Nobody's angel but my own
I'm going to preface by saying, I do know how to sew. I have sewn my own clothes in the past, and I plan to do so in the future. I don't, however, have the means, equipment, time, or energy to sew everything I wear. Suggesting I do so will get you a warning. Not heeding the warning will get you banned.
Yes, it is a touchy subject, and my least favorite sister the seamstress has left her fingerprints all over it.
Anyroad, those of you who shop in women's clothing know the infuriating arbitrariness of sizing for women's clothing. Not only does the women's sizing standard in the United States not tell you anything about the measurements used to get there, but it also tells you nothing about the shape of body the garment is meant for. Thus, when you find a clothing company that makes clothes that fit the shape of your body, and then manage to determine which of their sizes fits your measurements, you tend to buy from that company, even if you have issues with some of its practices.
Which would be why I have a Victoria's Secret credit card (called Angel cards, hence the subject line).
Now, I'm a smaller size below the waist than I am above it, even though my hips are about equal in measurement with my bustline (for the curious, and in the interest of full disclosure, my measurements are 36" at bust, 29" at waist, 38" at hips; I am slightly long in the torso and decidedly long in the leg, at just shy of 5'9"). Clearly, there's something funky going on there. Also, nobody makes pants that fit my hips and still come in far enough to fit my waist (yay, chronic digestive issues! Not), but I'm not sure that can be done. So I tend to wear shirts that look good untucked and just cinch my belt in. And I don't have to cinch it in quite so far when I'm wearing stuff I bought from Vicky's Secret.
The thing is, though, while the size and shape of most of VS's clothing line will fit me, I can't say that my personal style quite matches up. So it's probably a very good thing I'm not a clotheshorse, and that I have enough sewing skills to make some adjustments to what I do buy. Like sewing snaps onto the button-up shirts, because VS likes to be able to dub its clothing "sexy," and in the case of button-up shirts, this means that the button line ends right between the breasts. Luckily, VS button-up shirts always have a cover flap, so I just add a snap at the same height above that top button as another button should be for those of us not inclined to flash the world, and no one's the wiser. Or the more titillated.
Trousers are a little trickier. VS has several styles of pants, denoted by how they sit on the waist and how tight they fit. My favorite style has, sadly, been mostly discontinued. It sat at the waist, and had a bit of a shape to fit better around curves (which I'm still getting used to acknowledging that I have, because I didn't for a very long time). Luckily, my second favorite is still around, at the waist and straight leg, but there aren't a lot of options in casual wear with that waist (and pockets, which are vital). The three main styles, in which you can find all kinds of options, are a low on waist straight leg, a low on waist tighter fit, and an ultra low on waist curvy fit. Let's just say I'm glad I generally wear jeans when I'm feeling casual, and there are more options in the VS jeans line.
I'm not getting into the shoes. Shoes are a special torture for me, though I've managed to determine exactly what one problem is and solved it with inserts. Heels higher than 2" and smaller than the entirety of the heel area of my foot are out of the question, so I just don't even look at the VS selection.
At least the Ipex bra fits me like a dream, no adjustments needed. Also, they tend to have a surprisingly good selection of plain, warm PJs right around the holiday season. I'm a bit of a PJ fiend, so I like this.
Thing is, a lot of people are surprised when they find out where I get the majority of my clothes, especially my work clothes. It's true the majority of VS fashions are of the low-cut, low-hipped, see-through fabric variety, but if you're willing to hunt (and I'm all too happy to hunt a bit online and save myself trying things on in a store) and if you have the ability to make a few adjustments yourself (or a friend or nearby tailor who can make said adjustments for you), then you can put together a wardrobe for yourself that is flattering, but not revealing. Provided you're like me and have a Classic/Casual fashion personality. VS is really geared more toward Dramatic/Romantic fashion personalities, so if those are your styles and you're not as body shy as yours truly, you'd probably have a heyday checking out the VS website.
I'm also a scent fiend (partly because aromatherapy seems to be a huge boon to my system), and I think we actually applied for the card in order to keep me well supplied with smellgoods that don't give me allergic reactions. Even The Body Shop's stuff has something in it that doesn't play nice with my system, but I've consistently been able to sniff things from the various lines in the B&B Works' shops I've encountered (avoiding the scents I know are triggers), and had no problems other than, "Huh. That doesn't smell so good."
Yes, it is a touchy subject, and my least favorite sister the seamstress has left her fingerprints all over it.
Anyroad, those of you who shop in women's clothing know the infuriating arbitrariness of sizing for women's clothing. Not only does the women's sizing standard in the United States not tell you anything about the measurements used to get there, but it also tells you nothing about the shape of body the garment is meant for. Thus, when you find a clothing company that makes clothes that fit the shape of your body, and then manage to determine which of their sizes fits your measurements, you tend to buy from that company, even if you have issues with some of its practices.
Which would be why I have a Victoria's Secret credit card (called Angel cards, hence the subject line).
Now, I'm a smaller size below the waist than I am above it, even though my hips are about equal in measurement with my bustline (for the curious, and in the interest of full disclosure, my measurements are 36" at bust, 29" at waist, 38" at hips; I am slightly long in the torso and decidedly long in the leg, at just shy of 5'9"). Clearly, there's something funky going on there. Also, nobody makes pants that fit my hips and still come in far enough to fit my waist (yay, chronic digestive issues! Not), but I'm not sure that can be done. So I tend to wear shirts that look good untucked and just cinch my belt in. And I don't have to cinch it in quite so far when I'm wearing stuff I bought from Vicky's Secret.
The thing is, though, while the size and shape of most of VS's clothing line will fit me, I can't say that my personal style quite matches up. So it's probably a very good thing I'm not a clotheshorse, and that I have enough sewing skills to make some adjustments to what I do buy. Like sewing snaps onto the button-up shirts, because VS likes to be able to dub its clothing "sexy," and in the case of button-up shirts, this means that the button line ends right between the breasts. Luckily, VS button-up shirts always have a cover flap, so I just add a snap at the same height above that top button as another button should be for those of us not inclined to flash the world, and no one's the wiser. Or the more titillated.
Trousers are a little trickier. VS has several styles of pants, denoted by how they sit on the waist and how tight they fit. My favorite style has, sadly, been mostly discontinued. It sat at the waist, and had a bit of a shape to fit better around curves (which I'm still getting used to acknowledging that I have, because I didn't for a very long time). Luckily, my second favorite is still around, at the waist and straight leg, but there aren't a lot of options in casual wear with that waist (and pockets, which are vital). The three main styles, in which you can find all kinds of options, are a low on waist straight leg, a low on waist tighter fit, and an ultra low on waist curvy fit. Let's just say I'm glad I generally wear jeans when I'm feeling casual, and there are more options in the VS jeans line.
I'm not getting into the shoes. Shoes are a special torture for me, though I've managed to determine exactly what one problem is and solved it with inserts. Heels higher than 2" and smaller than the entirety of the heel area of my foot are out of the question, so I just don't even look at the VS selection.
At least the Ipex bra fits me like a dream, no adjustments needed. Also, they tend to have a surprisingly good selection of plain, warm PJs right around the holiday season. I'm a bit of a PJ fiend, so I like this.
Thing is, a lot of people are surprised when they find out where I get the majority of my clothes, especially my work clothes. It's true the majority of VS fashions are of the low-cut, low-hipped, see-through fabric variety, but if you're willing to hunt (and I'm all too happy to hunt a bit online and save myself trying things on in a store) and if you have the ability to make a few adjustments yourself (or a friend or nearby tailor who can make said adjustments for you), then you can put together a wardrobe for yourself that is flattering, but not revealing. Provided you're like me and have a Classic/Casual fashion personality. VS is really geared more toward Dramatic/Romantic fashion personalities, so if those are your styles and you're not as body shy as yours truly, you'd probably have a heyday checking out the VS website.
I'm also a scent fiend (partly because aromatherapy seems to be a huge boon to my system), and I think we actually applied for the card in order to keep me well supplied with smellgoods that don't give me allergic reactions. Even The Body Shop's stuff has something in it that doesn't play nice with my system, but I've consistently been able to sniff things from the various lines in the B&B Works' shops I've encountered (avoiding the scents I know are triggers), and had no problems other than, "Huh. That doesn't smell so good."