Knowing what to wear is in essence understanding design line detail. A good way to train your eye to see it is through analyzing outfits on mannequins.
In this blog post you will learn how to see the design line and color details of a mannequin wearing Style & Co girlfriend jeans, a hoodie jacket, a hoodie sweater, a shirt and a beanie. (Macys.com: Style & Co Curvy Cuffed Girlfriend Jeans – Web ID11253555; INC Faux-Fur Hoodie Vest – Web ID 11476574; Style & Co Sweater Hoodie – Web ID 11296415; Style & Co Check-Print Flannel Shirt – Web ID 11288977; Charter Club Beanie – Web ID 11446462)
I divided the section into the five different Body Elements plus Scale Strategy:
- Body Shape
- Face Shape
- Color Skin Hair and Eyes
- Body Proportion
- Body Frame Size
- Scale Strategy
What To Wear For Body Shape
Body Shape gives you clues to the silhouette of the clothes and placement of horizontal and vertical lines. To review the different Body Shapes and the clues they give go to What Are Your Body Shape Clues.
Silhouette
Just looking at this whole outfit, you can see that it has an angular silhouette which is great for angular body shapes of “H,” “O” and “V.” You will find most clothes are designed specifically for the “H” Body Shape. However the jeans have a curvy fit for those curvy body shapes of “A,” “X” and “S.”
Horizontal Line
This outfit has many horizontal lines which are important in regards to Body Shape:
- The vest and sweater hoodies create horizontal lines at the shoulders
- The sleeve hems of the sweater hoodie and plaid shirt create horizontal lines at the waist
- The hems of the vest, sweater and shirt create more horizontal lines between the waist and crotch
- The jeans have several distressed horizontal lines in the thigh area
- The cuffs at the bottom of the jeans create horizontal lines between the knee and ankle
Having horizontal lines at the shoulders is great for the “A” and “O” Body Shapes because they create balance with their wide areas of hips and waist respectively. “V” Body Shapes should avoid horizontal lines at the shoulders because the shoulders will appear even wider.
The sleeve hems at the waist emphasize the waist area which isn’t great for the “O” Body Shape and those who carry their weight at the belly.
The horizontal lines created by the vest, sweater and shirt should be avoided by the “A” Body Shape because they will make this area appear even wider.
Even though jeans with horizontal distress lines are popular, women with larger thighs should avoid them.
Finally if you have an “A,” “O” or “V” Body Shape cuffed pant hems are great because they create 2 horizontal lines causing that area to appear wider. As a result balance is created with the rest of the body.
Vertical Lines
The vest front creates a vertical line which helps create balance for the “O” Body Shape.
What To Wear For Face Shape
Face Shape gives you clues as to the shape of:
- Inside design line details
- Prints
- Accessories
To review the different Face Shapes and the clues they give go to How To Keep Your Feet From Resembling Olive Oyl’s Feet.
The visible design lines in this outfit are from the plaid shirt print. Plaids by nature are angular which are perfect for angular faces.
Are you like me and love a print that doesn’t match your face shape? I love poke-a-dots and I have an angular face. If you have a curved Face Shape and love plaids, wear them on days that you don’t need to tap into your confidence and personal power and make sure every other design line and color match your body elements.
If plaids aren’t your thing look for another shirt with a curved print or solid.
What To Wear For Color Skin, Hair And Eyes
The color of your skin hair and eyes give you clues to:
- Colors
- Color combinations
- The scale of prints and accessories
There are four posts explaining this Body Element and the clues it gives you. To review them go to:
The colors of this outfit are blue (jeans), teal (sweater), red (shirt and beanie) and black (vest and shirt). The blue, teal and red are in the medium range and create color contrast between medium and high.
If these aren’t your favorite colors, but you like the look of this outfit, replace them with colors you like. Vests, sweaters and shirts are popular and can be found in many colors and color combinations. Use this outfit as an inspiration.
What’s important is to create an outfit with your favorite colors and color combinations which enhance your coloring.
The beanie is red matching with the red plaid shirt. It’s used as an accessory to tie in the reds. If you pick a different color shirt, look for a beanie that matches it.
What To Wear For Body Proportion
The clues Body Proportion gives you are:
- Placement of horizontal and vertical lines
- The second clue to scale of prints and accessories
To review Body Proportion and the clues it gives you go to Body Proportions — Out Of Balance?
As mentioned above this outfit has many horizontal lines and they need to be considered when looking at your body proportion. They are at the:
- Waist
- Hips
- Thighs
- Ankles
Are you short in any of these areas? If so, reconsider the piece of clothing. Replace it with one that eliminates the line or moves it to a better place. For example, if you don’t want a horizontal line at the waist because you’re short between your bust and waist, wear the sleeves at the wrist and don’t let the shirt sleeves show. Or if you’re short between your knees and floor, exchange the pants for a straight leg longer jean.
Also if your torso is shorter than your legs, don’t wear the shirt which is creating the third horizontal line in that area. However this is great for those who have a long torso and short legs.
The vertical line created by the vest is great for those who are short between their chin and waist.
What To Wear For Body Frame Size
Body Frame Size gives you the third clue for scale of prints and accessories. To review this Body Element and the clues it gives you go to Body Frame Size — Bone Size Clue.
To determine if the scale of plaid print is right for you go to the section below.
What To Wear For Scale Strategy
Scale Strategy is determined by bringing together the scale clues from:
- Color Skin, Hair and Eyes
- Body Proportion
- Body Frame Size
To review or determine your Scale Strategy go to Scale Strategy — Bringing It Together
The only scale that needs to be considered is from the plaid shirt showing between the waist and hips. The scale is medium to medium large.
To determine if this is right for you, look at your overall scale strategy plus your body proportion between your waist and crotch.
Summary
Jeans
The jeans have a curvy fit which is great for curvy body shapes. Horizontal lines are created by destressed design lines in the thigh area and hemmed cuffs. The thigh destress lines are great for women with thinner long legs. The cuffs on the straight legs can balance out any body. However the cuffs can shorten an already short leg.The blue jean color has several colors of blue, creating a medium contrast.
Vest
The hoodie vest has an angular shape which is great for angular body shapes. The hood creates a horizontal line at the shoulders which isn’t great for “V” Body Shapes. The hem is designed to hit between the waist and hips. The color is black but also comes in white.
Sweater
The sweater hoodie also has an angular shape and the hood creates a horizontal line at the shoulders. The hem is designed to hit between the waist and hips. This sweater comes in many colors: tan, black, royal blue, light grey and red.
Shirt
The plaid shirt has an angular shape with an angular shaped print. The colors are red and black which is a medium color contrast. Style & Co has other plaid shirts with other colors (Web ID 11288978).
Beanie
The beanie is red and comes in many colors.
Remember you can take clues from the mannequin to determine what works for you and what doesn’t. If you have the time, take these clues and create an outfit that matches your body clues.
What did you learn today? Is this Style & Co jean outfit right for you? Did you start seeing the horizontal and vertical line placements? Do you have any questions about the analysis? Please write in the comments below.
In next week’s post I will analyze an outfit that is made by INC. The post is called What To Wear — INC Sequence.
Wear Your Greatness!!
