B6° Terrace Review — Wednesday, November 21,-1990- On. being. short If "BIG is beauti- ful", and "TALL is beautiful”, then what is SHORT? I’m an-experton @ short subjects. 1am fe _ one. I’ve been 411" since entering my teens, Which means I have years of experience on being short. What is Short? Short is a woman under 5’4’’, says the fashion industry. Short may be a frustrated shopper: Short is often a woman who is weary of wearing poorly fitting scaled-down tall girl fashions...Short is sometimes a silver-haired grandmother who feels out of place wearing teen or children’s size clothes, which are also teen or children’s style fashions...Short can be a serious business woman who cannot bear to wear. the petite-size “‘little girl’? fashions...Short is often a mature woman who desires to dress practically and be appropriately fashionable...And wants to be accepted as a full-grown woman. Short can also be a state of mind: The Psychology of Short ‘There is a fascinating charm about the smaller woman,” claims world famous makeup artist Pablo Manzoni. ‘‘I know that shorter women are always trying to make themselves look taller...It’s vey much a matter of attitude...Inches mean nothing, except perhaps in the psychological sense... When a woman is self-confident, and happy, and interesting, and intelligent, she'll grow taller in other people’s eyes...And if you are short and worry that people may regard you as a child, it’s especially im- portant to develop your intelligence. You must be very informed, very curious, very knowledgeable. When people recognize that i in you, height doesn’ t matter.’ Tall Body Language Short is sexy: Mae West was just a a little more than five feet tall, but she ‘“‘acted’’ big. Legendary Jean Harlow was five-foot- two. Dolly Parton is an even five feet. Short is glamorous: Silent film beauty Gloria Swanson was five feet plus half an inch. Liz Taylor is five-foot-two. Short is successful: Singer Linda Ronstadt is five-foot-two; writers Joan Didion, Erica Jong, and Lillian Hellman are all five- foot-four or under. | Short is a perfect 10: Bo Derek is five-foot-three, . Think Tall _ Dress Tali Costume designer Bob Mackie offers this advice:.“‘First of all, if you’re short, the lines you wear can never make you look too — tall. Also, if you, make yourself look thinner, you’re going to . look taller. Not that being tall is such a great thing in itself, but as far as clothes are concerned the proportion usually looks bet-— ter when you try to elongate it.”’ Here are some tips to dressing tall: Tops — Wear the right neckline: Allison: Kyle Leopold.and Anne Marie Cloutier explain in their book Short Chic the impor- tance of knowing how to use the “‘different collar treatments of blouses to spotlight assets and play down flaws.’’ Here’s an ex- ample they use: ‘‘If you’re lucky enough to-catch one: of the old Burns and Allen reruns on TV, you’ll note that Gracie was very careful about necklines. You see her most often in uncluttered V’s and heart-shaped scoops. And even when she wore a collar, it was invariably turned up in the back — an instant neck and body - lengthener that’s always flattering to a shorter woman.” Any’ blouse with a ‘‘V”’ creates a lengthening vertical line. Variations on a theme: For the short-necked woman, wear - tailored blouses, safari shirts, band collar tops open at the neck, and blouses with shawl collars. A possibility for some are square neck blouses that are deeper than wide. For those who are. bless- ed with lovely long necks, romantic high-collar blouses, .cossack shirts, and stock-tie blouses look good — no big bows, though. : ‘A word about shoulder pads: If a top is unpadded-and your .. shoulders tend to slope, add a light padding. If your garmet has big or oversized shoulder pads, scale them down: Replace large, full pads with smaller ones. And don’t allow them to extend too far beyond your natural shoulder — you don’t want to end up: lopking like a football player! Sleeves can sometimes be a problem: Often a long:sleeved blouse will be too long i in ‘the « arms. _Move the cuff buttons if possible sothat the cuffs fit snugly at the wrists. Soft fabrics will still drate nicely. (This trick won't work on crisp fabrics like cot- ton — if possible, turn the cuff up’ or roll the sleeves to create a- casual look.) . Keep away from. sleeves that are: e.t00 fuil. If you like puffy shoulders, look for styles that puff up, not out. Blouses canbe altered, sweaters can’t: It’s important to get a turtle-neck. good fit. Here it’s OK to look i in the teen section, or even the children’s wear for sizé.12,:14, or 14X. Good sweater styles are again V-neck, shawl-neck, or small ‘cowl-neck, and — unless you happen to be a turtle-neck: ‘woman n (short-necked like‘me) — the Buiky sweaters are ‘wearable if these’ guidelines are considered: © ‘wear them casually, unlayered; wear them if you are slim, if the sweater is not overly bulky and if-it’s a soft knit. Bottoms — ‘fA skirt covers the waist-to-hem area,” write . Leopold and Cloutier, ‘that portion of the body with the greatest potential for creating the illusion of height.’’ The best skirt lines for shorties: The straight skirt, when well-fitted, can be a big asset, Wear it on the long side. ‘“‘Length wili accentuate a longer line” — you don’t want it to look like a ‘‘square of fabric instead of a rec- tangle.” Dirndl skirts will work if the fabric is soft and drapes well. A yolked waist is best. With pleaded skirts, the best styles are tiny pleats, or hip- stitched pleats (stitched flat from waist to hip). Avoid heavy, bulky fabrics. Soft and flowing fabrics are what to look for. And avoid wearing pleated skirts too short. A pleated skirt ‘‘should always look longer than it is wide.’’ Knit pull-on or sweater skirts, worn as a two-piece sweater dress, can be attractive on the short woman. Look for vertical ribs, and “‘the flattest, thinnest knits.”’ The wrap skirt can be an interesting addition. Keep it straight and on the long side. “One of the most important elements of looking taller has to do with looking leggier. So if you’re already built that way, con- sider yourself ten steps ahead of the game.”’ If you’re not, our short experts advise, here’s how to stretch a leg with a pants shape to match your short shape: If you are short-waisted and long-legged: ‘‘Pants are probably. one of your most flattering, elongating looks, and you should look good in almost any style that strikes your fancy.” Look for pants with small, thin waistbands. If you are long-waisted and short-legged: ‘‘Try pleat-front pants with a high, deep waistband.”’ If you are hippy or slightly round in the tummy, never wear tight-fitting pants. Look for a style with front pleats that offer ‘a certain amount of controlled fullness.’’ If you are hippy with shortish legs: Try ‘‘a well-tailored basic cut that falls straight from the hips to the ankles, with soft Figure-skimming gathers at the top, or with small unbulky pleats.’’ One-Piece Dressing — with dresses and jumpsuits, the same styling rules apply.as for separates. Here, the most common pro- blem with fit usually occurs at-the waist. If an outfit is too long in the waist, try adding shoulder pads. It’s a good idea to look _ for a style without an elasticized or set-in waist so you can wear a belt-or. sash at your natural waist. teen and children’ s, sizes. Big Subject Check out jumpsuits in the Small is a big subject. Short Chic offers lots of advice and sug- gestions to stretch your fashion image. There are any number of ways to look taller. If you are interested in discovering them, try to find a copy of this useful handbook. But remember — in Pablo Manzoni’s words: ‘‘You must simp- ly be yourself at your best. Again, so much of it has to do with attitude.. beautiful.’’’ . Yes, short is beauiful, too. “Say to yourself, ‘I am small, but I am exquisite. I am Two from Kitimat charged in MVA’s A 20-year-old Kitimat man is facing impaired driving charges -. following a single vehicle accident - on Lakelse Ave. at 12:20 a.m. _Nov. 17. According to RCMP Cst. Don Oldham. the man lost control ~ of his vehicle and hit a-tree, caus- - ing approximately .$7,000 in damage. Oldham said there were no injuries as a result of the acci- dent. ' An 18-year-old Kitimat youth is . facing charges of impaired driving and refusing to take a breathalizer ‘test following a single vehicle accident on the airport hill at 1:05 am. on Nov. 11. RCMP say the youth lost control of his vehicle and it overturned in a ditch. There. were no injuries. — News from Branch 13 Contributed hy. Peter t Cromp- a ton _ Thank you, Terrace. Your 1 fe- sponse to the ‘Legion Poppy | Campaign ‘and . Remembrance Day Service was very much ap- preciated. Unfortunately, ° due to our supplies not arriving, our wreath sales were somewhat restricted, © as was the amount of poppies available; to those stores who would normally have had a tray of poppies, I thank you for your concern. Supplies willbe order- ed very early next year, so. that this kind of situation won hap- | ‘pen again. | Otherwise, our Remembrance Day was yet again a success. Thanks go out to local mer- chants for feeding the children on parade and for the hot coffee and donuts, to Mr. Jim Ryan and the Community Band, the Pipes and Drums of Terrace and the many more who helped: to make the occasion a success. There are many functions coming up in the Branch—we need the members to participate if we are able to keep our branch open and operating. Our ladies auxiliary do their part in supporting the branch. But we need you the members, both old and young to come out and support: your executive. Some of the donations made by the Ladies are as follows: Terrace Food Bank $600, Win- ter Games $200, Cancer Fund $59, Variety Telethon $200, T & D Community Services $200, 747 Squadron $125, Kidney Foundation $500, Shaunessy Veterans $500, Childrens Wish Foundation $200, B.C. Special ~ Olympics $200. - There are many more dona- tions similar to the above that our ladies have supported. They also helped the branch with tax- es, renovations, and painting with about $9,000. Coming events in the. branch which need your support are: Saturday, Nov. 24 — Grey Cup Smoker (for more informa- tion contact the Legion). ‘Sunday, Nov. 25 — Open for Grey Cup. Sunday, Dec. 2 — Seniors Dinner (help is needed to set up and serve; contact Peter Cromp- ton 638-8627, your help is need- ed). Nov. 30 - Dec. 1 — Dancing to a great group from far-away Kitimat. Monday, Dec. 3 — Executive meeting. Friday, Dec. 7 — Steak night and meat draw (followed by dancing). Tuesday, Dec. t! — General meeting, election night. We had a good turn-out at our November meeting. If each of you who were there can bring one more member each, it will make for a good night of elec- tions. Tickets for our New Years Eve bash will be on sale for members and guests in the very near future, Sh oa ahaa Steg PAs SEE pete a Se anevgunennell SAUER at STAT RU eee aT gr ef A ea a oa ae RST ie! Wt ee tate Fy ad eal Fema ete Ree ee Rintwtyvat eT, = cia oe Le ae welts Soe le Raa Tag.