One thing about sewing your own clothes…  it’s hard to tell how the style is going to look on you until you’ve put in a considerable amount of time and/or effort.  So, I’ve taken it upon myself to go to a variety of stores and try on lots of different styles of clothing.  R tagged along and ended up taking some pictures of the few things that looked good in one way or another.  I’m going to share these, but please keep in mind that they were not only taken with a Blackberry, but they were also me mugging-all-goofy for the camera.  They look utterly ridiculous.  But I can’t really talk about them without *showing* them.

R really liked this dress.  He admitted that he has a thing for 60s fashion (I never knew that!) and he liked the flounce on the sleeves.  I wouldn’t have ever picked a flounce and even in the mirror I didn’t think it looked good.  But when I look at the picture, I’m surprised at how it balances out.  I also didn’t think I’d like the big round collars.  They’re a little too 60s for 50s-leaning-Deana.  But I have to admit that they do look good on me.  One thing I’ve learned from all these pictures is that Spanx are NOT a girdle, no matter what everyone keeps trying to claim.  I am now in search of a really really good girdle.  If I have to make it myself from 5 layers of spandex, I will!  Those bumps and lumps should be GONE with a dress like that. 

I don’t like prints.  They get dated too fast.  They’re often faddish.  I don’t do faddish.  Gosh, there are lots of things that I don’t do, aren’t there?  This shirt showed me that I can make the empire tops with woven fabrics.  But this is totally not designed for a pear shape and why do designers think that big girls look good with elastic digging into their arms?  Puffed sleeves are for redheads on Prince Edward Island.  :D

R really likes this sweater.  The sleeves work for me.  They do help balance my hips visually.  I have to be careful what I let R pick out, though.  This is the man that thinks I look perfect naked and doesn’t care if my shirt is too short or anything hangs right.  He thinks girdles are silly because they hide my shape.  I love him, love him, love him dearly.  But therefore, he is completely biased when it comes to what’s flattering.

Now, why is this the only focused picture of the whole lot?  I LOVE this view.  If I could erase the clothes hanging in the background, I’d make it my profile pic on Facebook.

This one really surprised me.  Do me the favor of ignoring the-arms-I-hate.  I never thought this would be so flattering.  It was definitely designed with a …uuuhhumm…. larger-chested-lady in mind, though.

And finally…..

This one I can’t decide on…  I feel a little bit like Madeline.  The big collar surprised me, but the fact that my favorite shirt hangs down below the jacket leads me to believe that it is too short.  Maybe over dresses, though?  What do you guys think?