I meant to write this last week some time, but with my husband out of town, things have been nuts around here. So, better late than never.
Before I move on to the H-frame, two important things I forgot (smacking self on forehead) about the A-frame:
- Puffy sleeves are good. The outfit you choose will generally determine the amount of puff that looks right.
- Patterns on top and solid colors on the bottom. Anything with a pattern is going to draw the eye, so keep the eyes moving upward.
For those who wanted to see some “regular” people wearing the right and wrong things for an A frame, go here and look at Heather, Kelly and Julia. Then, for the H frame, look at the bottom two people, Mary and Missy. I’m actually not entirely sure Missy is an H frame, but the dress in the “before” pic sure makes her look like it.
Okay, now on to the H-frame. I’m not using celebrity photos for this one, and I’ll tell you why. The celeb that immediately came to mind for the H frame, or “boyish” figure, is Nicole Kidman. And whoever dresses her does a superb job. The only photo I could find in which you could see that she does indeed have almost no curves when seen straight-on, she had only a hat covering her top. But trust me, she doesn’t have much in the way of curves.
I can see a lot of you shaking your heads and telling me I’m wrong. That’s cool. I would say Nicole is a master of illusion. She knows how to dress and how to stand to make herself look like an hourglass. So what do we do to recreate this effect?
The H frame usually has an evenly balanced frame top to bottom, but no inward curving between the chest and the waist. They tend to gain weight in the middle. And certain tricks that will work for the Kidman-like H frame won’t work for those of us who are overweight. But here’s what will:
- First, emphasize the waist. I know, it seems like you’d want to hide it, right? As much as is possible, wear a belt. If you like to wear your shirt out, put a belt around it and blouse the top a little. If you wear dresses, choose belted fashions.
- An alternative to a belt would be fashions that are drawn in around the waist.
- Wear shoulder pads, and pair them with a skirt that flares out or pants with pleats. Balance top and bottom. (Notice in the pictures I referred to above that Mary is wearing pleated pants, but no shoulder pads in the before pic. Not good).
- Wear a jacket. It can be any kind, whatever the season. Many outfits come with matching jackets. You want something loose, not form-fitting, to drape your figure.
- Avoid flat, non-pleated pants and skirts. They will just make you look straighter.
- Try to use lighter-weight fabrics as much as possible.
- Fit garments to your waist size first, and alter the rest to fit.
Now, many H frames have a problem with a protruding stomach. Protruding is defined as sticking out beyond the bust line. I have this problem, too. If that’s you, first of all, watch your hem line. We’ve all seen women whose skirts are two inches higher in the front than in the back. Don’t be one of them. Second, control the use of color at your waist. Use black or dark brown belts and darker pants. Avoid bright colors or white around the waist and stomach area.
Again, I’m sure I’ve left something out. If you have any additional tips, please share them! We’re all in this together!
Interesting stuff, Jana. Thanks!
Comment by lady laura — April 23, 2007 @ 11:06 am
Thanks Jana! Gosh, I *think* I’m an H frame but I don’t think I’d look good following the recommendations given?
Can I send you a pic and you let me know what body type I am?
Comment by Cristina — April 24, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
I’m with Christina. Thank you for this though! Now see, I totally avoid pleats because of the tummy. When I wear them I look even chunkier than I already am. And shoulder pads…I look like a foot ball player. Maybe I’m not an H?
Comment by Tami — April 25, 2007 @ 4:49 am
Cristina - if you’d like to send me a picture, I’ll take a look.
Cristina and Tami - these are all separate suggestions, so you can pick and choose what works for you. The idea with pleats is to not wear them unless you also wear shoulder pads and vice versa. Take an evening to play around with your wardrobe and see what works for you.
Comment by Jana — April 25, 2007 @ 7:31 am
Thanks Jana! What’s your email address and I’ll send you a pic so you can tell me what you think.
Comment by Cristina — April 25, 2007 @ 8:09 am
janaandtheboys(at)gmail.com
Comment by Jana — April 25, 2007 @ 11:27 am