Aunt Izzie: How to Dress to Impress
Dear Aunt Izzie,
I’m self-conscious about my body but still want to dress well. Do you have any tips?
Sincerely,
Fashionally Challenged
Dear Fashionally Challenged,
I am bursting with tips, so much so that I often give unsolicited fashion citations to strangers on the street. She was wearing fringe boots AND a fringe jacket okay, something had to be said!
The first step to dressing well is to embrace your shape. And I don’t mean “pear” or “ruler,” those are too generic to be helpful. Any idiot could tell you to wear flowy tops if you’re “apple” shaped. Look in the mirror. Identify your best features and think of ways to highlight them.
For example, if you have toned Michelle Obama-esque arms, try wearing something sleeveless. It’s not rocket science people.
In addition to highlighting your best features be sure to draw attention away from features that aren’t your best. If you have massive — if this were Seventeen magazine I would say “fuller” but it’s not and for that I apologize — thighs (which is not to say you do or that massive highs are bad) don’t wear tiny shorts that cut off your circulation.
This is a good rule of thumb for everyone, regardless of thigh size. Dress for the body you have, not the body you want. Maybe someday you’ll lose twenty pounds and three inches off your waistline but until then don’t try and motivate yourself by wearing jeans a size too small. You’ll be amazed how good you look in clothes that actually fit you.
Putting in effort at all is half the battle. For some reason lots of self-conscious people like to wear sweatpants to mask their figure, when really sweats add bulk and flatter no one. Avoid wearing sweats in public.
Honestly my main piece of advice (besides “don’t wear tights as pants”) is just wear high-waisted stuff. All the time. It glosses over your stomach and makes your waist look smaller and cuter and high-waisted things are the best ever wear them!
If you’re nervous about wading into the waters of dressing well, stop being nervous. No one is going to make fun of you for looking good. And if they do it’s because your waist is so well-defined and they are jealous. Best of luck!
Love,
Aunt Izzie
A
unt IzzieIzzie Gibson Penrose, class of 2016, has 18 years of advice to give. She loves telling people what to do (but doesn’t take offense if they don’t listen) and lives as strange a life as possible so she has plenty of anecdotes to share. Izzie also enjoys making jokes and baking cupcakes. Email her with questions, concerns, or anything LITERALLY ANYTHING that’s on your mind at gibsis01@gettysburg.edu. She promises to read every email she receives at least once, probably six times.
