Cardigan: Lane Bryant (fall 2011)
Camisole: Lane Bryant (spring 2011)
Skirt: eShakti (fall 2011)
Tights: We Love Colors (fall 2011)
Shoes: Bamboo, at ModCloth (winter 2012)
Earrings: gift from parents, Alaska (fall 2011)
Necklace: gift from parents, Alaska (fall 2011)

I like how the outfit came out, even thought it’s not exactly how I originally intended! The plan was to match my undershirt to the tights, but after I was already half-dressed, I ransacked my room searching for my maroon tank top, with absolutely no success. I grabbed the bright green cami, since I’ve worn it with this sweater before and knew it would look all right. It works just fine!

No stranger to this sweater, the hematite set is. I could try other pieces of jewelry, but this necklace and these earrings fit so nicely. My parents really couldn’t have brought back a better Alaskan gift for me.

Well, except for maybe a couple husky dogs.

Yes, yes. These shoes again. I hope you’re not getting tired of them, because I sure am not! Cute and comfortable, they seem to go with everything. Or is that just my wishful thinking?

Hat: Macy’s (fall 2008)
Scarf: Target (fall 2011)
Shirt: Lane Bryant (spring 2008)
Cardigan: Target (fall 2011)
Skirt: Lane Bryant (fall 2008)
Tights: Target (fall 2011)
Shoes: Aerosoles (winter 2011)
Earrings: Lane Bryant (summer 2009)

This day, it all started with the hat. I wanted to put off washing my hair for just one more day, and pulled out my trusty hat. Everything else just fell from there: I grabbed the cardigan next, then the shirt, and topped it all off with the flowered scarf. It was a cozy day in the office, believe me!

When I wear this hat, I like to wear large hoop or disc earrings. It balances out the shape of the hat, and I like the way it looks.

It’s taken me a while, but I’m phasing these shoes out of regular rotation in my collection. They are cute and comfortable, but not for the work day. By the time I’m on the metro home, my feet are achy and my shins are killing me. They are good for show, but not really for function.

Sweater: Old Navy (fall 2008)
Blouse: Torrid (winter 2011)
Skirt: eShakti (winter 2012)
Tights: We Love Colors (fall 2011)
Shoes: Bamboo, at ModCloth (winter 2012)
Earrings: Torrid (winter 2011)

Another outfit styled around the shoes! I wore this outfit both to a tea-party bridal shower and to work the following week. I’ve worn this sweater/blouse combination before, but this time it’s paired with my new grey eShakti skirt (regular sizing, not custom!) and the fabulously wonderful oxfords.

The bridal shower was a lot of fun, and even though I am not a fan of separate, single sex parties, it was a very pleasant early afternoon with friends and family of the bride. There a tasty quiche, along with finger sandwiches and petits fours, plus a never-ending pot of tea.

Tiny rose earrings keep the distractions away and focus on the simpleness of the rest of the outfit.

Again, I love these shoes. You are going to see a lot of them over the next few weeks.

The other day, when I went to post another outfitblog, I realized that I didn’t have any photos uploaded! Hopefully that will be rectified by the end of the weekend. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about how store-bought clothing fits.

Recently I posted about my measurements, writing about how knowing them, instead of being scared and shying away from them, has helped me figure out the ways clothes fit me and what styles I like to try and why. This, coupled with learning a lot about size acceptance and stopping the hate against myself and my body, in turn has helped my self-esteem and pruned my wardrobe of unflattering items.

However, there’s another side to this as well: my increasingly growing frustration with clothes shopping, and my dwindling patience against crap that doesn’t fit.

For example: Thursday night, I stopped at the mall after work. I needed some fashion tape for an upcoming wedding I’m attending, and I knew Torrid carried it. I figured I’d pick up the tape, maybe try on a few pretty dresses, and come home with a couple new purchases.

Turns out they were out of fashion tape, but I decided to browse the store anyway. I grabbed a bunch of things—including jeans!—and made my way into the dressing room. An hour later, I left the store with three pair of panties, owl earrings, and a butterfly necklace.

Here are some of the things I tried on…

• Black satin ruffle shrug
• Red with black hearts cardigan
• Heart print crepe tie neck top
• Butterfly print cropped cardigan

…plus five pair of jeans.

The shrug looked really bad at the bottom of my boobs, but the size larger had super wide shoulders that winged out. The tie neck top had an elastic hem that I couldn’t quite style properly at my hips. The butterfly cardigan gapped at the buttons (and the size up was too big). The red sweater with the hearts on it seemed to fit the best, but I still wasn’t in love with it, and I didn’t want to plop down $40 on something I wasn’t in love with.

And the jeans! Oh boy, where to start! I tried on a pair of curvy straight and a pair of curvy skinny jeans, both in size 20 (regular). The straights just weren’t my style, and the skinnies were way too long, both in the leg and the waist. If I pulled them up so the crotch fit where it’s supposed to, the waist sit directly under my boobs. I moved onto the size 20 S (S for short, Torrid’s term for petite), but while all the lengths were fine, I had trouble buttoning. Next up, size 22 S, which was just a smidge tight in the hips and gave me a bit of a muffin top. Last try for the size 24 S, which gaped at the butt and showed off my underpants.

After the jeans, I gave up for the night.

It used to be that I would leave a store with plenty of things, not particularly because I loved them all, but because I figured they were good enough. I didn’t care enough about my body to think it was worthy of well-fitting clothes. I would tell myself that fat girls are supposed to be frumpy, not completely understanding that very attitude wasn’t helpful at all!

Reading other people’s blogs and seeing lovely outfits on beautiful people of all sizes inspired me to start choosing clothing carefully, seeing it as something fashionable and not just something to keep my naked body covered. Once I got to that point, I felt less likely to throw down my charge card on ill-fitting or poorly-constructed clothing.

For these reasons, I’ve come up with two options that I’m turning to more and more: learning to sew, and buying from Etsy. I’ll feel better about those loose blouses or long pants once my skills at the sewing machine have matured beyond simple tote bags. And Etsy is great at finding a seamstress to make an amazing custom-fit dress! Last weekend for a combined bachelor/ette dinner, I wore the best wiggle dress in the world—mine is mustard and brown instead of red and black—and the bride told me she was impressed with how well it fit. (Sadly, I don’t have any good photos of me in this dress yet. To be fixed someday, for sure!)

So maybe I am a little picky about what I put on my body, but I know that when I do find something, it will look amazing and I will feel totally and completely at east.

Photo credit: “Eaton Centre HDR” from christopher.woo

Shirt: Old Navy (summer 2011)
Cami: Lane Bryant (spring 2011)
Shawl: hand-knit, Maple Creek Farms (spring 2011)
Skirt: Lane Bryant (spring 2009)
Earrings: gift from mom (fall 2009)

Another outfit based on one item, and this time it’s the hand-knit shawl! I bought the yarn last October at NY Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck, worked on the Trinity Shawlette last spring, and finally blocked the piece a couple weeks ago.

Sadly, this shirt has developed a small stain near the neckline; it’s a tiny discoloration that’s probably only noticed by me, but still. I can get away with a few more wears by adding scarves or shawls to the outfit. I added the green cami, peeking out of the hemline, to bring the colors together.

Here’s a close up of the shawl. It’s not a full-size shawl (more of a shawlette, as noted in the pattern’s title) and it’s just big enough to wrap around my neck. I love the colors, which pulled me over to it at Rhinebeck in the first place. I had no idea what I was going to knit with it at that time, but knew I needed to bring it home with me.

I topped it all off with the earrings from my mother. They do seem to go with everything!

I must have been wearing my black boots with this outfit, because I can’t figure out why I wouldn’t have taken any shoe photos that day.

Here they are, guys, for everyone to see: my measurements.

Shoulder width: 16″
Bust: 47.5″
Underbust: 36.5″
High waist (2″ above belly button): 42″
Natural waist: 38″
Hips (fullest): 52″
Thighs: 27.5″
Calves: 19″
Arm thickness: 15″
Arm length: 20″
Shoulder to waist: 13.5″
Inseam: 30″
Height: 5’4.5″
Foot length: 9.5″

What does these mean for me in terms of pre-made, store-bought women’s US sizing?

Dresses: usually 18-20
Shirts and tops: between 14-22
Skirts and pants: between 18-24
Shoes: 7-9
Bras: usually 36K

Some may think these should remain private, that a lady should not speak of her measurements outside the dressmaker’s shop, much like she never reveals her age or weight. (For the record, I’m 33 years old, and the doctors put my weight in the “morbidly obese” category. I don’t own a scale). But I think these numbers are helpful, not only to me, but to other people who may stumble across my blog and wonder if a cute shirt or pretty dress could work for them.

ModCloth recently added the option of providing your measurements to your profile; I quickly added mine, but a majority of users have opted to keep theirs private. “it’s easy to feel insecure due to body-perfection pressure,” the blog reads. “After all, anything we divulge puts us at risk for judgment.”

Until I discovered theories about size acceptance a few years ago, I was terrified of judgment. I thought there were problems with my body. Lots of problems, actually. In order to fit into all the cute, sexy, and stylish clothing, I thought my body had to conform to a certain set of standards. I’ve since cast off those thoughts, and little by little have seen my measurements as an ally, not an enemy to be feared!

Knowing my measurements has helped me figure out a few things about my body and they way pre-made, store-bought clothing fits me:

• I’m on the cusp of petite/regular. I’m too tall for some petite pants, but too short for some regular. I either wear heels or get pants hemmed.
• I’m short-waisted and I have a short rise. This explains a bit about my aversion to wearing pants.
• I have a tiny waist, compared to my bust and hip measurements. It’s almost an “hour glass” except I do have a round tummy.
• I have a “fold” at my belly button, making it my natural waistline. Most guidelines claim natural waistline and belly button are not the same.
• I have average-to-narrow shoulders, which is why button-front shirts rarely fit me properly. I have to go up sizes for my bust, which makes the back and shoulders droopy and ill-fitting.
• I have a smaller ribcage than bust, waist, or hips. My small underbust measurement, coupled with my large bust, makes it difficult to find good-fitting bras.

…and these are just some of the things I’ve learned.

However, I make the decisions for myself about what clothing or styles I want to wear. There are a lot of “rules” for what certain body types are supposed to wear, but all these rules are meant to “hide flaws” or “balance imperfections”. Eff that shiznit, I come up with my own rules, based on trial and error, experience, and my own blog of photographic evidence—now almost six months old!

I think Tia from Reading in Skirts said it best:

I like the idea of my blogging being a public diary of what I wore and why. A lot of the “why” for me is managing my interactions with my body, and learning to love it. It might be hard to understand that if you don’t know what my body is really like.

Learning about my body has helped in building my self-esteem, which in turn forms my opinions over what I like to wear, and why. It allows me to experiment with clothing I find pleasing, adorable, classy, or wild, without worrying about what rules I’m supposed to be following.

For example, short-waisted women are told they should never wear wide belts that draw attention to their middles; I’ve done that in October and in December, and really like both looks. Rules also state that short-waisted women should wear tunics to hide the position of their waists, but tunics often look frumpy or baggy on me because I have large bust, small waist, large hips.

Publishing my measurements puts me at risk for judgment, yes, but I also think that it could lead others to think about their own bodies, and possibly foster a discussion about fashion styles, in an encouraging, body-positive manner. No more snarking, no more bitchy comments about who shouldn’t be wearing what. Take the good things and come up with your own comfortable style, then share it with the world.

Sweater: Torrid (winter 2006)
Skirt: Torrid (fall 2006)
Tights: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Bamboo, at ModCloth (winter 2012)
Earrings: Claire’s (fall 2010)
Necklace: Claire’s (fall 2008)

This outfit was totally built around the shoes. I started at the bottom and worked my way up from there: shoes, tights, skirt, sweater. The accessories were a mere afterthought.

Something is off with this sweater! I loved it when I bought it, and I still do. It’s deceptively warm for its weight, and the neckline is cute and adorable. Perhaps the lines don’t work well with the skirt. I will try it again another time… if the temperatures ever dip back down below the 50s.

The necklace is not terribly noticeable, but I still felt a little naked without it. The pearls give the vintage-styled sweater a touch of class.

These shoes are full of love. Love. Not only are they omg-holy-crap-how-awesome-are-those? but they are super comfortable. Yes! I could walk miles in these shoes, unlike some of the other dressier options I have. I’d been looking for a good non-sneaker semi-casual shoe for a while, and I found it in these. Ever day they are worn get a “Hey! Cute shoes!” from someone passing by.

Cardigan: Lane Bryant (fall 2009)
Shirt: Lane Bryant (spring 2008)
Leggings: Just My Size, gift from Mom (Christmas 2009)
Socks: Target (fall 2011)
Shoes: Target (summer 2011)

Some days while working from home, I don’t want to get out of my pajamas, but I find I am more productive if I do get dressed. This day I also had a doctor’s appointment, but had absolutely no need to get all gussied up. I didn’t even put on any accessories!

This is one of my favorite cozy cardigans. It’s amazing in the winter, with it’s warmth and all, but looks pretty good with a lot of things (like the dress last month). It does look pretty good over jeans, but I’m still not 100% comfortable in them; I may try a couple more outfits styled around jeans, though.

No accessories, but cute socks! I hope Target’s stock changes soon, because I’m running out of in-store items that I haven’t bought yet.

Shirt: Target (winter 2012)
Cardigan: Lane Bryant (fall 2008)
Skirt: Goodwill (fall 2011)
Tights: Lane Bryant
Shoes: Aerosoles (winter 2011)
Earrings: Lane Bryant (fall 2011)

I usually love wearing a long-sleeved tee shirt beneath this short-sleeved cardigan, but something is not right with this outfit. Something in the lines is off, and making me call this one a dud. Perhaps the neckline on the tee is too high? I’m not used to wearing crew-neck shirts. I also think a higher heel would have been better with the style and fall of the skirt.

My new favorite earrings! I should go back over all my outfits since buying them, and count how many feature these earrings. I would love to get more pair like this.

The day was not as cold as the day before, but thicker tights were still needed. While these shoes are super cute, I think I really need to stop wearing them into the office. With the amount of walking I love to do, the flats of these cause a lot of shin pain.

Sweater: Lane Bryant (winter 2010)
Skirt: Lane Bryant (summer 2009)
Boots: Style & Co., Macy’s (fall 2010)
Earrings: Fashion Bug (spring 2010)

This outfit was built for warmth! I woke up that morning to hear that the temperatures in DC were hovering around 19 degrees F. I worried. I started rummaging around my room looking for something to keep me from freezing on the bus. I pulled out my favorite, warmest sweater and got to work compiling an outfit.

You can’t see it in the photos, but there’s a lot going on under the surface. I’ve got on a thin thermal tee shirt beneath this sweater; while it is one of my warmest, I knew I’d need a little something extra. And under the skirt? Thermal long-johns covered with thick black leggings.

The neckline of the sweater means I don’t have to wear a necklace with it, but I picked cute little earrings that pretty much work with everything I own, except maybe the formal wear.

Boots. These boots are not necessarily warm, but they can be when you layer them with two pairs of thick socks. It took me a few minutes to loosen the laces on these so I could fit my sock-covered feet back into them.