My Type 2 friend, Abby, gave me this scarf one day because it was too Type 4 for her (high shine silver and black). I loved it, but couldn't figure out why I wasn't drawn to wearing it. It was perfect colors and sheen. Then, I realized it just had too much animation due to being so wrinkled.
So I simply ironed it out:
Then, I realized it was a very sizable piece of fabric, so I decided to make it into a dress!
You can do this too, if you find a scarf that is at least as wide as you are and a shirt that fits you. Fold the fabric in half horizontally and then half again vertically and smooth out any wrinkles. (If your scarfs are all too narrow longways, consider folding the scarf horizontally twice rather than vertically and making a shirt instead of a dress!) Make sure that all your folds meet flush in the middle. Then, lay your shirt on top and cut around it (extending the cut at the bottom for a dress). Separate the two pieces, and cut the front piece a little lower at the neck.
Then sew the two pieces together and hem!
Initially, it looked a little too feed-sacky for me, so I did little pleats at the shoulders and at the bottom hem:
If you've been reading my recent posts, you have learned about how I'm doing this new DIY makeover called "Dressing Your Truth." You can sign up here.
In "Dressing Your Truth," Carol Tuttle talks about the four "energies" that make up human personality. In other news, I watched an episode of "Cosmos" about the light spectrum and how different elements reflect light with unique spectral patterns. This made me wonder about the four energies as they translate into elements (gas, liquid, fire, earth) and I wondered, "What is my spectral pattern and how do I physically reflect light?"
I'm a big nerd and I wonder these kinds of things. . .
Here is an example of how Carol's daughter, Anne, looks as the four types. It's a little hard to tell her energy type simply because she is young and can get away with more (which is why magazines always show-case clothes on teenage models). She looks to be faking the 1,3, and 4 looks--making them look "off" on purpose, because she looks so beautiful and comfortable as a Type 2. Notice how her skin tone looks too pink as a 1,3, and 4. Notice also how the background in the 2 picture is distinctly different from the rest. She reflects light best as a 2.
Here is an example of how Carol Tuttle herself reflects light. She is older than her daughter (as all mothers are!), and you can really start to tell how uncomfortable she is as any other type besides a 3. It almost looks like she is trying to make the types 1,2, and 4 look bad, but she isn't. That's just how her Type 3 energy "shines." Notice how her skin looks washed out in every picture except the third one. Notice also the backgrounds. The 1 and 3 looks have the highest contrast for her face because she is a higher energy, but she reflects light best as a 3.
(Disclaimer: If you view these on an iPhone, the pictures may be out of order. The "Type 4" picture is the one of me in the black dress.) Lest you write this off as a gimmick done with high tech camera tricks, I decided to do my own experiment. I took all these pictures after a full day of work with the same lighting and flash and no digital touchups whatsoever. All these pictures were the first picture taken. Furthermore, my Type 4 picture was taken after an hour long massage (lying face-down!) with absolutely no makeup touch ups except lipstick. Not even blotting.
Isn't it freaky how all three of the first pictures have a similar background, but the fourth is warmer? I look very grey in the first three pictures, but my skin looks alive in the fourth picture. You can't really see my facial features except in the fourth picture. I also look thinnest in the fourth picture, even though that dress is very baggy. One of the weirdest things I noticed is how frizzy my hair looks in the first three pictures. I honestly did the LEAST amount of touchup or planning for the fourth picture (my face is a little shiny as a result), yet that is the one that looks the best. That's one of the perks of "Dressing Your Truth: Effortlessness. Also, I am making a similar face in all four above, but I just look awkward in the first three. I didn't even realize that till after. Let's examine that "face" phenomenon for a second. I went back after taking these pictures and tried retaking them with more expression pushed through to see what difference it would make. Here are the first two looks with more effort put into my smile:
It took a lot of effort to try to make my eyes and whole face more "smiley" to support what I was wearing. If I had to keep that up all day, I would be exhausted after an hour.
Okay, so. . .I hope this helps to show you that when you aren't "Dressing Your Truth" looking good takes way more effort with way less payoff.
How do you reflect light? Start doing some experiments at home. You will surprise yourself!
This is a short one to show that "Dressing Your Truth" doesn't mean going out and spending tons of money on a new wardrobe. Once you know what you look best in, the items just seem to appear as if by magic and you end up spending less because you can go straight to the sale rack and find what you want on sale.
(Again, if you don't know what "Dressing Your Truth" means, refer to my former posts, or go here.)
All of the looks below cost less than $30 total (including jewelry and shoes). I highly recommend waking up early on Saturday and going to yard sales because the clothes are even cheaper than the thrift store and they usually tend to be nicer because people are trying to make a buck (whereas thrift stores carry what people throw out).
1. Gap leather jacket - $5.00 - yard sale
2. "Peace, Hope, Love" tank top - $2.00 - Rue21
3. Neon pink pants - $5.00 - Walmart
4. Silver shoes - $5.00 - Rue21
5. Cross necklace - $1.99 - 599fashion.com
TOTAL LOOK - $18.99
1. Striped sweater - $2.00 - Rue21
2. Black tank top - free - from a friend
3. Black pants - $5.00 - Walmart
4. Black ballerina flats - $10.00 - eBay
5. Bold stud earrings $1.99 - 599fashion.com
TOTAL LOOK - $18.99
1. Striped blazer - $9.42 - eBay
2. Silver tank top - $2.00 - Walmart
3. Red pants - $5.00 - Walmart
4. White leather and silver embellished flats - $2.50 - thrift store
Okay, Kiddies, so here is another way to alter your garments. This post is a continuation of an on-going process to revise my wardrobe so that 100% of it will look good on me every day. To learn about my journey to find this process, go here.
If you would like to join "Dressing Your Truth" at a discounted rate of $99 (rather than the normal $297) click here.
So, recently, I have joined a group of older ladies who go yard saling on Saturday mornings. It's fun and educational. If you are worried about not being able to spend money on revamping your wardrobe, I highly suggest yard saling. It's even cheaper than the thrift store and you can find much cooler stuff, because people are trying to make a buck off their yard sales, whereas thrift stores carry the clothes people throw out. Anyways, I found this super cute bright red dress at a church yard sale for $2.00. It is lightweight polyester. Notice how the bright red clashes with the colors in the mess of clothes behind it. That stack was part of my purging process (most of them being sold on eBay or given away). . .This dress was cute, but way too long--like mid-calf. Therefore, I cut off about 7 inches.
I had a friend ask me one time what the "surger stitch" was on a regular sewing machine. I don't know if it's called a "surger stitch" or not, but when I use that term, I mean the stitch on the left of the red dot below.
I used that stitch to keep the cut edge of the dress from fraying. (This is a faster alternative to double folding a hem which takes forever because you have to fold, press...fold, press. No thanks.)
Then, I folded the dress up on the wrong side measuring with two fingers and pinned it.
Then I hand-stitched an invisible hemming stitch in red thread. I could have done this much faster on the machine, but. . .I didn't.
As the last step, I pressed the hem just to make I flat, but you don't have to if the fabric lies flat. This whole process took about 10 minutes.
I have an unlikely body for a Type 4. (If you don't know what that is, go here.) Most Type 4s have "T" shaped bodies. I think this is where my secondary Type 1 comes in, physically. I have what some would call a "cuter" frame. I have called it in the past a "crappy" frame. However, I am learning to love it. Especially now that I know exactly how to dress to look good and don't have to guess anymore.
(Really, click on that red "here" up there. You're missing out if you don't. . .Unless you're a man. In which case, why are you reading this?)
All righty then. So, when I shop for tank tops, the classic "Jessica problem" is for the straps to be made for a football player and not me. This is how I fix it. I put the tank top on, and pull the straps up off my shoulders till the neckline hits where I want it. I measure that extra portion of strap with my finger. Then, I take the tank off and cut the strap right at the base on the back of the shirt. Then, using my fingered measurement, I cut that much off the strap and then sew the end back on. (Sorry, I forgot to take pictures while I did this, because I was powering through. A lot of the next few blogs actually happened on the same day and stuff.)
Here is a close up of the sewed-back-on strap. I used a zig-zag stitch.
All right. The next one you will probably think is weird, but I'm gonna post it in case it gives someone an idea. When I buy skinny pants/jeans, I buy them at least one or two sizes too big, because I don't like when pants are super super tight-I-don't-care-how-skinny-you-think-you-are. This upsizing means, that they are usually too big in the waist. Alert readers will recall a fix to a similar problem here. But, let's just say you are fresh out of elastic and your pants are made of jersey. Here is another method:
You can see that these pants are too big in the waist. It looks like I'm stretching them, but I'm not. I'm just holding the waistband.
I turned them inside out, put them on, and then pinched both sides till the waist band was flush with my waist. Then, I pinned one side carefully and took them off.
Then, I just sewed up the sides.
They stay up now!
(Later, I took in a little more from the inseam because they were still too baggy in the "crotchal region," so...There you go!)
So, I am a Type 4. If you don't know what that means, go here.
Type 4s look best in pure hues and high shine silver (among other things). I just love this jacket. My camera has a deficiency when picking up greens and blues. This jacket is way bluer than the picture shows. Anyways, It's great--tailored, lined, structured--but the buttons were gold, so I needed to turn them silver. (Sorry, this is the best background I had in the room. After learning about "Dressing Your Truth," my sewing room turned into a disaster area for about 4 solid weeks. This should tell you more than anything else that I have a patient husband.)
I got out my bottle of silver nail polish and went to work. (Carol suggests if you are Type 1 or 3, to cut a slit in a post it note and put one under each button as you paint so you don't get paint on your clothes.)
You may have noticed that my blog has gotten a make-over. This is because for the past month I have been learning about a new beauty system called "Dressing Your Truth" (go here to learn more) recommended to me by my friend, Abby Wen. It is a system discovered by alternative psychoanalyst, Carol Tuttle, and you can learn more from her blog: www.thecarolblog.com or by visiting the main website www.dressingyourtruth.com. I read her book Dressing Your Truth: Discover Your Type of Beauty twice and have watched most of the content on her websites. So. . .yeah, that took a long time. Plus, I've been overhauling my wardrobe (future blogs to come on that project).
See, the main idea behind this system is that the fashion world has failed us as women because it promotes the law that beauty is reserved only for superficial airbrushed 15-year-old girls in magazines (or aging celebrity women with millions of dollars to spend on plastic surgery). Therefore, 99% of women fail at fashion (even the same 15-year-olds when they aren't airbrushed!). What Carol has discovered is that there are four main elements in the universe: air, water, fire, earth. (I know it sounds New-Agey, but the Periodic Table comes from this ancient idea.) Anyways, Carol has observed that these four elements translate into the motivations behind every person's personality: Air = bright/animated, water = subtle/soft, fire = rich/dynamic, and earth = bold/striking. In other words, you have all four of these "energies" in you, but you lead with one and usually have a secondary. (The closest system of human study that I have to compare this to is The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, that teaches that every person has all five love languages, but that each person is dominant in one and usually has a secondary.)
All that to say, once you realize your true dominant "energy" (I say "true" because a lot of us have tried to be something that we aren't), you learn to develop your outer expression of that through your own personal form of beauty. It's not a system of "Glamour Shots" where women are made to look like garish versions of Marilyn Monroe. It's not a system that "drapes" you in color or seeks to figure out what "season" you are. Those systems are only limited to your outer appearance. What sets this system apart is that it is so holistic. It really seeks to eliminate all the frustration that comes from not feeling beautiful enough in today's society, and from having a closet full of clothes, but nothing to wear. It gives you more confidence because you aren't trying to be or look like something you're not. This puts everyone at ease--yourself and others around you. It really works.
I realize that what I'm saying is probably very confusing if you haven't already looked into this yourself. I have pages of information in my head that I wish I could say here, but I know that you won't be drawn to read a blog of pages and pages of information, so I'm trying to summarize. Let me just show you some pictures of mine and a video of Carol and her daughter, Anne, and see if you can get a better idea of what I'm talking about.
I am a "Type 4." Type 4 women are bold and striking. We are constantly trying to perfect things, often smile with our mouths closed, are introverted unless super comfortable, tend to make decisions based solely on logic, and many other distinctions. Because this is my dominant energy, I look best in black and white, parallel lines, pure hues, elongated rectangles and ovals, and high-shine silver. (There are other factors as well, but those are some of the main ones.)
First of all, I am going to show you a series of pictures from some of my former blog posts. I am using pictures of myself BEFORE learning about "Dressing Your Truth," so that you can hopefully see with unadulterated evidence that I'm not making this stuff up.
So, for this first set of pictures, which one makes me look the most proportionate? Which one makes me look fatter? Both dresses are the same length, but in which picture are your eyes really drawn to the shortness of the dress?
I look much more proportionate in the black and white dress. In the pink dress, I look about ten pounds heavier and the dress looks about two inches shorter. The bow on the pink dress really shortens my body, whereas the black and white dress compliments me. Notice too, that it's hard to look at my face in the pink picture, but in the black and white picture you look me right in the eyes. Now let me tell you that I had a REALLY hard time setting up the pink dress picture. The picture you see above is the best one out of about 10 (I remember taking this picture and how frustrating it was. See how I have my arms at my sides? I was really self-conscious and trying to hide my hips.) The picture of me in the black dress is the first picture I took of that dress! One more point: when I posted these dresses on Facebook, I got all kinds of comments about the black dress and nearly none on the pink one! You all noticed it too!
Okay, in this next set, which picture is the easiest to look me in the eyes? I'm not really standing all that different in either, but one looks better. These pictures were taken within minutes of each other with no touch ups in between.
In the left-hand picture, your eyes kind of go all over the place. You see four flowers and a bunch of lines and leaves. That is because my face isn't able to support all that animation. By putting on the pure green sweater, I actually help to simplify the look and your eyes go straight to my face and that top flower. This dress is actually not a Type 4 piece at all, but the pure green sweater is and that's why I look more supported in the right-hand picture. (Notice too how my waist and face look fuller on the left. I know my face is slightly cocked on the right, but not much.)
Okay, these two might be harder to tell, but they were taken on the same day and about the same time of day. In which one does my face blend into my neck?
Obviously, I didn't really care about my hair or makeup here and was just trying to take a picture in a hurry. Even though I'm standing weirder in the left-hand picture, I look better in that one. The green compliments me, whereas the khaki washes me out. In the right-hand picture, you would almost rather look at my skirt than my face. Incidentally, like the pictures aforementioned, I got far more Facebook compliments on the green dress and the green dress was the easier picture to take. The picture of the khaki outfit was the best out of at least seven or eight. Be glad you didn't see the ones that didn't make it! I looked TERRIBLE!!! (And I wondered why!)
Okay in these two, I will just tell you that I look really awful on the left. I look tired. That is the effect that grey has on me. (It's a similar effect if a Type 1-3 wears black.) The reason I have put these two pictures together is because I HATE pictures of myself from the back; however, I really prefer the picture on the right than the left. Type 4's look good in black, but especially shiny black. Incidentally, I tried setting up the same angled back shot with the grey pants. It looked terrible and I didn't post it. I always wondered why I looked so much better in the black pants. . .
In both of the above pictures there are some big problems. In the left-hand picture, I was so self-conscious of how I looked, that I felt I needed to hold that big book in front of me. In the right-hand picture, notice how the drooping jewelry makes me look old and kind of masculine. I have a really thin neck, but it looks wide with those earrings and that very long necklace.
Neither of these pictures is quite right either because I'm wearing two versions of grey, but I definitely look better on the left. That is because the colors are more contrasted on the left, whereas they are more blended on the right. Type 4's look best in higher contrasts and evenly spaced parallel lines.
I just look orange in this one. The design lines are cute, but. . .I look like an oompa loompa.
This one should be a no brainer.
Do you even notice my hips on the left? No! It's like magic. I look proportionate. The picture on the right has all kinds of problems which I was trying to fix by putting my hands on my hips. Remember that little "trick" they put in magazines about a year ago that said if you stand like a Kardashian with your hands on your hips, you will look thinner? Yeah. . .So why do I look so much better on the left with my hands at my sides?! The picture on the left is the only picture in this post that I took after learning about "Dressing Your Truth," and you can definitely tell that I have my act together, finally! Also--big shocker--this is the first picture I took with this look!
So, after reading all of this you may still be thinking, "She doesn't really look that bad in any of the photos. She's being too hard on herself." (Or maybe you think I look gross in all of them! Haha.) Just remember what I said about feeling like I had to contort my body to hide flaws and how many pictures I had to take until I was somewhat satisfied with the "bad" pictures. Think about how wearing certain things makes you feel less confident and uncomfortable. Think of what that does to your brain all day. Wouldn't it be nice not to have to worry about that?
All right, so what does this mean for you? Does this mean you should dress in black and white and pure hues too? Not unless you are a Type 4. You need to learn your type first. Watch this video to see two girls wearing fashionable Type 4 colors, except one is a Type 1 and one is a Type 2. Watch their one minute transformations and see how just by changing their colors, hair, and jewelry they looks much better!
(If you don't see the embedded video, click here.)
Let me end this with one paraphrase from Carol Tuttle.
In the world of self improvement, exercise and eating healthy are choices you have to CHOOSE to make; however, you have NO choice about whether or not to wear clothes, so you might as well start right now looking awesome every day!
www.dressingyourtruth.com
(I'm not making money from this and have no ties nor affiliation with Carol Tuttle.)
