I attended a class recently given by knitwear designer Amy Herzog. The class was for knitters and how we can adapt patterns to fit and flatter our figures. As a knitter, there’s nothing more disappointing after spending a substantial amount of money on yarn and unimaginable hours knitting a sweater, to not like my finished piece. Amy has heard it countless times and has set about trying to help.
As a math major, Amy is undeterred in making sizing adjustments that will work and as a creative designer, she’s completely aware of balance and proportion. The combination of her skills can be overwhelming to those of us with only one side of our brain in working order but I listened and learned.
I came away from the class with more knowledge of what I should look for when making a pattern choice. I also now have some skills to make some simple adjustments when knitting. More than that though it got me thinking about my wardrobe in general. Why something works and why something doesn’t.
I’m “currently” (note the quotation marks…there’s always hope) bottom heavy. I hate that term but we took measurements and pictures and there it was; no denying it. Amy showed all of us how to balance our figure types. She states that we are unable to judge the actual size someone is but our eyes see the symmetry and balance of our shape.
I was under the mistaken belief that if I have a heavier bottom I shouldn’t wear anything that would accentuate my shoulders. I don’t want to look like a line backer. On the contrary though; if I balance my shoulders and neckline with a big collar, yoke or turtleneck I will bring proportion to my figure. By only buttoning a cardigan at the waist the eye sees an hourglass shape, creating balance.
I wasn’t convinced but we spent the last part of the class trying on a variety of sweaters and critiquing one another. Funny to do with strangers, but everyone was supportive and helpful. One look in the mirror told each of us that Amy was right.
Years ago I learned what colors did and didn’t work for me. Now I’m armed with another practical solution to wardrobe planning. The way I’m going, I’ll have it all pulled together by the time I’m eighty.
I’m going through my wardrobe and looking at everything with a new eye. I truly do think color is the first thing that attracts us, but to complete the vision I’ll now pay equal attention to the proportion and balance. Visit Amy’s website here, even if you’re not a knitter or seamstress I’m pretty sure you’ll learn something.
Wow! I found this so interesting! Alas, I believe that I, too, am bottom heavy and I worry that wearing anything with a large collar will make me look bulkier. Perhaps I should try on some different styles of sweaters for this upcoming sweater season. Thanks for the advice! By the way, I LOVE those two sweaters. Did you knit those??
Posted by: Tiffanie | 08/22/2011 at 04:33 AM