Like Grace, Veronica believes that understanding design lines has been a game changer for her. Her problem area isn’t her X Body Shape, but her Body Proportions: torso significantly shorter than her legs. Now that she understands the right combination of horizontal and vertical design lines, she can balance out her Body Proportions.
Now when shopping, Veronica can relax with her friends and just have fun with them. She knows which design lines to look for, and she can go online to look for them later if needed. It’s no longer a gamble. Before, when ordering online, she bought a lot of stuff and brought most of it back to the store because most of the items accentuated her short torso and long legs. Now she only brings back a few items because of fit, wrong color, or the design lines weren’t in the right places for her. This fact alone is saving her a lot of time and expense.
While shopping for an upcoming trip with her friends: Sam, Monica, Alice and Grace, Veronica did not find a top with the right design lines. She knew she’d go home and simply go to macys.com.
Keep reading to learn what outfit she put together and the combination of horizontal and vertical lines that created balance for a short torso and long legs.
Veronica’s Body Elements
As a review, these are Veronica’s Body Element clues:
- Body Shape — X (Body Shape — The Girls)
- Curved clothes silhouette
- Can place horizontal and vertical lines almost anywhere when considering Body Shape
- Face Shape — Heart (Face Shape — The Girls)
- Curved design lines, prints and accessories
- Color Skin, Hair, Eyes — Low Color Contrast (Color Skin, Hair & Eyes — The Girls)
- Favorite Colors — Yellow, Violet, Red
- Color Combinations (other colors) — Analogous
- Color Combinations (relative lightness and darkness) — Low contrast
- First Scale Clue — Small
- Body Proportions — Short between bust/waist and waist/crotch, long between crotch/knees and knees/floor (Body Proportions — The Girls)
- Horizontal lines — Place them between her crotch/knees and knees/floor; don’t place them between her bust/waist and waist/crotch
- Vertical lines — Place them between her bust/waist and waist/crotch; don’t place them between her crotch/knees and knees/floor
- Second Scale Clue — Decrease overall scale between bust/waist and waist/crotch; increase it between crotch/knees and knees/floor
- Body Frame Size — Medium (Body Frame Size — The Girls)
- Third scale clue — Medium
- Scale Strategy — Small/Medium (Scale Strategy — The Girls)
- Decrease scale to small between her bust/waist and waist/crotch
- Increase to medium between her crotch/knees and knees/floor
Understanding Design Lines -- Top
When Veronica got home from shopping with her friends, she went to her tablet to look for tops she could wear on the wine tasting trip. She came across this top and loved the design lines, which are perfect for her short torso because they give visual length to it. She’s still amazed how the right designs can give her length in this area.
Design Line & Color Analysis
Silhouette
Veronica learned that the first design line she should look for in a top is the silhouette. It’s the outside line of the garment. It’s the difference between the shoulders/waist, waist/hips and hips/shoulders. It comes in two categories: angular and curved. In an angular silhouette, the shoulders, waist and hips all appear to have the same width. While in a curved silhouette, the waist is significantly smaller than both the shoulders and hips.
Veronica also learned that her Body Shape gives her clues as to which category is best for her. Body Shape has the same two categories: angular and curvy. A Body Shape falls into the angular category when the waist isn’t significantly smaller than both the shoulders and hips. On the other hand, a Body Shape falls into the curvy category when the waist is significantly smaller than the shoulders and hips. Veronica has an X Body Shape, which falls into the curvy category. This means she should look for curvy silhouette clothes.
When looking at the picture of this top, Veronica thought it had a curvy silhouette based on how it fits the model. When she tried it on, it indeed had one.
Horizontal Lines
Veronica learned that horizontal design lines stop the eye, emphasize that area and make it appear wider and shorter. The Body Elements that give the clues as to the placement of these design lines are: Body Shape and Body Proportions.
For Body Shape one doesn’t want to place these design lines in the widest area because it brings attention to it and makes it appear even wider and out of proportion with the other areas. On the other hand, one does want to place them in thinner areas because they bring attention to these areas and make them appear wider, which brings balance.
For Body Proportions, one doesn’t want to place these design lines in short areas because they’ll make them appear even shorter; but one does want to place them in long areas because they’ll make them appear shorter, creating balance with the rest of the body.
Veronica can place horizontal lines anywhere for her X Body Shape. She doesn’t have one area that’s wider than the other parts. However, for her Body Proportions, she needs to place them in strategic areas. Her torso is significantly shorter than her legs; therefore, she doesn’t want them in her torso area.
The reason why Veronica didn’t find any tops at the Macy’s store when shopping with her friends is because most of the tops had horizontal design lines. This top doesn’t have any significant horizontal lines. The bottom of the applique at the neck has a small horizontal line. Most tops have a horizontal line created by the hem. This top doesn’t because it has a handkerchief hem, which is perfect for her.
Vertical Lines
Veronica learned that vertical design lines move the eye up and down and make the area appear thinner and longer. Her Body Shape and Body Proportions give her clues as to the placement of these design lines.
For Body Shape, she learned that one should put them in the widest area to make that area appear thinner and to move the eye away from that area. But, she learned not to put them in a thinner area because they’ll make it appear even thinner. Veronica doesn’t need to worry about vertical lines for her Body Shape because she doesn’t have one area wider than the other.
Veronica learned that she needs to be concerned about the placement of vertical design lines for her Body Proportions. Because they lengthen an area, she wants them in her torso to make it appear longer.
This top has three areas of vertical lines: neckline, fold lines which are created by a fuller hem, and the handkerchief hem line. All three of these design lines create length, which is perfect for Veronica. Another factor is the fact that the top is a tunic top, meaning the overall hem is below her crotch which also gives additional length.
Shape Of Design Lines
Veronica also learned that her Face Shape gives her clues as to the shape of design lines. She has a Pear Face Shape which falls into the curved category. This means she should look for curved design lines. She learned that this can be difficult because many vertical design lines come in the form of angular shapes. She also learned that if she adds curved design line details through accessories and prints, she can lessen the effects of angular design line shapes.
This top has angular design line shapes created by the neckline and handkerchief hem. However, the trim around the neckline has a curved shape, which lessens the effect of the neckline. Veronica needs to make sure all the accessories she wears with the outfit are curved.
Color
Veronica’s favorite colors are yellow, violet and red. This top came in both yellow and red. She felt like wearing red on the trip and chose it.
Understanding Design Lines -- Pants
Veronica already had these capri pants. Over the summer, she has worn them many times and they’re one of the most comfortable pants she has. In fact, she plans to buy longer pants to wear this fall and winter.
Design Line & Color Analysis
Silhouette
The silhouette of these pants is angular. However, it’s made out of a rayon with spandex and the fabric is a knit. This allows the pants to transform into a curvy silhouette, which is perfect for Veronica.
Horizontal Lines
Veronica loves the fact that horizontal lines are her friend in her leg area because they allow her to make her legs appear shorter. These pants have three horizontal lines: top of waistband, 2 inches below the waistband and the mid-calf hem. The first two won’t be seen because of the top. The important horizontal lines for her are the mid-calf hemlines. Unlike several of her friends, Capris look great on her because they make her legs appear shorter.
Understanding Design Lines -- Shoes
While shopping with her friends, Veronica found these sandals. What she liked about them is the fact that she can wear them well into the Sacramento falls because the toe is closed. Also she likes the texture of the espadrille wedge against the black micro-suede fabric on the toe.
Design Line & Color Analysis
Horizontal Lines
Another reason Veronica chose these sandals is because of the ankle straps. They create a horizontal line at the bottom of her legs which adds another design detail to make her legs appear shorter.
Shape Of Design Lines
When looking for shoes/sandals, Veronica looked for ones with a curved toe because she has a curved Face Shape. The toe of this sandal is curved, which is perfect for her.
Final Thoughts
Veronica is amazed that wearing vertical design lines in her torso area and horizontal design lines in her leg area can balance her Body Proportions. It’s like magic. What she truly thinks is amazing is how she feels. She feels balanced and as a result, she feels like she can conquer her world.
Over the past year, the friends learned that they should look for the right design lines and colors not only in daywear clothes, but also in all of their clothes including workout clothes and now nightwear. An important factor in sleeping well is feeling confident in one’s abilities. They decided to start transforming their nightwear by buying new ones for the wine tasting trip. Next week, Sam will share what she found called: What To Wear To Bed — Sam.
Wear Your Greatness!!
