Textured fabrics can be anything from lace to cable knits, devore velvet to quilted fabrics.What is best to do is match your level of texture, in your hair and skin, to texture in fabrics.
So someone with straight smooth hair and fine smooth skin will look best in flat or fabrics that match their personal texture.
Someone with curly hair will look best in textured garments like boucle or a velvet devore, which has a curved appearance.
Here the crochet trim works with the texture of the hair.
Someone with short spiky hair will look best in a tweed or some other sort of straight texture.
Does this make sense?
Does this make sense?
The controled curl of the model’s hair here works really well with the texture created in the garment by the floral motifs and folds of fabric on this top. Yet the fabric is still smooth which reflects her smooth skin, and the smoothness of her curl.
Too much thick texture (like chunky knits) will make you look chunkier, and are best on the very slim person, whilst fine textured garments work fine on the more curvy body as they don’t add bulk.
If you have textured skin (aka wrinkles) you will look best in a lightly textured garment, rather than one that is smooth and flat. So the older we get, the more textured our fabrics need to become, to match our natural texture. Also, grey hair tends to be more wiry and create more natural texture.
Now ere is an example of the same model wearing two different black jackets (and don’t get me onto the colour and how it washes her out…) one is way more flattering than the other.
The jacket on the left with the ruffle mirrors her ruffled/curly hair and creates a beautiful harmony.
The jacket on the right that is very flat and lacks texture, just doesn’t have the same harmony.
All pics from http://www.nordstrom.com/
I wonder if that is why I have never favored ruffles, at least not since the early 80s. lol
This is a great post – akin to “The Triumph of Individual Style ” book.
So many things to remember when getting dressed!
Now I finally understand why smooth fabrics make my waves look simply messy !
This is fascinating! I’ve never herad this at all. Thank you!
Rebecca: both the texture of fabric plus your personality come into account when we look at things like ruffles. (that’s for another post).
Mossback meadow: I spent a few days training with Carla Mathis who wrote The Triumph of Individual Style – she is amazing and one the greatest image consultants ever (plus a beautiful person on the inside to boot). Yes I learned a lot from her – and everytime I read that book I get some new insight from it. Thanks for stopping by my blog to share your thoughts.
Starlight: see, now you know to go for some more texture in your fabrics and your appearance will be more harmonious.
Nic: thanks for stopping by and commenting. It’s good to start thinking a bit more broadly about these issues (than you’ll ever see on a 1 hour TV show). I look forward to hearing more comments.
Imogen, I like both photos of the redhead–The one with less ruffles makes me concentrate more on her FACE though. On the jacket with ruffles photo, I am just looking at the great jacket!