Fashion Friday, or Shift Picks for the the Body Shift

There are so many great dresses out these days.  For me, I'm glad we've moved on from the flowey and flowery to the Structured Shift.  I have never pretended to be a fashion blog, but I'm so happy about this turn in fashion, I thought I'd share!

Although I've lost 7 lbs, I've got about 20 more to go.  I've found as the years go by that I can't be wearing the flowey polyester fabric that clings in the wrong places.  And it's always the wrong places, isn't it??  And there seems to be more "wrong places" as my body shifts in ways I never would have dreamed.  I always needed clothes that were a heftier fabric, and designs that were more structures, and now more than ever.  And were I so blessed to be a svelte older woman, I would still have to consider whether certain styles were appropriate for me, as an older woman.  The shift is not, like anything else, a cure-all.  And hence, not all the styles below will work for everyone.  Heck half of them might not work for me!  But I heart them!

Were I down by 10 more pounds, I'd be maxin' out my cards* for these**:

Carolina Herrara Spring 2011 Runway

There seems to be a lot of gray this season, but it's a great color. I love me my black, but gray can seem a bit more casual and less severe. (And on a blog, it's easier to show the details in something other than black.)

tahari

Calvin Klein

This dress if not technically a shift, but I thought it would be flattering for some of us that might want to hide the middle area and upper arm area, without looking like we're hiding something.

Suzi Chin

Here's a shift that might not be to a lot of people's liking but I've always loved color blocking in that retro 60's or 70's style. This particular take on it would be really slimming because of the bold stripe of white in the middle, the black along the sides, and the slight A-line of the shape:

9 West

I was debating whether this looked a little Mother-of-the-Groom-ish, but hey, I'm at the Mother-of-the-Groom age!  although Boo has another 17 years or so before he's the marrying age.  In the end, I put this in because this dress would be very flattering on almost anybody, as long as you're not spilling out of the scoop neckline.  And how you style an outfit can make or break it:

Suzi Chin

God save the Queen and all, but this is NOT the look we're going for:

I mean, when you're the Queen of England, wear what ever you want.  But for now, think about these options.  This is what I'd recommend:

• I would NOT buy this in purple but try it in the lovely berry, or preferably, the black:

• I would NOT accessorize with pearls that your mom gave you.  Or the ones you wore at your wedding.
• I would NOT have anything satin near me
• I WOULD try for edgier, fashion current accessories such as:
• textured hose

• strappy modified gladiator sandals or embellished pumps:

Various brands all available at Macy's

 or if that's a bit much for you, then these more modest, trendy pumps or sandals:

• a funky clutch

Matchy satin clutch?  No.  Edgy lace clutch?  Yes!

• and slightly over-the-top jewelry

Betsy Johnson, Jessica Simpson or Givenchy.

 But not all at the same time, you understand.  A pair of wild trendy shoes would be plenty, so keep your other pieces more sedate.


I love animal print.  But I wouldn't wear a whole dress of it.  But this giraffe print I like, because it's not literal in that child's coloring book way, but a bit abstract, more like shattered glass:

Eliza J

I thought you'd want to know that I took each of those images and "fattened" them up by 20%. (All their heads look a little squished, right?)  I wanted the dresses to look a little more realistic.

So there you have my shift picks for the shifting body! (Do not say that 3 times fast.)

* Jk'ing cuz I'm not that kind of shopper, and also because some of these are not affordable by this mere mortal.

** All items except Carolina Herrara runway found at Macys.com