Ideal bodies for the eras

[i_am_the_scruff]

I've perused/skimmed the thread, but I haven't seen much talk about us poor, top heavy gals. I'm 43" Bust (spilling out of my 36D...which was hard enough to find, why don't stores stock this size?)

You HAVE to be joking?!! All stores seem to stock up to D-DD and no higher.

Although now bigger sizes are making an appearence, which is great because last time (which was a while ago) I was measured I was an F cup.

 

[newtovintage]

Opinions

Hello ladies! I have been recently reading a book by Marsha Hunt "What We Wore" and in it she seems to be trying to tell people that fuller figures should not wear 30s or 40s clothing. Is that true? I know that there were women of all sizes in every era, but my question is what era is best for someone who's DEFINITELY not a size 2. My photo in my avatar, the most recent one I have, is a picture of myself in a vintage repro 40s dress. Anyhow, can any of you ladies tell me which era would look best on me? I like almost all looks of the eras and quite a few before the 20th century. Can you please give me some advice? Thank you all in advance.
Sarah

P.S. As you might have guessed from my previous avatar, I really love turn of the century Edwardian styles and also the clothing from Little House on the Prairie. Always been a favorite. Those are options too. Any advice would be great. Thank you again.

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

Hello ladies! I have been recently reading a book by Marsha Hunt "What We Wore" and in it she seems to be trying to tell people that fuller figures should not wear 30s or 40s clothing. Is that true? I know that there were women of all sizes in every era, but my question is what era is best for someone who's DEFINITELY not a size 2. My photo in my avatar, the most recent one I have, is a picture of myself in a vintage repro 40s dress. Anyhow, can any of you ladies tell me which era would look best on me? I like almost all looks of the eras and quite a few before the 20th century. Can you please give me some advice? Thank you all in advance.
Sarah

P.S. As you might have guessed from my previous avatar, I really love turn of the century Edwardian styles and also the clothing from Little House on the Prairie. Always been a favorite. Those are options too. Any advice would be great. Thank you again.

See Sunny's post a few back for lots of good info. I think what Hunt was saying was that wide-hipped women shouldn't go for 30s styles (although 40s I'd consider to be perfectly fine). I think it has less to do with *size* than *shape*, AKA silhouette. Presuming you're at a naturally healthy weight for *you*, it doesn't matter if you're a size 2 or not. You can probably wear just about any decade, as long as you choose your styles & outfits carefully.

Edwardian...lots of leeway there! True Edwardian styles, of course, take a corset, and I doubt you'd want to wear actual vintage, but curvier works well for Edwardian. Edwardian-inspired can be adapted to any figure.

My advice: To determine your shape, take your measurements (bust-waist-hip), and look at yourself in a mirror, both front and sideways (and take photos if you want a back view ), and see how you fall into these general categories. (Remembering that rules are useful, but were also made to be broken. )

 

[newtovintage]

See Sunny's post a few back for lots of good info. I think what Hunt was saying was that wide-hipped women shouldn't go for 30s styles (although 40s I'd consider to be perfectly fine). I think it has less to do with *size* than *shape*, AKA silhouette. Presuming you're at a naturally healthy weight for *you*, it doesn't matter if you're a size 2 or not. You can probably wear just about any decade, as long as you choose your styles & outfits carefully.

Edwardian...lots of leeway there! True Edwardian styles, of course, take a corset, and I doubt you'd want to wear actual vintage, but curvier works well for Edwardian. Edwardian-inspired can be adapted to any figure.

My advice: To determine your shape, take your measurements (bust-waist-hip), and look at yourself in a mirror, both front and sideways (and take photos if you want a back view ), and see how you fall into these general categories. (Remembering that rules are useful, but were also made to be broken. )

My measurements are 40-36-49 and I fall in the pear shape category according to that article. I would just like to know what would work best for me. I can make any era of clothing that would suit me. But I am not too great at deciding what looks best on my figure. I do need to lose a few lbs to be at a more healthy weight, but that will come with time and I don't want to have to wait to begin making and wearing vintage or vintage inspired. Thank you SRL for your time. I have been looking thru a copy of Everyday Fashion for the 30s and I have seen several dresses that were for "stout"/fuller figured women that look really beautiful, so I didn't know if perhaps I made my own and just fitted them to my proportions if that would work. Any thoughts? I have quite a few 40s vintage and vintage inspired pieces and a few 50s pieces. Anyhow, sorry for the long post.
Sarah

 

[ShoreRoadLady]

My measurements are 40-36-49 and I fall in the pear shape category according to that article. I would just like to know what would work best for me.

There's probably tons of info on here that could be found in a search. I hesitate to say anything too authoritatively, since I'm pretty new to vintage myself. I can say what works for me, though...see my last paragraphs.

I can make any era of clothing that would suit me. But I am not too great at deciding what looks best on my figure. I do need to lose a few lbs to be at a more healthy weight, but that will come with time and I don't want to have to wait to begin making and wearing vintage or vintage inspired.

You're in business then; you can try some of the vintage patterns or the vintage repros. It's a matter of trial and error in many respects; you'll wear things that you think look great, and then wonder later (usually after a look in a department store 3-way mirror ), "What was I thinking?!"

Thank you SRL for your time. I have been looking thru a copy of Everyday Fashion for the 30s and I have seen several dresses that were for "stout"/fuller figured women that look really beautiful, so I didn't know if perhaps I made my own and just fitted them to my proportions if that would work. Any thoughts? I have quite a few 40s vintage and vintage inspired pieces and a few 50s pieces. Anyhow, sorry for the long post.
Sarah

Quite welcome, and no need to apologize. Long posts are appreciated here! I'm a pear myself; very narrow-shouldered and wide-hipped. Again, you'll have to turn elsewhere for knowledgeable vintage-specific advice, but here's what's worked well for me in modern/vintage-inspired clothing. Another note - don't just assume that you're a pear because your measurements fit, either. If you have wide shoulders, you may look more like an hourglass.

(And yes - fitting to your proportions is what it's all about. For instance, I find that a top that hits the fullest part of my hip is a no-no. Move the hem up a few inches, to the high hip (where the hipbone juts out, or a tad below), and the same top looks great.)

Gores are good; they give you lots of seams to accommodate the hips, and have a slimming effect. Knee-length skirts work well for me, especially A-line and trumpet styles (where the hips are slim, but the hemline flares out rather like a trumpet when in motion). Sleeves with gathers at the top help widen the shoulders and balance the hips. Wide belts emphasize the waist. I've also found that my tops need to "blouse" slightly in the back, instead of hugging my body. It helps balance out the rear. I suspect wide and elaborate collars, such as on those 30s dresses you're looking at, would be good too. And don't underestimate necklaces - they help draw the eye upward.

Hope that helped some. I'm still working all this out, myself!

 

[SassyLindaB]

well I just got out the measuring tape...44 36 44...hourglass or what!...when did I go from a b cup to a d???

 

[NicolettaRose]

SassyLinda, I like the color of your hair.

I don't think it takes an ideal body type to wear a certain style, I think anyone can really wear any era, because like someone said before, there was people of every size in every era. Ideal body types were just ideal, chances are like today, most people did not actually look like that, sometimes it is impossible or even unhealthy to have a certain 'ideal' body type, if we all wanted to have the ideal Kate Moss waif body of the 90's, we would have have to live on rice cakes and carrot sticks starve ourselves and become anorexic sticks.I say we celebrate the real body types of today, whether you are a size 4 or 14.

 

[Bluebird]

Graverobbergirl!

Depending on where you live in Canada, you may have an Addition-Elle in your area (hopefully with a lingerie section). I buy all my bras there and I am a 42G. So your size is out there! They measure you and everything. If you are anywhere near Toronto, there are places downtown that carry even more amazing stuff! I'm sure that most metropolis' have a lingerie store that caters to the curvier woman! And Darn It, It's A Reason To Go Shopping!! lol

Hope this helps!

^_^bluebird

 

[SassyLindaB]

Thanks NicolettaRose, it seems they keep changing the box on me, so my hair is a mix of maybe 4 reds and some black...I'm actually a blonde but with naturally thick eyebrows it made me look like a bottle blonde, so I opted for the red

 

[HadleyH]

I know the 1920s is strictly out due to their focus on lithe, straight lines.

I dont think that you should consider the 1920s strictly out, but just expanding a little on that idea and related to ideal bodies for the eras :

"The 1920s and 1960s both bucked the trend of the curvaceous women. Ann Bolin an anthropologist at Elton College suggests that during periods of liberation like the 1920s when women has just gotten the vote and the 1960s when the Pill became available, the ideal shape for women deemphasized their reproductive characteristics - the nourishing breasts, the wide childbearing hips."

I don't know if this is true or not, but i thought it was interesting.

 

[bettier]

I find some places have the dresses made that fit me perfect. I like Stop Staring dresses, although I have had issues with quality. The measurements are almost always perfect. I take tries everywhere, and in other places, it just doesn't work out. My measurements aren't how I would want them. I'm a 36d, 28, 40. I have a bubble butt, and very large hips. I don't know what era I fall into..

 

[PS]

Bettier, we are nearly twins. Im a 34D-28-40-ish depending on my workout regimen that month! lol
I find the 50's suit me best, but I do have to have most things altered to fit my bust, because I have to buy to fit my hips.

 

[Marzipan]

OK, so I just measured myself properly for the first time.

Bust: 32C
Waist: 26
Hips: 32

I'm 5'2 and about 111 lbs.

What era do you think suits this body type?

Thanks!

 

[pretty faythe]

I've perused/skimmed the thread, but I haven't seen much talk about us poor, top heavy gals. I'm 43" Bust (spilling out of my 36D...which was hard enough to find, why don't stores stock this size?), 33" waist, and 41" hips.!

I am a bigger top heavy girl than you are, but I have found that if you are looking at regular dept stores ie Wal-Mart, Target, any DD that you find there doesnt really give you much of a choice for something with support and a nice shape. I have been getting mine lately from cirque, a Layne Bryant company. (42DD/DDD)

(please forgive any mis spellings and obvious typos, I havent had my nails done in ages and am getting used to the length again lol)

 

[ScotchWhisky]

OK, so I just measured myself properly for the first time.

Bust: 32C
Waist: 26
Hips: 32

I'm 5'2 and about 111 lbs.

What era do you think suits this body type?

Thanks!

Your measurements and mine are quite similar...

Bust 32D
Waist 23
Hips 32

4'11" and about 85lbs. (Someone once told me that I'm virtually the same size as Veronica Lake... if only I had the face, too!)

I find the 40s and 50s looks best for me because of the nipped in waists, which are flattering to me because my waist is so small. One of the reasons I started looking at vintage clothing is because I find that modern styles are intended to ride lower down, not at the true waist, and if you have a small waist as you and I do, it's more flattering for it to fit at the smallest part of the waist.

I tend to forgo the 50s because I prefer a-line and pencil skirts to fuller skirts (this is a personal preference; circle skirts look fine on me), but I do toss in some late 30s suits and things. 1920s and early 30s are not usually good for me, because my chest is too big; you might find the same problem.

I know that you're going for a very authentic 1950s look right now, but I would suggest that when your year is over, you might look into a slightly higher hemline. You're short like I am, and often the longer, mid-calf hems cut off my legs at the wrong spot and make me look sort of dumpy. A hem that hits at knee-length, give or take 1.5", suits me best and you might find that's true for you too.

If you're going for 40s, I would also advise you to think about forgoing shoulder pads. On me they're a little overwhelming, because I'm short and also small in the hips, like you are. They make me look cartoony and triangle-like. [huh]

Sorry for the essay! I hope some of that was helpful. lol

 

[Marzipan]

Thanks so much for your post, Scotch!

Wow, a 23 inch waist! So jealous! After having my child I lost lots of weight and decided to put more on but now that I'm thinking about a 50's waist again, I think I might start eating healthier.

Do you find that dresses are hard to fit because of the breast and waist ratio difference?

I'm staying away from the 20's. I saw Marilyn in a flapper dress and she looked a little dumpy. And that was Marilyn so who knows what I would look like...

 

[ScotchWhisky]

I have one beautiful flapper dress that actually looks nice on me, but it is quite the diamond in the rough. You definitely need the coltish, straight-up-and-down figure to pull those off most of the time. Marilyn wore quite a few of them in Some Like it Hot, and although she still looked gorgeous (she is Marilyn, after all), they were hardly the most flattering dresses on her.

I do find that I have a problem with size disparity - for the most part my waist is a little smaller than most XS sizes, and my hips are a true XS, but my boobs qualify for a medium in most things. It just means I have to be more selective in what I buy, and some of my dresses and tops I have custom-made to avoid that problem.

As for a smaller waist, you could look into some era-appropriate waist cinchers to help get the 50s wasp-waist you're looking for. 26" is still very, very small for someone who's had kids! I'm sure you could find a corset that would take off 2-3" without any serous boning.

 

[stephie.jean]

The reason I started dressing in vintage...

Hi, Ladies.

I am new to the Fedora Lounge, but I saw this thread and had to pipe in!

The reason I started wearing vintage in the first place (though not completely period, I like to mix and match eras and styles a LOT) is because the fit of vintage fits me _so_ much better.

I'm only 5'2", and usually a dead-on 36-24-36 (yup..."Brickhouse") and between 105 and 110...although right now I'm post-op on a knee surgery, and probably closer to around 36-25-36.5 or 37 and 115ish?

So pretty much, I'm an overexaggerated hour-glass, which I'm totaly okay with (umm..never used to be. As an ex-gymnast, when the hips and boobs came, it was really hard for me to accept...completely the opposite of what I always thought I should look like)...totally okay with, that is, except for extreme need for tailoring EVERYTHING. For pants, I can't even take in the back since I am very hippy with an "ample behind"...my tailor has to take from each side. Which gets pricey. Fast. I think I've put my tailor's kid through college already, and he's still in the womb for another 2 months. (I've signed up for sewing lessons--this should help the pocketbook)

And forget about flowy tops--I pretty much look like I have no waist and I'm pregnant. Adds an instant 10 lbs. So most tops I need taken in, too. Has to fit my shoulders and boobs, so the tops in the waist need to be taken in also.

But vintage, late 40s - early 60s, seems to fit quite well...I can even find skirts that I only need to hem and NOT take in the waist. I also find that some 40s shirtdresses can work quite well, and wide-leg trousers are my good friends. As for 40s--I can't do shoulder pads, though...I look like a football player in that case. As some other girls mentioned, I love the look of the 20s and 60s, but...um. They just don't work for me. At all.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

I don't think there is an ideal.
I get a little annoyed as a hefty girl being asked 'ooh where do you get all your 30s and 40s clothes, they were all so skinny then'
Not true. Then, as now we are drip fed a boloney view of modern womens figures.

Will women in 2060 look back and say 'oh they were all so skinny then! they all must have looked like Kate Moss'

Well, we don't and here in the UK the average woman is a size 16+ and frankly, I don't want to be a twiglet. I love Deco art, but I'd rather be Reubenesque than look like a car mascot, all sharp hip-bones and flat chested!lol

K

 

[Miss Hattie]

Ooow I get people saying ‘I bet you find loads of clothes as they were so small in those days’ all the time-, which I do but they never, fit properly (usually too big up top for me!) getting things to fit snugly around the hips and bum is not so much of a problem (23/34’’) but I have trouble finding trousers long enough in 30’s/40’s originals as I’m about 5’7 with longish legs- I had to add about 4 ½ inches to one trouser pattern. I also have trouble with suit jackets and the length of the sleeves…. And when I get them long enough they are more often than not to big in the bust…..grrrrrr.

I only dress with clothes from the 30’s/40’s and try not to mix eras when selecting an outfit. Regards to dressing for my body shape I just stick to my era and find styles that suit me, just like any other person during that time would do. It’s really trial and error.

I don’t think there’s a normal or perfect body shape unfortunately we all have our ideals that are all different between us all. And if by some magic we got our ideal body shape I bet you we still wouldn’t be happy with it!lol

Haha Kitty I was reading the last bit of your post and it sounded so familiar then it twigged that I am the car mascot you described! (Just need the riley now! ) Oh and I wont take offence.