The importance of wearing the right size

We can often get away with wearing clothing that is a size off, but it really does make a difference in how we look.  I did a couple of posts on how I made my too-big black suit work, and it's possible, but it takes thought to still look good, and not just frumpy. 

Last summer I had a fabulous pair of cropped cream/khaki pants that I wore a lot.  They were super useful and looked great.  This summer I put them on, looked in the mirror, and took them right off again.  What a difference one year makes!  Today I went and bought this year's version of the exact same pants, but two sizes smaller.  See what a big difference it makes?

For the last several years, I've made great use of a black cropped-sleeve blazer during the summer.  The lining is super soft, so it's the perfect comfy blazer to wear in the overly-air-conditioned office.  But this year it looked so bad - so big, baggy and boxy - that I made sure to take it off every time I left my office!  So I bought a replacement for it as well.  It was a fabulous blazer, and looked great for many years, but a shift in styles and my own body have just made it out of date for me. 

Especially for basics like these, it's worth investing/re-investing in some perfectly fitting pieces.  I know that these pants and this blazer will make a huge difference to how I look all summer long. 

One other note: almost all women's clothing these days has stretch (spandex, or other synthetics mixed in).  When in doubt, buy a smaller size - most clothing stretches out after even a single wear, and if you buy slightly too big, it'll get baggy fast.

The old pants and blazer are now in my donation box. 


(BTW, I took the pics straight after coming home from the store - so you can see tags still hanging off in the "Just right" pics.  :) )

(Pants: White house black market, Green top: Express, Purple top: White house black market, Old blazer: Ann Taylor, New blazer: White house black market, shoes: Payless shoe source (yup, you read that right))