As a non-curvy Latina, two things have been relatively constant with clothing, I feel ridiculous, or I hate my body. I've wasted a lot of time hoping for rounder hips and a bigger butt to fill out clothing that didn't serve me. Acceptance came when I learned about body types, specifically dressing for your body type... Such an Ah-Ha moment for me...

Clothes are the problem, not my body!

So, let's talk body shapes. In order to identify your body shape, measuring yourself is highly encouraged. Measure your shoulders, bust, waist and hips.

I initially assumed I'd be rectangle shape because I have a wider waist and not much going on on the lower half of my body. Turns out, my waist isn't as wide as my hips or my bust.

Lets eliminate all the body shapes I am not...

Scratch off pear shape, apple shape, hourglass shape, and triangle. That leaves rectangle and inverted triangle. Being that my shoulders are not 5% bigger than my hips, I'm not exactly inverted triangle type either. If I had more muscle mass I'd probably call it a day at athletic type. Since my best quality is a decent pair of legs and my shoulders are slightly wider than my hips, I am going to dress myself according to inverted triangle body shape rules with consideration for the rectangle/athletic type rules. My end goal is to define my waist and make the lower half of my body look fuller to balance out my shoulders.

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Now that I have a general understanding of body types, I need to clean out my closet and create outfits with balance in mind. Remember, we're basically creating an hourglass figure with clothes.

Here's the plan I've created for myself:

1. Identify what you DO like fashion wise (think era, decade, feel/vibe, etc).

2. Find a base color scheme (I like neutrals).

3. Look for inspirational outfits as guides (keep body type in mind).

4. Create a capsule wardrobe with what I already own (play dress up & style some outfits).

5. Make a list of items that will help enhance or extend wardrobe (shopping guide).

6. Stick to a budget (research for best pricing, sales, second hand, etc).

For reference, classic to me means durable fabrics and pieces that have yet to fade after 50, 60 years of fashion evolution. I think collard shirts, lower height shoes, trousers, denim in an original wash, mid length dresses, and structured coats. I'm not fashion forward in any sense, this is simply my perception of the terms "timeless and classic". I basically think of women's fashion in the 50's - 70's and look for similar cuts in our modern times of 2022.

I decided to take my time upping my wardrobe game to maximize my limited budget and learn what I like on my body. After all, I'm trying to correct decades of bad purchasing habits and poor wardrobe selections.

Here's a little peek of my style vision board from Pinterest. I'm most inspired by Parisian/chic/minimalist style. It feels appropriate for this chapter of life, not young, not old, but grown... put together, you know? I want pieces that can be dressed up or down throughout multiple seasons for years to come.

When creating fashion vision boards, I find it best to adhere to body type needs and look for outfits that reflect the cuts/styles that suit your specific frame. Since I am trying to create a curvier silhouette, most of the outfits I save accentuate the waist and add volume to my lower body.

I include things that I feel I can mimic fairly easy. Basic tees and tanks are versatile and attainable anywhere these days. Dresses are universal pieces too. With a little layering many of the cuts I save can be used year round. This is super important to me as I used to spend $ and hoard clothes for special occasions that never occurred. I don't want to do that anymore. I want to actually wear my clothes, all of it.

I'd also like to note that although these vision board women are beautiful, they're not built like me. I don't want to dwell on that though. Taking emphasis off my body and putting it on clothes in general, is a transformation in itself. I think a lot of us get stuck in styling ruts when we don't physically match our inspiration or when we don't know what looks good on our specific body (maybe both). We feel bad, we give up, and we talk down on ourselves. Sizing is also a huge factor here. Order things in a few sizes and keep the one that fits properly. Don't fall into the trap of "true to size" or "size"in general. I can wear a size 4 dress and my husband's old 32 inch waist Levis. Does the 32" alarm me? No! The jeans are a decent fit and I like them. I also don't have to go out and buy a trendy new pair of wide leg pants. Wear whatever size highlights your frame. No one cares what size you wear (just you). And if they do, it's their problem not yours. 😉

I worked hard to be a stronger, healthier version of myself, I just want my clothes to reflect the peace I feel inside.

Xx Dee

Update: I've been thrifting and selling things online as I go. This is definitely an ongoing process with no immediate finish line.