not fat, the blog
August 04, 2006
How to hide Bingo wings
Girls, I know you will understand me and feel my plight.
You can't open a magazine these days without seeing bare upper arms or sleeveless dresses. It's almost as if, since the late 90s, the slender upper arm has become the holy grail of weight loss -- Vogue magazine even did a huge story months ago about how plastic surgery to slim the upper arm has become more and more fashionable, but remains quite difficult to perfect. You can't even get contour spray-tans on your upper arms! The pigment just makes your arm looked bruised and dirty.
So, this morning my friend and I were due in Bryant Park to see Pharrell and Kanye West perform at the Good Morning America concert series. It was 80 degrees outside and, well, we were going to see Pharrell and Kanye, so I wanted to look cute (so they would, obviously, fall madly in love with me at first sight). I knew exactly what to wear -- Two weeks ago I picked up this great little dress from TopShop in London -- with just one catch: It's sleeveless.
Since I'm blessed with a rather full upper arm (no waify biceps here), and I didn't have the right T-shirt to wear under my dress, I dug into my hosiery drawer and sacrificed a pair of my Marks & Spencer's 60-denier super-opaque matte black tights.
I cut off the feet and cut out the crotch section, turned the pair upside down, and put it on like a shirt. Voila! It fit like control-top underwear for my arms! No swinging bingo wings here. At least not today. ¶ 11:03 0 comments
Girls, I know you will understand me and feel my plight.You can't open a magazine these days without seeing bare upper arms or sleeveless dresses. It's almost as if, since the late 90s, the slender upper arm has become the holy grail of weight loss -- Vogue magazine even did a huge story months ago about how plastic surgery to slim the upper arm has become more and more fashionable, but remains quite difficult to perfect. You can't even get contour spray-tans on your upper arms! The pigment just makes your arm looked bruised and dirty.
So, this morning my friend and I were due in Bryant Park to see Pharrell and Kanye West perform at the Good Morning America concert series. It was 80 degrees outside and, well, we were going to see Pharrell and Kanye, so I wanted to look cute (so they would, obviously, fall madly in love with me at first sight). I knew exactly what to wear -- Two weeks ago I picked up this great little dress from TopShop in London -- with just one catch: It's sleeveless.
Since I'm blessed with a rather full upper arm (no waify biceps here), and I didn't have the right T-shirt to wear under my dress, I dug into my hosiery drawer and sacrificed a pair of my Marks & Spencer's 60-denier super-opaque matte black tights.
I cut off the feet and cut out the crotch section, turned the pair upside down, and put it on like a shirt. Voila! It fit like control-top underwear for my arms! No swinging bingo wings here. At least not today. ¶ 11:03 0 comments
August 03, 2006
The proof is in the cropping
No one ever believes me when I say that capri pants are pretty much a universal How Not to Look Fat Don't, so here we go -- the proof is in the supermodel pudding.
Isabeli Fontana is one of my all-time favorite models -- she's got this amazing, fierce, strong coltish body, a round gentleness about her face, and amazing indigo blue eyes. And, through all these years, she's still got that fresh, dreamy look about her. While other girls who have been around the modeling block may look ever-so-slightly damaged, worn, dried up, or hardened, Isabeli still looks a bit soft, a bit untouched.
Now that I've gotten all that out of the way, have a look at the four photos I've pulled of her from recent runway shows in Milan. See how utterly stunning she is -- how tall she looks, how graceful and slender she looks in the first and third pictures? She's all supermodel swagger and mile-long legs.
Now, compare those images to how she looks wearing cropped pants and capris in photographs two and four.
See the difference?
Where did her legs go?
Wow, look, she got hippier!
Oh my gosh, is she shorter?
(Doesn't she look just like a normal-sized woman in short pants? Albeit a super-gorgeous normal-sized woman who probably would get stopped on the street every five seconds by people asking if she's a model.)
See, while Isabeli can totally get away with wearing capris and short pants and still look cute and quirky, she's a supermodel. And, if you notice, while she still looks great, she also looks significantly shorter and certainly not-as-slim in the short pants when compared side-by-side to the skirts and dresses.
If capris can make a drop-dead-stunningly-gorgeous super-skinny size-two six-foot-tall supermodel look shorter and fatter, just imagine what kind of havoc it's wreaking on your civilian body.
You know, I love being comfortable and casual and flapping around town in short pants as much as the next person. But when dressing for impressing? Stick with full-length pants or knee-length skirts -- better safe than stocky. ¶ 22:50 0 comments
No one ever believes me when I say that capri pants are pretty much a universal How Not to Look Fat Don't, so here we go -- the proof is in the supermodel pudding.
Isabeli Fontana is one of my all-time favorite models -- she's got this amazing, fierce, strong coltish body, a round gentleness about her face, and amazing indigo blue eyes. And, through all these years, she's still got that fresh, dreamy look about her. While other girls who have been around the modeling block may look ever-so-slightly damaged, worn, dried up, or hardened, Isabeli still looks a bit soft, a bit untouched.
Now that I've gotten all that out of the way, have a look at the four photos I've pulled of her from recent runway shows in Milan. See how utterly stunning she is -- how tall she looks, how graceful and slender she looks in the first and third pictures? She's all supermodel swagger and mile-long legs.
Now, compare those images to how she looks wearing cropped pants and capris in photographs two and four.
See the difference?
Where did her legs go?
Wow, look, she got hippier!
Oh my gosh, is she shorter?
(Doesn't she look just like a normal-sized woman in short pants? Albeit a super-gorgeous normal-sized woman who probably would get stopped on the street every five seconds by people asking if she's a model.)
See, while Isabeli can totally get away with wearing capris and short pants and still look cute and quirky, she's a supermodel. And, if you notice, while she still looks great, she also looks significantly shorter and certainly not-as-slim in the short pants when compared side-by-side to the skirts and dresses.
If capris can make a drop-dead-stunningly-gorgeous super-skinny size-two six-foot-tall supermodel look shorter and fatter, just imagine what kind of havoc it's wreaking on your civilian body.
You know, I love being comfortable and casual and flapping around town in short pants as much as the next person. But when dressing for impressing? Stick with full-length pants or knee-length skirts -- better safe than stocky. ¶ 22:50 0 comments
Project Bolero Jacket
Poor, put-upon Angela Keslar -- shafted by her loony team leader in the first Project Runway group challenge -- last night she was forced to rein in her own nutso-tendencies and actually heed the advice of her much-chic-er teammates, Laura Bennett and Michael Knight.
Their winning project, this three-piece bolero-jacket get-up, is available today at macys.com.
How Not to Look Fat in Angela Keslar's creation: Stay away from bolero jackets if you are top-heavy or are thick in the waist. The short, cropped nature of the jacket will only bulk you up and cut you off where you least need it. Remember: Don't wear clothes that end at the fattest part of anything on your body -- i.e. if you are busty, don't pick seams that end at your bust; if you have a thick waist, don't pick a cropped or waist-length top.
To maximize the slimming potential of Keslar's suit, skip the shiny, smooth, baby-pink underlayer. Instead, pick a darker grey or matte black shirt to wear underneath instead -- for the cardinal rule of layering, check out the post below. ¶ 09:44 0 comments
Poor, put-upon Angela Keslar -- shafted by her loony team leader in the first Project Runway group challenge -- last night she was forced to rein in her own nutso-tendencies and actually heed the advice of her much-chic-er teammates, Laura Bennett and Michael Knight.Their winning project, this three-piece bolero-jacket get-up, is available today at macys.com.
How Not to Look Fat in Angela Keslar's creation: Stay away from bolero jackets if you are top-heavy or are thick in the waist. The short, cropped nature of the jacket will only bulk you up and cut you off where you least need it. Remember: Don't wear clothes that end at the fattest part of anything on your body -- i.e. if you are busty, don't pick seams that end at your bust; if you have a thick waist, don't pick a cropped or waist-length top.
To maximize the slimming potential of Keslar's suit, skip the shiny, smooth, baby-pink underlayer. Instead, pick a darker grey or matte black shirt to wear underneath instead -- for the cardinal rule of layering, check out the post below. ¶ 09:44 0 comments
Just Splendid
Anybody who knows me knows I'm a huuuuuge fan of Rachael Ray. I subscribe to her magazine and will never channel-surf past one of her shows on the Food Network. (Okay, admittedly, I have problems surfing past the Food Network, period.)
The thing is, I love that there are women in the media who, like me, love food. While supermodels and skinny celebs may be pretty to look at (and sadistically envy), I know I'll never look like that -- you'll never see a hip bone on me! Good food, to me, means amazing memories and best-times-ever with friends and family. While it may sound morbid, I know that when I die, I want to die rich with experiences, rich with love, and rich with all the flavors and foods that have ever passed my lips.
The reality is that, just like so many women out there, my love for food and everything that comes with it has yielded me this decidedly not-skinny body. And while it wouldn't kill me to shift a few pounds, in the meantime (while I muster up the motivation to go to the gym, which is, embarrassingly, across the street from my apartment), I'm looking for easy-to-wear clothes that make me look and feel better getting dressed every the morning.
So I was so excited to see that Rachael Ray (and even skinny celebuteen Lindsay Lohan) are fans of thermal henleys too! A thermal fabric is great because it's breathable and stretchy, but textured and thick enough to hold in a bit of softness -- it doesn't cling like smooth jersey or ribs, and the neckline can be buttoned up or unbuttoned depending on how busty you are. Super flattering!
Looks like Lindsay is wearing a Splendid brand henley on the set of Mean Girls (one of my favorite movies ever) and Rachael is wearing a thermal henley on the cover of her super-bestselling cookbook. Both of them look super-hot -- perfectly casual but effortlessly sexy for everyday.
What's tricky about shopping for Splendid is that, I find, the secret is (secretly) out and people are buying their thermals in droves -- everywhere I find them there are sparse pickings -- sizes and colors are always sold out because they're the ultimate basic top that's figure-flattering to boot.
When in Los Angeles, I picked up a pile of Splendids at Lisa Kline, one of my favorite casualwear stores of all time. Sometimes, depending on the colors in stock, I will order from ShopBop.com. And, when desperate and traveling in England, I will fork over steep export retail price at Selfridges, where they have the most Splendid and Primp in stock of anywhere I've ever been.
P.S. Splendids are also perfect for layering! Just remember a key How Not to Look Fat tip: Layer darker colors underneath lighter colors for the most slimming effect. ¶ 08:38 0 comments
Anybody who knows me knows I'm a huuuuuge fan of Rachael Ray. I subscribe to her magazine and will never channel-surf past one of her shows on the Food Network. (Okay, admittedly, I have problems surfing past the Food Network, period.) The thing is, I love that there are women in the media who, like me, love food. While supermodels and skinny celebs may be pretty to look at (and sadistically envy), I know I'll never look like that -- you'll never see a hip bone on me! Good food, to me, means amazing memories and best-times-ever with friends and family. While it may sound morbid, I know that when I die, I want to die rich with experiences, rich with love, and rich with all the flavors and foods that have ever passed my lips.
The reality is that, just like so many women out there, my love for food and everything that comes with it has yielded me this decidedly not-skinny body. And while it wouldn't kill me to shift a few pounds, in the meantime (while I muster up the motivation to go to the gym, which is, embarrassingly, across the street from my apartment), I'm looking for easy-to-wear clothes that make me look and feel better getting dressed every the morning.
So I was so excited to see that Rachael Ray (and even skinny celebuteen Lindsay Lohan) are fans of thermal henleys too! A thermal fabric is great because it's breathable and stretchy, but textured and thick enough to hold in a bit of softness -- it doesn't cling like smooth jersey or ribs, and the neckline can be buttoned up or unbuttoned depending on how busty you are. Super flattering!
Looks like Lindsay is wearing a Splendid brand henley on the set of Mean Girls (one of my favorite movies ever) and Rachael is wearing a thermal henley on the cover of her super-bestselling cookbook. Both of them look super-hot -- perfectly casual but effortlessly sexy for everyday.
What's tricky about shopping for Splendid is that, I find, the secret is (secretly) out and people are buying their thermals in droves -- everywhere I find them there are sparse pickings -- sizes and colors are always sold out because they're the ultimate basic top that's figure-flattering to boot.
When in Los Angeles, I picked up a pile of Splendids at Lisa Kline, one of my favorite casualwear stores of all time. Sometimes, depending on the colors in stock, I will order from ShopBop.com. And, when desperate and traveling in England, I will fork over steep export retail price at Selfridges, where they have the most Splendid and Primp in stock of anywhere I've ever been.
P.S. Splendids are also perfect for layering! Just remember a key How Not to Look Fat tip: Layer darker colors underneath lighter colors for the most slimming effect. ¶ 08:38 0 comments
August 02, 2006
Top shop: Target
Paul & Joe's super-cute collaboration with Target hit stores this week. Since I am absolutely in love with Target (I can spend hours, no, days walking around any given Target, looking at all the cool designer-for-less homewares and clothes they stock), I trawled their website and put together four fun How Not to Look Fat-inspired outfits that you can order online or pick up at your local Target.
Loves it!
Look 1: L.A. Baby I was so inspired by my recent trip to Los Angeles, where daywear equals aggressively casual dressing -- in studded thermals and $100 sweatpants -- and going out at night is all about non-chalant all-American chic.
Look 2: Office ladies When it's hot outside, dressing for work can be an early-morning horror show. Unless you're a banker, stow away those gabardine jackets in the summer and opt for light knits and sleek tailored wool-free pants instead.
Look 3: Weekend warrior While weekends are meant for relaxing, we all know how much there is to do! Whether you're running errands, taking in an afternoon movie, doing a spot of shopping, or having brunch with your girlfriends, keeping it simple and stylish is key.
Look 4: Casual chic Pulling on comfy sweats and an oversized tee may be the easiest way to go, but a tiny bit of effort and a few affordable pieces from Target can make your everyday look ever so much-more stylish! A vintage-inspired bag completes the look -- you're casual but quirky and cool.
¶ 11:44 0 comments
Loves it!
Look 1: L.A. Baby I was so inspired by my recent trip to Los Angeles, where daywear equals aggressively casual dressing -- in studded thermals and $100 sweatpants -- and going out at night is all about non-chalant all-American chic.
Look 2: Office ladies When it's hot outside, dressing for work can be an early-morning horror show. Unless you're a banker, stow away those gabardine jackets in the summer and opt for light knits and sleek tailored wool-free pants instead.
Look 3: Weekend warrior While weekends are meant for relaxing, we all know how much there is to do! Whether you're running errands, taking in an afternoon movie, doing a spot of shopping, or having brunch with your girlfriends, keeping it simple and stylish is key.
Look 4: Casual chic Pulling on comfy sweats and an oversized tee may be the easiest way to go, but a tiny bit of effort and a few affordable pieces from Target can make your everyday look ever so much-more stylish! A vintage-inspired bag completes the look -- you're casual but quirky and cool.
¶ 11:44 0 comments
