American Duchess: Vintage Pants - 1930s - 1970s
^ The above link is to something that I've been thinking, or at least had similar thoughts, about for quite a long time now. My friends on facebook may remember about 4 months ago or so I attempted to go shopping for pants, jeans specifically, and came home furious and hating myself. How on earth could that be healthy?
Well it's not, at all, ever. The current design choices that are made by jeans manufactures absolutely ruins the figure of most women. Unless you are the very slim cut version of a model they use for patterning, the result is generally less than flattering. The muffin-top, the bulge, the saggy butt, etc.
It goes much deeper than just jeans though, it's dresses, skirts and tops. Things are made in a way now that just does not flatter the natural assets of a woman.
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| These pants are work pants, they're not meant to flatter necessarily, but notice the bulging stomach. Bursting right over the top of the pants and these ones aren't even low-rise, they're women's Wranglers. |
I don't consider myself to be fat or obese, lazy yes, but I'm not any 100 lb teenager either. I'm an average sized woman: fluctuating weight of about 160 lbs, 36/33/43. I've got a bit of flab I could stand to tone up or loose, but I'm certainly not eating at McDonald's every day. I'm about average.
I do find it interesting that simply changing from modern clothes to vintage cut clothes makes a difference like this:
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| My most favorite pair of Lucky jeans, complete with bulging stomach because they are mid-rise and I wear a belt with them. |
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| In Mexico wearing hot weather clothes and still not the most flattering |
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| Not only was the white shirt a bad idea, but it won't flow smoothly over the jeans causing it to make me look freakishly huge |
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| My new skirt in almost finished condition sitting at my natural waistline-- Yes that's my fleshy white stomach |
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| Makes my legs look much longer and leaner than modern jeans do |
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| With an appropriate shirt, I'd look about as skinny as I feel |
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| Bootay, but still flattering curves |
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| Flattering curves and not from a mini-skirt |
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| Maybe modest is the best way to go after all is said and done. Suddenly I have a nicely defined waist, curvy hips that don't look like I've been packing a bakery around with me, and if I had a nice fitting top on it'd probably highlight my boobs too. |
Long and short of it is, I am not going to buy anymore clothing that does nothing more than ruin my assets. Since I will hopefully be in need of a nice interview outfit soon (onward and upward in this world to something that will pay more and give me health insurance), I think I shall go deconstruct my 12th century bliaut and use the beautiful navy blue wool gabardine to make a skirt and jacket that will actually be seen instead of sitting in a box rotting.
