The F Word
Alrighty. Now we’re getting down to it. This is an outfit I wear. A LOT. Overall I like the components – the olive green jeans, long navy blue cardigan, and navy and white striped top, and I like the colors together, the stripes, etc. And the sneakers are COMFORTABLE. But when I look at the outfit as a whole, I see The Schlub. And I think what it is, what makes basically good pieces look schlubby…is FIT. Poor Fit.
The jeans are too baggy. And long. The striped tee is too baggy and long. And the cardigan is way too long in the sleeves. It’s challenging when plus-sized to get Every Part to Fit. For things to be large enough to fit comfortably around my butt/tummy/hip area, then they’re generally way too large in the shoulders, neckline, and sleeve-length. And shopping can be frustrating and demoralizing and endless and sometimes I Just. Give. Up.
And there’s the thing. Giving Up. The old “who cares how *I* look??” Well, *I* should care. And I’m trying to. It’s a slow process. A new wardrobe (and attitude) cannot be built in a day.
So it’s back to the drawing board. And the mall. And maybe the tailor. Time to stick to my guns and find things that FIT WELL. Because the fit makes all the difference.
Saskia from Fab and Luxury Curves
Case in point. The lovely Saskia is wearing a similar outfit, but she is much more pulled together and her clothing FITS. Her olive green skinny jeans have a much slimmer, neater fit and are a more modern length. She is also wearing a long-over-short look on top, but her pieces are much neater.
I. Can. Do. This.
I Can Turn This Into That
I’ll let you know how I make out.
And thanks to Saskia from Fab and Luxury Curves for letting me use her photo on How to Do The Look RIGHT!
Laura Lauri
I just took a pair of jeans to my seamstress to be hemmed to a ” hip” length! I’m hoping a better fit (i.e. less bunching at the bottom) will transform these jeans into a wardrobe staple. You are right, it won’t happen over night, but if I focus on just one thing at a time – a well-fitting pair of jeans, cute shoes, a top to wear with leggings – well, maybe I’ll start to move away from frump to (sort of) fabulous. Thanks for your gentle, one-step-at-a-time guidance!
Bettye Rainwater
Yep, One Thing At a Time, I think that’s the way.
I remember as a kid going shopping every August for “school clothes,” an entire new wardrobe to get you through to spring. Those days are long gone and now I just add to my wardrobe piecemeal. Carefully. Thoughtfully.
Thanks for reading, Laura – and hope your jeans turn out as you hoped!
Bettye
theBiggerBlog
I also love Saskia’s style! I am sure you can pull this of. Will you show us too? xx Josine – theBiggerBlog
bettyerainwaterphotography
I’ll definitely share my “new&improved” look when it happens!
Thanks for reading!
Bettye
Wanda Craft (@JustVintage)
Love the new blog, Bettye! Wow. I’ve been out of the loop, just checking in here and there on FB. I didn’t even realize you’d started this. How did I miss that?! Love, love, love the concept!
I know the feeling of hiding behind the camera. Every time I saw myself in a picture, I was shocked. “Is that really me?” Clothes never fit right. Baggy here, tight there. Then I found out I was diabetic and lost the weight to try to “reverse” it. Did really good on both the weight loss and the blood sugar numbers. Now, everything is too big. Or…. too tight in the hips and too big everywhere else. And just like always, pants are too tight in the crotch. Same old, same old. Just in a different size. :-/
bettyerainwaterphotography
Hey Wanda, welcome to The Schlub! Ha, no, I’m not really calling it that 🙂
Yeah, some events over the past year led me to this idea and I finally just jumped in and am really having fun with it. And as so often happens in life, it’s either feast or famine, as soon as I started this, I started doing some social media work for a local business consultant, so I am One Busy Girl these days! But it’s good, keeping my mind from going where it oughtn’t go, and putting a couple extra sheckles in my pocket, and that never hurts 🙂
As for you, congrats on controlling your diabetes through diet, I know what a struggle that can be!
Interesting, you hear people saying, “I wish I was taller/shorter/thinner/whatever,” what *I* would really like to be is A Perfect Size. 6, 26, whatever, I just would love to fit into things off the rack in a specific size. That so rarely happens. Just yesterday I tried on the sweetest dress at Torrid – from the waistband down it was great. Nice flowy soft fabric, swung away from my lumpy tummy and hips, nice length. But the bodice was All Wrong. So Wrong. Super deep surplice top, but that’s fixable w a pin or cami underneath, but there was just Too Much Fabric from waist to shoulder, so it all hung droopy and sad. I could grab up a big fistful of fabric up at the shoulder and fix it but…there was no seam up there and who knows how much it would cost to have that altered and yadda yadda yadda, it just became more trouble than it was worth. And that is the story over and over again with me.
Anyway, glad you stopped by, don’t be a stranger!
Bettye