The after-work hours lately have been squarely focused on Making Pretty Things on the Internet. Polyvore and Looklet are my new babies. (Actually, Polyvore is more like my Kindergartner. Looklet is my tiny, precious infant. I love them both equally, of course.)
Aaaanyway, after I posted yet another Looklet “paper doll” to my Facebook page, I got this comment from a friend:
“OMGCHRIS! You are SOOOOO good at this! I totally worship the ground upon which you walk and would gladly kiss your ring. Each day I peer into my closet and think ‘What Would Chris Wear’? Sadly, I’m not nearly as savvy as you in these matters and I am desperate for your guidance…please show me the way! I have interviews coming up and despite my years of education and work history, I’m just certain that I will be judged not on the content of my resume but on the color of my single-button blazer! What should I do?”
It was something like that, anyway. Maybe it was just “hey these are cool, I wish we could shop together”. Either way, it was a cry for help.
So here’s what I came up with:
Face & name blurred to protect the person whose permission I didn't ask for.
Blur is a woman of an indeterminate age (I’d guess hovering somewhere in the early to mid-30′s, although she has a younger face), on the shorter side, with size running from 10-14 depending on the maker/cut. She’s an hourglass, leaning toward pear; larger chest, wider hips, smaller waist. And she’s located in an area that I would type as “business casual” (geography, believe it or not, makes a difference).
Traditionally, I think you would tell a short woman to dress monochromatically in order to create a “long, lean line”, but this is a rule that every woman of every size instinctively knows because every woman of every size wants to look like a long, lean line at least now and then. The cock-up happens when varied women of varied sizes want to create Visual Interest and have no idea how to do it because Visual Interest happens differently for different body shapes.
Because Blur is short and curvy, I recommend that she make use of jackets. (And in warm weather, pick lighter materials and don’t be afraid to roll/push the sleeves to 3/4 length. Really, it’s OK.) I picked neutral, single-button blazers that are woman-shaped, not boxy, that should hit right at the hip, and advised her to use her top as an accessory. Trousers are also neutral, with a straight leg or slightly wide leg.
Aiming for Visual Interest and de-emphasizing her rack, we choose a bold, colorful top and mixed neutrals. In an interview situation, you want the focal point to be your head, after all. Because Blur is fair of skin and ginger of hair, I liked olive, very light khaki and warm grey for her neutrals and brighter jewel tones for her colors.
Putting the color on top, a seam at the hip, and a great pair of shoes on the bottom will naturally cause the eye to sweep from top to bottom and back again, where it will finally rest on Blur’s twinkling eyes and lovely smile.
Because I entered into this enthusiastically with a minimum of questions, I had no idea how Blur defined “inexpensive”. I used Polyvore to search for items less than $50 at national stores with online shops. The 19 pieces featured can be obtained at Old Navy and Forever 21 for less than $500, BUT, since much of these are neutral basics, chances are good that Blur has at least a few comparable items already in her closet. And that’s the best piece of advice of them all.
SHOP YOUR CLOSET. No matter what your budget is, you own stuff. Y0u paid for it already. Get good wear out of it before you replace it.
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