I ran across this dress in an article here and here while browsing the web today. Seems like this Stella McCartney's dress is creating quite the stir. I have to admit that Kate Winslet looks absolutely stunning!!! And the cut on this dress is INGENIOUS. I mean it literally does make Kate look curvier. According to reviews, it's supposed to make anyone look 2 dress sizes smaller. Plus it's made out of a sturdy cotton fabric that makes it like a "stylish scuba suit and packs the meat in". But truth be told, I like Kate just as much without the "exxagerated hour glass figure" that the dress give her. She's gotten flack about her voluptous figure in the past. But I think she's always looked phenomenal whether she was a size2 or size 12 (I don't really know her size, nor do I really care.)
The dress is gorgeous and all but in my opinion I don't think it should be the newest fashion craze because it creates an hour glass shape. I just think our society is TOO caught up in body size and shape. I know most women, myself included, like to dress in a way that accentuates their figure. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But do you think it's going too far when we go the extra mile in creating these optical illusions? Realistically we all use "tricks of the trade" to emphasize/ de-emphasize parts of our body. Just sometimes things seem to go too far. Maybe I'm just being a "Debbie Downer". As a seamstress who have made clothes for a few clients, I ALWAYS preach the importance of appreciating one's body. I think I'm cranky about this because I get tired of how society fights against that message.
I'd love to know your thoughts and opinions about this dress. Do you think this is just an innocent attempt to shape one's figure or is it much more. How do you feel society affects our views of ourselves. Are you able to fight against it? Please chime in......
I saw this picture a few weeks back in the paper. It makes a stunning picture, and I can appreciate that she is a movie star in the public eye and therefore under intense scrutiny. But, I have to admit, my first thought was that if one of the world's most beautiful women needs a dress like this, what chance do the rest of us have? If even the bodies of celebrated actresses aren't up to scratch maybe we need a collective re-think. So, I agree with you!
ReplyDeleteI really like the dress but it looks like a lot of Photoshopping went into the look. My doctor says I still need to lose 30 lbs. but I'm pretty happy where I am. Like you advise your clients, I think we have to learn to appreciate ourselves as we are. I live in middle America where more of my peers and others look like me (size 16 RTW) than like movie stars. I'm 54 and while I once had a shape like that...I'm sure those days are way behind me. I'm growing old gracefully.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw that dress, I thought it was gorgeous!!! I wonder how long it will take Vogue patterns to come out with a pattern for it.
ReplyDeleteHeck, if I had a chance to wear that and look as good as she does, I'd wear it too.
ReplyDeleteI'm a "fluffy" size 24. Sure I'd love to be thinner, but my life doesn't stop and wait until then... gee, it might never happen.
So, I'm relatively happy where I am. To me real beauty is not a size or a look... it's REAL... like a radiance.
It's not that much of an illusion. You still have to have a bangin' body to wear a dress like this.
ReplyDeleteSo true Erica! But the fact that you can have a banging body and still want to wear a dress that makes you look 2 sizes smaller is kinda what gets me!
ReplyDeleteI love the dress, I just can't say I'm stoked for the reason's people are flocking to it. I'm a RTW size 8 and my aim in life is not to get smaller. It's the opposite. I want to be toned and fit and actually a little thicker. But I guess we all have different goals huh?
I think we all need to be happy with ourselves just the way we are, whether size 2 or 24. Its what on the inside that counts!!! Sure if you look good in it by all means wear it, but hey don't beat yourself up if you aren't able to get that look. SN: The dress looks great but I don't see the need to wear a dress that makes you look 2 dress sizes smaller when you already have a great body.
ReplyDeleteI L*VE IT!!!
ReplyDeleteMy thinking on this whole body image thing is simply "health" What good is it to be thin as a rail or what ever shape your trying to achieve if your health paid the price to get that? A healthy body weight achieved from nutritious foods and plenty of exercise, is super.
ReplyDeleteWhat good is it to be able to look a certain way if you can't walk around the block without getting winded? Health first! Sure everyone wants to look their best, to me though that is exactly the point "Their Best" We are all built so different. Go for a healthy, fit "you" body and the clothing will take care of itself is my thinking :O)
First thought is can she sit in the dress? Secondly, it made me wonder how many people looking at this picture actually looked at her face? I didn't and that thought disturbed me.
ReplyDeleteThat dress is certainly eye-catching but I am about a 10-12 and I could not carry that off because of my weight distribution (more like Kim Kardashian) and I would seriously be busting out the sides of the top. I also don't have the super flat tummy......I'm pretty sure Kate is very slim, despite her curvier "bone structure"...
ReplyDeleteIn my view, I think the dress is too structural and her body looks encased and unapproachable. It is interesting but not something I'd ever, ever wear. As I age, I am more and more convinced that beauty is seen somewhat differently by men and women.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! When I first tried to go to your blog it came up with a warning saying your blog is an attack site that tries to download terrible things to my computer. I am pretty darn sure this is not true, but thought I would let you know anyways.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, very interesting topic! As a woman quickly moving into the big 60, I've finally learned to except my figure as it is...you'll here me joke about things from time to time, but this is what it will be! The sooner we accept it, the happier and healthier we all will be as women!
ReplyDeleteBecause of images like this one, I struggled as a young woman with my own image, I cannot image what this must be doing to our young women of today! Mothers, please, please run damage control with your precious cargo!!!!! It should be more about the glow of health and the "demise of size" once and for all!
I agree that this looks like a whole, whole lot of photo editing went on. I wouldn't make a dress like this for a slew of reasons, not the least of which is that I don't "do" sleeveless anymore. Agree that Ms. Winslet has a lovely face, and that her stylists dress her body to look amazing. If every woman could afford a stylist and custom-designed clothing, we'd all look amazing, too. Most of us will just keep poking along, happily searching for the look that suits us best. Nice to be able to design and sew for ourselves, no?
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to chime in and say that Mozilla Firefox says your site is an "attack site". Safari worked fine, however. I couldn't access your site at all using using Firefox, even when I clicked the "ignore this warning" button. Weird!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah C & Home Jewels! I noticed the same warning at work today. I deleted my chat box & a few other things. Hope that takes care of that!
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting - when I first looked at the picture of Kate, my first reaction was "yikes - why does her body look so deformed/unnatural?" I then looked closer and figured out the optical illusion and felt better that her body actually is anatomically possible, but whoa - very strange indeed. I'm 6'0" tall, so lucky in that I have a lot of room to spread my extra weight around, and I'm all for looking as lean and long as I can while I continue the struggle to be healthy in a job/commute that can make that difficult, but I don't want to look like my body can't support my head...
ReplyDeleteI made some workout tops with this shape (though black in the middle with bright colors on the side) and they are really, really flattering. I was surprised by how nice they look. But I agree with you that Kate Winslet does not need to be skinnified. Even with a dress like this, you have to have a flat stomach to wear it
ReplyDelete(Not implying that Kate Winslet doesn't have a flat stomach, because she does.)
ReplyDelete