I’m so excited about this guest post from Rebecca!! Check it out…
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Your mission: to arrive at your goal weight with a clear vision of your personal style.
As Christian women we often experience conflict over our desire to look presentable. After all, we are supposed to be focussing on the interior person, are we not? Add to that the difficulty in finding ready-to-wear clothes that fit and chances are the message you are sending by your appearance is inconsistent with who you really are. Your authenticity is suffering.
Of course, God sees you on the inside, and you are precious in His sight. But all that frail humanity has to go by is what they see on the outside. If we want to be judged by what is on the inside, we must make an effort to express that by the messages we send, both visual and verbal.
And what does that have to do with a weight loss blog?
Well, as blest shared, it was just that inconsistency between her personality and her appearance that God used to kick-start her weight loss and this blog. Losing weight is exciting, and you ladies are going to have alot of shopping to do! I’d love to see you armed with the tools and prepared with the skills to make fewer fashion mistakes than ever, sharing the beauty of God’s workmanship and exercising good stewardship of the gifts He’s given you.
In terms of personal style, the big three are:
Style personality: basically what clothes make you feel like yourself. Take time to “window shop” while considering this one. Ask yourself questions like:
- What makes me feel appropriately dressed when I _________ (go to the grocery store, go to church, have a meeting, etc.)?
- What kinds of fashion mistakes do I keep making? Why?
- Where would I shop if money (and/or size) were no object?
Don’t get gung-ho about analyzing what others wear. Usually what is appealing about another person’s style is not the style itself, but simply their congruence.
On my own blog, The Space Between My Peers, I use the term personal style idiom defined as A style of artistic expression characteristic of a given individual …
Silhouette: guaranteed simplest way to look your slimmest. Dress within your natural silhouette and you will not have to add to your shape to create a different one. I use a 6 shape system:
- Type A (formerly triangle) = shoulders narrower than hips, waist defined or not.
- Type I (formerly rectangle or pencil) = shoulders and hips equally wide, waist slightly or not defined.
- Type O (formerly oval) = shoulders sloped and equal to hips, waist filled in.
- Type V (formerly wedge or inverted triangle) = shoulders wider than hips, waist defined or not.
- Type X (formerly hour-glass) = shoulders straight and equal to hips, waist defined.
- Type 8 (formerly figure-eight) = shoulders sloped and equal to, or slightly smaller than, hips; waist defined.
Do you remember what your shape used to be? Expect your silhouette to change as you lose weight, maybe more than once.
Color: the element most familiar to most. Suffice it to say that working within a limited color palette that is flattering to you simplifies shopping AND is most aesthetically pleasing.
Thinking through these three elements of style as you are losing should see you slim and stylish, in your own idiom, when you arrive at your goal. People who have known you may be shocked or confused, they will adapt, but people who meet you will have an opportunity to view the real you. You, on the other hand, will not need to be self-conscious or feel awkward about your appearance and can simply focus on loving God and loving people. That is what it’s about, isn’t it?
I think my “Silhouette” used to be somewhere between an X and an 8. My “former” style is hard to explain - it depended on my mood but it was never “frumpy” like it is now. I’m sick of looking like this.
Comment by Blair — January 16, 2007 @ 11:23 am
I love this stuff! Thanks so much, Rebecca:)
Comment by lady laura — January 16, 2007 @ 11:42 am
Rebecca,
Thanks so much for this! Now, if I could only figure out a weigh to print just this.
Comment by Tami — January 16, 2007 @ 11:45 am
[…] Style Challenge for the Weigh Down, appearing at One Weigh or Another. […]
Pingback by The Space Between My Peers » Now Appearing at One Weigh or Another — January 16, 2007 @ 11:49 am
Blair, you don’t look frumpy in your picture. A good haircut can be very telling when it comes to style personality.
Blessings to all of you! Thanks for letting me be here.
Comment by Rebecca — January 16, 2007 @ 11:53 am
I guess I was meaning clothing (my fat clothes are frumpy) but I agree, hairstyle goes a long way too - I hadn’t thought about that.
Comment by Blair — January 16, 2007 @ 12:00 pm
Thanks so much for the information! I’m looking forward to implementing more style to my wardrobe again.
Comment by D'Aun — January 16, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
Tami, copy and paste it into a word document and then print it.
Comment by Debs — January 16, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
I love this post. I’ve been thinking a lot about my style as my shape has changed and a whole new world of options begins to open up to me. It’s challenging in that my personal style has been changing anyway - so I’m a little confused about what I want to wear.
But boy oh boy did I score yesterday! I got a Kaspar ASL coat dress - Navy blue with light blue pinstripes and the coolest bands on the cuffs - at Goodwill for $7.50!!! Very cool. It buttons now, but I need to lose about five more for it to be ready for prime time. (and it needs to warm up since it’s a short sleeve dress) I can’t Wait!!!
Comment by blestwithsons — January 16, 2007 @ 4:51 pm
Oh hey- I have a question!! I’ll tell ya what mistake I keep making… skirt length!! Help me out Rebecca. I’m 5′2″ with an hourglass shape. What skirt length(s) should I wear/avoid?? Cause I’ve been told that some lengths make me look even more like a
dwarfhobbit.Comment by blestwithsons — January 16, 2007 @ 4:55 pm
Thanks for the advice Rebecca. I’ve been dreaming about what I’ll be able to wear when I’m thinner. I’d love to buy vintage clothes, but I’ve always been far too big. Right now I’d say I’m a type X, a very curvy X! I’m hoping my basic shape won’t change too much, just get smaller, with a more defined waist.
I’m also trying to get the best wear out of the clothes I love now, especially my hand-knits. There are some I’m going to miss when they don’t fit anymore. On the other hand, Debs, quite a few things should be coming your way in a month or two!
Comment by Bekki — January 17, 2007 @ 3:00 am
See, now this is why I’ve got my Mum and sister to lose weight - so that I can wear their cast-offs on my way down (with, of course, regard to the advice given on here!)
Comment by Debs — January 17, 2007 @ 6:17 am
blest, that’s an awesome find! I love thrifting, and it’s such a great way to acquire a wardrobe on a budget.
Skirt length: the short answer is, I don’t think you can go wrong with just below the knee. Where you probably get in trouble is with skirts that are straight and too long, it spoils the curvy shape. If you want to wear a longer skirt, find one with some shape — tulip or flared hem, or even a circle skirt. I hope that helps!
Comment by Rebecca — January 17, 2007 @ 10:25 am
Hey Rebecca - I just wanted to apologize for being such a downer the other day. I’ve had a bit on my mind…a bit stressed. Anyway, this was a fantastic post and I’ve been thinking a lot about my wardrobe and taking better care of my appearance again.
((hugs))
Comment by Blair — January 17, 2007 @ 12:07 pm
No need to apologize, Blair.
Thanks for the compliments. I just love that you ladies have the chance to support each other here and be honest about your challenges. It’s tricky, I really want to be encouraging to you all.
It’s funny how sometimes things that don’t look frumpy to others necessarily will make us feel frumpy. It’s all about what works for the individual personality.
Anyway, thanks for letting me part of what God is doing over here.
Reciprocal ((hugs)). =D
Comment by Rebecca — January 17, 2007 @ 5:39 pm