Managing big boobs - lessons from Julie Bishop

When I saw this photo of Julie Bishop (Minister for Foreign Affairs) in New York on a United Nations junket, I got very excited because its a perfect example of what not to do if you have a big bust.

Oops. Big oops.

The high neckline just reinforces one big monoboob. There is nothing to break up the monoboob. No decolletage, no necklace, no brooch, no texture. Nothing.  

The monoboob walks into the room before Julie does. Distracting. Especially when you want to be taken seriously at the United Nations. Or anywhere. 

It doesnt help that its sleeveless - that provides even less to focus on, making the boobs the number one attraction. 

Here she is again at one of the polies' mid winter balls.

One big droopy monoboob.
Monoboob due to the high neckline.

Droopy because of the pattern/embroidery on the bodice. I doubt very much that she isnt wearing the right bra.

Eeewww.

But look at this one...

The scoop neckline helps to break up the monoboob. We notice the skin & the boobs start to take a back seat.

What about the next one? 

On one hand, I think she has lost some weight here, however it could be the fact that this is a matt dress compared to the scoop neck blingy silver number above. Shine reflects light & makes things look bigger. Matt absorbs light & makes things look smaller. I know which I prefer to wear. 

Weightloss or not, the big bust rule still applies. 

Big bust? Break it up.

So she breaks it up with a sheer layer with sequins/crystals. Nice.  

On a more subtle level, this also works well as it has some distinct straight lines - the broad collar line & the straight line of the lining above the bust. In contrast, the scoop neck blingy silver dress has a very obvious curved collar shape. Curves create curves. If you are already curvy be careful of adding curves with your clothes.

So let's go to Julie's work clothes. 

This next one isnt too bad....

The white cami has a somewhat high neckline. But she is breaking it up reasonably well with her Armani jacket & a brooch. The jacket works well here as the tweed provides texture & depth and the medium sized lapels balance out the chest area. 

Let's look at a variation of this....

Notice how simply by lowering the cami's neckline her boobs loose impact? Flick up & down between these two photos - the basic outfit is the same, but the impact of lowering the cami is massive. In the latter, you tend to then notice Julie as a whole rather than Julie's boobs.

Dont forget that there is still no sign of cleavage, its all very tasteful & the monoboob has been dissolved nicely. 

Today's Style Tip: Today is Big Arm Day.

We are going to run through some quick tips about the types of clothing that flatters big arms as well as the type of clothing that big arms should stay away from.


Tops - avoid:


Cap sleeves - the diagonal of the sleeve sits at the fleshiest part of the arm & makes it look, well, fleshier.


Sleeveless tops & sleeveless straight dresses


Halterneck tops - too bare and hence expose the fleshy arms too much


Puffy short sleeve shirts - no, no, no.


Spaghetti straps - no, no, no.


Boob tube style tops or dresses - no, no, no.


Tops - go for:


3/4 length sleeves which create a smooth line down your arm.


Long sleeves, just make sure they arent super tight as that will emphasis the fleshy bits.

From left to right, Octavia's sleeves get less and less flattering.
At left the 3/4 sleeve is terrific. In the middle, the short sleeve is great....but notice how the cap sleeve on the right just looks the worst of all three gowns for Octavia? As for Keira, a strapless type dress on skinny arms, just doesnt look great - too much exposed skinny flesh.

Cuffs on long sleeve shirts that arent too tight. Anything that isnt tight creates the illusion of extra room underneath. Great rule!


Bell cuffs or fluted sleeves on a long sleeve (or 3/4 sleeve) shirt or dress - these draw the eye down from the fleshy part of your upper arm, balance the upper arm out and create a slimming line (kinda like boot leg jeans for chunky thighs).


A puff at the shoulder seam on a long sleeve shirt


Medium to large prints on your upper body - these detract from the fleshy upper arm.


Jewellery:


When your arms are exposed, avoid chunky bangles (even if you are big boned). The reason is because the chunkiness will hide the slimmest part of your arm - the wrist. 

Ines de la Fresange - Checked shirt style

Ines de la Fresange  - ex Chanel muse & style icon, now designing for Roger Vivier.

Look at the ensemble she is wearing below - quite simple really.

Checked shirt with a toning oversized clutch
& a contrasting belt.

The things that make it modern are:

- the oversized clutch
- the belt placement

The things that make it unique to Ines are the jewellery:

- layered necklaces
- bracelet that looks like a stack of gold bangles
- Gucci watch with red accent which picks up the shirt colour
- a couple of small gold rings
- no earrings

Jewellery Style Tip:

If silver is a better metal for your complexion, then dont wear gold near your face. You dont have to mimic Ines piece for piece, just use her as inspiration but tailored for your unique features.



As for the shirt - well, it's seasonless. The belt is also seasonless, but the placement is totally 2012.

Shirt:

I found a very similar shirt at Sportscraft in plum. 

 

http://www.sportscraft.com.au/long-sleeve/sarah-gingham-oxford-shirt/w1/i11868911_1128119/

If you feel this is too "Pizza Hut tablecloth", then you can pick any of their other shirts & tone a clutch to it & contrast a belt.

Just keep the shirt style simple, a mens style, no frills, no large patterns, no bells & whistles.

Shirt Style Tip:

 
You can even do a white shirt - make sure its your best shade of white - starke, off white, cream. 

If you have toned arms, do short sleeves. 

I was in the Sportscraft store at Birkenhead Point, Sydney, yesterday & they had an amazing long sleeve B&W small polka dot cotton shirt which would have looked dynamite!
 

They actually do a checked shirt every season (I bought a cobalt blue check from them last winter).....

Belt:

Heaps of these around.....

All these are David Lawrence & could work a treat.....from top left, clockwise.....

red patent, 14mm wide, $40  

blue suede, 11 mm, $50

leopard, 17mm wide, $50

blue, with charm lock, 10 mm wide, $40 

blue, 9 mm wide $40

& this one from Sportscraft,

The style is called Monique, 15 mm width, available in this duck egg blue or a fuchsia or plum.

Waist Style Tip:

If you wanted to reduce attention from your waist, a toning colour belt would be best and that's why I have given you more options than just a contrast colour. If you tone the belt, then go for a contrast clutch for an element of pop.

Oversized Clutch:

Look at the leather of Ines' clutch - softest nappa & super expensive. Its a little tricky finding this on the Aussie high street.....

but maybe this will do....

Its Tilka for $159 - you can remove the strap or leave it as is.

or this one....

which is a Peep Toe called Lady Fantasia, reduced from $249 to $174. make sure you Scotchgard this one!

Jewellery:

Go directly to Diva or Lovisa & select a few cheap & cheerful pieces to complete the look.

Bottom:

Denim or pants in white or navy or even a toning colour.

Sleeves Style Tip:

Roll up your sleeves for that effortless cool look & you're ready to go.

Your style:

Finally - this may not be your look. I'd call this almost preppy with a French twist. If you cringe at this look because you may be for example, a bohemian or a grunge or a bombshell style, then this definitely wont appeal. But I hope you have been able to take away a few style tips in any case.

 

Nina Proudman loves a Henley top

As dedicated Nina proudman fashion followers, you may have noticed that when she wears a long sleeve tee, it tends to be a henley top. 

What's a henley top?

A henley top is a collarless men's pullover shirt, characterized by a 10 centimetres long placket beneath the round neckline, usually having 2-10 buttons. 

It essentially resembles a collarless polo shirt. 

The sleeves may be either short or long, and it can be made in almost any fabric, although cotton and/or poly blends as well as thermals are by far the most popular. 

Henley shirts are generally regarded as menswear, but are now made in women's versions. 

Their name comes from the fact that they are the particular style of shirt that was the traditional uniform of rowers in the English town of Henley - On - Thames. 

 

They were originally quite popular in the early 1970s, but have recently made a fashion comeback, especially in Western countries but also Japan & Korea.

In his biography of Ralph Lauren, the journalist Michael Gross (I have this book!) quotes a New York merchant who recalled showing a vintage shirt to a Ralph Lauren buyer: "I showed this fellow underwear---a three-button long-sleeve shirt by Johnstown Knitting Mills. He said, 'This is a new shirt.' That's where he got the idea for the Henley shirt."

Back to Nina.....

 

The two Nina Henleys you see above are by Blaumax, an Austrian brand. 

One of the Aussie retailers who sells the brand is Melbourne retailer eco d, who has three stores & an online presence.

As at mid May 2012, they had the henley at all their stores in grey marle, steel, purple, raspberry and ink for $119. 

$119 - eeekk!

Is it worth paying $119?

If you have been reading my posts, you have probably figured out that I love hideously expensive clothes. 

But the reason is because of the quality that goes with them - fabric, cut, construction, original design, seaming, finishes etc. 

On a jacket or a suit, a hero piece or classic shoes, I can justify those hideously expensive prices as they make the item look fantastic forever.

On something like a tee that isnt a hero piece of my outfit, I am happy to scout around for a well priced high street version.

So that's what I did......

off I went to my fave high street discount store, Tar-jay.....

oohh...look...100% cotton henleys in many many colours....

I breached the fitting room maximum (which was 5 items), but I told the change room attendant what I was doing and as an Offspring fan, she allowed me in the styling room/bra fitting room with the door open to take my photos.....

 

So I lined all these up on the railing....

The magic of these henleys was also the price they were ALL either $19 or $20. So much better than $119, eh? 

And at that price, I can buy a few....

  

L to R: Burnt orange, red, deep indigo purple, muted amethyst purple, muted blue, navy, dark grey marle, black, white.

& the soft rasberry with a hint of purple which was being road tested by someone else when I was in the change room...

& an aqua which had also run away while I was in the change room....

 

What about the styles?

The basic style above is long sleeve, 100% cotton, has 5 functioning buttons & 2 faux buttons & set in sleeves. 
 
There is also a version identical to the above but with 3/4 sleeves. I only saw it in black, red & white.
 

There is also a version in limited colours with a finer cotton, no pocket, designed to be worn looser, with a raglan sleeve. This one was $25.

I only found it in three colours, washed indigo & black & red......

Layering?

This looser henley is perfect for layering as an outer layer. In contrast the more fitted henleys would work best as inner layers, with the buttons exposed.

There is a short sleeved version.

It has little sleeve turn ups & I saw it in black and in white. 

& one final version - a long sleeve with turn up sleeves. 

I could only find this one in red, white & black.

Nina loves turn up the sleeves with most of her shirts. Personally I find the turn up style is more casual - frankly I'd rather push plain sleeves up. 


STYLE TIP: Exposing your wrists is a good thing - it shows off the slimmest part of your arms and any arm party you have going on.


STYLE TIP: The colours in Tar-jay tend to be stronger than Nina colours, but Tar-jay's selection is part of winter collections. The Offspring photos are from summer collections. There is no doubt in my mind, Tar-jay will bring summer colours as the weather warms up.


In the mean time, those of you with stronger colouring than Nina, stock up NOW on Tar-jay Henleys, since the pale summer colours  may not be your best look.

Finally, I have been rabbiting on for the last few months about being a "Nina clone", or more specifically, not being a "Nina clone". 

That its better to have your own style, infused by hers, rather than trying to copy her pieces in an identical way....Whether you agree with me or not, YOUR style is better than anything a fictional character and her wardrobe department can come up with......think about it....

Woman of style - Neralee & her arm parties

 

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I was driving to Hurstville. (sheepishly...) I suppose I should tell you why I was headed there as it relates to the blog...I was chasing (as you do...) a Jane Lamerton denim pencil skirt in my size - the only one left in NSW. 

Now before you start on me, I am not one of those people who spends $20 of petrol to save $10 on an item. Seriously I am not! Well, not usually....


The skirt was $28 reduced from $40 reduced from $80. Did I mention it was the last one in NSW? So naturally it was a matter of importance. Also the Myer sale which was currently 30% off at the time finished on the Sunday, so not only was it important, it was urgent, well, semi-urgent.


Driving along, thinking about the soon to be mine skirt and why the heck Hurstville was so darned far away from my home, I was rudely interrupted by a police siren. So I stopped, as you do, to determine where it was coming from so that I could figure out whether to pull over & what else to do. 

A second later, "BANG" and another car hit me from behind. Now that was ruder than the police siren, eh?. That sinking feeling of being in a car accident reared its ugly head faster than you can say "Hermes is the best brand in the world".

I got out & asked the other driver if they were insured & the answer was yes, thankfully. At their suggestion we pulled into the near by side street and got out of our cars to examine the damage and exchange details.

Well, it turns out it was a lady driver. As she got out for a split second, I got distracted by what she was wearing, then the logical part of my brain told the creative part to "stop it" and to focus on the business at hand... 


As I was writing out my details for her (her name was Neralee, oops, her name still is Neralee....) she quizzed me about the label on the pen I was using....

"I know Escada" she said.
"Yes, its a German brand that does high end womens clothing & accessories." I responded.
"I have bought it overseas" she then said.


Well, that was the first thing that officially made her a nice lady, despite the fact that she had crashed into my car.


As I continued to write, my right brain took over again and I kept one eye on this lady...its not that I didnt trust her - its that she looked really good. In short - blog worthy....


With all the paperwork and swapping of details now over, I told her about my blog/facebook page and that I wanted to take a few photos....she kept insisting she wasnt photo ready and that she was on the way to the hairdresser to get her hair done for a nite out dancing. 

Anyone watching us would have thought we were arguing about the crash - no way - we had far more important things to argue about.

I finally had to resort to the old "you do THIS to my car & you wont even let me take a few photos?" Emotional blackmail - works every time.....


Check out these photos ....

Here she is admiring her crash target - my  boot & bumper bar.....  

Notice:

1. Knit tunic top with assymetric peek-a-boo cut out - interesting. Top skims over the hips & doesnt hug in any wrong places.
2. Capri (7/8) pants
3. Black flats with interest on the vamp
4. Bracelet length sleeves which allow the showcasing of arm party on each arm.
5. Dark sunnies - glam no matter how late the previous night was.
6. Beautiful asymetric cut platinum hair which picks up well with the asymetric cut of the top.
7. Monochrome neutral outfit colour, top to toe - simple & easy. Also slimming due to the up & down eye movement it creates


Do you like her look? 

I do!

Now, let's take a close up of her arm parties!

One wrist was a whole lot of silver bangles, all different &  all bought at different times and on various trips. 


The other wrist had a whole lot of gold bangles, again different & interesting.

& the mani in lavendar!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.

A truly stylish woman, totally blog worthy.

BTW, Neralee is a caterer/photographer with an eye for fashion. No surprises given the flair with which she dresses.

Go to my Facebook site & Like if think Neralee is blog worthy. 
 

Coles Mix Apparel & Jacqui E - similarities?

Couldnt help commenting on these:


Jacqui E for $90
100% poly 
 

Coles Mix Apparel for about $20

100% poly

They are not quite the same, but very similar, yes?

& the Jacqui E dress with a live body....nice....

I couldnt find this on the Jacqui E on their site, but I found a sister magenta version dress on their site for $140, also 100% poly (large price rise compared to the previous one, hhmmmm?)

Advantages:  

Easy care poly.

Easy to wear - pop it on & go.

Slight A line means you can run for the bus!!

The sleeve is probably more versatile than a sleeveless.

Best to wear it skimming over the body & not too tight.

With a jacket and/or a coat, you can layer this for winter, so it then becomes wearable year round.

Accessories: 

Keep the neck & ears free of anything that competes. Perhaps some arm candy if you're going to suffer bling withdrawl symptoms otherwise.

Love the tights & booties for the magenta version.

Body shape advice:

However if has big checks or strong horizontal stripes around your (too large) problem areas, then leave it in the store. Eg: the magenta dress has some distinct horizontal lines around the hips - these may serve to emphasis hips even more.  

In contrast, if the garment has strong vertical areas where you want to emphasise a slimmer body, then it will be a good buy for you. The magenta dress slims the waist due to the vertical oblong black section at the waist. Buy it if you want to slim your waist.

If the big checks or horizontal lines are around your (too small) problem areas, then make sure it follows you home.

If the elastic on the Coles top emphasises your belly or makes your hips look too big, then leave it in the store.

Do the blink test in order to check your eye movement & you'll know whether to take or leave it. 


NB: Coles has a 30 day money back refund (tags attached), since they dont provide change rooms....let the mirror at home be your guide.

And here are some of the inspiration photos, all SS 2012:

Sonia Rykiel:

Milly White Blue:

Various:

Fabric: