It's All About the Fit: 5 Reveals to Know When it Doesn't

A Fitting Choice

Closet Content Analysis: Underwear, Shoulder Seams and Waistline

 NO THANKS  - MAKE IT NICE

I've written about "fit" before but it seems to be a recurring theme when writing a clothing blog.

Most people associate comfort with oversized clothing yet when it comes to style, comfort and look, it is all about the fit. If t-shirts should not be tight, then they should be loose, but how loose? Fitted loose. Fitted loose? What in the world is fitted loose? 

Here's my definition of fitted loose: shoulder seams sit on the shoulders, and sleeves and body are wide enough to allow for breathing space but not baggy. You should not have the sensation of fabric clinging to your skin. Yet, t-shirts should not drape unless of course the design is such that it is made to do so. They also should not be so tight as to see every roll or every muscle, as the case may be. Although I can understand why, if you had abdominal muscles that were that pronounced, you would want to wear a tight t-shirt.

Make it NICE

It seems rather simplistic to have to explain when clothing is too tight or too baggy or just misplaced, but just in case, you want a quick check list, change your clothing into something that fits  . . . 

Photo Source: Office Glam

NO THANKS: 1. if underwear or the lack thereof is producing lumps and bumps that shouldn't be there; or perhaps I could say, over-emphasizing what in fact is there. It seems to be a worldwide problem as articulated by Aclyne Njiraini from Kenya in the post, Undercover Operation on her blog, Office Glam. Clothing should fall or lay smoothly on the body even if your underwear doesn't. Mind you, good fitting underwear is the best starting point. By the way, the front can be as revealing as the rear.

2. if shoulder seams are laying halfway down your arm. It's too big and therefore it's sloppy. Shoulder seams should be where your shoulders are. A raglan sleeve is different but even that sleeve has a fit to it. Of course, you can sleep in your boyfriend's t-shirt but don't venture out in it. 

3. if you have forgotten where your waist is - a waist is a waist irrespective of its girth. Healthfully for women it should not be more than 31 inches or 80 cm around and for men 37 inches or 94 cm is the guideline. When fitting pants or skirts, do not rise too much above it or go too far below it. Low rise jeans have had their day and anyone who wears their trousers midway down their buttocks, near to their chests or under their bellies are all in need of "waistband re-analysis".

4. if you are tugging some piece of clothing down, up or across. Obviously that item is too short, too plunging or too something. If you are tugging at it when looking in the mirror, then you will unconsciously be tugging at it when you are out. Adjusting your clothing from sitting to standing is acceptable but adjusting because of self-consciousness is not.

5. if the buttons on your shirt are straining and puckering the cloth across your chest from the pull. Physics is at work here and the shirt is just too tight. There is nothing to advise but find another shirt that fits, meaning the buttons lay flat and there are no extra puckers or ripples.

Don't get hung up on numbers (sizes), just wear what fits well.

Even the most inexpensive outfit will look good if the fit is perfect and the most expensive designer clothing will look shabby if it doesn't fit. 

Focus on fit for the next while and you will discover a sophistication you might not have thought you had in addition to just feeling comfortable in your clothes (as well as your skin).