Fancy a bit of shameless and infectious inspiration? Well you’ve come to the right place today!
One thing struck me when I read the comments on Dressing for Your Shape #1: everyone was aware of ‘guidelines’, even if they chose not to stick to them. Let’s face it, for every few days when you feel like flaunting your waist, there are others when you torch the rulebook and wear whatever the hell you feel like. It’s as it should be.
Hourglasses don’t have the monopoly on feeling happy!
"So if I squeeze myself into these babies, I'll have untold happiness...?"
The response to that post was amazing – lots of people chipped in, not everyone agreed…but all of them had valid points to make. So for the final part of ‘Dressing for Your Shape’ – and as part of our journey of self-acceptance – I want to introduce you to some of the the lovely folks who had something inspiring to say. Some thought you should “follow the rules”, some said “f*** ’em!”, and for some it’s merely an ongoing flirtation, but they all had one thing in common – these, their favourite outfits, made them feel fun, free…and sometimes even fabulous.
Whose opinions do you agree with?
What is your go-to ‘feel fabulous’ outfit?
Let me (and them) know in the comments – and click the images to visit their blogs…
mrsbossa.wordpress.com 
Love it!! 😀
Ahhh look at Penny D love it! Such a great post Mrs B I think everyones comments are true, take the rules if you want to … or don’t, just wear what makes you happy! I admit it really grates with me that Gok Wan only works with the rule of creating the hour glass shape. I can’t agree with this, there are so many wonderful body shapes which look far more elegant when emphasised rather than forced into a shape they are not – imagine Erin O’Connors tall willowy frame in a floor length collumn gown, would she look better if you forced shoulder pads and a wide patent belt onto her, I don’t think so. Its also funny you choose that photo of me to use as I am a classic hour glass and often wear things to emphasise this but here I haven’t and I don’t think it looks any better or worse! Its still just me (excuse the miserable face in that pic lol) x
Aw, I love your moody face!! You look positively defiant!!
Great point about Erin O’Connor – she looks fabulous because she dresses for the body she has. Though the thought of Gok trying to force her into a wide patent belt made me smile…x
What a feel-good post Mrs B 🙂 And doesn’t everyone look fab. I don’t often go back to check comments, so I love the idea of posting them up later for everyone to read xx
They were worth sharing. And even I have a few feel-good posts in me… 😉
How nice to hear from some real experts — women who express their individuality and their own style — beautiful!
I couldn’t have said it better, Mrs. Bossa — Sometimes I “feel like flaunting my waist” and some days I do not!
Bravo!
Love the ‘real experts’ comment – that’s a real compliment to all these fabulous ladies and their individuality.
Love it! Keep braking the rules, hot ladies. 🙂
What a fabulous post, Mrs B. It just goes to show that us women can wear anything we want as long as we’ve got the confidence to back our clothing choices up. I’m off to investigate the bloggers I haven’t met before, what a gorgeous bunch. xxx
Amen to all of that, Vix! xx
Oh my goodness, everyone looks fantastic! Truly inspirational, ladies. Thank you so much Mrs B for this series of posts.
I definitely feel more confident about dressing for myself without being restricted to the ‘rules’ all the time.
By the way, my 6 yr old just asked if the thing Bridget is holding up, a HAT or KNICKERS? lol!
It’s a fair question!!
That’s the best way to treat the rules: dress for yourself, and remember they’re there…should you need em.
Ah what a fab idea. I love the selection of quotes and photos – such a varied set of ideas and styles on show.
And therein lies the beauty of it. Such insightful and pithy comments deserved more of an airing!
Great post!
I was wondering whether i would be included, but now I checked back my comment never appeared. so many wordpress blogs think my email is spam – not impressed!
Check again, bright angel… 🙂
Fabulous! Intriguing mix of ideas and the pictures illustrate them nicely. One of the best blog-posts I’ve ever seen anywhere. Thanks for including me!!
And that’s one of the best comments. Thanks ever so for partaking!
This has got to be one of my favorite posts ever. You’ve captured some fantastic posts, and many of these people are some of my faves! You did a wonderful job with the photoshop and quotes, and I can’t rave enough about how wonderful this post makes me feel.
That’s great news, Bella. As we say in northern England: “job’s a good un!”
THAT WAS AWESOME
You, my friend, are AWESOME.
amazing post once again 🙂 the pic you used for Penny Dreadful is PERFECT or should I say PURRFECT 😀 I think that as long as you aren’t unhappy about the way you look, society and/or stylepeople shouldn’t make you feel bad about yourself just because there are certain rules. But if you ARE unhappy, you can feel a thousand times better by knowing what works and what doesn’t 🙂 if anything, I actually think that dressing for your shape gives people a better understanding of their figure, and a clearer view on their proportions. Most of the time unflattering pieces make you look a lot worse than the way you look without any clothes on, so it’s more about letting your real, gorgeous figure take frontstage than about covering up bad bits or letting good bits shine. People are one, big good bit! 😀
Ha, that’s such a lovely thing to say…and your comment is very quotable!!
I think following the rules has a lot to do with happiness and self-assurance. If you’re feeling confident, you’re more likely to wear whatever you like. The rules become a reliable safety net.
WOW! Fantastic words and images.
Everyone looks fantastic – I love the way you combine the words and images, truly very inspiring.
I’m off to check out the blogs now…
Fantastic is definitely the word!
This is such a work of beauty and love, Joanna! Thanks so much for including me and for brightening my day with the words and images of such powerful, wonderful women.
That’s a lovely comment, Allyson. Thanks for taking part!
THIS IS AMAZING!!! I seriously love what you did here, Joanna. The quotes with the photos are so cute and fun yet still poignant and inspirational! I’m in awe. Thank you for including me.
No problem. It was fun to do, and very worthwhile…and there are some meaty quotes, that’s for sure!
Love Penny Dreadful Vintage! The photo just fits! And also Culture Pron by Alexa! Great insights!
There are some cracking shots, I’ll give you that! As well as some wise words…!
Hi my dear-what a fabulous post, everyone looks amazing and rules are made to be used-and broken of course, wear what you want and each to their own-this is what makes us all so uniquely stylish!! xxx
This definitely showcases these ladies’ unique senses of style…and great attitudes to dressing!
Brilliant! gorgeous photo of Franca and Vix and Pearl but have to say that Margaret steals the show in her get up!!
It is quite an outfit!
This is such a well done and thought provoking piece- really makes you second guess the conventional ideao of beauty that the media spews. These fashionistas are all beautiful and stylish in their own way and they are wearing outfits that work with their body shape but most importantly that they feel beautiful in. Thanks for making me re-think beauty and style.
And thank you for your input. It does us good to see an array of women, all finding a way to feel comfortable and look good!
I think this is one of the best, most inspirational, posts ever. I’m so glad that Skybiker referred me to you! I definitely think that rules should be heard and used as a basis, but I think that you also MUST make your own rules, as well. The basic rules are a good jumping off point. In the end, it’s all about your own interpretation.
http://www.glamkittenslitterbox.com/
Twitter: @GlamKitten88
I couldn’t agree more – ideally the guidelines should act as a springboard…and that’s when the fun begins. Thanks so much for visiting, Bonnie – great to get your input!
So stoked to be at this party, whatta lovely bunch! Goes to show that dressing for yourself is the best rule to follow, every”body” looks amazing!!
Hear hear!!
I think the Loudmouth is so sexy in all her outfit posts. Very va-va-voom. She really owns her sensuality. I relate most to Couture Coco’s style. That is exactly something I would wear: minimalist, ladylike and a little vintage-inspired.
The Loudmouth is a bit gorgeous…and like you say, she looks so comfortable and happy in her clothes.
Absolutely brilliant post! I loved it. Thank you xx
Thank you!! 🙂
Thank you for all this splash of good advice. Love them all, and you.
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I used to follow all these fashion rules, till one day I realized what Vintage Vixen was saying. I tried and tested it and yes, it works. If you believe and feel what you wear, you will wear the clothes and not let the clothes wear you. That’s why I’m self-proclaimed emotionista: I do fashion with my heart and I love it! Great inspirational post.
“That’s why I’m self-proclaimed emotionista: I do fashion with my heart and I love it!”
That may be my quote of the week! It’s fantastic to read that you have such a positive attitude to what you wear and why you wear it…it’s what we’re all aiming for!
This has been a great series. Nicely done!!!
Thanks, Kristen! It’s been an enjoyable and thought-provoking series to do.
I loved reading this, and how you allowed other bloggers to participate. These quotes are all fantastic. I keep reading them, it fits so well with each specific blogger. I love what “MyHeartBlogged” stated. Great post Mrs Bossa! *raises a stein to you dear*
-xxoo
Madison
Why thank you! *clink*
The quotes are great, aren’t they? I couldn’t let them go under the radar. My Heart Blogged raised an important point, I think – use the guidelines if you want or need to…but don’t lose the ‘you’ in the outfit! Personality is so important.
This is such an amazing post. What a wonderful way to frame the conversation with other bloggers’ opinions! Creative and cool. I myself have a few fashion rules that only have to do with being appropriate but other than that, I say wear what makes you feel amazing. Great post!
Christine
Thanks for your comment, Christine – love the sentiment. ‘Feeling amazing’ ain’t a bad thing to aim for! I really enjoyed the involvement in this post; comments should be about discussion…and it’s a discussion I couldn’t resist continuing for a little while longer! 😉
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” testing, testing….is this thing on?….”
hope so 😉 wow, this is the greatest post evah!!! when i saw you were doing ‘Dressing For Your Shape #3’ i was stumped about where you’d go with it, Joanna – boy did you pull it off! with excellent help from a gorgeous & insightful group, natch. i LOVE the variety of looks, and your layout. in the end, i think My Heart Blogged and Shybiker really nail it for me – it’s sad to see a person swallowed up by rules – there’s enough conformity as it is.
a lot more important than how our butts look. thank you everyone!! steph
Ha, thanks, Steph! I only ever intended to do a two-parter, but the comments were too juicy not to share. Thanks again for your input, here and via your checklist.
Wonderful! I agree…you should wear what suits you, not what Vogues says should suit you! I mean, it’s easy for them, they are dressing broom sticks!
I loved this series and loved what you did with all the quotes.
Thanks, Arash. It’s been a great series because of the wealth of input and ideas. I’m thrilled with it!
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Well, dont I just love this (and the other 2 posts) Great idea and Im sure a lot of work went into it! Ive never given much thought to dressing for my shape. I just wear what I feel I look good in. I love playing around, trying different things, but at the same time I love throwing on skinny jeans and a tshirt just as much. I love how you put all the quotes together.. nicely done mrs B, fantastic work!
Thank you, dear Jezebel!
I’d love to be able to ‘throw on skinny jeans and a tshirt’…but on me it just looks wrong!! We should all play around – even if we’re following the rules, fashion should still be fun.
Clothes should be fun–and this post proves they can be! Thank you for including me. Sorry about the delay in saying so–I’ve been in Chicago where women dress GREAT. People-watching is so much fun there because women are doing their OWN thing. There feels like there’s little of that fashion-victim sense you can get in NYC (as much as I love that town, too). Instead, women pulled together their own look. It was all very inspiring.
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