Que Sera

One of the posts I always look forward to over at YouLookFab is Angie's take on the trends of the upcoming season. One trend she has noted made me very excited, namely the return of waist definition. I love the femininity of outfits with a defined waist, although as I have mentioned before, I struggle with the competing priority of having volume over my chest.

Today, I thought I would experiment with an obi belt. I bought this through an Etsy vendor, Elizabeth Kelly back in 2012, and much as I loved it, I struggled to style it. Part of the problem was that large breasts do not leave a lot of real estate available between the shoulders and the hips, and so I could never get the proportions right. One of the fashion wins from my mastectomy is that there is now lots of room for a wide belt and it allows me to cinch in roomier tops giving me both volume and definition! It feels good to give an old love a new lease on life.

                                                 Top: Veronika Maine
                                                 Shorts: Country Road
                                                 Shoes: Wittner
This is a casual, day-at-home outfit, but I would also feel happy to wear this to work with a pencil skirt or skinny pants on the bottom. The nice thing about a wide belt is that is is actually very comfortable, especially the obi styles that tie up, rather than buckle. I am planning to spend my February clothing budget on another belt like this in tan, as I think this is a style I will wear more of in the future and I like the idea of repeating my hair colour in my outfit.

Winter fashions have not yet hit Australian stores, but I am looking forward to seeing  the pretty new things when they do. Over summer, I have developed a number of silhouettes that I feel comfortable wearing and confident putting together, which I will share with you next week. I hope to be able to develop some winter silhouettes that I feel equally happy with, as I spent most of last winter feeling dumpy and frumpy! 

Que Sera by Justice Crew

Cover Me Up

The lovely Angie over at YouLook Fab wrote a post on the trends for Spring 2014 recently, and although we are out of sync with the Northern Hemisphere fashion cycle, I still find it very interesting and exciting as many of them dribble through to our corner of the world. One trend that caught my eye was for cropped tops, particulary as Angie suggested wearing them over longer tops to avoid the bare midriffs that the young folk are rocking.

Crop top:Cue

Top:Cue

Skirt:Cue

Shoes:Joanne Mercer

The top and skirt are items that have been in my wardrobe for a while, but I feel like they have been given a new lease on life by the addition of the crop top.

I have been on the hunt for clothes that will give me back some semblence of an hourglass shape, and the peplum effect created by the tight top and the colour-blocked panels over the loose underlayer is exactly what I was searching for.

The crop is a stretch knit fabric and is quite firm so I think even women with breasts would look a bit flat-chested wearing this. The black panels have been cleverly cut to give the impression of a curve, so I think the overall look works well with no breasts.

The back to the top underneath is also layered so it is mostly covered up, although the underlayer of blue fabric will be exposed when I move around. I have never liked this top that much, but I love it with the upper part covered by the crop. Do you have tops that you only like wearing when partially covered up by a jacket or cardigan?
Cover me up, Jason Isbell

Hi ho, hi ho...

Well, this is an outfit I put together for work. The skirt is pretty much what I would have worn before my sugery, but the top is new. I chose it because the pleating at the neckline gave it enough volume not to cling to my chest, whilst the pattern was so happy and busy that I couldn't resist!

 

 

The mornings are still fairly cool here, so I put a jacket on over the top. The jacket is also quite drapey, although I have an eye out for a proper waterfall jacket with more volume in the front.

Here is another photo with the jacket off, and also a close up of the pleat detail on the top

 The side view is not quite so flattering, I don't think, but I have concluded that I will have to accept a certain level of difference between how I would like to look and what is actually possible. :)

 

I take part in the wonderful community that is You Look Fab,( www.youlookfab.com) a fashion blog and forum run by the talented and generous Angie and Greg. I always find it a supportive place to post a picture and get constructive criticism or reassurance and happily this outfit got the thumbs up! Angie, a fashion stylist, was kind enough to give some tips for those of us facing the challenge of no breasts. She recommends high necklines, fluid fabrics and drapey style tops over structured bottoms. I will be following her suggestions to the letter, as everything she styles looks fabulous.