MissusSmartyPants Personal Profile Style ArticleVolume 10 Week 29 July 16, 2015

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Your Style Questions Answered

This week it is all about YOU! This week, MissusSmartyPants answers all of the style questions you’ve sent in, collectively.

From time to time, we all come across a style quandary that we simply can't figure out. Hey, it happens. One day we are feeling pretty confident with our style...then, without warning, BAM...we're hit with a "what-to-wear" dilemma!

Have you ever declined an invitation because you didn’t know what you could possibly wear? (Does this sound familiar?) This shouldn’t happen anymore if you have the basic style tools shared by MissusSmartyPants each week.

With MSP's answers here, you’ll be ready to dress for any occasion.

Thank you so much for sending in your style questions this week!

Your questions, my answers. Enjoy!

How do I wear cropped or cuffed pants without looking frumpy?

Start by making sure the length does NOT stop mid-calf, which is the widest part of your lower leg. (Shown above) Just above ankle bones makes a good length with a slight heeled shoe. Here are ways to lengthen the leg line and balance out the effect of the rolled cuffs or an awkward cropped length: __Keep the pant leg width narrow: Rolled-up wide widths don’t work. Keeping the silhouette sleek and narrow reduces the horizontal thickness of the cuff or odd Capri length. __Either wear your pant near the ankle or above the widest part of your calf. This is the only way to slim your leg when you wear this hard to wear proportion. __Choose a low contrast color. Dark stone washed cuffed jeans have high contrast cuffs whereas light stone washed cuffed jeans create low contrast cuffs. Low contrast means the horizontal line is not as noticeable…which elongates the leg.

__Choose a low-contrast shoe (and outfit for that matter). Keeping the shoe color low in contrast or close to the color of your skin, this visually extends the length of the leg.

__Wear all the SAME COLOR SATURATION. Choose your top to match your bottoms in the same color saturation. This elongates and slims you and is especially good when wearing cropped or capri pants. __Add a belt. Creating a defined waist with a belt elongates the leg line above the crotch point...thereby extending your leg length even further. Try it- and see what I mean. __Wear heels. Unless you have super-long slim legs, it is best to wear crops with some sort of heel. This helps balance out the effect of the potentially dangerous length.

DON’T wear these! Below are loose, baggy and frumpy capris…

(Not to mention the pockets placed at the hips adds weight to your hips)

These are don’ts!

Choose these instead!

Slender fit, body skimming and worn with a slight heel make you look your best.

Nygard SLIMS Capris (Slimming high waist band)

Westbound 3/4 Sleeve Tie-Front Top

Add a necklace to complete your look...

Natasha Tribal Leaves Necklace-on sale!

QUESTION: Wear a necklace or a belt...or perhaps, I can wear both???

To wear both a necklace and a belt at the same time, it takes some playing around in front of a full-length mirror to see what works best for you. Take into account the necklace length and the belt color when deciding IF the combination works successfully. __Pair any belt with a short necklace. The belt can be any width and any color (either matching or high contrast). With a short necklace (above the bust), the two accessories are far enough apart that they don’t compete as much.

__Short-waisted? Your best choice is to wear a short necklace and a 1-2 inch slim belt. Long necklaces will draw your body out of proportion quite easily and aren’t worth the attempt. __If your belt and necklace combination still doesn’t look right, leave off either the necklace or the belt. Or leave off the necklace, and instead, wear earrings (this allows for more visual space between the earrings and belt).

__Pair a matching (or low contrast) belt with any length necklace (see below).

The belt can be any width, but having the belt low contrast (matching) to the outfit, makes the necklace becomes the focal point. This allows the two accessories to successfully work together!

How can I wear a necklace with a full bust? Women with fuller busts CAN wear necklaces--and should! In fact, large statement necklaces can successfully draw attention away from the bust. It is all about choosing the right combination of necklace and neckline to make it work.

Catherines Georgette Pleated Tank (Plus Size) __Go with a lower neckline, higher necklace. Wearing necklaces, or layers of necklaces, with lower necklines like V’s, scoops, sweetheart, and open button-downs are great combinations for a larger bust. Position a rather chunky set of beads (single or multi-strand), or a necklace with a bigger pendant, so that it hangs lower down on the chest--but above cleavage. Find the right “middle” ground. Having your necklace come down a bit (not up at

your neck) and not yet down your cleavage will balance out your bust just right. __Go with a higher neckline, lower necklace. Wearing a slightly higher neckline like a boat neck or mock turtleneck requires a longer necklace (that ends mid-bust or shorter) to balance out your fuller bust. Just make sure the longer necklace does not fall straight off your bust and hang mid-air. __Try a long Y-chain or lariat necklace. You can wear a long necklace either low or with a higher neckline. This style of necklace should rest along the bust line instead of hanging off it.

Perfecto!Wearing a chunky necklace that sits right in the middle of your chest

balances out your fuller bust…

Catherines Perfect Pleat Shrug

What type of tops should I wear with my skirts? I can never get it right and I tend to look sloppy.

__Leave your top untucked. When wearing a skirt you want a moderately short, formfitting top. If wearing a less formfitting top, add a structured jacket over the top to reign in its volume. __Go ahead and tuck in your top. Try tucking in the tops that you have. You will find it really looks good because it shows off your torso. You can also create waist definition by adding a belt to the tucked-in look. __Belt over the untucked top. This works great especially if the top is on the longer side. I find I wear my skirts this way the most; top untucked with a belt over the top! __Layer a cardigan over a tucked-in sleeveless top or cami. Tuck in a plain tank top or cami into your skirt and layer over a cardigan. The cardigan can be cropped or fitted to the waist. Cropped cardigans look great with A-line skirts and pencil skirts work with all length of cardigans. Longer cardigans often look best partly buttoned up so they are more fitted. You may also want to add a pretty belt over the cardigan as well. __Go monochromatic. Wear the same color top as your skirt. When you are wearing all one color your body becomes one long, lean vertical line! Your top length won’t matter as much—even though you may want to add a belt so you have waist definition to pull the whole look together.

TRY THESE! Shorter and fitted tops (like these below) are best when wearing skirts…

(long or big-volume tops tend to look sloppy)

Cropped and regular-length cardigans are fabulous choices to wear with

skirts too…

OR

I’ve got flabby arms. Can I really go sleeveless?

I don’t think you need to have slim, toned arms, to pull off a sleeveless look. Plus sized celebrities like Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson look fabulous in sleeveless outfits. So do many women over 60 like Helen Mirren. That being said, some women simply won’t go sleeveless. I understand if you feel uncomfortable, however you might want to re-consider and just do it anyways. Here’s how: __Look for tank tops (and shells) in sturdy fabrics with good underarm coverage, and a fuller shoulder line (not spaghetti straps) with a modest neckline. Paying attention to these fit details makes all the difference! _Apply tanning lotion. Adding a little color to your skin can help visually slim them a bit. Try Jergen’s or Neutrogena’s. __Sleeveless often looks better than cap-sleeves! Cap-sleeves are best left to ladies with arms like Jillian Michaels!!! Cap-sleeves cut into your upper arms right where it they are the widest and bring attention right there! __Find your best length sleeve and relax. Best sleeve lengths for larger upper arms in at elbow or ¾. Look for light-weight fabrics, burn-out fabrics, and light georgette fabrics so you won’t overheat!

Wider straps help balance a “not so perfect” upper arm, plus they hide bras straps! You will enjoy going sleeveless when your tank is more substantial.

Ruby Rd. Scoopneck Knit Tank-various colors

Light blousy tops with elbow length sleeve are always a smart option…

Ruby Rd. Hibiscus Printed Butterfly Top ( Plus Sizes)

Skinny straps draw attention to your upper arms… so it’s a DON’T for most of us!

Cap-sleeved tops highlight big upper arms…so these are also a DON’T

for most of us...

What is a good wedding-guest look for a Type E lady? For an evening, semi-dressy, but not formal wedding?

Here is a fabulous dress for a semi-dressy wedding for body type “E”.

Fit upper body, fuller skirt...

Alex Evenings Plus Tea-Length Rosette Dress (Plus size, Shawl included!)

Could you maybe tackle some style ideas for a hot ETX outdoors volunteer summer outreach. I will be working with hurt and abused mom's and single ladies.

Good question! Start with a good wide-brimmed hat. Then wear light-colored natural fiber clothing that wicks away sweat. Be sure to remember your sunscreen in your tote bag.

Also, maybe a knee-length sundress is an option, if not Bermuda shorts and tank are always a good choice. Bump up your look with bright colors and a hat!

JCP Worthington Shirt and Shorts (7 Colors!)

JCP Framer Gold Brim Hat

Help! I have a problem. SAHM says, “Daily activities might stain what I'm wearing!”

Because of your advice, I have some nice mix-n-match clothes, that fit, in my seasonal colors, with accessories. But this question in your article got me thinking I can do better.

"What mental speed bumps are holding you back?"

I am holding myself back but not because I don't deserve to dress better. You covered this as a self esteem issue but I look at this from a practical perspective. If I have fewer clothes in my closet and I need those items to mix and match with other items, my first thought as a SAHM is, "What am I doing today that might mess up my clothes?" I think about something unexpected coming up later in the week that I might need a nicer outfit for, or that the day's activities might stain what I'm wearing.

This is also my reasoning for keeping too many items in the closet that need to be purged! What are your thoughts on overcoming those mental blocks?

MSP HERE: Excellent question! How about wearing an apron or smock to cover up your clothing you don’t want to get stained while working around the house. All you have to do is remove the apron and you’re ready to go!

DIY: Here’s a cute apron pattern. Personally, I’d add some pockets to this apron!

Someofthisandthat.com-diyapronpattern

I'm short, heavy busted and have a belly. I'm supposed to wear at the high hip tops and jackets, but the bottom of my belly always shows...help!!!!

How about wearing a dress instead? Also, try different tops styles like a blouson or top banded at the bottom to camouflage a tummy.

You might need to bring down the length of your tops just a bit so you have enough coverage. However, keep in mind the longer lengths can make you appear shorter and heavier. Play around with your top lengths and see what works best for you. Also, consider my above suggestions. Maybe dresses or tops and skirts will become part of your new signature style!

Chico’s Native Border Blouson Dress

Hide a tummy with tops like this. It also covers your arms!

Gianni Bini Fan Fav Layered Poncho Blouse

Is there an alternative to dressing monochromatic when you are petite?

You don’t have to wear the same color from top to bottom. The most important dressing tip I have is, wear the right proportions. As a shorter (and often) smaller woman, you need your clothes to fit proportional...meaning, smaller buttons, sleeves that fit at the elbow or your wrist bone (not longer). Jacket lengths in petite sizing are shorter in length than a regular misses jackets. This is important that you pay attention to proportion of all your clothes so that they fit you correctly.

Petite dressing tip:Petites always look taller when their hemlines and shoes match!

Mother of the groom style question

Thank you for all that you do! Giving women tools to make good wardrobe choices that leads us to positive self esteem; - you are making a huge impact in many lives.

I have been a member for quite a while now and have learned so much from you. Today I have a dilemma. I think you may have addressed this before but it wasn’t of vital interest to me at the time and I think I forgot your advice.

Scenario: A) I am the mother of the groom at a formal winter wedding. The setting is

a resort in the Mountains, where all of the wedding festivities will take place in the same building.

B) I have a beautiful dress that I love (only wore it once before) and the color blends in with color theme of the wedding. I’m attaching a picture.

These are my questions: Do I need to have a jacket or cover-up? Does this look to summer like since it has cap sleeves? If I do need a cover - up , where could I possibly find such a thing? I can sew, however finding a matching fabric has been impossible.

What about shoes - these black shoes in the picture just don’t seem right. I would appreciate any thoughts and recommendations that you have on these “big problems"

The dress is beautiful and perfect for a mother of the groom! However, the shoes are too daytime. You need satin dress pumps (like the ones shown below).

As far as cover ups, you should ask a tailor about having one made for you. If not, look for a wrap you can wear. Nordstrom has a nice selection of stoles and wraps. Perhaps one in winter white?

Adrianna Papell Satin Wrap

Adrianna Papell Pointy Toe Pumps in satin fabric

Whew! That was a lot of questions. Thank you for all who shared your question on the MSP facebook page. I’ll do my best to answer those questions that did not make the cut off in time for this article to be written.

I hope you find these in-depth answers helpful when choosing what to wear and how to wear it!

With love, Leslie MSP

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