawing my waistline higher by tucking in the shirt. As you can see below, the majority of the zipper is revealed, allowing for you to see my whole leg line and the illusion of where my waist begins (where the pant meets the shirt) is higher on my body than the pictures with the untucked shirt. Dressing for your body type is just an illusion in balancing the parts of your body to make you look most proportional. My legs are short and my torso is long, so I have to draw my waistline up to make my legs look longer (which always makes me look leaner). So even though I have a little belly and muffin top coming out from the top of these pants, you can't tell because the flowiness of the blouse hides my middle and yet ALSO draws attention to it in the best way by defining a higher waistline. Essentially, when tucking in, you are visually indicating to others where your waist begins. Similarly, when I wear a high-waisted dress or skirt, I'm drawing your eye to the smallest part of my waist (and probably also showing other small parts like my wrists and ankles) and; therefore, also detracting from other less flattering parts of my body. In the picture below, the kimono acts as a nice drape around the outer parts of my thighs and butt to detract even more from my weight-bearing areas.




Look again with the pictures side-by-side. I look longer, leaner, and taller by changing nothing else except tucking in the front part of this blouse:





It's one part Glamour Shots, one part crazy up in hurr

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