When determining what to wear, I love pairing my denim jackets with more dressy clothes. This week’s mannequin outfit is a great example. A lot of texture is created by the denim jacket, silky skirt and mat sweater.
This mannequin is wearing a Levi’s denim jacket, sweater and denim shirt with a Ralph Lauren skirt. It’s accessorized by Lucky Brand pendant necklace and Dolce Vita combat boots. (Macys.com: Levi’s Cotton Oversize Utility Denim Trucker Jacket, Levi’s Meadow Fleece Crewneck Sweater, Levi’s Maple Cotton Denim Utility Shirt, Lauren Ralph Lauren Satin Skirt, Lucky Brand Silver Tone Triple Gold-Flecked Lapis Long Pendant Necklace, DV Dolce Vita Ayleen Heeled Lug Sole Combat Boots)
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
The silhouette, like most clothes in ready-to-wear, is angular. However you can find some denim jackets with a curved silhouette. I have found several. If you like this look, keep your eye out for one of these jackets. Also look for brands that celebrate a body whose waist is smaller than both the shoulders and hips.
The same also goes for the shirt, sweater and skirt. For the shirt and skirt, you can have them altered to create a curved silhouette. Ask your tailor/seamstress for help.
Horizontal Lines
This outfit has many horizontal lines which affects the body shape. They are created by:
- Collar of the jacket at the shoulders
- Crew neck of the sweater at the shoulders
- Placket design line on the jacket above the bust
- Jacket pockets at the bust
- Jacket band just below the waist
- Hem of the sweater just below the waist
- Shirt hem just below the waist
If you have an “A” or “O” Body Shape horizontal lines created by the jacket collar and crew neck are great for you. However if you have a “V” Body Shape avoid these horizontal lines.
The placket seam line at the bust and pockets on the bust might not be great for big busted women because they bring attention to this area. This is especially true for work clothes because you want all the attention to be at your head listening to your ideas. Determine if the time and place are right to bring attention to this area.
Horizontal lines below the waist aren’t great for those who carry their weight at their belly. Look for jacket, shirt and sweater hems that fall just below your belly.
Vertical Lines
The jacket creates two strong vertical lines:
- Center front opening
- Dropped shoulder sleeves
The center front opening creates a vertical line from the chin to just below the waist. It moves your eyes straight to the waist. But because of the strong horizontal lines created by the design lines, your eyes stop along the way.
The dropped shoulder sleeves create the illusion of wider shoulders which is perfect for “A” and “O” Body Shapes. If you have a “V” Body Shape look for denim jackets with raglan sleeves or sleeves that start right at the shoulders.
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 collars from the jacket and shirt are both angular. The pockets on the jacket are also angular. However the crew neck sweater has a curved neckline. Most people don’t know about matching Face Shape with design lines. Some women have a mixed Face Shape like me. However I have figured out that sticking mostly to angular design lines works best for me. Play around with different design line shapes to determine what combination is best for you. Ask yourself: “Does this make me feel light or heavy?” (For more information go the Your Body Knows blog post.)
The pendant shape is curved. If you have an angular face then look for pendants that are angular. I have found it can be difficult so I keep an eye out for them. When I find them I buy them.
The shape of the boots is curved and the design lines on them are also curved. Curved vs angular shaped shoes just depend on the fashion for that season. Like necklaces I keep an eye out for angular shaped shoes and boots.
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 in this outfit are several shades of blue plus a cream color. This creates a monochromatic color palette with high color contrast. If you like the monochromatic color palette, but your color contrast profile is medium, look for skirts that are closer to the jacket color. However if your color contrast profile is low, look for a tan colored sweater.
To discuss the scale of the boots and pendant, go to the Scale Strategy section below.
What To Wear For Body Proportion
The clues Body Proportion give 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?
Horizontal Lines
Because this outfit has so many horizontal lines it’s important to make sure they are placed correctly for your body proportions. The horizontal lines that affect body proportions are:
- Collar of the jacket between the chin and bust
- Crew neck of the sweater between the chin and bust
- Placket on the jacket between the chin and bust
- Jacket pockets between the bust and waist
- Jacket band between the bust and waist, and waist and crotch
- Hem of the sweater at the waist between the waist and crotch
- Shirt hem between the waist and crotch
- Skirt hem between the knees and floor
- Top of the boot between the knees and floor
If you’re long between your chin and bust this is a great outfit because there are three horizontal lines making this area appear smaller. The same is true when you’re long between the bust and waist, and waist and crotch. There are around 6 horizontal lines created by these design lines between the chin and crotch.
For those who are short in any of these areas decrease the amount of horizontal lines. If your torso is shorter than your legs look for jackets that are long with a hem just below the crotch.
The skirt length and boot height can cause troubles for those of you with legs short between your knees and the floor or those of you whose legs are shorter than your torso. These horizontal lines create the illusion that you have shorter legs than what they are.
I’m in this category. I always wondered why this style didn’t look good on me. Once I understood my body proportions: long torso and short between my knees and floor, I realized that I needed to make sure my outfits had no more than one horizontal line between my knees and floor.
Vertical Lines
The vertical lines created by the jacket opening and long pendant create some length between the chin and the waist. However, because of all the horizontal lines in this area it doesn’t help that much for those who are short in these areas.
The vertical design lines in the boots are interesting, which are created by the lace up fronts and zipper on the inside. These design lines cause the height of the boot to appear longer.
Scale
To discuss the scale of the boots and pendant, go to the Scale Strategy section below.
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 the boots and pendant are 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 two accessories, pendant and boots, are different in scale. The pendant scale is small and the boots’ scale is medium to medium/large. If your overall scale strategy is different look for a pendant and boots that fit yours. Also make sure the scale of both are the same.
Summary
Jacket
The jacket has an angular silhouette which is excellent for angular body shapes. It has many horizontal design lines built in: collar, placket seam line above the bust, pocket seams at and below the bust and hem band below the waist. All the lines limit the amount of people who can wear the jacket for body shape and body proportion purposes. It has two vertical lines: center front opening and dropped shoulder seam. The dropped shoulder seam limits “V” Body Shapes from wearing it. The color is mid-tone blue. The design line shapes are angular.
Sweater
The sweater also has an angular silhouette with a curved crew neck neckline. The type of neckline creates a horizontal line at the shoulder and neck. The hem creates a horizontal line just below the waist. The creamy color is a light tone.
Shirt
The skirt has an angular silhouette but can be altered into a curved silhouette. The hem creates a horizontal line between the knees and floor. The color is a dark blue.
Skirt
The skirt has an angular silhouette but can be altered into a curved silhouette. The hem creates a horizontal line between the knees and floor. The color is a dark blue.
Necklace
The long necklace chain creates a vertical line from the neck to just below the bust bringing attention to this area. The three pendants have a curved shape and are small scaled. The lapis stones are dark blue.
Boots
The boots have many design lines which make them interesting to look at. The front laces and inseam zipper create vertical lines causing the boot to look taller. The top of the boot creates a horizontal line between the knees and ankles. The color is a light cream.
This outfit is a great example of how design lines and hems can create horizontal and vertical lines. They can be friends when placed well for your body. If not placed well they will take away your confidence and personal power.
I’m stuck at home because I was exposed to Covid-19. As a result I can’t get out and take pictures of mannequins. So for the next blog post,I’ll analyze some of my outfits. I think it’s important to see and understand design lines and their placements on outfits. By learning to see design lines you can easily determine if design lines on clothes match your body clues.
The placement and shape of design lines can take away from your confidence and personal power and prevent you from Wearing Your Greatness.
Wear Your Greatness!!
