Silver Linings

This week I experienced a major clothing disappointment. One of my favourite stores, Cue, had a 30% off day and there, on the rack, was the most beautiful dress. It was similar to the one Marilyn Monroe wore in "Seven Year Itch", except it had a crew neck and I briefly got excited that it might work for me. The scene in the movie where Marilyn stands over a grate is the definition of sexy in my husband's world and I had visions of surprising him. Unfortunately, the bodice had princess seams which just looked silly without breasts to fill them, so I sadly put the dress back on the rack. And then sulked about how unfair life is.

I usually manage to be much more accepting of what works and what doesn't. When I had breasts, there were many clothes that I couldn't wear, either because I couldn't squeeze my breasts into them or they were designed to be worn without a bra, or they would have shown cleavage. So today I decided I would celebrate my new body by showing you a few outfits that I love and that I never could have worn before my mastectomy.

                                                      
                                                          Top: Carla Zampatti
                                                          Pants: Cue

One of the advantages of having a flat chest is that it is easier to get away with showing a bit of skin without it looking like a sexual display. I would never have worn this before: the visible bra issue and the display of cleavage would have felt too much. This top makes it quite obvious that I have no breasts, so it feels less revealing than it actually is and I feel confident and comfortable wearing it.

 

This  next outfit reminds me of being a small child in the 70's when my mother dressed me in trouser suits.
 I  previously avoided tops or dresses without structure at the waist, as they would tend to fall straight down from my bust and make me look like I was wearing a tent. A flat chest allows the triangular shape of the dress to become obvious and provides a gamine look that I would never have achieved in a million years before my surgery.

                                                         Dress: Cue
                                                         Pants: Cue
The conclusion I have come to is that no matter what your body type, some things will work and some won't. Looking for the silver lining by choosing clothes that make you look and feel great can be a powerful tool in accepting and loving your body. Do you have styles you can wear now that you couldn't in the past?

Silver Linings by Kacey Musgraves