I went thrift store shopping yesterday, and was able to add one more top in my autumn colors. I also ordered more used books on the subject, copies for me and copies for my daughter.
I helped Anne with a few colors. She is a cool, probably a summer. She looked very good in my off-white ruffled jacket, and in baby pink. I am thinking Ariana is a spring.
From Colleen Hammond's webinar on Tuesday on developing a uniform for stay-at-home-moms, I learned a few more tips for the pear shape. She suggests pencil skirts and boat neck tops. I am maxed out on scarves, which are difficult for me to wear anyway because I am so short. Some alternatives would be earrings, hair ornaments and necklaces. I can also try cutting the scarves to make them smaller.
I already got two compliments on my new hair style.
For closet cleaning, Colleen uses the acronym KATDOM - Keep, Alter, Toss, Donate, Orphan and Memento. I am working on that bit by bit. Each item in your closet should match at least three other items. I have two blouses from Old Navy which I bought last year, and which are both in my season. However, the sleeves are too long on me. Not only do I need to rip the cuffs off to alter them, but I also need to put in new sleeve plackets. I have only made one blouse before, and I remember that that part was a bit fussy. Thinking I can do a simple version for the sake of having room to put my hands through my sleeves. I am not looking forward to it, however. I also have to hem the new skirt. I have one memento item, a sweater which I got from Fr. Dosh when he left Minnesota for Venezuela way back when. It is actually in the fall palette. It is too small for me to wear buttoned, however. it will probably just stay there as a relic. I will not allow my husband to wear it.
Enough for now. Off to more second hand stores, and then to gardening.
Pear Notes:
-Jackets should end above the hip.
-Use small belts.
-No pockets, pleats or patterns on the bottom.
-Tops should be slim and fitted.
-Shoulders should be properly fitted.
-Emphasize the shoulder area with embellishments.
-Use lighter colors on top.
-Use color, patterns and eye catching details on top.
-A line or pencil skirts are best, but not a pencil skirt which is angled in at the bottom.
-No ruffles on the bottom.
Suggested reading:
The Lost Art of Dress, Linda Pryzbyszewski (That could be a name from around here!)
The Woman Who Once Made America Stylish
Fabrics and Dress (Home economics book from the 1950's - 1970's)
Lose Your Mommy Tummy
Friday, July 10, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Closet Update
I have been busy watching Colleen Hammond videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfIJMf3xA2J9PuQFtEWt2gying, participating in her webinars and studying color analysis, and I have been enjoying it very much.
The first video which I saw must have been the color video. After that I ordered the classic book on the subject, Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson. After reading Carole's book and doing some more internet searching I was still stumped on my personal color. I asked my daughter what she thought, and disagreed with her analysis. I took pictures of my face outdoors and tried to plug the pictures into a web site advertising personal color analysis; the link did not accept my picture. I looked in the phone book for salons or image consultants who could help, and found nothing. Finally I called a friend, who referred me to another friend. Bingo. She said that as she remembered me, I was an autumn. I did the gold and silver test on my hands to verify her guess. I think she is correct. This evening I am meeting with another friend who does wardrobe consulting to see if she says the same thing. Then I will be off to look for clothing items in my colors. Funny thing is that the autumn palette is the one I like the least. It reminds me of old kitchen appliances in harvest gold, avocado and burnt orange! I get to be a refrigerator from the 70's! As time passes, though, I am more accepting, and I am looking forward to trying my colors. I currently own nothing in that palette but a wool sweater and a few scarves which have some of the colors in them. Most of my shoes are not even the right colors! Much of my jewelry is also the wrong color.
Next were the videos on line and body type. I am a pear type. I have at least three skirts in my closet which are the wrong style for a pear. That new jacket which I just purchased at the thrift store for its big, beautiful button has wide sleeves and falls at the hip, again poor choices for a pear; I would hem it up, but that would involve moving well sewn pockets and possibly make holes in the fabric. I should be wearing darker colors on the bottom, lighter on the top. A small print on bottoms would help camouflage lumps and bumps, but otherwise I should have solids on the bottom. I should also avoid skirts with ruffles, tiers, pleats and side pockets. I should always tuck in my blouses and wear a small belt.
Colleen gives great tips on lines. Hemlines are the first thing the eye sees, because they are horizontal. Diagonal lines are seen from left to right, since that is how we read in our country. We see light lines first, then dark. "Rounds add pounds."
I am not sure that I would have the memory needed to pursue these topics in college courses, but I am hoping to apply the tips that I have learned as I make new clothing purchases.
The first video which I saw must have been the color video. After that I ordered the classic book on the subject, Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson. After reading Carole's book and doing some more internet searching I was still stumped on my personal color. I asked my daughter what she thought, and disagreed with her analysis. I took pictures of my face outdoors and tried to plug the pictures into a web site advertising personal color analysis; the link did not accept my picture. I looked in the phone book for salons or image consultants who could help, and found nothing. Finally I called a friend, who referred me to another friend. Bingo. She said that as she remembered me, I was an autumn. I did the gold and silver test on my hands to verify her guess. I think she is correct. This evening I am meeting with another friend who does wardrobe consulting to see if she says the same thing. Then I will be off to look for clothing items in my colors. Funny thing is that the autumn palette is the one I like the least. It reminds me of old kitchen appliances in harvest gold, avocado and burnt orange! I get to be a refrigerator from the 70's! As time passes, though, I am more accepting, and I am looking forward to trying my colors. I currently own nothing in that palette but a wool sweater and a few scarves which have some of the colors in them. Most of my shoes are not even the right colors! Much of my jewelry is also the wrong color.
Next were the videos on line and body type. I am a pear type. I have at least three skirts in my closet which are the wrong style for a pear. That new jacket which I just purchased at the thrift store for its big, beautiful button has wide sleeves and falls at the hip, again poor choices for a pear; I would hem it up, but that would involve moving well sewn pockets and possibly make holes in the fabric. I should be wearing darker colors on the bottom, lighter on the top. A small print on bottoms would help camouflage lumps and bumps, but otherwise I should have solids on the bottom. I should also avoid skirts with ruffles, tiers, pleats and side pockets. I should always tuck in my blouses and wear a small belt.
Colleen gives great tips on lines. Hemlines are the first thing the eye sees, because they are horizontal. Diagonal lines are seen from left to right, since that is how we read in our country. We see light lines first, then dark. "Rounds add pounds."
I am not sure that I would have the memory needed to pursue these topics in college courses, but I am hoping to apply the tips that I have learned as I make new clothing purchases.
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