Can you,.. really?

From Glamour.com "Fall 2011's Most Wearable Fashions"

With each new fashion season, women’s magazines and retailers inform and promote the current season’s “must have’s.”  While you’ll seldom witness the average woman on the street wearing the same dramatized versions seen on runway models, the modeled looks inspire trends that turn up on your local retail racks in varying interpretations.

Glamour.com featured 14 picks of Fall 2011 as the “most wearable” trends.  Does this mean the pieces are right for you?  Few fashions are suited to all women, or men, as the case may be, so an awareness of your body type (and your lifestyle!) can help with an accurate assessment..

Take Glamour.com’s first pick:  Peplum Blazers, Coats, and Vests.  http://glmr.me/Glamour_wearable_trends.  Here’s a look that’s both fun and forgiving, on the right silhouette.  If you have full hips or a tummy, you’ll find that a peplum might just be your new BFF.  Peplums camouflage a variety of womanly curves, so if you feel yours aren’t your best assets, you’ll appreciate Peplum’s bell-shaped fullness.  (Beware, though, if your figure is predominantly round.  The width of the peplum’s shape can amplify visual girth.)

The body shapes this trend is most native to are the hourglass and figure 8, silhouettes.  Both of these shapes have closely-balanced shoulder-hip widths, and a highly-defined waistline.  (The distinction between the two is in the curve, or lack of, in the shoulders.)  Since the peplum puts emphasis on the waistline, with its fullness falling, and sometimes swirling, below, it’s well matched to the hourglass and figure 8 bodies.   It simply will not be your friend, however, if your shape is void of a visible waistline. Also be mindful that, if you have short legs, a mid-thigh peplum will cause them to appear even shorter (notice the difference between the middle and right-hand images in the photo above).  If you desire a long, lean visual, keep the peplum above the leg crease.  Aim for a solid column of color as in the red suit shown for even more perceived length.

Lest you be feeling left out of the fall trend loop, do not despair.  Thirteen wearable selections await your discerning eye.  Check back for future blog posts.  I’ll  help you skillfully assess more 2011 fall fashions!