Unlocking a good wardrobe requires self-sensex
By Debra Wilt
Staff Reporter
Are you afraid to open your
closet door each morning
because the boogie man has
been known to warp your wardrobe
overnight?
Well, that boogie man may all be
in your head, literally — at least in \
your fashion sense.
A wardrobe ill-suited for your
figure and lifestyle can be fixed eas
ily if you understand some basic
fashion principles, three Lincoln
fashion experts said.
The fashion industry has some
thing for all shapes, sizes and life
styles, said Rose Marie Tondl, cloth
ing specialist in the department of
textiles, clothing and design at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Understanding your personality
and lifestyle is necessary to under
stand your personal style, said Gcrdi
Heath, independent image consult
ant for Beauty For All Seasons.
Hu<uii 5aiu iumcs cnangc as
styles change. People need
to adapt their style to reflect
these changes, she said.
The hardest part of finding an
image is knowing your body. Look at
your body in a mirror from all angles
to understand your shape. You then
can determine if yc i fit into the
angular, curvy or aw rage body cate
gory, Heath said.
Most people, Heath said, fit into
the average height and weight cate
gory. These people have the easiest
time finding clothes to fit, but their
si/c also sel Is out the fastest, she said.
Angular body types are tall, slen
der and long-boned. Curvy body
types are more rounded.
Carol Mehlhoff, professor of tex
tiles, clothing and design at UNL,
said you should dress to accentuate
your figure assets, not your figure
flaws.
For instance, Mehlhoff said, if
you’re larger on the bottom, use
l
scarves or a pattern on top to draw
attention to your face instead of your
hips or stomach.
Balance is the important word to
keep in mind when dressing or shop
ping for clothes, both Mehlhoff and
Heath said.
If you are big-boned and larger all
around, small accessories and prints
will be lost on you and won’t be
flattering, and the opposite holds if
you have a small figure, Heath said.
When buying clothes, look for
comfort and a good fit,
Mehlhoff said.
While high heels make the legs
look longer and leaner, comfort may
be lost if they arc too high, Tondl
said.
People with a slight stomach
bulge, Heath said, should avoid tight
clothes and high waistlines. Non
fi tied sh i rts also cover up round stom -
achs, she said.
Keep fabrics loose if you are
overweight, both Heath and
Mehlhoff said, so you can move and
sit with case.
Roomy sleeves not set in the
shoulder give more room for the
larger-framed person and add full
ness to the thinner person, Heath
said.
Another garment that can cither
create or minimize fullness is the
double-breasted jacket, Mehlhoff
said. The placement of the buttons
adds width, she said.
The experts said color analysis is
becoming more popular. More
people arc seeking color analysis to
help them look good and to coordi
nate their wardrobe, Heath said.
“Color gives a psychological
comfort as well as pleasing our aes
thetic sense,” Mehlhoff said.
But, she said, you should
wear colors you like, de
spite your body type.
Mehlhoff said it is better to let the
style of the garment slenderize or add
fullness rather than to wear a natter
ing color.
--
Tondl agreed. If you like a color,
it probably looks good on you, she
said.
But Heath said it is important to
choose colors that enhance your col
oring. To find those colors, you must
either have an analysis or ask a fash
ionable friend to help you experi
ment, she said.
Heath said people fall into one of
the four season color categories.
Spring and fall people have a warm,
golden skin tone, she said, while
winter and summer people have
darker hair and eyes, and cool pink or
blue skin tones.
Generally, Heath said, spring
people look good in brighter colors,
while the summer palette pales those
tones down. Fall people look best in
neutral browns and beiges, and win
ter people look best in black, white,
red, navy and gray, Heath said.
Heath said having a color
image analysis will save
you money because you
will buy clothes that you know will
look good and will match other
pieces of your wardrobe. She said it is
easier to buy less but get more en
sembles out of a color-coordinated
wardrobe.
Mehlhoff said color coordination
is essential if you don’t like to take a
lot of time getting ready in the morn
ing. Many outfits can be put together
quickly because you know the colors
match.
Mehlhoff said colors can work
together to combine into a new en
semble. Clothes do not have to look
prematched, she said. She suggested
experimenting with mixing and
matching colors.
“Choose one basic color,’’
Mehlhoff suggested, “and work
l
around that color to develop other
aspects of the wardrobe.”
You can use value contrast, where
one color or part is emphasized to
detract from a figure flaw, Mehlhoff
said.
Many garments already in
your closet can be updated
simply by adding accesso
ries or changing a garment detail,
Tondl and Mehlhoff said.
The next step in taking a closet
inventory, Heath said, is to place all
your clothes into piles marked “yes”
for clothes you wear all the time,
“no” for clothes you never wear and
“maybe” for clothes that do not
r
match anything else or arc for special
occasions.
From there, Heath said, sort them
into colors and discard all worn-out
and poorly fitting clothes. She said
this lets you know what you need to
buy.
Then you can begin to experiment
to see what styles look best on you.
“Forget about what New York and
your friends say — wear what looks
good on you,” Heath said.
If you like the new shorter
skirts, but arc not quite sure
which length is right, Tondl
said, look at your age and position.
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