Tips for Happy Feet: How to Make Feet Appear Smaller

Christian Louboutin may have put it best, remarking:

 “Shoes transform your body language and attitude. They lift you physically and emotionally.” 

While this is a wonderful thing to say in the business of selling designer footwear, I’m sure we can all attest to how true it really is. Unfortunately, within the trans-community many experience great anxiety over finding shoes that flatter, especially with a shoe size most likely larger than that of the average woman. There is a common emphasis on creating the look of smaller feet, in any way possible.

Women’s shoe sizes typically run 1 to 2 sizes larger than Men’s. For starters, just add to your male shoe size, or even better, just get measured. Though not petite, I’m lucky enough to be a size 10 shoe which puts me at the upper edge of readily available, stylish shoes. To add to the difficulty of minimizing foot size, the selection of shoes larger than a size 10 in most stores is typically very scarce if existent at all (because transitioning needs more challenges, right?). As with any area of style, there are ways we can cope with this, allowing us to go from feeling like clunky scuba flippers to gracefully sleek high heels!

I know what you’re thinking… “This isn’t rocket science Kayci, there is an easy solution to solve this dilemma!” and you are totally correct, brilliant! The easiest way to make your feet appear smaller is to favor wearing shoes with heels over flat-soles. As we talked about in previous posts, heels shorten the horizontal length of your foot and add that length to the line of your leg… the higher the heel, the shorter your foot, it’s like magic! (or trigonometry if you’re of a more mathematical mind).

Problem solved right? …. Not quite, at least not to my satisfaction. I’m a believer that it is impractical to wear exclusively heels, probably a statement much to the chagrin of parts of the trans community. Wearing different types of heels (anything that elevates the foot) such as wedges or others with a wider heel itself will be more comfortable and better options for everyday use since they distribute your weight more evenly. Let’s explore what other options we have and also take a look at ways we can maximize the flattering magic of heels.

Whether wearing heels or not, we want to break up the line of the foot as much as possible to create the appearance of a smaller foot. This works for both width and length.

 Let’s look at the lines of the foot:

As you can see from the pictures, the Length and Width lines have been drawn in. I chose to put the length from the ankle rather than the back of the foot since that is how it is seen from above, however it really doesn’t matter, the idea would be the same. I picked these cute red flats as a good place to start for this example because they are very simple and do not go above and beyond to flatter my foot.

Let’s discuss the Length line first, since that’s what we are primarily worried about. The shape of the toe of a shoe is the first thing we should consider. These flats have a nice rounded toe which does not add any extra length, however many styles of shoes have pointed toes which literally add extra inches to that length line. Not something we want. Other styles include peep or open toe, square toe and almond shaped to name a few (all pretty self explanatory). Try to avoid wearing toe styles that add length to your foot, simple enough.

Next we can consider the vamp and upper section of a shoe. The variety of styles and options is wonderfully diverse here and this is where we can help give the appearance of shortening that length. The goal should always be to break up the line to make it look shorter… this can be done with straps and other shoe details. As a general rule the more skin you expose, the larger your foot will appear (nothing to break that length line!). A simple example of breaking things up is a Mary Jane style, one strap spanning the top of the foot, and essentially cutting that length line in half. Take a look:

Much like the tank top vs the spaghetti strap camisole from the necklines post, be careful with thin, tiny straps. When framed against a large foot, they’ll only contrast it, making things look bigger. Try to find straps on the wider side. 

All the same principles apply to foot width as do to the length. By the same logic, a peep-toe would be better than a sandal style that exposes all of your toes since the “peep-hole” breaks up the width line across your toes. I stick to the general rule, no more than 3 toes showing maximum. Likewise a strap or detail running through the width line will serve to break it up and make your foot appear thinner.

The last thing to consider when choosing the perfect pair of shoes is the color. Darker colors are more flattering than lighter colors, so aim for darker hues and avoid bright, flashy or pastel colors. Don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to only black, just stick to darker shades of your favorite colors.

To summarize these tricks, let’s look at an example of most of these in action:

Note how the length and width lines are broken up for an overall flattering style.

Our important lessons from this post: 

1. Wear a shoe that elevates your heel
2. The more skin you expose, the larger your foot will appear.
3. Avoid toe styles that add extra length
4. Look for straps and other details that break up the length and width lines
5. Stick to darker colors

Ready to run out and buy some flattering shoes? Unsure where to go? Try these places:

Online:

Barefoot Tess: Online store carrying only sizes 10-15 

Zappos: Sell all sizes, generally have a wide selection

In stores try:

DSW or Nordstrom Rack, they tend to have good prices and a wide range of sizes.

Sizing Up Your Style

            While soliciting input from readers I’ve received several requests to do a post regarding finding the right sizes and fits for clothing. Women’s sizing can be difficult to decipher because there really isn’t much, if any, consistency. With variations between brands and body types you end up being a range of sizes, and potentially different sizes on the upper or lower halves of your body too! Not to fear though, we'll make sense of it all :)

Before we start, let’s take a moment and figure out our measurements (if you have a willing friend, measurements turn out better if take by another person):

Bust: measured around the largest section of your bust. If you regularly wear breast forms or heavily padded bras, be sure to wear them while measuring since you will likely be wearing them under your clothes.

Waist: measured around the narrowest part of your waist. This is a bit tricky because a women’s waistline is naturally a couple inches above her navel (take a look back at my post about bodylines and see where the waist line falls). This may not be the narrowest part of your waist, however it will be where the waist portion of clothing hits on your body and that is how the size is determined.

Hips: measured around the widest part of your hips. This should be relatively easy to find. If you use hip padding be sure to include that in the measurement as well. 

For the sake of example, my measurements come out to be 37-30-38 (eerily similar to my high school locker combination). Now that we’re measured let’s figure out our dress size:

            Dress size is a numbered scale from 0 to 16 (or higher, not sure where it stops). For adult clothing, these sizes are all even numbers; junior’s sizing is all odd numbers. This numbering scheme is used in general not only for sizing dresses, but also tops, skirts, pants and more. Below I’ve included a condensed version of the Amazon.com general women’s sizing chart as an example, and reasonable place to start.

The most important measurement to consider in finding dress size is your bust measurement because that it the area that a dress will fit around primarily. So, ignoring everything else and just using your bust measurement, find the corresponding size on the chart: I have a 37” bust so that makes me a size 10. If you are in between sizes, go with the closest larger size to your measurement. That wasn’t too bad, but lets look at the rest of the chart to make sure we get confused again. 

If you notice… the corresponding waist and hip measurements for a size 10 are 29” and 39.5” while my actual measurements are 30” and 38” … what gives? Size charts are based upon some archetypical female body shape, if you ever find a brand that you match all your measurements exactly to the size chart it is basically like hitting the lottery. Much like winning the lottery, that has never happened to me.

The lesson to be learned from this is that we need to determine which measurements are important depending on what type of clothing we are buying. An obvious example would be buying skirt or pants. You would not want to use your bust measurement to determine pant size! That’d just be silly. Looking at the chart again… my hips are 38” so that would put me between 6 & 8 for pants (I know from experience that I’m typically a 6). Note that I did not use my waist measurement for pants since a women’s waist is above her navel and that is not where I plan on wearing my pants. Probably a point of contention with some, but that has been my experience and has worked well for me. Skirts on the other hand tend to be worn higher and around your waist. Therefore, consider your waist measurement more in determining size.

For dresses and tops you may also see sizes simply listed as Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large with no numbers at all. On the size chart above you see these indicated by XS,S,M,L, and XL on the left for a range of sizes. Small is 4-6, Medium is 8-10, Large is 12-14 etc. It is tougher to ensure a good fit with these ranges and due to subtleties in our body shapes, we may not always come out where we expect. For example, I tend to be a large when it comes to this sort of thing even though a 10 falls into the medium category. I surmise that this is due to the fact that my upper body is “thicker” than a woman who is of similar height and measurements. With experience you will be able to figure out where you fall in the S-M-L scale.

To further add to the already dizzying confusion of sizing schemes, clothing can also be divided into specialty sizes such as misses, juniors, plus, petite, and tall. You have likely seen most of these sections in department stores. These categories are defined by the cut and tailoring of the clothes for different body shapes:

Misses - Cut to accommodate the curves found in the average adult women. Designated by even numbered sizes. 
Juniors - Cut to better fit typical body shapes of younger women (less curves). Designated by odd numbered sizes.
Plus - Cut to fit larger sized women. Designate by a "w" after the size.
Petite - Cut to fit shorter height women (5'3" or shorter). Designated with a "p" after the size.
Tall - Cut to fit taller women (5'9" and above). Designated with a "T" after the size.

Each of these categories will have it's own size charts, so if you feel your body shape falls into one of these categories, you may want to experiment with trying specialty sizes. However, even if you are a specialty size (I'm 5'10" so technically a Tall), you are by no means limited to shop only that sizing... I rarely shop the tall section since I can find clothes that fit well in the normal size schemes.

Being transgender puts a bit more of a twist on easily finding sizes since typically we are less curvy than the average woman. This is notable in our waist and hip measurements. In general, we have larger waists and smaller hips. The trick I’ve adopted to find the best fits is to take my waist, see what size that would be (a 12 on this chart) and take my hip size (an 8) and then split the difference between them, which puts me at a 10 (the size I’d arrive at using my bust measurement).

Each brand will have its own size charts, so check them with each item you buy until you learn your sizes in all your favorite brands. The best way to ensure a good fit is obviously to try something on, especially since size charts are not always readily available in stores, but shopping online (which I find happens more often with the transgender community due to anxieties about shopping in public) means relying on charts exclusively. If you’re uncertain online, order two sizes of the same item, try them on, and return the one that doesn’t fit (be sure to check the return policies first though!).

Summing up the important lessons:

1. Use sizing charts for each brand you shop, they will be different.
2. Use the most relevant measurement to determine your size:
   Dresses: Bust, then waist
   Tops: Bust
   Skirts: Waist, then Hips
   Pants/shorts: Hips, maybe waist
3. Be wary of the S-M-L sizing scheme, learn from experience what fits you best
4. Try things on, keep track of your sizes, don’t be afraid to try on multiple sizes

Discovering your sizes is a bit of a trial and error process, but with the things we discussed here you should be able to at least start off in the right ballpark. Happy shopping!

Playing with Necklines to Shrink Broad Shoulders

One of most common sources of body line anxiety is how to cope with naturally broader, more muscular shoulders and upper arms. While preparing for this post, I realized that my shoulders are not overly broad, however, this in no way negates the need to wear clothing that flatters. As with any body line issues, the more feminine your body is, the more you can “get away with” in terms of styles… in general, a little knowledge goes a long way when it comes to necklines.

Going back to the previous post about body lines, we recall that the shoulder line is drawn horizontally across the widest part of the shoulders. One of the most effective ways of manipulating how this looks is by choosing an appropriate neckline. To better illustrate my points, I’ve ransacked my wardrobe and posed as a model (or guinea pig, but I like model better). I even managed to smile occasionally to keep things lively! Let’s go ahead and take a look at some of the most common necklines…

1. Crew Neck – Perhaps the simplest of all, often found on those ever so witty graphic tees that are adored by the hipster generation.

As you can see, there is no real magic happening here… you basically end up looking pretty much how you started. Good as a layer, but not generally as a stand-alone top. If you have petite shoulders/upper body, go ahead and rock that clever-quipping-Bill-Murray crew neck… if not, don’t fear, we can do much better!

2. Straps: Spaghetti vs. Wider – Many tops and dresses, especially in the summer have straps rather than sleeves which is a wonderful way to show more skin and keep cool. Not without pitfalls however. Take a look below at the spaghetti strap camisole (left) and the wider strapped tank top (right).

                        

The straps on the cami are too small in contrast with my upper body and end up actually making me look bigger (there is a lot of real estate there!). Though spaghetti straps are quite feminine in nature, a better choice is the wider straps of the tank top which have enough width to break up the line of my shoulders a bit. This can also hold true with halter-tops as well… a halter-top will more likely be flattering if its straps are wider (cover more of the chest as they run up around the neck).

3. Scoop Neck – A more figure friendly alternative to the crew neck is the scoop neck, which is generally wider and extends further down. By dropping down through the shoulder line, the scoop neckline breaks up the line and makes it look like the line is narrower.  Take a look…

Another brilliant bit of help for narrowing the shoulders on this top is the raglan cut sleeves. Raglan sleeves (also called “baseball sleeves” sometimes) run all the way up to the collar and in doing so fool the eye into extending the line of the arm further up. The sleeves themselves are darker which beautifully deemphasizes the shoulders, highlighting the bust area. Careful with raglan sleeves that are brighter as they may have the opposite effect. 

4. V-Neck – If you haven’t heard by now, the V-Neck is the most universally flattering neckline out there. The “v” shape cuts the shoulder line like the scoop neck and offers a flattering framing for the face, which helps deemphasize the jaw-line as well.

The “V” can also be a great way to showcase both cleavage (if you are blessed with any) and a beautiful Décolletage (the classy French way of saying the upper part of a woman’s torso or collarbone. Derived from a word meaning “to reveal the neck”)

If you’re ever in doubt or just starting to build a wardrobe, go with a V-Neck.

5. Cowl Neck – A look that is popularly found in sweaters and sweater dresses, Cowl neck, come in all shapes and sizes. This is a style I adore, especially as fall is approaching. As you might imagine, the effect of the cowl neckline changes depending on what form it takes.  Shown below are two dramatically different cowl neck styles. Let’s take a look:

The dark green top (left) is a very subtle cowl that basically ends up having the same effect as a scoop neck or v-neck, just adds a bit more style. The camel sweater dress (right) has a much larger neck with quite a bit of extra fabric around the neck (almost scarf-like). How does piling a bundle of fabric around our necks help our shoulders? You may ask. The effect is two-fold (pun intended)… For one, it draws focus up around the neck and towards the face, essentially distracting the eye from the shoulders (since they’re not the interesting part). Secondly, one way to make something look smaller by comparison is to put something large near it… I’m sure there are situations where this is a terrible principle, but for the same reason wearing large statement jewelry works this works too.

6. Boat-Neck – Characterized by a wide but shallow line across the shoulders, the boat neckline gets its name from appearing like the bottom of a boat. The effect tends to be the opposite of what we want in that it accentuates and lengthens the width of the shoulders. I was actually surprised that I found an example of this in my wardrobe.

Admittedly, the dress shown does not have a very exaggerated boat neck and makes a bit of a poor example. The wider the boat-neck, the more unflattering it will likely be. In general avoid boat-necks.

7. Turtle-Neck – While they may be wonderful at concealing an Adam’s apple, turtlenecks typically are not the best option for necklines when it comes to broad shoulders. They tend to shorten the neck, while tight fits accentuate the true lines of the body underneath (not surprisingly).

This top isn’t quite a true turtleneck, but was the closest I had. One might argue that it is a baby cowl neck. The cut of the sleeves here also helps reduce the shoulder line. Not the best, but again I think I’ve gotten away with it on the virtue of being blessed with smaller shoulders.

8. Strapless/Tube Top – I find that the strapless look, though sexy, is very difficult to pull off given a typical transgender body shape. I do not own any strapless clothing at the moment, though would like to experiment in the future, especially as my body shape continues to change. As far as shoulders go, this look will leave them totally exposed, and in most cases “featured” which is not necessarily a bad thing but requires some fashion nuance to pull off. . One easy way to ensure a strapless look is flattering would be to simply wear a sweater or shawl over it. I recommend against it, unless you are braver and more fashion savvy.

9. Everything else – Square, keyhole, off-shoulder, asymmetrical, sweetheart and any others I didn’t mention all follow the same basic concepts to determine whether or not they’re flattering that we’ve discussed. Feel free to experiment and find what works for you! Variety is the spice of life J

As we can see with my examples, these rules are definitely not hard and fast. A neckline is only one variable in a myriad of possibilities, however understanding what effects a particular look may have is important to ensuring a flattering image. Remember that the cut of sleeves has been mentioned several times and also plays an important role in minimizing shoulders, hopefully I can talk more about sleeves in the future. Here is a quick recap of what we’ve learned:

1. Crew-neck: Generally not flattering, but good for layers, being witty
2. Straps: Wider is better
3. Scoop-neck: Flattering, go for it!
4. V-neck: Very flattering, should be a go to look.
5. Cowl-neck: Surprisingly also flattering, nice variety
6. Boat-neck: avoid
7. Turtle-neck: avoid
8. Strapless: avoid, though not impossible

Remember too that shoulders are only one piece of the puzzle, so one must also consider what a neckline choice helps/hinders in a full outfit as well. 

Concept of Line

            You may have heard the term “line” in reference to of a variety of topics from clothing to body types (or even waiting to check out at a big sale!). The term is also used extensively in the study of dance to describe the position or fluidity of a dancer’s body and motions. Longer, flowing lines and softened curves are often considered to be the more feminine and sensual. This is precisely why you see a ballerina pointing her toes! As you might imagine, women’s fashion tends to place emphasis on these qualities to emphasize a feminine look. A simple example of elongation of lines is the most iconic symbol of women’s fashion, high heels. Heels create a more vertical foot position, which adds to the length of the line of the leg. Just like the ballerina’s pointed toes, this creates the effect of longer, more feminine legs.

            However, not all lines on the body benefit from becoming longer. In fact, on many lines, the opposite is true. To better understand this; let’s take a look at the difference between typical male and female bodies. Consider the 4 lines I have drawn on the figures below: Shoulder, Bust, Waist and Hips (You may recognize 3 of the 4 as being the important measurements to know… no coincidence there).

Even if you’re not acutely aware of all the differences between genders, it should come as no surprise that men have broader shoulders, narrower hips and overall less variation between bust/waist/hip lines (a less curvy figure). In contrast, women have narrower shoulders, wider hips and a greater ratio between bust/waist/hip sizes (creating the typical feminine curves). Another important difference to note is that a woman's waist (the narrowest part of the torso) is located several inches above her belly button, where as the typical male waist line is right around the belly button. Despite variations in body shapes, as transgender women we usually seek to mold a male shape into feminine proportions by changing the length of our lines (or creating the illusion of change) in the following ways:

-       Reducing the width (length) of the shoulder line.

-       Increasing/decreasing our bust line. (I’m relatively skinny, so I try to increase my bust line, though more built individuals may want to focus on decreasing this line)

-       Decreasing the waist line

-       Increasing the hip line

I have only brought up these 4 lines to illustrate the concept of bodyline, however there are many more lines that define our bodies, which should be considered in the same way. For example, we must also consider the length and width of our arms and legs, size and shape of our face, etc. When you hear someone say that a particular style is unflattering, that simply means it is having the opposite effect of either creating length when reduction is needed, or shortening lines that should be elongated.

All this may sound like a tall order, however it is nothing that natural born women haven’t been doing forever either ;-) Luckily, there are many, many ways fashion can help us to achieve all these goals.