On Due Relation of One Part to Another: On Proportion

Dear Readers,

In an ideal world, each and every woman on this planet would be blessed with a perfectly proportional body. But, alas, reality is very different. Some women spend hours looking at their short, and maybe heavier, lower body wishing it was a couple of inches smaller. At the same time, other women, probably a few metres away, are secretly wishing for a longer torso because their legs are too long in comparison.

Reality, however, has given women the tools to ‘adjust’ their body shape, allowing them to create visual illusions that could fool even the most attentive of onlookers. Good knowledge of design and garment dynamics can truly help a woman play with proportion.

Let us take, for instance, a woman who has spent her lifetime wanting slimmer legs because they are unproportional compared to her tiny shoulders. The solution to this woman’s misery? She needs to create structure in her upper body. A tailored blazer, with clearly defined shoulders, and maybe shoulder pads, will do the trick. Even better, this same woman could reach for a structured striped blazer, as long as it has horizontal stripes. These ‘sleeping’ stripes will conjure up a sometimes life-saving optical illusion. They will widen her torso, making it look far less small in comparison with her legs. A cheaper, feasible option are shoulder pads. Attaching them to a less structured blazer will lift the jacket’s lines, and probably even the woman’s mood!

Hello, sweet blazer, I love you!

Then, It might be that this woman’s younger sister does not quite fancy her almost manly shoulders. She sulks and asks the heavens why her legs are so tall and slim. The younger sibling must use clothing to add volume to her lower body, or else deploy garments that elongate her upper body. To achieve the first, she must head to the stores and purchase a flared midi-skirt. Not only will she be wearing this year’s ‘it’ skirt, she will also be wearing the skirt that tends to make humanity look shorter and fuller. This skirt will be her new best friend. If she is more into jeans and skinny trousers, simply rolling up the pants’ cuffs will work some incredible magic! Or else, she could rush to her nearest high-street clothes shop and bag herself a pair of ankle grazing jeans instead. Stripes come to the rescue in this case as well. Vertical stripes, this time. With a vertically-striped top, blouse, or a blazer – proven that it is not structured – her upper body will appear longer and more slender, giving her never ending legs a run for their money.

Four ladies and their ankle grazers

These sisters, and all the women worrying about their not so very proportionate bodies, can put their mind at rest. Their clothes are there to save them, always.

-B