Oops, I said I would be gone, but I had to check in. Today’s activities were rained out and have been postponed until next week. This said, we have had time to putter about the house, working (not too strenuously) and relaxing.
One blog I check regularly, is Kathleen Fasanella’s blog Fashion Incubator . If I ever get around to putting up a list of links this one will have primary placement as it is so often filled with fascinating and useful information.
Today I read a really interesting post on Kathleen’s blog called A Question of Thoracic Shaping. The article is really about the way a bra is constructed and why they don’t always fit. There is an interesting discussion of torso shape, whether one is a "standard" oval or more egg shaped, and how these anatomical differences affect the fit of bras, which are made for the oval shape. The article is filled with all kinds of fascinating illustrations as well. I found it very interesting and the article and its implications have been flitting in and out of my thoughts all day.
I immediately picked up on the fact that many of the fit issues she discusses describe my experience in the bra fitting room to a T, and upon reflection realize that I am most definitely an egg. I have noticed this in other ways as I am narrow side to side but thick front to back, no matter what size I am but I have never really thought about variation in torso shapes or even if there was a "standard" shape that clothes were designed to fit. I see it is not me.
Head on over the Kathleen’s site and take a look and leave a comment. She is asking readers to comment if they have the thoracic shape she is discussing. I think this could be interesting. Although I know I have fit issues that aren’t necessarily standard I also can think of at least three friends who are definitely egg shaped, and although we don’t all discuss bra-fitting (perfect luncheon conversation don’t you think?) I do know that at least one of my friends has these same bra-fitting issues. It would be really interesting if someone did a study to see how prevalent one shape is over the other.
As I think about ovals and eggs, I am realizing that this issue really affects a lot of my upper body garment shaping problems, namely the problems with bust points being too far apart, that there is always tons of extra fabric at the side seams and not enough in the front and back. My measurements might match the pattern but the distribution sure doesn’t. I see that if I explore with this idea further I can probably improve my fitting skills considerably.