14. A denim dress & let's talk about sizing (not what you think...)

Hello,

Life is a journey of learning how to be ourselves more and be able to express that freely, openly, and confidently.

Style Design can give that freedom, through our clothes. The freedom of acceptance, a knowing, an ease. This week I’ve been thinking about how much Substack feels like the right place to share my passion for finding this in ourselves.

Helping you to find it in yourself.

To be more real with the reality of dressing. The flaws. The joys. Letting go of what does not serve you.

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As the weeks go by and mid-September is here (what!?), It feels weird still posting summer pictures. But here we are! Late summer holiday realities but the weather I believe has also been so nice at home…

On Sunday, I will do a final (promise) round-up of holiday outfits, styled and pictured before I left home versus real-life wearing/ outfits taken over the last couple of weeks.

As I am sharing the Substack love, here are a couple of other pages I am really enjoying on styling; Jane on Denim; Becky Malinsky & 5 Things you Should Buy and Meghan’s Substack.

Thanks for being here and hope you enjoy this post.

Julie x

Seville is glorious. I’ve never been before and love the laid-back vibe they’ve got going on.

There’s a lot of tapas being eaten and churros being dipped in chocolate but most importantly finally, sunny outfits are getting worn…(no more jumpers!).

(More on all the outfits on Sunday!).

The Dress I’ve been mooching in

I bought this little denim dress on a trip to Copenhagen a couple of months ago from a lovely inexpensive Danish brand called MSCH Copenhagen. (There is something lovely about keeping up an item you are really looking forward to wearing, for holidays.)

This dress has made me think about something very real in styling.

How sizing can impact an outfit. But today I am not talking about fit.

There are so many who think ‘Will it come in my size’ first and foremost? Today, I want to just challenge that a little. When it comes to my own body, over time I have learnt that more than likely (on my top half) I will try a size up from what my actual size is. Not because of the ins and outs of brand’s sizing (though that is a factor) but more to do with how I feel I get the best balance for my body, feel the best, and have the best proportions.

‘I am a 10 therefore I wear a 10’ left my mind long ago.

I am a 10 on top/ 12 on the bottom, therefore in order to feel more balanced and feel smaller/ taller overall, thinking of volume and sizing on my top half in a different way allows me to do that.

The trick is to match the two halves, not emphasise the smaller half.

When we open our minds to exploration when trying, we leave so much more space to discover things that really do work for our bodies, that we might never have thought possible.

There are all sorts of reasons to bring different sizes and shapes into a fitting room. But the primary one is to see how different sizes and amounts of volume give your overall body and your proportions the best balance possible and that’s not always about the size of your body but what you need your clothes to do.

I bought this dress in an XL. Yes, partly this is because it is that tricky A-line shape for my hips. Being bigger on the hips means, well you do just have to go up a size to get the perfect skim! But XL for me overall, is about more movement, space and room on the top half also, which gives me a lovely feeling of my hips feeling more in proportion.

Let’s explore for your body…

Truths

About 80% of women think they are a size they are not.

I have found that most women have unconscious feelings when it comes to trying on certain things.

It could be a certain style or item, a print or colour that reminds you of a distant past or in this case an idea on sizing that you just believe you are.

This goes both ways. You can think you are a size smaller than you are and then wonder why your clothes don’t feel good or you can think you are a size bigger (which is much more common).

Today, I just want to explore the thoughts of ‘This is my size and this is what I will try’.

First..

Consider your body in two halves - over your ‘size’

When picking for a client the first thing I want to understand is their body as a whole but I do this by first understanding the two halves. Which half do we need to bring more balance too?

If you hold more weight on your bottom half

If you are smaller on top but a size or more bigger on the bottom half (like me for my denim dress - I am a 12 on the bottom and a 10 on the top), I would play with a size up on the top half and a neat fit on the bottom and in doing so the two halves will look more in balance and most importantly, you will feel slimmer overall because you have a achieved a look of balance between the two halves.

There are many ways to do this and there are considerations (like if there’s a shoulder seam that sits too far out and it just looks wrong). It’s all a balance but playing with sizing and volume as a Pear is a vital part of exploring styling options.

You can do this more easily with a looser style or with a dropped sleeve like this Jigsaw ‘Cape Button Jumper’.

Explored with volume and sizing here with this Jigsaw Merino Rib Layered Top.

Image from Pinterest. One size up on the top but also adding balance using an interesting, fuller fabric.

The Hush Della Wool Blazer is also a good example. I would look at an item like this for a ‘pear’ and think interesting texture fabric to add depth (tick), go up a size (tick), keep it simple on the bottom so the eye is drawn up creating more of a balance between the two halves.

Arket usually have a version of this jumper style, which again is a great one to explore how slightly oversized feels even without going up a size.

If you hold more weight on your top half

On the other side of the styling equation, you can have narrow hips with little curve on the bum or around the hips but have broad shoulders and/or bigger bust and or shoulders/ back/ tummy.

In any of these cases, I come back to the same basic question. How will break down the 2 halves of the body and achieve a balance, so you will feel the most in proportion?

I change to the opposite strategy (strategy is a horrible word perhaps but for me it works - our approach to our outfits and our bodies takes an understanding and a strategy to begin with before you find your creative flow). I would go for more volume & width on the bottom half and shorter, neater and great-fitting items around the shoulder for the top half. In some cases this means bigger sizing, but on the bottom half this is more likely to be about volume, depth, layers and creating width creatively over sizing.

Therefore, the broader top half is made to look neater & more in proportion when the smaller bottom half has been given more volume and depth.

One of my favourite Autumn brands for clients is always Poetry. These are their Indigio-Dyed Culottes. This is the simplicity on the shoulder (and V Neck to minimise) combined with more volume and shape on the bottom. Not necessarily size will be bigger here as it should fit neat on the waist.

Poetry Trousers here perhaps a size up with a good, simple proportions on the top half giving great overall body balance.

This printed silk skirt also from Poetry is a good example. It’s got an elasticated waist so perfect to try a size up if you do hold weight in the tummy, with an interesting print, shape and flow to create a great balance between your top and bottom half. (just an aside I’m not mad about a boat neck if you have a large bust or broad shoulders but alas it is how this lovely skirt is styled!)

With an item like this jumpsuit from Jigsaw (The Strokes Floral Jumpsuit) I would play with this by bringing in 2 or 3 sizes. I love the extra wide leg and pleats that give more depth at the hips. Balanced with the simple V neck and droop sleeves to minimise the top. With things like a wrap style dress or a jumpsuit like this, the higher waistline also really minimises the top half while drawing the eye down. A jump suit is super for exploration if you are top-heavy.

Therefore, shifting our thinking about our bodies and what we are trying to achieve in an outfit is where our thoughts on sizing should start. Thinking about a size label first only ends in heartache.

Takeaways on Sizing

Ask yourself what do you want the item to do for your shape, your body?

If you feel you are two different sizes on your two halves, shift your thinking and go up a size on your smaller half, explore how this feels. Are you onto something good?

Where do you need balance to give me a more hourglass shape?

Remember, hourglass is achieved when the shoulders and hips sit in line and the waist appears the narrowest point. This does not have to be a physical truth but can be created through your clothes.

What is your style or the style aesthetic you love?

Many looks/ outfits are loved because they give an oversized vibe, a relaxed silhoutte or a fitted girliness just to name a couple. We are each individual in what we like. Thinking about sizing is therefore a mixture of understanding your body and understanding the style you are creating. It is therefore relevant even if you are the same size on your top and bottom half.

What is the sizing like with the brand you are trying?

I think we all know this but just in case. We are never the same size in every shop but from my experience, women feel frustrated at this reality, feeling irritated at going into Zara and being and XL when in reality, it’s good to know! Knowledge is power. Buy for the you you are today, and let go of the loaded beating yourself-up thoughts. Embrace the fun of just knowing and accepting your style realities.

Know what annoys you and what feels fine (to you).

The MSCH denim dress I’m wearing on holidays is a good example of this. Going up to XL means I do have this underarm gap (you can slightly see my bra). Does it bother me as much as say going down a size and feeling the denim is pinching my hips? No. Choose your battles and know your limits and what feels good to you.

I’m always in the comments to answer any questions - so please feel free.

As always, please do share this post with anyone you think you might like it.

Have a great rest of week.

Julie x