[Lucydog]

Ok everyone heres the problem.....after having 2 children in 3 years, any Abs I did have, have vanished completly leaving my stomach area looking, well less than attractive!!! Sort of like a loose bag of potatoes or a bit like quad belly I guess. Im not particulaly fat, about size 16, nor overwight. Im generally quite well proportioned, but I have quite broad shoulders and upper arm muscles.....(Hmmmm now I wonder what caused that!!) Anyway Im looking for advice on what sort of clothes I should be wearing esp on top. Should it be tighter fitting, or looser, longer so I sit on it or a shorter waist length sort of top? any serious suggestions gratefully received as Ive always been sartorially challenged, but I like to look smart. I dont do 'formal' clothes as such, smart casual is my preferance. So how should one dress when you spend the day sitting down?!

Cheers and thanks for the advice in advance.

L

[nomis]

Maybe not what you're wanting, but I'm gonna give you a male perspective. My credentials include many years of admiring women, including those gliding magically on wheels (my exwife and good friend is a wheeled-woman). My bias: I favour tidy practicality over high fashion.

Well fitting undergarments as tight as comfort allows with loosely fitting outer garments. But don't go too big and billowing because that looks like you're hiding something. Definitely not too short.

Only wear tight garments around your mid area when you're swimming or making a statement that you don't care.

The killer look that catches my eye and I think most peoples, is to have a sparkle in your own eye. I won't notice your midrift but I will notice your eyes.

[hisamsmith]

I completely understand where you are coming from. Dressing when you sit down all day is difficult. I will tell you what I have found out works. Avoid the shirts every store is pushing right now, the ones that look like a dress that got shrunk in the dryer. They look horrible when you sit down. Nothing skin tight. I found that polo shirts work great for me. THey are a perfect length. I can tuck it in or left untucked it hits about an inch higher than my thighs. Not ultra low rise jeans. Oh and if you need pantyhose ever the brand Spanx actually has a comfortable tummy control line. I forget I'm wearing pantyhose and it doesn't even leave those "dig in" lines aroung my waist.

[Deej]

Hi Lucydog,

I wear a lot of t shirts and 'bog standard' jumpers most of the time, but I find the tops that work best for smart casual when sitting and to hide a tummy are: the 'smock type', and those that draw in or have some detail just under the bust line, thereby drawing the eye away from the tummy and upwards towards the bust. Ofcourse this assumes that you don't mind your bust being more prominent. The trick is to not go for anything too short or too long - can be difficult !

I have a few tops which I think look really good on me and I choose to wear them when going out. They are of the style I have mentioned above. I have looked around for some pictures of the kind of thing to give you an idea and have added them to this post ! All those shown are from wallis, next and freemans and all available to purchase online. I do find wallis particularly good for nice tops. Listen to me - you would think I was getting commission or something.

Anyway Good luck in finding something you like.

[Nichole]

I hate this problem! I'm actually pretty small; a US size 6. However it seems no matter how small you are, your stomach looks bigger when you sit down! I mean, I've noticed this in my super skinny ab friends as well. I never wear anything too tight, but then again, you don't want to wear anything too loose beacuse then it looks like you're trying to hide something (which who needs to know that you are ) My little "trick" is to wear a tight tank top, underneath my shirts. This helps to kind of hold your tummy in, and smooth things out a bit. I really like the tunic style tops because they are tighter in the chest so they're flattering, but they are a little looser in the tummy area. You have to be careful with these though because if you get them to big in the belly you may look pregnant. The biggest tip I can give you is to just go try a bunch of things on. And take someone with you who will HONESTLY tell you if you look bad in something!
Good luck and have fun with it! I love shopping lol.

[laura]

think everyone has come up with some really good ideas. hope it helps Lucydog

i too have this problem of what is ok to wear now and what's a complete no no.

thanks nomis for giving a male perspective-it helps a lot to hear the other side of the story-sometimes!lol

i really dislike having to buy any clothes that are determined not by my style but by sitting down in the day. we might have to sometimes but find something that is your signature item and enjoy it to the full!

one thing i would add is that however much i really dislike it, i will now buy a size bigger so that it fits well and looks heaps better. i know that no-one else is going to know about it but me, the worse thing you and i both say but listen... if its a case of i really like those pants, that top and the only thing stopping me buying them is a no. i'll buy them!

more often than not it ends up that AB friends wear things too short or long and almost always too tight and get no compliments. however i have the tip Nichole gave is one i regularly use. it works big time! tight tanks thank goodness for you! lol

above all give things a try and see what happens, you'll be surprised-not everything is a no no for a female in a chair! sometimes i can wear something that others at college just shouldn't! ;) think we tend to be a bit more careful!

happy shopping Lucydog and all!
Laura

[itsjustme]

Well, some of you who have been following my story under Health Issues know that I've lost some weight. My daughter needed some new jeans so we went shopping for the first time in a good bit Saturday.

My daughter always accuses me of buying everything way too big and I should have taken her in the dressing room with me so she could see that the top that I picked out and really loved, although it was big enough, was just too stretchy and clingy over the middle roll with no muscle tone under it.

I'm wearing everything way too big to cover the middle, I've always been pretty equally fat (HA! HA!) all over when I was fat. I mean not bigger on top or bottom and I'm beginning to wonder if my bottom half is just going to stay bigger now no matter the weight loss because of lack of muscle tone.

I just couldn't find anything without it being so oversized that there was no point in buying it. I came home with nothing.