Let's talk about the Waistline...

Want a smaller waist? Bigger hips? Smaller hips? Flatter tummy? Read on...

I have some thoughts about our waistlines. We always want them to be smaller. Or, the media trains us to think they should always be smaller. Regardless, they are never small enough. I won't go down the road of dieting and self-esteem abuse that would be the obvious direction of this chat.
I want to talk about waistlines from a realistic perspective via how it works visually. My background, before deciding on a career in dance, was clothing design. I have quite a bit of practical knowledge about how clothes fit and what makes us want or not want to wear them. I've also inhabited a female body for all of my 52 years, and I have a working knowledge of the physical curves and mental perspective of trying to clothe the body. Add to that I am petite, which presents it's own set of challenges.
Here's the formula that is missing from the media's perspective on waistlines: you have to have hips in order to define the waistline. THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE WAISTLINE DOES NOT MATTER. What matters is visual satisfaction. What creates visual satisfaction is the proportion of hips to waste line. THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE HIPS DOES NOT MATTER. What defines the hips is the proportion of the hip to the knee. When the proportion of the waist and hip are defined by the knee, the tummy looks flatter because the hips are outlined from behind. In summary, you need to see the waist, hip and knee to be visually satisfied with the size of both waist and hip.
If you are ever shrinking both the waist and hip, you will never be satisfied with either. Unless of course you want them to be the same size, which is a different concept than what we are talking about here.
Enter, The Bessie Skirt...simple, elegant, playful, charming, cheerful, sweet, sassy, fun...

A few months ago I paid a visit to Kathleen Crowley's Couture Studio. When I arrived I told her I had an idea for the perfect skirt. She asked me to describe it. "It would be made of sturdy, stretchy cotton/lycra knit, with high waist that could roll down to make the waist placement flexible. It would trumpet at the knee, so as to flatter any body type, not dependent on the size ratio of a person's waist or hip. the fit would be snug but not constricting." She walked to her closet and pulled out the skirt, "Like this?", she said. Wow, talk about an intuitive designer, and fast!

We set in into production and present it to you now. The fit is like a hug, not tight or binding, you can pull the 10" waistband up to cover your belly, or down around your hips. The hem sweeps from floor length in front to a 7" cascade in back, with buttons at the waist and loops along the hem so you can wrap the hem up in all sorts of flattering ways to lift it off the floor if you wish. Choose your size from your actual hip measurement and hip-to-floor length. If you think you need a custom fit, please contact us and we'll make sure you get the right fit. We recommend dry cleaning for the best results and life of the fabric but you can machine wash it cold and line dry as well. I pop mine in the dryer every now and then to intentionally “snug-up” the fabric.

I named it after my mother, Bess Nericcio (that's her on the hang tag when she was six), because she is; simple, elegant, playful, charming, cheerful, sweet, sassy and fun. When she walks in a room you see her, not what she is wearing. She is interesting and interested. People feel lifted-up after talking to her because she listens to you and doesn't try to turn the conversation around to be about her. She is generous and graceful in a way that makes you want to be like her, without feeling jealous or envious of her. At 89, she is the picture of health because she walks everyday and watches birds. She is my best friend.
I hope you enjoy your Bessie Skirt! Get yours now at the FatChanceBellyDance® Shop.