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The Lowdown On Skinny Jeans And Full Figures

I do not understand the craze for skinny jeans. Perhaps the term is identified with the word, “skinny,” which could draw a certain appeal to women. Maybe some women believe that if they wear a skinny pair of jeans, they feel that they can fit into a skinny cut. This idea has caused a trend in the fashion retail industry to tailor skinny jeans for plus sizes. The word skinny has now been redefined, in a more bizarre sense than ever.

Skinny Jeans not for the un-skinny.

Used to be known as cigarette pants, skinny jeans are a pair of tight fitting denims which is similar to the tights that are prevalent in the current fashion, except that for skinny jeans, the material used is, well, denim. The cut for this kind of jeans is for a particular body type, say for those with skinny legs or a skinny bottom, since the purpose of this style is to emphasize the narrowness of the lower part of the body and create a balance with the upper portion.

But I see a lot of women, especially voluptuous ones, who still sport this kind of cut. They do not realize that skinny jeans tend to magnanimously emphasize their bottom half hence, making them looking much fuller than they are. Because a skinny pair is too tight, it highlights a huge bottom, generous thighs and legs, and chunky calves. Certainly not appealing for full figured women. This will create an imbalance with the upper half of the body, making it look smaller and the woman like a full dimensional pyramid.

Voluptuous women should avoid wearing skinny jeans like a plague. It may seem that I am writing with dark humor on this matter but the fact is, I am just as full sized as the women I described. I strongly recommend cuts that are more flattering for those with heavy bottoms like a loosely flared pair of jeans, or those that are a little snug until the knees and slightly flares down to the heels. This works best with espadrilles or wedges. Everything looks better in high heels.

Photo courtesy of  Honeymoonphase.

Which Body Type Are You?

For many years, women who are full-figured have found themselves lost in the alleys of pitch-black, shapeless outfits, in an attempt to hide the bulges underneath the excess layer of dark fabric. It has been so prevalent for plus-sized women to conceal, rather than embrace, their curves. It is understandable that after marriage and giving birth, it is quite difficult to restore one’s self to the same shapely curves (for some) no matter what diet regime one has patronized. Losing weight– granting that it is in a healthy manner–may be an option but it is never the only option to look great in an outfit. The core problem of plus-sized women is not losing weight; it is the problem of identifying their body types. The moment a woman discovers her right body type, it becomes gradually easy to identify the right style for her, less the unnecessary layer of textile.

Losing Weight: A Misconception

According to Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine, co-authors of the best-selling book, The Body Shape Bible, many women just give up on the possibility of looking fabulous (7). Women “have to fight against a mass resignation to becoming invisible (Woodall & Constantine 7).” For these two fashion experts, it is dead wrong for women to dress up badly just because they loathe a particular part of their body that has changed (by becoming larger or saggy) with the passing of time. They key, based on their years of experience in dressing women, is to find your actual body type. For these authors, there are more shapes beyond the hourglass, pear, apple, and inverted triangle. One cannot just put a certain woman into these four categories. The authors said there are 12 body types that a woman can at least identify her body with. These are the following:
The Column. This shape is characterized mainly by the shoulder width, being the same as hip width, slight waist, and longer legs. A woman with this body type can carry clothes well, say the authors (130). The big no-no for a column is to wear drab and shapeless clothes (Woodall & Constantine 132). Angular yet ultra feminine clothes suit the column shaped woman best (Woodall & Constantine 134).

The Lollipop. Lollipop body types have big breasts, slight waist, slim hips, and long legs. The deal with lollipops is to hide the areas that they think are less appealing and highlight the assets. The key to dressing is to select clothes that have lower necklines and those that can emphasize the long slim legs.

The Cornet. A cornet body type has broad shoulders, small boobs, no waist, slim hips, and long, slim legs. The authors suggest angular necklines and accessories (80). These can help smoothen the broad shoulders. The great thing about cornets is they are like human coat hangers (76). This is the
typical shape of fashion models. They look great in skinny jeans, too (Woodall & Constantine 80). Want to get ideas? Take on Cameron Diaz’s fashion sense; she’s one fabulous cornet (Woodall & Constantine 91).

The Goblet. A goblet-shaped woman typically has broad shoulders, big breasts, no waist, narrow hips, and long legs. Clothes that suit best to a goblet are deep V-necklines and empire-cut tops, as these help reduce the size of the breasts (Woodall & Constantine 44); thus a more proportioned appearance.

The Brick. Taking it in a literal concept, the brick shape has a straight form: broad shoulders, no waist, average tummy, flat bum, chunky thighs, and chunky calves. But just because a brick is shapeless does not mean that it is without recourse. The key to this is to create a shapely silhouette less all the fuss.
Choose tops that will put a cinch in the middle. Deep V-necklines and scooped necklines are guaranteed to give this effect (189). It is important to create a curvaceous silhouette on the top-half of your body (189).

The Apple. An apple-shaped woman has average-sized breasts, the tummy is bigger than the breasts, a quite flat rear, and okay legs. The trick is to wear clothes that create a longer frame as well as choosing necklines that veer away the focus from your tummy. The biggest and most important asset of an apple are her breasts. So, carefully select necklines that can beautifully focus on that without looking tacky.
The Vase. The vase-body type has big breasts, a gently curving longer waist, hips being equal the size of the breasts, and has slim thighs and legs. The vase is longer in form than an hourglass, but with a flatter tummy (Woodall & Constantine 166). The ideal skirt for this body type the pencil-cut which emphasizes the bottom-half. Like the hourglass, a vase-shaped woman must build a collection of v-shaped and scooped necklines which divides the breasts. Wrap tops or dresses also work great on a vase-shaped lady.

The Hourglass. Being one of the more popular body types, the hourglass shape is literally likened to the object where it was coined. It is characterized by breasts, small waist, short waist, big hips, and generous thighs. The encouraging part about the hourglass is it is not defined by small sizes. A woman, albeit full-figured, can still be an hourglass because of her proportions. Instead of shying away from shapely outfits, all the more dare to emphasize your figure. You are wonderfully endowed. Clothes that fit the vase shape also fit the hourglass. But it is imperative to look for clothes that will “pinch you at the middle (Woodall & Constantine 69).” Espadrilles look great on an hourglass.

The Cello. The cello body shape has big breasts, short waist, big hips, big bottom, big thighs, and slim lower legs. Just like the hourglass, vase, and goblet, cellos should pick tops that would divide their breasts, instead of making them appear as one. Since the best asset of a cello is her legs, it is wise to
select pieces which fall at knee-length. Pleated skirts look stunning on cellos while holding the tummy firmly (Woodall & Constantine 99).

The Skittle. The skittle has average-sized breasts, slim waist, an okay tummy, big thighs, and chunky calves. Since the skittle is bottom-heavy, look for “wide-leg trousers with pockets on an angle” and “vertically paneled or skirts” that has a flowing hemline (Woodall & Constantine 27). These can make your legs appear slimmer without hiding in shabby trousers.

The Pear. The pear is described as one who has a small but long waist, a flat tummy, saddlebags, and heavy legs. The best assets of a pear-shaped woman are found all at the top. According to Trinny and Susannah, the trick is to broaden “your shoulders to balance those saddlebags (226).” Women under this
category look great on puffed sleeves, and elaborate designs on the arm (Woodall & Constantine 224). This creates an illusion of broader shoulders, thus, balancing the overall appearance. Fitted tops also wonderfully complements the pear-shaped body.
The Bell. A bell-shaped woman has small shoulders, breasts, and waist. The small waist, nevertheless, is short. Everything at the bottom-half is big. One concrete example of a bell is no other than Senator Hillary Clinton (Woodall & Constantine 163). Choose narrow necklines and high lapels that will draw attention to your shoulders (Woodall & Constantine 160, 163). Narrow necklines broaden the shoulders and it is considered more flattering for a bell (Woodall & Constantine 160). One of the good things in being a bell is the propriety of wearing elaborate necklaces (Woodall & Constantine 160), contrary to those shapes
that are top-heavy. This means that you can wear chunky neck accessories to your heart’s content. But please, do not overdo it, lest you might be mistaken for a Christmas tree.

Work the will first

Now that you have newly acquired knowledge on your body type, the best thing to do is to act on it. These ideas and suggestions, although insightful, cannot help you unless you bolster your willpower to move out of the drab and the dreary and begin exploring by trying on clothes that will accentuate your assets. But remember, looking great should come from within. It is important to bear this in mind: you are beautiful; a magnificent work of art. If you start thinking this way, you’ll have great confidence and the rest will just follow suit.

Source: Woodall, Trinny, and Constantine. The Body Shape Bible. London: Phoenix Illustrated, 2007.

Diamond Jewelry: Luscious Extravagance

Diamond: a rare exquisite gem that has been immortalized through time. What separates this gem from the rest of the pack is its clarity fused with age-old tradition. Diamond jewelry has been associated with romance, something that represents a long and lasting love. Because it resembles something lasting, diamond jewelries are also some of the one’s most prized and most expensive possessions.

Diamond jewelry is one of the most expensive and considered as the most luxurious of all jewelries. The unique ability of this gem to refract white light (“Diamond”) makes diamond jewelries as the most sought after jewelry prices in the market. Diamond jewelries are traditionally associated with engagements, as men carefully pick the right engagement ring for the woman they love. This is why a diamond jewelry store, such as De Beers, capitalized on this practice, by launching an ad campaign in the early 1900s (“Diamond”), permanently fixating diamond jewelry as the most popular engagement ring of since then.

There are four attributes which grades the quality of a diamond. These are: (1) cut; (2) carats; (3) color; and (4) clarity (“Diamond”). Established as the four C’s, these attributes are used to gauge the quality of a diamond. The word “cut,” when referred to a diamond, does not pertain to the gem’s shape (Wickell). Rather, such term refers to the symmetry in arrangement of a diamond in all facets, which alters the shape and the form of the diamond. A carat of a diamond stone, which is often confused with cut, pertains to the weight of a diamond crystal (“Diamond”). The color, on the other hand, refers to the color grade of the stone, which may vary, are determined by comparing these to a previously selected colorless diamond. Clarity determines the flawlessness or the lack of it, of the internal parts of a diamond stone. There are several factors that can affect the clarity of a diamond stone, such as the size or the color (“Diamond”).

While diamond jewelry primarily refers to engagement rings, the jewelry choices for this gem are quite eclectic. In fact, other jewelries such as earrings, necklaces, brooches, pendants, and anklets are a few items which have become famous accessories which are incorporated with diamonds. Some clients would prefer accentuating their body with diamonds which is why they resort to custom diamond jewelry. Diamonds are usually set in gold. Recent trends, however, have included platinum diamond jewelry.

As was mentioned earlier, diamond jewelry has created a huge phenomenon throughout the world which is why many businesses have banked on this market. Diamond jewelry has spanned the world market, to the extent that such jewelry has been showcased from designer runways to the local markets. Those with sophisticated taste prefer designer diamond jewelry which can cost a considerable fortune although fine diamond jewelry can be afforded at local stores. Because diamond jewelry is exquisite, the value for this kind of accessory may cost a fortune. Purchasing wholesale diamond jewelry can increase one’s chances of getting it at a lower price. But when searched in the right places, discount diamond jewelry can be availed of on retail. Where to look for the right store depends on one’s budget and time frame to choose it. But it is important to first examine the attributes of the diamond jewelry before deciding to buy it.