Going to lengths

This is my new Banana Republic elbow sleeve sweater that La Belette Rouge was referring to in yesterday’s comments. (On sale, bien sur.) I’m not certain about this long-over-narrow silhouette on me. On the plus side, it skims over my mid-section, good for H-shapes, but loses a point or two as the proportions make my legs look shorter. But it’s a very practical piece, which pushes the overall verdict into positive territory.

What say you, stylish readers? Yea or nay?
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28 Comments

  1. As a fellow redhead, I don’t think that grey works with our hair color. I love it but it looks best on ashy blonds. IMHO.

  2. I have this sweater too! And have worn the stew out it! I love to wear it over yoga pants and a cammy and also over jeans and a long sleeved tee.

  3. Pseu, try an experiment: look at this photo twice,first, only your face and the edge of scarf. Then look below only. See the difference? You look darkly and heavily dressed (including shoe and stocking)for mid-June in CA. You do look sleek but can’t tell if it’s the WW results, or the dark top/pant with long dark cardi. Really love the shot in the bottom left thumbnail “Foulard”) the camel/white really flatters you and goes so well with your vibrant, rich hair.

  4. ok, this silouette is super cool, but tough for us short, curvy broads. I think you’ve pulled it off! It works because of the good cut of the gray sweater, and because you’ve got the color hit of the scarf drawing the eye up.

    Gray and black, while subduded, are sometimes just what we want at work, aren’t they?

  5. metscan – what drew me to this sweater was the cotton blend and shorter sleeves. I need light to mid-weight sweaters for cool mornings/evenings and air conditioned interiors. Otherwise a 3/4 sleeve is my favorite sleeve length.

    Sher – thanks. Covering the hips is usually a good choice for me.

    WendyB – true. I think I’m reflecting our weather pattern of late.

  6. Arabella – thanks. It is rather an odd piece, maybe that’s what drew me?

    NYCred714 – normally when I wear grey, I wear more color near my face. What I do like about grey is that it’s a very neutral neutral…you can pair it with just about any other color, unlike black or brown. But you’re right, probably not our very best color.

  7. Belle – even if it weren’t I’d need a sweater for our gonzo office air conditioning. I was cold in that ensemble yesterday!

    Anonymous – I was hoping it would be versatile, thanks for confirming that!

    Sal – thanks!

  8. Duchesse – yes, I am darkly and heavily dressed for June, but if I weren’t I’d freeze! 🙂 I tried going without stockings last week and my feet were like ice in the office. Our air conditioning system is acting like it’s summer, when the weather outside is more like February.

    dana – thanks. I sometimes feel that if I’m dressed too bright and “light” (feminine?) at work, I won’t be taken seriously. Hmmm, may be the subject for another post.

  9. LPC – thanks for the input. I may have to try this with some different colors and see if that works. I still love the haircut too.
    😉

    Style Spy – wonder if an all-white or light colored top/pants underneath would create the same effect? Will have to try. Thanks!

  10. This is only my opinion,but I like the January version on you better. Yes, and it has to do with proportions. The one you are wearing today is more trendy though, and no harm is done whichever you wear.

  11. I, on the other hand, think it’s a perfect length. Just enough to cover the hips and in turn makes you look long and lean.

  12. I”m not sure what BR is trying to do with this piece – long body length but with elbow length sleeves that shorten the arms in comparison and mid-placed buttons that draw the eye to the center.
    That confusion aside (!) I think the color is very good on you.

  13. For me, it’s not the length of the sweater, it’s the shape. It just looks baggy to me!

    I’ve had good luck with longer cardigan sweaters, if and only if they are ribbed, and worn over a fairly close-fitting trouser or skirt and with a bit of a heel. Then I magically transform into a willowy lass! (In real life, I’m a bit taller than you are at 5’6″, long-waisted, short-legged and curvy.)

    The color’s not terribly summery, but it certainly works with a pop of color near your face!

  14. I say, when opened, and worn the way you do it with dark underneath, it creates a nice long line (vertical column) from your feet to your face. Well done! If you button, try and belt it with a 1-1/2 inch belt for shaping your “h”. Be sure to wear with heels this way!

  15. I think it looks great on you! And since I’ve seen it from behind, I know it looks good that way too!!

    I had a great time with you and La Belette on Sunday! I am finding myself looking online for animal print scarves and black strapless dresses!!

  16. Does your work require you to move and bounce around a lot; I mean would it be possible to wear a shawl or a warm large scarf around you, something just to wrap around you in the cold ?

  17. Rubiatonta – it’s funny, I look *horrible* in more clingy ribbed sweaters as I have NO waist, and somehow the ribbing *doesn’t* translate to “slimming vertical lines” but rather just emphasizes my barrel build. I posted after Imogen’s workshop just how much variation in women’s natural bodies there can be, and how different the styles that will flatter for each, and your comment is a great illustration of that!

    Karen – thanks! I probably will skip the belt, though, as they tend to make me look like a sack of potatoes cinched around the middle. It’s hard to see in the picture, but I am wearing a slight heel there. Probably could go higher though, eh?

  18. metscan – Actually, I have two wraps draped over my chair at work…one for me and another to loan to whomever I spot shivering at their desk!

    LBR – thanks! I’m probably going to have to break down and get a tripod…it’s so hard to get a good picture in the mirror; the angle is just wrong.

    L – thanks, I thought the same thing when I saw the picture, “needs a brighter scarf!” Next time!

  19. I, as you know, really like it. I don’t think it looks as great in the photo( rarely are things as good in one dimension as they are in three dimensions).