Vintage dressing for... the lesser endowed lady

[jazthejitterbug]

Ladies: I am hoping there may be someone amongst you who can help me with a small dilemma.Well... make that two small dilemmas.

I want to get my sister a beautiful vintage style dress from one of the lovely sites which have been listed here. (I love this site- what a fantastic resource it is!) She is very insecure about her appearance, and I would like to find something that makes her feel good... no. Make that 'feel like a Siren'.

Now, we are similar shapes; small, fairly slim (size 8 UK, so.. 6? 4? US?), muscular with pert derrieres... and a little flat up front. As my beloved ex-naval aunt used to put it- 'we are square-rigged'. (Not very in-and-out.)
My sis has beautiful, dramatic features which are kind of 'Spanish/Russian Princess'. She has long, dark brown hair, an olive complexion and an aquiline nose.

Her insecurities really are in relation to the flat chest (she's had three children) and also to her slightly thick-ish ankles. God, I feel horrible just typing that.

So: I have a hunch (I will be asking for dressing advice for that at a later date) that among you talented ladies there may be someone who can advise me on what style of dress might suit her best. She has a particular thing for the 50s, but has been known to go fairly Victorian/Edwardian.

Thank you so much in advance- I hope it's okay to put up threads like this.
And... er... sorry for rambling on a bit.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'll chime in on this one, since I too am not exactly top-heavy. I find that it's good to avoid tops that are too close-fitting or low-cut. I sew most of my own clothes, and have learned to leave the tops of dresses just a little bit blousier than the pattern might call for -- this kind of camouflages the lack of size upstairs.

You sis would have a perfect shape for '20s clothes -- the 50s are a bit more problematic, since there was a lot of emphasis on pointed and perky. Of course, a *lot* of women in that era wore falsies -- look thru any Sears catalogue of the time and you'll find several different kinds of bust pads being sold, suggesting that they were the most expedient course for gals who wanted to display the fashionable shape of the time. So there's nothing period-inappropriate about going that route -- in fact, it was a lot more common than most people realize.

 

[ShortClara]

My first thought was a dress with a shelf bust or gathered bust, to make everything look bigger and a good pushup bra (& panties) to go with and match it all! There are tons of 50s dresses with bust-enhancing shaping like that. My BFF is tres petite thattaway, but unlike Lizzie she does wear tight and formfitting stuff (always with that pushup) and it looks great. The more fitted under the bust, the bigger the bust looks I should think.

Edit to add - something like this or this.

 

[~*Red*~]

My first thought was a dress with a shelf bust or gathered bust, to make everything look bigger and a good pushup bra (& panties) to go with and match it all! There are tons of 50s dresses with bust-enhancing shaping like that. My BFF is tres petite thattaway, but unlike Lizzie she does wear tight and formfitting stuff (always with that pushup) and it looks great. The more fitted under the bust, the bigger the bust looks I should think.

Edit to add - something like this or this.

This is exaclty what I used to do back in my younger years, when I skinny and no boobs.

 

[KittyT]

Yes, I see a lot of tiny 50s dresses on Ebay. You should be able to find something with a small bust and full skirt that will help accentuate curves. A full skirt and fitted waist does wonders - really creates the illusion of having a waist, even if you don't! If she wants to create more of a waist line, try a simple waist cincher.

 

[Paul]

I cannot see there would be a problem finding a 50's dress which would make her feel a million dollars, ladies then worn shoulder pads and hip pads to alter the silhouette, feeling good about the way you look starts also with the basics like lingerie but i not going to say much on that subject here, accessories like shoes, bags can make a great difference.
As you are in the UK, (I cannot pm you until you post more) but I can put you in contact with some very good suppliers of dress who are not so far from you.

 

[Miss Brill]

I haven't left the house without a bra since the 5th grade.

 

[jazthejitterbug]

Thank you everyone- there is some really useful stuff in there. I'm sure that it's going to really help while I peruse the various excellent sites I found listed here! I think I may also see if I can get her a booking with a local beautician that does 'Goddess' days where they teach you how to accentuate the positives of your appearance with your choice of dress etc.

However: Miss Brill? I'm not quite sure what point you were making?
Forgive me if I misunderstand, I am a new girl around here after all...

 

[Miss Brill]

However: Miss Brill? I'm not quite sure what point you were making?
Forgive me if I misunderstand, I am a new girl around here after all...

I mean women shouldn't feel like they are missing out on anthing because you aren't bigger. I haven't left the house without a bra on since the 5th grade.

 

[katiemakeup]

I haven't left the house without a bra since the 5th grade.

Ha ha!


My 600th post whoo hoo!

 

[The Shirt]

I agree with the 50's petal bust comments though sometimes they are hard to find and priceytoo. I have good luck "increasing" the appearance of my bustline with dresses that have a slight cross-over or wrap effect over the bustline. The folds in the fabric give me more bang for my buck I guess. I am not that small all around - but I think my bustline is a bit small for my hips and these seem to even me out a bit. That and a good waist cincher to make the difference between bust and waist larger.

Like these dresses

 

[Paisley]

Ladies: I am hoping there may be someone amongst you who can help me with a small dilemma.Well... make that two small dilemmas.

I want to get my sister a beautiful vintage style dress from one of the lovely sites which have been listed here. (I love this site- what a fantastic resource it is!) She is very insecure about her appearance, and I would like to find something that makes her feel good... no. Make that 'feel like a Siren'.

Now, we are similar shapes; small, fairly slim (size 8 UK, so.. 6? 4? US?), muscular with pert derrieres... and a little flat up front. As my beloved ex-naval aunt used to put it- 'we are square-rigged'. (Not very in-and-out.)
My sis has beautiful, dramatic features which are kind of 'Spanish/Russian Princess'. She has long, dark brown hair, an olive complexion and an aquiline nose.

Her insecurities really are in relation to the flat chest (she's had three children) and also to her slightly thick-ish ankles. God, I feel horrible just typing that.

So: I have a hunch (I will be asking for dressing advice for that at a later date) that among you talented ladies there may be someone who can advise me on what style of dress might suit her best. She has a particular thing for the 50s, but has been known to go fairly Victorian/Edwardian.

Thank you so much in advance- I hope it's okay to put up threads like this.
And... er... sorry for rambling on a bit.

Your sister sounds like she has the same kind of build I have: that of a 13-year-old gymnast. I think of it as sleek and athletic.

Start with a good bra. If I don't wear an underwire bra, I look totally flat. A bit of padding is good too (especially with t-shirts).

She should wear a shirt or sweater that will make her look like she has a waist. Fitted jackets are great for this. Woven shirts should have darts at the waist. Knit shirts and sweaters should come in at the waist. (And since I have a short neck, I avoid high-necked shirts. I also avoid extra fabric at the bust: it just looks like...well...extra fabric with nothing in it.)

Since your sister has a good rear, she should look good in pants or a skirt that emphasizes this. A pencil skirt would probably look great on her. If she is short (under 5'-6"), I'd avoid big, poofy skirts. They'll just make her look shorter without showing off her rear.

As for her ankles, she can make her legs look longer (and her ankles, thinner) by wearing skin-colored shoes and stockings.

 

[ShortClara]

If she is short (under 5'-6"), I'd avoid big, poofy skirts. They'll just make her look shorter without showing off her rear.

I'm significantly shorter than 5'6", but I slightly disagree with the poofy skirt thing. I wear circles and poofy skirts well, IF the length is correct. Nothing longer than the knee. Mid calf turns me into Stumpy Sally. But no, they don't show off the rear

 

[gluegungeisha]

I recently tried on a 50's prom dress that had some lovely gathered fabric at the bust that gave me the illusion that it would fit my small-but-not-flat chest. However, when I tried it on, it appeared to have been made for a girl with a very flat bust! I'd recommend a style like that.

 

[Paisley]

Some vintage clothes just have to be tried on to see if they fit. I think I have a pretty good eye for knowing whether something will fit, but vintage can fool me, too.

 

[Paisley]

Someone else who has a 13-year-old gymnast figure is one of my dance teachers, Tiffiny Wine. She doesn't wear much vintage anymore, mostly jeans and form-fitting tops now, but she always looks good. Here are some YouTube videos of her; you can see what she wears.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

I agree with Paul, there is nothing wrong with wearing a padded bra or even inserts and it is vintage-correct. We (some of us) wear girdles, don't we? It's all about looking good in the clothes.

 

[ShortClara]

Some vintage clothes just have to be tried on to see if they fit. I think I have a pretty good eye for knowing whether something will fit, but vintage can fool me, too.

Very very true. Try to get as many measurements from her as you can, or else maybe an ebay / local vintage store gift certificate and you two can shop together.

 

[pigeon toe]

I'm definitely smaller in the chest area than I am in the hips, which can be a bit of a pain, it makes me feel ill-proportioned. A padded bra is a life-saver for sure!

I don't know your sister's proportions, but part of my problem with getting vintage to fit me in the chest was the waist length. I'd buy vintage off of Ebay or even try it on in stores that had my chest measurements, but since I'm so petite and short-waisted there would be all this slack since the waist was hitting me too low. Finding an excellent seamstress is also a wonderful idea. There is one lady who I bring all my vintage to and she's done some amazing, really complicated stuff to get my vintage to fit me.

 

[Goldfish]

I have a small upper part of body (yes, small breasts too) but wiiiiiideee hips and I am 5'7'' -> is that short or tall for vintage measurments?
any styling tips for me?