30 Days, 30 Ways! Day 21: Here she comes, Miss America

After my second week into this blog, my friend Carol said "You look good in everything."

That statement could NOT be further from the truth!

I have lived with this body for 55 years and I've learned what I look best in and, as I age, that gets updated on a regular basis. If something doesn't flatter me, I don't leave the house, let alone post a photo of it for everyone to see.

After all, I am a fashion coach and I need to present well!

Trust me, I had some pretty big failures trying to put together this blog. The original outfit I had for Day 5 was such a flop that my husband burst out laughing when he saw me walk out of the room. I just looked silly and it was so unflattering. After that, I decided not to force things, but offer other options & suggestions for women with different body types.

As I stated in one of the previous days, my figure is classified as a column. Which translates to: a tallish woman with a boyish figure. There's less of a distinction between my bust, waist & hips. Since I am tall, I use my height to it's full advantage and I avoid things that exaggerate my less-defined waistline.... and, let's face it, as we age, our bodies change and our "issue" areas are often the ones that get magnified, no matter how much we exercise and eat a healthy diet. Sorry, that's just how it is. As my father would say, "Beats the alternative." But there's plenty of tricks we can do "to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and latch on to the affirmative" (Sorry, I can never resist quoting a song)

In my 30's or early 40's I would not have hesitated to wear this dress just how it is; simple & elegant. Now I save that look for my more curvaceous friends. When I started this blog, I was eager to show how classic the iconic KOKOON Farrah Wrap dress looks worn backwards, but since I looked like a tree trunk (worsened by the fact we're in the middle of the indulgent Holiday season), it took me until Day 21 to find a solution. Using my favorite scarf, I draped it around my body in true Miss America fashion and it works. (I'm using my "stay put pins" - Day 12 - so the scarf does not shift.) The asymmetry of the sash takes away from my straight lines and the flow of the scarf gives the illusion of curves.

Due to my height, I can pull off wearing more fabric than a petite woman could.

Speaking of petite women, I asked my friend Nettie, who has the same KOKOON dress in Black to snap a photo of herself wearing it this way. She's classified as a petite, which means she has narrow shoulders with a short waist. (Not that she's short waisted, she's just in proportion with her height) Now, she has curves! She complains about her hips the way I complain about my waist, but she can pull off things that I can't. She has a true hourglass, so the dress looks great on her with no need for embellishment or camouflage; just one great necklace, a pair of pumps and she's set! Very Audrey Hepburn. She looks fabulous!

Wearing this scarf again gave me the excuse to wear the Golden Girl Llynda More BootTops. Like yesterday, I'm wearing it as a simple, straight knee high boot. I know I have so many options and different ways to cuff them, scrunch them and fold them, but who doesn't just love a knee high boot with a bit of glitz?

Honorable mention: When I looked in the mirror, it reminded me of something my grandmother, Tiger Lil, would have worn back in her day, so I put on her vintage costume choker in gold with rhinestones and pearls. Not my typical look, but so fun to play dress up!