Has your body shape changed post pregnancy?

So we all know that it takes a while to lose the baby weight after giving birth, as commonly quoted “9 months on, 9 months off”. In fact many women really struggle to lose the weight full stop and no wonder given what little time we mums have to regularly exercise, eat at the right times, prepare healthy meals etc.

However there is another factor to consider and that is changes to your actual body shape. Weight gain isn’t always distributed evenly on the body and so styles which flattered your body shape pre-pregnancy may no longer work for you. For example it’s very common (and hardly surprising!) to store fat around the belly even if it wasn’t previously a problem area for you. Also you may find that more weight is stored around the hip and thigh area making you a Pear shape where previously you may have had an hourglass figure.

Please bear in mind that if you’ve had your baby less than 9 months ago your body shape may still be changing. If you are stuck with a stubborn jelly belly then exercises really are the only way to make changes but you must ensure you are doing them correctly! Did you know that certain techniques for sit-ups will actually give you a more rounded stomach?! This is a good website for clear instructions on the right tummy exercises http://www.pregnancy-info.net/topic_other_topics.html

Anyway, I digress! The important thing here is to correctly identify your body shape as it is today. There are 5 key body shapes and you should be able to pick out yours from the descriptions below. When you have found the one that fits click onto the link underneath to read tips on how to dress to best suit your shape.

Pear Shape

·         Your shoulders are narrower than your hips

·         You take a larger size on your bottom half

·         Your hip measurement is at least 5% more than your shoulder measurement

·         You have full hips, bottom and thighs with a smaller top half

Click here for tips on how to dress

Inverted Triangle

·         Your shoulders are broader than your hips

·         You take a larger size on your top half (although not always)

·         Your shoulder measurement is at least 5% more than your hip measurement

·         You have little definition between your waist and hips

·         You may be more angular than curvy

Click here for tips on how to dress

Rectangle

·         Your shoulder and hip measurements are roughly the same and you have an undefined waist

·         You have no obvious curves and your bottom is usually quite flat

·         Your waist is less than 25% smaller that your shoulder measurement 

Click here for tips on how to dress

Apple

·         You have balanced hips and shoulders

·         You carry excess weight around the tummy and upper body

·         You have no waist definition

·         You have an average to generous bust

·         You have rounded shoulders

·         You have shapely legs 

Click here for tips on how to dress

Hourglass

·         Your shoulder and hip measurements are roughly the same and you have a defined waist

·         You wear the same size top and bottom

·         You are curvaceous rather than angular

·         You have an average to full bust

·         Your hip and shoulder measurement differ by no more than 5% and your waist is at least 25% less than these measurements 

Click here for tips on how to dress

Copyright © Alice Treanor 2010

What is it about Boden? Do you love them or hate them?

They are a very successful clothing company and with good reason. They sell colourful, good quality clothes; have great marketing; excellent customer service and yet women often make a face at the mere mention. (Not Mini Boden for kids though as people universally seem to love their range).

I’ve been trying to understand this reaction better and have come to the conclusion that Boden is too distinctive. Being distinctive is often a good thing; for example you’d be happy for people to notice the red soles on your shoes and recognise them as being Christian Louboutin (if you’re lucky enough to afford them of course), or to give another example a handbag from Orla Kiely – very obvious to everyone where it’s from but in this case it’s not a bad thing.

Boden however is not quite up there with other brands in terms of people wanting others to know where they’ve bought their dress, handbag etc They seem to be considered by some to be a bit middle of the road, an obvious choice and therefore unoriginal, despite the fact that in my opinion they sell a lot of nice things – jackets in particular at the moment. (www.boden.co.uk)

 Certainly where I live in South London Boden is very often seen worn by mums waiting at the school gates and that’s what seems to put a lot of people off. I guess that clothes either need to be an obvious brand that people are keen to show off or have an air of mystery about them – Boden doesn’t seem to fit into either category, hence “the face”!!

Alice Treanor 2010

Style Workshop

Last week I ran a Style Workshop with Made Easy 4 U Events (www.madeeasy4uevents.com)  for a group of ladies interested to learn more about how to dress to suit their body shape and personal colour characteristics.

Such good fun (is this really my job?!) and very interactive including practical colour and body shape analysis and lots of visual examples of celebrities getting it right and wrong!!

One lady in particular looked so great in a vibrant shade of red that everyone gasped! (If you too look good in bright red then I’d recommend the Red Button Back Trench Coat from Wallis http://bit.ly/b2YZ0F.) It really is true that when you wear what I like to call a “wow” colour the affect can be dramatic.

You know you are wearing the right colour if:

—  Your face appears to be lit from underneath

—  Your skins appears smoother, fresher and younger

—  Your eye colour is enhanced

—  You notice YOU more than the colour

One of the ladies was a slim pear shape and was wearing a cowl neck top much like the one shown here.

The style of it meant that her narrow shoulders were emphasised and so by default her hips looked wider. When lifted up and pulled across the width of her shoulders in the style of an off the shoulder top (like the one shown below) her shoulders immediately appeared broader thereby bringing the width of her hips into proportion and creating an hourglass silhouette.

It was a great example of how clearly style affects our appearance and how minor adjustments to the way in which we wear our clothes can quickly make significant improvements. No need to buy a whole new wardrobe then - you just need to be creative with styles, accessories and how you put outfits together.

The morning ended with how to effectively declutter your wardrobe – not just chucking stuff out that you haven’t worn in the last year but being really thorough so that when you open your wardrobe doors you love everything you see! Some of the key advantages being that:

·       -  Never again will you arrive at work and/or social function and wish you were wearing something else

·        - You will always look great as anything that doesn’t suit your body shape or personal colour characteristics has been removed

·        - No longer will you waste time or become stressed by trying on countless outfits

Next time you open your wardrobe have a think about how it makes you feel. Are you happy with your clothes? Do you really know what suits you? Do your clothes make you feel confident? If not then perhaps it’s time to take some advice....

© Alice Treanor 2010