Ideal bodies for the eras

[epr25]

I have said this before. But I am selling off a large collection of clothes for a lady that has been collecting for quite awhile. I got a lovely black crepe dress from her last night that would fit allot fo ladies that have mentioned their measurments on this thread. I am going to get it up on ebay this weekend. Unless you guys think I shoudl put it in the classifides here. I have never had much luck doing that. What do you think?

 

[KittyT]

There is a dress I am eyeing on the bay that is about two inches smaller than me, that I think I will need a girdle for, as my rice cakes and water diet isn't working. Which ones do you (heck anyone here!) recommend?

There are quite a few Rago/girdle/foundation garment threads here where a lot of the ladies have made specific recommendations for the models they prefer.

Keep in mind that a girdle will smooth you out but it won't necessarily take much off. Also, in my experience, a girdle tends to take more off the hips than the waist, and my girdles only take about an inch off my hips.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I have said this before. But I am selling off a large collection of clothes for a lady that has been collecting for quite awhile. I got a lovely black crepe dress from her last night that would fit allot fo ladies that have mentioned their measurments on this thread. I am going to get it up on ebay this weekend. Unless you guys think I shoudl put it in the classifides here. I have never had much luck doing that. What do you think?

If it's in my size range I'd definitely take a look at it in the classifieds.

 

[epr25]

If it's in my size range I'd definitely take a look at it in the classifieds.

Ok i will try to get a good picture of it tonight. It's black so I will have to go when the light is good.

 

[Miss 1929]

The changing body!

I used to be a size 2... now I am a 16.
Sadly, I am just as disproportionate no matter what size I am! I discovered long ago that the early 30s work the best - I am short waisted, large hipped, and fairly flat chested! 40s looks awful on me. 20s makes me look like a box.
So no matter what size you are, see what style plays up your good points and go that way! The beauty of wearing retro style is that we have all the decades to choose from - we don't have to be slaves to the current mode.

 

[Eliza]

I guess from reading this thread, that with appr. 42" shoulders, 40" bust, 32.5" waist and 42" hips that I would be an Hourglass and that the 50's would suit me best?

I like Victorian and 20's through the 60's styles. I adore Audrey Hepburns style and styles of the 50's sex symbols.

Where would I find great 50's fashions, if indeed this is what would suit me best? What about the 30's and 40's? I know the 20's would not look all that fab on me.

Any non-vintage stores that would sell these styles?

 

[lyburnum]

WhatKatieDid has a good way of working out your type of figure on their website:

Most of our garments are cut for a Vintage Figure, that is a figure with the hip measurement being 8 to 10 inches bigger than the waist. If you have a Modern Figure (waist less than 6 inches smaller than your hips -and for measuring hips we measure the widest part) it is advisable to go down one size in certain garments.

I've gotta say, that as someone with a small waist, I can hardly ever find vintage clothes that fit me, and they often need some sort of alteration. That's why I make a lot more repro clothes than buy them. I have a vintage figure (big hips), but a 24" waist, so most of the stuff I try on is far too big for me. I also don't have much of a bust which doesn't help Most clothes I've seen come in larger sizes. I'm actually too afraid to get a waist cincher, as I feel I already have a small enough waist as it is and wouldn't like to find all my clothes were too loose all of a sudden :S

 

[Eliza]

Odd thing is.... I do not consider myself all that shapely or Hourglass-y; I think of myself as fairly balanced, neither straight nor curvy... Hmm, well, I will check out that site that you mentioned and thanks for the suggesstion!

 

[AllaboutEve]

WhatKatieDid has a good way of working out your type of figure on their website:



I've gotta say, that as someone with a small waist, I can hardly ever find vintage clothes that fit me, and they often need some sort of alteration. That's why I make a lot more repro clothes than buy them. I have a vintage figure (big hips), but a 24" waist, so most of the stuff I try on is far too big for me. I also don't have much of a bust which doesn't help Most clothes I've seen come in larger sizes. I'm actually too afraid to get a waist cincher, as I feel I already have a small enough waist as it is and wouldn't like to find all my clothes were too loose all of a sudden :S

Wow what a teeny waist you have!!

What Katie Did is a great site, and the customer service is nothing short of superb. I swear by the Rago waist cinchers.
I normally find that the things that fit my waist don't normally fit my hips 36-26-39 but generally the 1950's things I try on are a better fit than things from the 40's. I definitely don't have the hips of a lady on wartime rations!lol

 

[Eliza]

generally the 1950's things I try on are a better fit than things from the 40's. I definitely don't have the hips of a lady on wartime rations!

How tiny were they back then? lol.

I am quite soft and squishy - I have no tone and I am rounded in the abdomen....so, I should try the 50's?

ETA:
It is the 50's that I thought I was playing with and I am looking for confirmation but maybe what I think is the 50's isn't lol

My skirt:

More 40's maybe??

 

[A.R. McVintage]

Saw this thread and it made me think of a show called Carnivale (sadly gone now), set in 1934 that had a family in it with a whole range of sizes for women (momma on left, oldest daughter on right). A body's a body and as long as one is trying to take care of it (give me a few plaudits, girls, I went from a 52 to a 46 and am still losing) then we do the best with what the good lord put into our pot of genes.

And I'd dare someone to tell me this tomato doesn't ooze Mae West-ian appeal...ooh-la-la!

 

[Miss 1929]

Plaudits galore!!!

Wow, that is a wonderful loss! You're an inspiration!
And yes, I agree, that is a dame.

 

[dahliaoleander]

Personally within 7 months or so I have supposedly gone up from a 34b-28-37 to a 36b-32-39! :eusa_doh:

My mother, when measuring me, even said I don't have a waist, I just go straight down,an fan out a bit at the hips. I told her "I'm a girl I'm supposed to have A coke-bottle figure... I'm not supposed to be straight!" She just nodded.

Is there an era for me?

I Barely fan out at the booty so... I guess I'm a semi-pear... I've always wanted the coke-bottle shape... since I was in kinder... its a pretty rude awakening..

I console myself saying I have plenty of time... Then that damned antagonistic voice in my head reminds me "Tomorrow's not promised!" and I get down again... :eusa_booh

Confound it all! Where's the coke bottle I wanted!

 

[KittyT]

Personally within 7 months or so I have supposedly gone up from a 34b-28-37 to a 36b-32-39! :eusa_doh:

My mother, when measuring me, even said I don't have a waist, I just go straight down,an fan out a bit at the hips. I told her "I'm a girl I'm supposed to have A coke-bottle figure... I'm not supposed to be straight!" She just nodded.

Is there an era for me?

Well not everyone can have a perfect hourglass figure. We're all different. Try 20s styles, those would work well for you - there are plenty of gals here who would love to be able to wear flapper styles and can't because they feel their hips are too big and they don't have the right shape. Also, I know several of us have mentioned this before - GET A WAIST CINCHER. They really do work and most gals here report that they have taken up to 3" of their waist. They really will accentuate your waist and give you a more exaggerated shape. There's lots of info about them in the Girdles, Corsets and Underpinnings thread.

 

[gluegungeisha]

My weight has been fluctuating terribly lately due to stress! I always accomodate my changing figure with the clothes I wear, so I don't look like I'm swimming in fabric when I lose a few pounds. Some girls gain weight when they're stressed; I revert to a prepubescent stick figure. Oyy...

Since modern tiny sizes tend to be more accomodating to "straight" figures, I usually end up wearing more modern clothes when I lose weight...and then I accessorize accordingly.

When I'm at my healthy, happy weight, I'm a petite hourglass -- 33-23.5-35.5. 40's clothes seem to fit me best, but I've also had luck with Victorian and Edwardian pieces when they come my way holding reasonable price tags. I have a lot of 50's A-line dresses that fit beautifully, but wiggle dresses always seem to be too short-waisted for me (maybe they were just made for shorter ladies?), or too baggy around the hip bones (my widest hip measurement is around my butt, not the love handles).

 

[KittyT]

(my widest hip measurement is around my butt, not the love handles).

It was my understanding that that's where hip measurements are supposed to be taken?

 

[pretty faythe]

It was my understanding that that's where hip measurements are supposed to be taken?

7 to 9 inches below the belly button

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

7 to 9 inches below the belly button

Yeah...butt area! I think we're all wider there than the "love handle" region! lol

 

[ShortClara]

I have a lot of 50's A-line dresses that fit beautifully, but wiggle dresses always seem to be too short-waisted for me (maybe they were just made for shorter ladies?), or too baggy around the hip bones (my widest hip measurement is around my butt, not the love handles).

I'm short, but long waisted. That happens to me in many 50s dresses, too, with a waist at my ribs. Usually the hips are too narrow in wiggles tho, as I think I am an extreme hourglass a LA Betty Boop! Little In The Middle But She Got Much Back! I'm super proportional tho, as long as I stay with flattering silhouettes. No 20s stuff.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

DressADay posted a comment from La BellaDonna as an entry, and it deals with different body shapes and appropriate vintage eras. You might find it helpful - I know I did.

http://www.dressaday.com/2006/11/are-you-ruler-or-apple.html

Sadly, as a pear who loves the 30's and 40's...

It is very difficult for the Pear to create an Upside-Down Triangle Shape. This means that if you love the clothes of the 30’s and 40’s, you will need to be very careful in your choice of pattern, because the silhouette is diametrically opposed to yours. The good news is that it’s not entirely impossible; look at the pattern measurements as they are listed on patterns from those periods. The Bust is usually six inches bigger than the Waist; the Hips are usually nine inches bigger than the Waist. And what is that shape? Why, a Pear, of course! It does mean looking for 30’s or 40’s patterns that put the emphasis on the upper body, but that actually have pattern features that leave room for the lower body, with gores, etc. Beware the skirt with pleats all around, if you are trying to de-emphasize the lower half of the body!