Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Always remember to tuck in your shirts

The temperature has dropped 30F in 3 days. It's okay; this is weather I know how to dress for. (:
Lace-trimmed camisole: Express
Ruffle tee: TRF t-shirt collection (thrifted)
Blue grey lace vest: Odille (eBay)
Brass snaps corduroys: WOW jeans (thrifted)
Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)
Suede hair clip: Taiwan
Sundial necklace: gift from high school
Tiny gears necklace: gift from Cathy

Or at least, know how to stay warm in. Knowing how to dress for this weather probably includes not looking like I'm going to burst forth from my vest like a cooking sausage. More on that in a bit.
I have missed you so much, everyday Steampunk style!

I wore the same triple layered lace combo here, when my friend Mo called my outfit "vintage Bohemian fairy." Strange thing is, I didn't look too chunky for the vest then:
I have been exercising a lot, and I gain weight and some girth when I work out, but I think there are other forces at work here. The vest pulls in at the waist, then loosens as it hangs into its pointy bits at the bottom.

I made the mistake of trying to show the layers of my shirts below the vest. In the outfit above, the shirts are tucked in, and the A-line skirt follows the lines of the vest flaps as they point out from the natural waist, making a smooth transition.

Here, the horizontal lines of the shirts cut off the diagonal lines of the vest flaps coming out from the waist. Then the shirts end right where my hips and thighs begin, the widest part of the lower body. The bump under the shirts from my waistband doesn't help.
This was one of those outfits I really liked when I put it on, then made this face in dismay when I looked at the photos D:

Oh well, live and learn. That's one of the neat things about blogging, getting a more objective look at outfits.

However, please don't let my questionable ability to dress myself deter you from entering my Couturgatory Anniversary giveaway! Follow the link if you would like a chance to win a Cara New York fascinator. :D

7 comments:

  1. I have found more often than not the answer to an outfit I'm just so/so on is to tuck in the shirt. It wasn't something I used to be comfortable doing, but I'm getting better at it! I do like the look of your outfit with the shirt tucked in, it definitely highlights the vest a bit more!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I spent most of my life tucking my shirts in and not tucking them in is a new thing for me. Most of the time not tucking them in is now the better option but I still sometimes play around with that. Okay a thought here on the whole issue of I liked this outfit until I saw a picture. Oh boy do I know about that experience. But here's the thing: yes a photo does give us a really good look at ourselves in the clothes and I do find it valuable for assessing an outfit, but on the other hand it is very static. When others are with us in real life we are moving, we are animated and they are not just staring at a face on, two dimensional static image of us. They are also not examining us as intensely as we examine ourselves. I have received compliments from people when I was wearing an outfit which I later decided looked pretty blah or even unflattering when viewed in a photo.

    I love the lacey-ruffled vesty steampunk thing. If I met up with you while you were dressed in that outfit I would mostly be looking at your face, listening to what you said, interested in talking with and being with my friend, and thinking how cool your clothes are. If I walked past you in the street I would also think, oh cool, I love that layering and the ruffles. I would not look at you and think, oh looking a bit cooking sausage there! Clearly this woman should tuck in her shirts!
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think we have ALL experienced the "I liked it till I saw the photos" phenomenon! It's an interesting part of blogging, that dissonance between how we feel, what we see in the mirror, and what appears on the screen. In reality, of course, Shawna is right; the living, laughing, chatting, animated version of real life us is different again.
    I love the waistcoat, and the ruffled t-shirt underneath. I am a tucker-inner usually, after years of not doing so for fear of showing my belly. Paradoxically, I feel sleeker now when I am tucked! I like both versions here, and the steampunky loveliness is the overriding vibe. No sausages here, none at all! xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh God, don't get me started on 'liked it til I saw the pics'. Let's just say I take pics almost every day but only post twice a week. I'm SOOOO picky with photographs.

    I LOVE that vest and your everyday steampunk style just makes me so happy. <3

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the vest! I have the problem of things fitting differently every time I put them on. I frequently don't like the pictures as well as I liked the actual outfit.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank god for full-length mirrors! I've tried so many things that should work - in theory - but something in the proportions or shape just fails. This vest and layering look gorgeous with the skirt, though. I think it must be that flare at the hips that completes the profile. Cool necklaces, too!

    ReplyDelete