The Thrifty Mom's Guide to Style
Tips, tricks and sneaky shortcuts to style on a budget
from PlusSizeFasyonMudra.blogspot.com
Katrina Ramos Atienza
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook
is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be
re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share
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the hard work of this author.
Copyright © Katrina Ramos Atienza, 2011
Contact the author
http://plussizefasyonmudra.blogspot.com
Digital Publisher: Readable Mangoes
Read more at http://www.mangojuiced.com
Cover credits:
Art and design by Tania Arpa
Photography by Dandi Galvez
Styling by Katrina Ramos Atienza, Amy Mosura, and Tania Arpa
Location: Subspace Coffeehouse
Table of Contents
Introduction
First things first: Let me tell you what I’m not. I’m not an expert. I’m not a stylist, a personal shopper, a fashion buyer or even a window dresser.
Now let me tell you what I am: I’m in my early 30s, married, with two kids and no household help. I have a desk job and a two-hour commute each day. I also juggle a number of rackets, after-work engagements and kids’ art projects. I’ve been on countless diets but, through exhaustion and inevitability, have finally made peace with my slammin’ size 12 body. In other words, I’m probably a bit – or a lot – like you.
I also have an all-consuming obsession with style blogs, fashion designers, pop culture and beautiful clothes. It pained me to see that through these outlets, it seemed like style was attainable only for the skinny and/or rich, and thought, “Hey, who says we luscious, harried ladies shouldn’t look good too? Maybe I can’t drop the equivalent of a car downpayment on a designer bag, but I can make an effort to inject more style in my life.”
So when I had my second baby and absolutely dreaded returning to work, I started a project that would inspire me to dress up and get out the house: the style blog Plus Size Fasyon Mudra. Because I document my outfits each day, it made me think long and hard about what I put on my back and forced me to care a bit more about how I looked. Gone were the days of throwing on the first slurry-colored top and clean pants I could find. I discovered that there’s nothing quite as motivating as the thought, “my blog needs material!”
From the project I gained practical tips, thrifty tricks and simple inspirations that came from – and work for – real, everyday situations. These were collected here in this little booklet, which I hope you’ll find useful and fun. I may not be able to tell you what’s the next big trend for Fall, but I can tell you how to fake a waist – and which information would you rather have? Thought so.
Cheers!
Katrina
Baseline style
It’s all about figuring out the body: understanding your shape and dressing to achieve balance and proportion – not dressing to look 10 pounds thinner. Here are some tips gleaned from many hours spent staring at the mirror, late for work yet unable to get out because “This skirt…is just not working!” I owe special and very dear thanks to Trinny and Susannah’s What Not To Wear books, Tim Gunn’s Guide To Style show, and the old books on drawing the human body that I read as a kid for equipping me with a very basic sense of proportion, which I never knew I still recalled until starting this project.
Uniformity
Dressing the curvy lady for work can veer easily into uniform: a pair of pants that fit OK, pair with a top that doesn't let any flab hang out, mix with water and voila, your plus size work outfit today (and every day this week). My previous default look was one stretchy, cotton baby doll dress and flats after the other -- I'd like to say it was because I was pregnant but really, I'd been dressing this way for a long time. Takes the effort out of figuring out what to wear in the morning, but yeah, it's unimaginative, not to mention depressing in the long run.
So what I'm trying to say is I'm trying to steer clear of uniform dressing. It takes a bit of effort and some hits and misses, but I'm determined to inject character and variety into my outfits each day.
I just love the gathered detailing at the neck of this top, saves it from going to full sweatshirt territory
HOWEVER, if I were forced to dress in uniform forever, I'd probably choose this look: a fresh and light cotton top, swingy and generous skirt, fierce figure-defining belt and some high heels. Easy and breezy and requiring minimum effort to put together, but still fabulous.
The skirt skims the hips and the A-line is generous enough to accommodate saddle bags and voluptuous thighs -- but do wear this with a wide belt, because the waist can get lost between the top and the skirt. The heels sort of push the calves up so you avoid looking stumpy even with the lower hem.
Finish off with some key accessories: leatherette bangles from Shapes, Breo workout watch, eQuip ring -- and you're all set!
Credits: Gray/cream-ish (OK DISHWATER-COLORED) top, random bazaar; thrifted navy skirt; Mango studded belt; Old Navy blue suede heels. Red frame multicoated lenses, required to keep from throwing up/getting dizzy when in front of the PC monitor all damn day
Long Tall Sally
I
put together this outfit sort of channeling Trinity from the Matrix
(high collar, long coat, fierce shoes.) When I peeked at the
photos, I realized I was fulfilling one of the tenets of What
Not To Wear Original Flavor -- that is, to dress tall and slim,
make sure the lines of your clothing move vertically. At 5’3 –
rather good for an Asian country but positively petite elsewhere –
I was glad to stumble on this trick to looking taller!
With this outfit, for example, the high collar and the length of coat travelling from knee to neck creates that vertical, up-and-down, Long Tall Sally effect. The pant-hems are long and worn with high heels to maximize the height factor -- plus pinstripes for more verticality. Guess those afternoons spent browsing Trinny and Susannah's books at the mall made an impression on my dress sense after all!
This look made me look so tall and slim I immediately splurged on a caramel sundae!
*I just want to note that while I do go by the What Not To Wear rules, I don't adhere to them 100% -- that's rather limiting and takes the fun out of dressing up! So don't fret if sometimes you wear something that makes your muffin top poke out a bit -- for me the number one tip for style is confidence.
Credits: Top, Ann Taylor (via SM Surplus Shop); thrifted cardigan; Landmark department store plus size pants (from the Moda Plus label), Charlotte Russe pumps
I also discovered that layering a cropped top over a straight-cut maxi dress is a great way of achieving that long, tall look. Dress in complementary muted tones and it's a column of top-to-bottom coolness. Add a long necklace with a heavy pendant to further enhance the vertical lines of the look and adding to the tall-column peg we're going for.
Credits: Dress, Forever 21; Cardigan, Shop With No Name, Bugis Market, Singapore. Random bazaar bangles; "Murano" pendant necklace made by my aunt’s friend.
Is that a belt on your waist?
Or are you just happy to see me?
Something I figured out all too late: belts are great! No, really. I used to hate belts because my body type (paunchy tummy, wide, tall hips) makes tucking my shirts in look less "polished" than "butcher" and besides, over here in the land of the willowy and slim, it's really hard to find an inexpensive belt to encircle my girth.
Then I realized: cinch the belt higher. It takes a ho-hum work outfit up a notch and adds shape to an overlarge top.
Back in the day (waaay back) this belt fit me on the hips. 'Cause back then that was the look, OK? You'd dress your basic top-and-jeans look with a massive belt slung on your hips. This was about, oh, eight, nine, ten years ago... Anyway, I'd almost given up on it but it works well here, contrasting the rivets and the leather with the swirly satiny fabric. The top's actually quite large, but thrifters can't be choosers!