Kimberly Jarman Photography

Lots of things in life don’t always fit just right.  Sometimes your job doesn’t fit, sometimes your date doesn’t fit, your bank account never fits, and sometimes your entire day just isn’t fitting.  I cannot help you with the fit of most things, my darlings, but one area I certainly can help you with is the fit of your clothing.  It might seem small in comparison to huge life-fitting issues, but if you are fighting with your career already, wouldn’t it be nicer to do it in perfect jeans??  Let me guide you through making sure what you’re wearing fits, and looks it!

Fit Rule #1: Fit is more important than any other clothing factor.

I am a fit fanatic.  The reason?  Fit, more than any other attribute of your clothing, makes it look good or bad on your body.  You can buy a $5000 Chanel suit (notice I said you, because I certainly cannot), impeccable in style, seaming, branding, and color, but if it doesn’t fit you properly, you might as well be wearing a burlap sack.  On the other hand, you can pick up a $20 sundress at Wal-Mart that fits you like a glove and look like a million bucks!  All of us need to remember this major rule of fashion; nothing matters more than fit.  I don’t care how trendy it is, how expensive it was, or how cute your best friend looked in it, if it doesn’t fit you well, it doesn’t look good.  Period.

Fit Rule #2:  Very few items you purchase fit perfectly right off the bat.

I am tall (5’9) and very thin (none of your business), with very long limbs.  While on paper that sounds great, when it comes to trying on clothing it means two things always: nothing is ever long enough, and nothing is ever small enough.  In grade school my mom had to let the seams out of all of my pants while also taking them in at the waist.  I have perfected the 3/4 length sleeve, not because my forearms are never cold—because long sleeves are never long enough!  We all have these issues.  My big sister’s waist is teensy-weensy while her rear is pretty bootylicious—this always means her pants gap at the waist.  My little sister is perfectly proportioned (brat) but only 5’ tall.  This means she pretty much needs to shop in a clothing store for large-sized baby dolls.  We all have some issue with fit.  So we need ways to get around these issues:

*Find a tailor- I know this sounds really silly to a lot of people.  Who the heck has a tailor outside of old men in the 19^th century?  But I’m telling you, it is worth it!  And it’s not like I have a tailor, like a guy in some little shop that greets me by name and I drop off all my couture pieces weekly for a fitting; no, no, let me explain.  My dry cleaner does alterations, and for somewhere between $5-$20 I can get my little nips and tucks completed.  It has made a HUGE difference in my wardrobe.  Instead of having 20 things I “sort of” like, or can kinda make work with certain tops only, I have a bunch of pieces that I love—because they all fit me!

*Buy for the largest part of your body, then alter- My legs are really long, my waist is really small.  I have to buy for length and then take things in at the waist.  If the shirt fits everywhere but pulls across your bust, you need a size up and then alter from there.  You don’t want anything too small on your body, it immediately adds 5 pounds to your frame.  Easy rule of thumb:  you can make things smaller, not bigger.

*Move on- I know you love those pants in your hand.   You keep trying them on and staring at the mannequin.  I know you think they’re the most perfect pants on Earth.  But….you keep trying on two different sizes, you’re unable to find a shirt that works, and you’ve been tugging at the legs in the dressing room for 10 minutes. Put.  Them.  Back. I’m sorry, but they just don’t fit!  You’ll get them home, never be able to find a shirt to wear with them, and end up shoving them to the back of your closet with all the other random purchases that just never worked.  Well, take a look back there; I bet the one thing all those never-worn items have in common is that they just don’t fit you properly.  Move on, we can do better.

*Keep trying on- I know this is a hard one, girls.  I know that buy the fifth pair of jeans that haven’t fit the last thing you want to do is try on 10 more.  I’m telling you, though, this is the only way to get to the one perfect pair.  You are going to have to try on a lot of clothing, you’re going to have to try on various sizes, you’re going to have to try on different brands.  I’m sorry, I wish there was another way, but there really just is no easier method.  It’s like dating, or career-searching, it’s going to take a lot of wrong fits until you find the one that fits you best!  The good news:  once you man up and just bust through that stack of denim, you’re going to stumble upon a pair that hugs your curves, lengthens your legs, and lifts your tuckus, at which point you will cling to that brand name and style like no other, suddenly filling your closet up with carbon copies of that first love.

Fit Rule #3:  When it fits, memorize the brand, size, and style!

So you’ve done all the other rules, and now you have this perfect article of clothing in your hand—you need to pay some attention to it!  What store are you in?  What size is this?  What brand makes this?  What fabric am I touching?  What cut am I looking at?  Why does this piece work on my body?  You need to learn about the things you do love on your body.  Look at the neckline, the cut of the skirt, the flare of the pants, the feel of the fabric, the angle of the dress, etc.  There’s a reason something about this piece works on your body, take note of it.  People with larger hips love a good A-line, people with small busts adore embellished tops, and people with tiny waists love a belted dress.  Don’t just grab this item and buy it without taking a moment to notice why it works, and then finding similar styles/colors/fabrics/cuts the next time you need to shop.  That V-neck dress you love is probably a good indication that a V-neck shirt will also look great on you.  The perfect dress that hits you right above your knee means you’re going to love a skirt in the exact same length.  If your favorite jeans have a slight bootcut, then you’re going to want to find that same cut in your next pair of black pants.

Tricks people, we all have tricks.  No one fits everywhere, or in everything, but we always find ways to make it work.  You’ll find your fit, if today just in your jeans, then tomorrow maybe at work!  We’re gonna get through, girlies, in gorgeously fitting clothes!

You’re about to get a lecture, so sit down and be quiet, young lady.  Every once in awhile you need one, and you’re getting one today.  I want no arguments, and no back talk, and if you can’t cooperate you can march yourself right back down to your bedroom and decide when you’re ready to listen.  (thanks for the script, Mom)

But seriously, today’s topic is NO JOKE!   Sunscreen people.  Sunscreen.  I am a sunscreen fanatic.  Right now in my purse I honestly have a tube of Aveeno SPF 70.  Yep, I carry it around and re-apply it to my hands and neck all day long.  Why?  Because I have read about, seen, and know the damage the sun causes and hello! We live in Arizona!  We live virtually IN the sun for like, 9 months of the year.  We need it girls, we need the sunscreen and I’m not going to hear another word about it!  Here are some things I want you to think about before you head outside uncovered, lay out, or (heaven forbid) enter one of those carcinogenic age-increasing youth-zapping tubes, or “tanning beds” as the kids are calling them these days.

Sunscreen Truth #1:   Without it, you will look 100 by age 35.

Let me tell you a little secret about my job:  I am the person who makes sure all pictures leaving my desk look as perfect as can be.  I photoshop a lot of my day away, and I am a huge fan of the program.  I don’t let my own pictures get onto Facebook without a quick touch-up these days, and so I see a lot of zoomed in, up close, magnified shots of lovely people.  Do you know what I think all day while doing this?  PUT ON SUNSCREEN!  Those little lines by your eyes, the forehead creases, the smattering of brown spots, the little patches of discolored skin—-this is sun damage!  I hope that tan last summer was worth it, you have now aged 10 years!  I’m vain, this isn’t a secret, but even the least vain people out there do not want to wake up looking older than they are!  According to every expert, doctor, mother, and makeup artist out there, the number one difference between people with young, healthy skin and those who lack this, is the amount of sun damage they have.  So take note!

Sunscreen Truth #2:  It could save your life.

I mean, I hate to be Debby Downer here, but people die from skin cancer.  This isn’t some made up statement, people die from skin cancer.  Right now you’re worried about looking pale in a swimsuit/pair of shorts/etc, but what you should be worried about is the fact that after you tan you could very well need to get entire patches of your skin removed later from skin cancer!  How hot is that going to look in your swimsuit?  I know a woman who had to have a chunk, I said chunk, of her nose removed at age 43 from skin cancer cells found.  The cause?  Sun damage.  She lost a part of her nose because she never wore sunscreen.  I can’t be the only person understanding this correlation.  Tanning=sun damage=skin damage=wrinkles=cancer=major consequences=death.   Sunscreen=none of the above. Can you all see the equation there?  It’s serious, ladies!

Sunscreen Truth #3:   Being pale is in!

Unless you’ve been living in a cave (in which case, how are you online right now?), you have seen the influx of Twilight style infiltrating the world, and the increasingly pale starlets covering the red carpet and talking about how their number one beauty product is always sunscreen.  Nobody likes the orange “tanorexic” look anymore, especially not since The Jersey Shore hit the TV’s last fall.   If you’ve seen Gone With the Wind (or like me, watch it monthly), you see that a hundred years ago, well-brought up ladies didn’t wear dresses that would leave them “all freckled” before 4 pm.  Let’s bring that back!  The tanning thing is going out of style because looking old and haggard is rarely a trendsetting move.  So if you (like me) were not blessed with naturally beautiful, cocoa shaded skin, it’s OK, we’re trendy too!

Pale Hollywood Beauties.  Tell me they’re not hot.  Just try and say it.

Sunscreen Truth #4:   You don’t have to give up all color.

If you really need it, hate your skin in it’s natural color, and simply cannot face the summer without some color, do it in a healthy way!  Spray tan and self-tanning are amazing these days!  Science is advanced folks, there are products out there that will give you the summer glow without the side of wrinkles and melanoma.  It’s also way more convenient to self-tan than to actually lay in the hot sun all afternoon or (I hate even mentioning it) getting into one of the UV-age-increasing-death-tubes.  There is a way to look pretty while also preserving your youth and health.  I promise you.

I’m proud of you girls for listening, you may call your friends now, but be home by 11 and that bedroom better be clean when I go in there.