Pst!

[kyburg]

shadesong - I have a twenty-year-old high school graduate who probably thinks a clean set of t-shirt-n-jeans is suitable for looking for work in.

She's teeny like you. She's busty like you.

I think I could send her home with an interviewing outfit - but while I'm not tall, I don't have anything close to the same body type.

I'm not sure what will work. What would you suggest?

Comments

[shadesong.livejournal.com]

Difficult to find professional clothes at our size!

At the higher end, check out Petite Sophisticate - pricier, but excellent fit, etc.

Lower end - I've gotten some nice skirt-suits at JCPenney. Shop in the juniors department.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*nods* But would you recommend separates? I don't know if I'd put her in the jacket and skirt I would wear - it might just make her look teenier than she is already.

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

(speaketh the former pro-trained image consultant)

Keep her out of the short skirts; knee-length or below. A good straight jersey skirt, no cargo pockets, not slit too high. And straight! Or just a bit of flare out at the bottom. Fluffy skirts look un-professional and will make her shorter and younger.

Dark-colored very plain shirt, like a nice knit shell-type thing, and a not-too-structured but pro-looking duster or jacket thing that doesn't do too much to the breast. Even a nice twinset. NOTHING low-cut, no V-necks, nothing pointing down. HIgh, straight, simple necklines are best; watch out for anything button-up that may gape over the breasts. A dark underneath and an interesting jacket will help draw eyes away from bustiness. A longer jacket will even out the figure somewhat. Slacks with a bit of boot-cut or flare will add height as well.

Accessorize the heck out of it. A little Seventies neck-scarf, maybe a nice pin on the lapel if it doesn't scream LOOK AT THE BIG TITS, chunky earrings or a hair ornament; a shiny belt if it works for her figure (something not too wide or straight; a chain belt that hands a little loose or has a dangle might be ideal). Good jewelry, even good fake jewelry, in grown-up styles, makes anything look ten times more professional. Nothing pointing at the tits, though; no long chain necklaces or pendants. Aim attention at the face. Putting her hair up, if it's long, is probably a good move; it makes people look older and more 'together' and can add height.

Be careful with ankle-strap shoes; they can make people look shorter. Boots are a tricky proposition, depending on how short and where the shortness is; boots can add height, but boots with a shorter skirt makes too much 'horizontal' and can make her look shorter and chunkier. (Boots with a long straight skirt might be fine.) Sandals and open-toes can look unprofessional to some people, but y'all live in a warm climate and she's probably not applying to a stuffy East Coast bank. Just no Birkenstocks. Heels if she can wear them, preferably square and businesslike, not pointy stillettos. There's a lot of oxford and loafer things with a hell out for girls these days, those would work. Avoid mules.

Another option is a nice shirtdress or all-in-one dress, again not drawing too much attention to the chest and with professional accessories to draw attention to her face. A dress has less oomph than a jacket, though, so depending on the scale of the interview it may not be the best option. Oh, yeah, might want to avoid notched lapels, they can be arrows pointing at the tits. Men's style blazers will probably look like she borrowed Daddy's clothes; go for osmething a little more feminine.

Unscuff the shoes, no brightly colored nailpolish (a light pink or tan or french manicure is fine; no red, no peeling nailpolish, no toenails showing). Makeup if she knows how, and subdued in neutrals, but enough to draw the eye to her face and away from the chest.

[ceolyn.livejournal.com]

Where do you live and how can I get you to do this for me? I cook a mean chocolate chip oatmeal cookie (sadly with the way I'm trying to save money, it's about the only tender I'm bribing folks with).

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

Due to my own confusion at hte way gmail is handling LJ comments, I got this one after the fire one. Heh.

I am not what you'd call a healthy person, so I have to take things easy. However, I love clothes. And shopping for them. If there's a car involved or not too much wear-and-tear on stupid chronic fatigue me, I'll happily make the rounds of the discount stores with someone for a wardrobe consulting, job-geared or otherwise. (Lately it's mostly been shy boys who want to be all gothy and cute at the clubs, which is just as much fun.)

I understand the budget constraints all too well; Goodwill is my friend, and I'm even pretty good at *finding* stuff in thrift stores or for cheap. Email me and we'll see what happens!

*face palms*

[ceolyn.livejournal.com]

Right, just checked your user info. You're just over the hills and across the bay from me (I'm in San Remote, or San Ramon to those who don't fee like it's this small corner of the world that everyone's forgotten).

Fire dancing eh? Poi or some other medium. (It's something I'd like to learn, but haven't had the where with all to buy the practice poi.)

Adding you if that's okay. Will be singularly unsurprised if we know people in common other than Donna.

Re: *face palms*

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

hey there!

I do fire poi, torches, and am attempting to learn to do something nifty with a staff.

For practice poi: Tennis balls in old socks, if you can find the tennis balls. String. Make the whole mess about as long as your hand-to-armpit or a bit shorter. Bean bags also work just fine instead of tennis balls. The key is something with a bit of weight (or more than a bit; fire gear is heavy) and somewhat aerodynamic, and that won't hurt too much when you whack yourself with it.

www.homeofpoi.com is the granddaddy of all poi sites, and has teaching diagrams and videos. I'm partly responsible for www.mythic-fire.com, which has a lot of good fire safety info, fire gear building, and so on, but not much in the way of training moves.

We host Sunday night gatherings called Whirlygig in SF for folks of all skill levels, fire or not, to come and hang out and learn from each other and cheer each other onwards. There's also a Berkeley group, run by our protegee urbanbard. From our site, you can sign up for the WHirlygig mailing list and get info on some other lists for spinner folks in the Bay Area and where they meet up. There may be another Eastish Bay practice group as well, but I admit I don't tend to cross the scary running water.

[annenahaymus.livejournal.com]

You're going to think I'm crazy, but have you tried Walmart?

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

*screams, runs and hides*

We did Mervyns yesterday. That was scary enough.

[starcat-jewel.livejournal.com]

Now that someone upstream has given you an idea what to look for, my turn to chime in with where to look. Find the thrift shop or consignment store closest to the "old money" part of town, or alternatively the trendy one where all the Monied People like to donate. You may still pay department-store prices, but you'll be buying designer labels for the price of store brands, and the stuff will be in much better shape than what you'd find at Goodwill. Furthermore, some of that stuff will have come from trophy wives who are petite and busty, and will have been tailored or altered to fit them.

A couple more comments about jewelry. If she wears pendants at all, they should be no longer than 20" -- that'll keep them well above the bust area. (If she's really tiny, 18" may be necessary.) Pearls are always professional; either buy good fakes, or splurge for some nice freshwater pearls -- check out a local crafts fair for jewelry that doesn't look like the latest Hot Thing From The Mall. Large jewelry of any kind on a small frame can be overpowering and come off like a kid playing dress-up; look for enough punch to balance the outfit without overbalancing.