How to flatter your figure with a different fit, Dress 544

 I had heard of the rule of thirds in photography, but not in clothes.

You can look at the rule of thirds up and down or side to side when composing or cropping a photo of yourself or another human body or a landscape. I like to have the head, hair, hands and feet in the picture. Some newspaper editors, on the contrary, crop faces to cut off hair and show eyes to make eyes bigger and a small face photo bigger on the page. 

I prefer central interest. Symmetry. I agree that a figure on one side can be arresting, especially if it frames the distant view.

Now, what about clothes. Can we apply the rule of thirds? We can make sure that a colour accent is in all thirds of the picture, the hairband, the belt and the shoes.

I look at myself in a full length mirror before taking photos. I try front view, sideways, head turned, arms out and in, up or down, forward and back.

I add and remove belts. Smaller or larger bags. Complementary or contrasting colours.

Finally, we take two or three photos and compare the poses. What is the photo trying to show? The hat, the shoes, the ensemble, the colours, my smile, my waist? 

Rules I follow are

1 Long Line Clothes

If you are short, and want to look don't wear a separate skirt and top. Don't wear a short skirt, nor a short top. Wear a long dress. Down to the ankles and up to the neck is the longest look. You can also add a hairpiece, headband, or matching hat to increase the up and down effect.

2 High Bras

To look younger, if you have droopy breasts, hitch up the bra straps. You can shorten them by sewing them. Or tighten the clasp at the back. Or buy a different size bra.

3 Zoom Necklines

 When appearing on Zoom, or TV, add neck interest. The necklace can co-ordinate or contrast in colour. A pendant makes a long line. A choker ensures the necklace appears visible in close up. Add a hair slide to match to make a co-ordinated effect.

4 Avoid Accidental Nakedness

Don't wear spaghetti straps and above all not a strapless top. From some camera angles you will appear naked which totally distracts the viewer from what you are saying. Wear camisoles or long slips to cover up unwrapping wrap dresses and tops and losing elastic in half slips or knickers. 

Keep a spare safety pin in your bag or clutch bag. (For what the UK calls a bag, Americans say purse.)

5 Hidden Belts

To make a belt less conspicuous, when dressmaking, make it from the same fabric. When altering clothes, cut fabric from a hem to cover part of the belt. 

6 Camouflage Belts

Cover the belt with ribbon of the same colour as the dress.

7 How To Create An Hourglass look

Cut the belt in half. Attach the two halves to the two side seams and fasten the belt at the back. The result is a garment which is pulled in at the waist without any dividing line. This creates an hour-glass look.

8 Shorten Belts

To shorten a long belt, or fasten a hanging piece of belt, make extra loops on your dress, skirt, or trousers (US pants) or shorts. make a loop of the same fabric. Use hair band doubled over. Turn the belt so the loose part is behind you and wear a jacket to hide it. On a fabric belt, sew on a button and loop, or press studs or a hook and eye. Buy an iron on hook and close set and iron it on the belt.

9 Matching Shoes

Go shopping for shoes when you buy a new outfit. Saves carrying the new item around a second day. To match shoes, take a tiny piece of fabric from the hem, or cut tiny triangles out of the side seam hems. Either glue these to shoes or to clips which go on shoes.

10 Toe and Nail Varnish

Ensure your finger nail varnish matches your toe nail varnish. When having nails done at a salon, ask to buy the same colour or similar varnish so that you can touch up on holiday and when travelling.

11 Nail Varnish As Paint

Use nail varnish which you will be wearing to add blobs of colour to fashion ear-rings, necklaces, pendants, brooches, bracelets, belt buckles, shoe heels, shoe toes, shoe undersides  and handbag clasps. (Not silver and gold, but to brighten up old, unworn items.)   

12 Ribbon Accessories

Use ribbons to make matching hair bands, chockers, ties for pendants, ties, bow ties, and bows on blouses and dress necks, epaulettes, small ribbons on cuffs, belts, rosettes on brooches or shoes, and ribbons attached to dresses, and ribbons on skirts and dress skirts, and covers for books, diaries and phones, and book marks for diaries and books. Ribbons can also be used to make rosettes or diamonds to cover holes, tears, torn seams, and stains, and odd buttonholes left when the button is missing. 

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-11438003/Mama-Mila-Follow-rule-thirds-make-outfit-flattering.html#comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds