I work in computer security, and at least in my little corner of this field there’s a saying/principle that we should ‘eat our own dog food’. It basically means that before we roll some new security enhancement out on the general populace, we should be willing to try it out on ourselves first.
Now, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my biggest motivators for capturing my thoughts on knitting to flatter is that my own shape has changed quite a lot since having my children. Pre-kid, I didn’t carry my weight in my lower half. My hips were still pretty narrow and my bust was 2 sizes larger. I was a top-heavy shape and my closet was full of bias-cut skirts, straight-leg pants, and deep-vee sweaters. Post-kid, 2 cup sizes are gone, my hips have sure widened, and all of a sudden every brownie I eat seems to go straight to my legs.
For the first couple of years after Jacob was born, I stayed home with him and mostly wore jeans. After Daniel was born I went back to work part-time. I quickly lost the weight I’d gained with the pregnancies but still, none of my old business clothes fit or looked right. Pants that had been perfect before were now gappy in the waist and my thighs looked like sausages in them. I gave a lot away and have been making do with what was left (ouch, preschool/nanny costs) since then. So when I had the chance on Mother’s Day to go shopping for some new business clothes, I decided to ‘eat my own dog food’: Try out my own rules for bottom-heavy shapes.
I was chagrined at how difficult it was to follow my own advice. My hands and eyes automatically strayed to things that would have flattered my pre-kid figure. I persevered and got a nice selection of stuff that makes me feel great. I wanted to share one thing in particular with you, though: After getting a bunch of great stuff at the Banana Republic 60% off suiting sale, I decided to treat myself to something bright. (I was a goth for many, many years and have only slowly been moving away from my gray, black, and dark brown staples.) I purposely chose something that met all of my rules but that I never would have chosen in a million years otherwise.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that it looks great, but I have to admit I was.
Amy Herzog Designs