A waist of time

Discussion of fashion elements and looks that are traditionally considered somewhat "femme" but are presented in a masculine context. This is NOT about transvestism or crossdressing.
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Ralph
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A waist of time

Post by Ralph »

Are any of our brothers here "apple-shaped" and carrying a few extra stone around? One of many problems I have with finding clothes that are right for me is that my shape makes waistbands difficult to fit. My equator is about 46 inches. If I wear a skirt (or trousers, really) at what I think is my natural waistline (more or less at my navel) it slides down to the area of least resistance, however tight the belt or elastic is. If I just give up and wear it below the bulge to begin with, I have not so much a muffin top as the appearance I am carrying a swimming ring under my shirt. And if I wear it above the bulge, it comes up almost to my chest and makes me look like my epileptic mother dressed me in the dark. While she was drunk.

Hoping others have dealt with this same problem and found something that works. (yes, yes, diet and exercise... that's how I managed to get it down from 50 inches but it took 10 years and I don't know that I have another 10 years left in me!)
Ralph!
nzfreestyler
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Re: A waist of time

Post by nzfreestyler »

Ralph wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:56 am Hoping others have dealt with this same problem and found something that works. (yes, yes, diet and exercise... that's how I managed to get it down from 50 inches but it took 10 years and I don't know that I have another 10 years left in me!)
I have helped a few guys out over the years with clothes and styling more femininely. I would suggest... dare I say it a fit and flare dress would likely work on you? Any style that is fitted underbust and flares?

There are a lot of dresses that are sleeved - or cap sleeved and then fit and flare and this would work nicely?
Fit and flare dress with a cropped jacket?

cheers NZF
Faldaguy
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Re: A waist of time

Post by Faldaguy »

Ralph,
Just a guess, but what about suspenders, rather than a belt? Allow the skirt to ride just at the point where it wants to pull down, that should keep everything snuggly in place.
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shadowfax
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Re: A waist of time

Post by shadowfax »

Faldaguy wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:15 am Ralph,
Just a guess, but what about suspenders, rather than a belt? Allow the skirt to ride just at the point where it wants to pull down, that should keep everything snuggly in place.
Maybe something like these suspenders?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/153222793469
"New CTM Men's 2 Inch Wide Non-Elasticized Construction Button-End Suspenders"
happykilt
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Re: A waist of time

Post by happykilt »

Ralph wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2021 1:56 am ...
And if I wear it above the bulge, it comes up almost to my chest and makes me look like my epileptic mother dressed me in the dark. While she was drunk.
...
No problem at all. You just need to add a menhir to your outfit...
Image
:D
Having a bit same kind of a problem...
Need to wear the kilt pretty tight belted, and not yet found a proper menhir to wear with trousers...
8)
Edit: Just in case someone doesn't know the character: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelix
Ralph
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Re: A waist of time

Post by Ralph »

Faldaguy wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:15 am Just a guess, but what about suspenders, rather than a belt?
Once I got over my fit of the giggles ("But I'm not trying to keep my stockings up!") I realised that's an excellent suggestion, and worth looking into. But here in the rural southern US I know that if I walk into Wal-Mart asking where I can get braces, they will direct me to the nearest orthodontist.
Ralph!
nzfreestyler
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Re: A waist of time

Post by nzfreestyler »

Ralph wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 1:14 am Once I got over my fit of the giggles ("But I'm not trying to keep my stockings up!") I realised that's an excellent suggestion, and worth looking into. But here in the rural southern US I know that if I walk into Wal-Mart asking where I can get braces, they will direct me to the nearest orthodontist.
Ha ha yes... the differences in naming of clothing garments around the place. I also though suspending was a peculiar suggestion - based on our clothing nomenclature down under - but the illustration provided reminded me otherwise.

Cheers
NZF
rode_kater
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Re: A waist of time

Post by rode_kater »

I actually have a similar issue. I've been learning about pattern making and this is a known problem in menswear. If you get a piece of elastic and put it at about hip height, if you look sideways in a mirror you'll notice that it's actually not horizontal. When making patterns for men there are tricks to make this work. These tricks are obviously not applied to women's skirts.

What you need to do is make it so the narrowest part of the skirt follows where the elastic would naturally falls. Depending on the skirt style this may or may not be possible. In theory it should be possible to add a bit to the inside of the waist to fix this, but I haven't tried it yet.

As pointed out, dresses do not have this problem. They have a different problem, namely that the waist is often too high. But sometimes you find a dress made for tall women that works. Or dresses that don't have an defined waist that follow your own contours.

On the other hand, depending on what you wear above the skirt it may be less of an issue.
nzfreestyler
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Re: A waist of time

Post by nzfreestyler »

With skirts I should add you get another factor with your pelvic tilt - so if you stand with your pelvis forward/tilted then you arch your back a lot more - this lifts your hem at the rear - so your skirt must be adjusted slightly up at the front and down at the back. Most noticeable with straighter shorter skirts and in higher heels its definitely a factor. This might be similar to what you are saying about physique - but in high heels its more about the posture you're put into.
steamman
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Re: A waist of time

Post by steamman »

Have you considered wearing a corset?
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SkirtsDad
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Re: A waist of time

Post by SkirtsDad »

The lockdown has not been kind to my waist, so I can sympathise. I have a few skirts with loosly elasticated, but very wide, waistbands (around 6" - 8") that stay up nicely without causing any major distortion. For the few other skirts that I am currently wearing that have a narrow waistband then I couple the outfit with either a tunic top or long tee-shirt, making sure these are not too tight fitting. This hides the waist region. Most of my dresses are figure hugging so I am down to a few casual loose-knit dresses that still hang nicely.
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r.m.anderson
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Re: A waist of time

Post by r.m.anderson »

SD - welcome back to the world of skirt/dress wearing !
Missed your adventures in Thrift Charity shop fashions.
With the quarantine - guess these are not open all that frequently.
So the inventory of fashions coming in not as great as it was before.
Less selection options to choose from.

I hate that when that happens !

Yea for that elastic (multiple adjustable) waist fitting -
not fond of having a wardrobe that sits idle and can't
be worn until space dimensions are reduced
Quarantine tends to less active exercise keeping the
waist not so trim.
Dresses not a problem - hangs off the shoulders.
The dresses are not my forte as I am a Skirt man !
"YES SKIRTING MATTERS"!
"Kilt-On" -or- as the case may be "Skirt-On" !
WHY ?
Isn't wearing a kilt enough?
Well a skirt will do in a pinch!
Make mine short and don't you dare think of pinching there !
Ralph
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Re: A waist of time

Post by Ralph »

steamman wrote: Fri May 07, 2021 7:10 pmHave you considered wearing a corset?
I have considered it several times, including within the past few weeks, and each time I reach the same conclusion (I don't learn from my past real well).
  • Most corsets you find, especially the cheap ones, are purely decorative. Lots of spandex that doesn't hold you together very well
  • The ones that are functionally designed for "waist training" are too expensive for me to justify when there are other more urgent needs demanding my money
  • Even if I get past the expense, the more I read about waist training the more it sounds medically dangerous. Everyone actually in the medical profession warns against wearing something that compresses your internal organs and makes it difficult to breathe. The only ones who insist the medical hazards are exaggerated are... wait for it... the ones who sell corsets.
I did experiment with a lumbar support wrap thing - basically a gigantic sheet of reinforced canvas with miles of velcro you wrap around your midsection. It's visually ugly, but functionally the same as a corset. I found that if I didn't wear it tight enough it would simply roll up over my bulge; if I wore it tightly enough to stay in place I had difficulty breathing and was desperate to take it off within an hour.

In the end, I decided that working harder on diet and exercise would be a much better, albeit slower, way to get a figure worthy of nice fitted skirts.
Ralph!
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Chirp
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Re: A waist of time

Post by Chirp »

I know the feeling. Still working and slimming down that apple-shaped
No one mess's with a big guy in kilt
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