Areas to consider:
- Measuring yourself
- All you need is a soft measuring tape!
- Frame
- One frame "classification" may not work for your whole body. For example, I'm narrow at the shoulders, chest, and maybe ribs, but I'm average at the waist, hips, and legs. I like to adjust my patterns using this method.
- Proportion and size
- Torso length, leg length, and where the waist and hips fall are all areas for adjustment. I have a long torso and short legs, but my waist sits high. In my case, I typically raise the waist 1/2" and lengthen tops.
- I don't currently sew pants (tried once and failed miserably), but the knee placement is important. I can't tell you how many pants I've purchased where the bottom of the thigh portion sits at my knee and makes the fit look off / sloppy.
- Figure flattery (my opinion only)
- Hem length
- From a personal standpoint, my stance is that fuller skirts = shorter length and vice versa. I like my fluffy pleated skirts to hit ~2" above the knee and pencil skirts to graze my knee cap. In contrast, when hemming pants, fuller legs = longer length. I used to hem bootcut pants too short and looked ridiculous when trying to wear heels with them.
- For maxi dresses, I like the length to hit just above the floor. I can't say that's always practical though!
- Jean had an excellent post on skirt lengths here
- Masking problem areas (like mine)
- Got a tummy? Fit and flare dresses, pleated / gathered skirts, and peplums are great ways to hide it :)
- Self-conscious about your arms? 3/4 length sleeves are my favorite!
- Self-conscious about your legs? I either hide them with maxis or make the most of them using the skirt length tips above :)
I hope this (wordy) post was helpful!
