Does This Show Make My Butt Look Big?

My mom was kind enough, several years ago, to record about four video tape-fuls of the cable show "What Not To Wear".  Since I love 'transformation' shows and movies, I was in heaven going through these tapes.

Bee and S.B. got sucked into the show along with me, even though it is mostly geared towards women.  It is, I believe, as a direct result of "What Not To Wear" that S.B. turned into the style icon he is,
pairing ties with jeans to go to school and wearing only the most trendy belts.  He is more fashionable than Bee and I combined, which means we can never again buy him clothes or accessories as gifts, because we will choose wrong and he will never wear our guesses.

Bee was also inspired to try harder (or, OK, just to try) to be more fashionable.  He went out and bought a couple of sports coats, some nice, button-down shirts, and a vest.  Then, get this, he went to a tailor to have the coats and some jeans hemmed to a more flattering length.  Even I have never spent money on a tailor . . . mostly because I prefer duct tape.

Sadly, Bee's daily style hasn't changed much: it's not bad in pants season, but in summer he still wears shaggy shorts that reach his calves, pairing them with trendy 'old man' socks pulled to his shins and oh-so-stylish, beat-up loafers.  But, when he gets the chance to wear his vest and sports coat, he cleans up real pretty.

For my own part, watching a marathon of "What Not To Wear" is both inspiring and dangerous.  For weeks immediately after, I am inspired to throw out all my baggy old clothing (the good news) and spend money (the bad news) on better-fitting ones.  Since I don't have my own stylists sitting on my shoulder as I shop, I am sort of guessing what actually looks good on my body shape.  I tend to favor shirts that are smallest just below the bust and then flow out to cover the hips: I think this emphasizes my waist and makes me look more proportional.  Bee disagrees: he hates that I gravitate towards long, flowing things, and wants me to wear short, tight things to show off my curves.  Personally, I think those sorts of outfits turn me from 'curvy' to 'lumpy'.  And, really, how can I seriously take fashion advice from Shin Socks Man?

I rediscovered my "What Not To Wear" marathon tapes recently, and have happily sent the last week re-watching them.  Which means I was inspired to update my style the other day.  So I went shopping for an item that has heretofore been rare in my closet: a sundress.

I came home with three dresses (on sale!) that I would not have normally bought, as they are shorter and more figure-hugging than my normal style.  But I'm trying!  Now, I can only hope I don't look over-dressed at Mr. C's playdates when I show up in an empire-waisted, above-the knee faux-wrap dress with ruching below the bust and a faaabulous bold pattern.

Hmmmm . . . now I need shoes.