25 Days of Style: a Fashion Blog series -- Day 14

     My very first exposure with body conscious dresses was Jessica Rabbit in the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Then Herve Leger modernized this skin tight silhouette and translated it in its famous bandage dresses (strips of stretchable fabric sewn together.) And the next thing you know, Max Azria who acquired the French fashion house, popularized bandage skirts in a vast array of colors and every girl and their mother was donning this trend. You can only imagine my horror when I saw these dresses and skirts being worn everywhere without the proper shape wear, intimates, and undergarments. *shudders. First of all, they're called body conscious and bandage styled garments for a reason -- it will mold and shape the wearer's figure down to the smallest details. Which means that any outside observer will be able to see every curve, lump, bump, or whatever you may have. Just because it's tight, doesn't mean everyone else can't see the flaws. So how do you tackle, or better yet, smooth out this problem? Shape wear like Spanx  or at least seamless undergarments (because having the lines to your intimates show in something so tight is tacky.) 

     Every stylist and costume designer will attest to the wondrous invention that is shape wear. Regardless of your body shape, every woman can benefit from it (trust me, even models and size 2 women wear them), especially when wearing body conscious styles. The mechanics behind it smooths everything out perfectly, especially your problem areas. So whenever I wear anything body conscious, like this floral BB Dakota frock, Spanx is my friend. The look becomes more sleek and tailored and the body-con dress so much manageable (especially when it's time to zip!) And to accentuate my waist, I added a skinny belt as opposed to a wider belt which tend to swallow a woman's figure. To give the ensemble a more tailored look, I opted for this cropped white tuxedo blazer which is a great contrast against all of the colors and print of the dress. To finish off the look I went for nude pumps instead of black or anything embellished, because I feel that it's more daytime appropriate. And whenever my day calls for just small essentials, I don't carry a wristlet but a pretty good size clutch which organizes my ID, cards, cash, and iPhone much better. 

     So to summarize, what styling tips did we learn today? Shape wear is our friend especially when wearing body conscious garments. A waist is a terrible thing to waste, so belt it out (do you like that play on words?) Clutches are strictly not just for nighttime affairs -- they make for a great, and very chic, case to carry around the small essentials of your day. And for a little bit of fashion history and trivia, Sara Blakely, the inventor of Spanx went to my alma mater Florida State University! Yes you can use that little detail as cocktail chatter, you're welcome. 

Love, KB

dress by BB Dakota 

blazer by Pin and Needles -- Urban Outfitters 

skinny belt by J. Crew

nude pumps by Gianni Bini 

blue clutch by Marc by Marc Jacobs