understanding body shape

Comfortable Clothes that Breathe from Baltimore’s New Store, “The Joshua Tree”

November 19, 2013 by Nancy Goldblatt Leave a Comment

Did you know most of the clothing you wear is made of fabric grown with lots of pesticides?

How much of these pesticides are being absorbed into your skin?

One of the few plants that does not need protection from pesticides is hemp.

It’s possible to purchase 100 % hemp clothing.

Because hemp clothing breathes, it’s extremely comfortable.

In Baltimore, Maryland, you can find hemp clothing and other clothing made with comfortable sustainable fabric at “The Joshua Tree.”

“The Joshua Tree has been in business 16 months. It’s located in Baltimore’s Mt. Washington neighborhood near Whole Foods.

I discovered “The Joshua Tree,” one day after I finished shopping at Whole Foods on Smith Avenue. I had previously seen a big sign that said, ” Eco Friendly Clothing””.

One day when I was not in a hurry, I decided to follow the sign. I discovered a store full of clothes and accessories grown sustainably.

This store carries hemp, soy and organic men’s and women’s casual clothes. The styles are forward-thinking, inexpensive to up-scale and also sewn “sweatshop-free.” You will also find locally made scrubs, soaps and aromatherapy oils.

I bought a pair of ecoSkin leggings that are so soft and comfortable, I can barely tell I am wearing pants

Joshua Tree turquoise dress — Dress at the Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree Wallet — Wallet from the Joshua Tree

The Joshua Tree also carries, jewelry, hats, wallets, and socks, all made with sustainable products. It’s a great place to find gifts for that special person as well as shop for yourself

The address is 1340 Smith Ave, Baltimore, Md. 21209, behind Whole Foods. Phone : 971-570- 0732. for hours.

Are you a woman whose size and shape has changed. Do you have too many clothes but not much you can wear?

Nancy Goldblatt, Wardrobe Wizard can help you decide what clothes to keep and what to give away. She is available to work with you in person if you live near Baltimore, Maryland or on-line if you are not local.

Nancy is a Color 1 Associate and for over 20 years has helped women whose size and shape has changed to choose their best styles and colors.</strong> <strong>Contact her at: Nancy@wardrobewiz.com, or 410-235-5325

Why Can’t You Let Go of Your Old Clothes?

June 2, 2013 by Nancy Goldblatt 2 Comments

I have a confession. I have great difficulty getting rid of my old clothes even when they no longer fit me.

Do you have old or not so old, clothes you never wear, taking up precious space in your closets?

If you knew which items were really treasures that could be altered or matched with other pieces and which clothes were not flattering would it be easier to let go?

Do your old clothes represent all the unfulfilled hopes and dreams you had when you wore or hoped to wear those clothes?

It’s especially hard for me to let go of my clothes because everything I have purchased in the last 20 years, since I got trained by Joanna Nicholson, as a Color 1 Associate, is the right color and the right style for my body shape.

A few years ago I went to a quilt show at the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland. The quilters were from Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The quilts were very beautiful.

There was a quote from one of the quilters, I will never forget. The quilter wrote,” I used to be poor and I had to use old clothes for my quilts. Now I have more money and I can buy new fabric, but I still use fabrics from old clothes because the energy of the people who wore the clothes is still in the fabric.”

Maybe by letting go of our old clothes, we fear the energy that represents all of our old hopes and dreams will disappear.

Do you have trouble “letting go,” of your old clothes? Do you know why it’s hard to let go of them?

When you know what colors and styles are flattering,you can Store those items that no longer work for you and make room for clothes that really suit you.

Comments welcome.

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Nancy Goldblatt, Wardrobe Wizard can help you decide what clothes to keep and what to give away. She is available to work with you on-line if you don’t live in Baltimore and surrounding areas or in-person if you are local.

Look Slimmer By Dressing Smarter

February 18, 2012 by Nancy Goldblatt 2 Comments

Clothes can make you look heavier or slimmer

Has anyone ever said to you “You look thinner out of your clothes, than in your clothes.”

Before I became an Image Consultant and learned how to dress my body type, I went to a beach retreat. When I put on a bathing suit, several people said,” You look thinner out of your clothes.

At the time, I felt confused by their comments. Before I put on my bathing suit, I was wearing an oversize top and wide-legged pants.

Can you guess what I was doing wrong?

By wearing wide-legged pants with an over-sized top, I was hiding my thinnest parts.

When wearing separates, where one piece is loose and unfitted, the other piece should be more fitted. Our eyes automatically search for the narrowest place to look. If there is no narrow place, because you are wearing a loose top and bottom, you will look heavier than you are.

If you are thinner from your waist up, you will look better with fitted tops and more loosely fitting bottoms. And if you are heavier from your waist up, you will look thinner in unfitted, tops and more tapered or fitted bottoms.

Choosing the right fabrics can take pounds off your silhouette

What fabrics and styles should you avoid wearing when you are trying to look slimmer?
What fabrics are figure friendly

You can use clothing weight and shapes, and color to create visual tricks to get people to focus on your face, eyes and mouth.

You can strategically place color and clothing lines, so that people look at your face and just glance at your body.

What Not To Wear

Avoid stiff fabric or thick fabric, ruffles, heavily textured fabrics, shiny fabric or fabrics that are too thin and cling to the body.

Also, avoid wide horizontal stripes, and large horizontal patterns.

What To Wear

Choose fabrics that drape and are medium weight in your most flattering colors

Jackets, A Great Way To Look Slimmer

I love jackets because they are “workhorses,” that can camouflage a tummy or large waist, buttocks or hips.

To look slimmer you must choose a jacket that flatters your body and ends at one of your narrowest places.

(If you don’t want to wear a traditional jacket, you can layer an unbuttoned blouse or cartigan sweater over a shell for a more casual jacket look.)

If you have a wide mid-section, and waist-line but relatively narrow hips you you need to wear a jacket that ends at your narrow hips.
If your mid section is wide you will look better in a jacket that has at least 3 or 5 buttons. Two buttons usually stops at the stomach area. This is like pointing an arrow at your widest body part.
If you have a defined waistline (your waist is 8 to 10 inches smaller than your hips) you can wear a jacket that tapers in at the waist. Avoid a jacket with darts and a defined waistline, if your waist line is not much smaller than you hips.
If you have a small waist and a large buttock or large hips, avoid a jacket that ends at your waist because it will emphasize your buttock or hips. A better choice for you is a longer jacket that tapers at the waist and stops at the narrowest place near your thighs.
Don’t wear a jacket that is too long, because it will make you look shorter .

Wear Layers To Look Slimmer

To create a longer, slimmer look,wear your jacket open. You can wear your jacket with a skirt or pants of the same color and wear a blouse or t-shirt in a different color.
Your can change the color of your shell or blouse and have a different outfit.
By wearing your jacket open, you can create two vertical lines and the illusion you have a waistline, because only a little of your waist shows.
Wearing clothing that skims your body shape and is not too tight or too loose will make you appear slimmer.
Don’t be afraid to get your “ready to wear,” clothing altered to get a fit that looks like it was made just for you.

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Nancy Goldblatt is available to work with you no matter where you live. If you live in Baltimore, Md or surrounding areas she can work with you in person. If you live other places, she can work with you on-line using digital pictures.

After a woman works with “The Wardrobe Wizard,”she will have a wallet of her best colors and styles, and a pared down closet. She will be know how to mix and match her best looks so she can get dressed “lickety split,” and look great everyday.

“The Wardrobe Wizard,” also works with younger women and is available to work with men. She was trained by Joanna Nicholson, founder of Color 1 Associates, an International Image & Style Company.

Nancy@WardrobeWiz.com, 410-513-9496, WWW.WardrobeWiz.com

What Did You Learn From Your Mother About Your Appearance?

September 2, 2011 by Nancy Goldblatt Leave a Comment

57A30B542C5EDA6CAFAA6BC283410890.tomcat1 — Nancy, Wardrobe Wizard

I wonder how many of you were affected by the way your mother felt about her appearance.

Even if your mother did not talk about how she felt about her looks, she may have communicated her insecurities by the way she behaved.

I remember going to the grocery store with my mother when I was a young child. If she glimpsed a neighbor or friends she would grab my hand and duck down another aisle to avoid them. She told me this was because she did not have time to stand and chat. As I got older, she admitted to me that she didn’t want to chat because she did not feel she looked her best.

As a young child, I did not understand my mother’s behavior. When I became an adolescent I began to understand her behavior when I started having some of the same feelings.

My mother was a beautiful woman, but she did not feel beautiful. She felt her nose was too big and she hated her freckled skin. She envied her friends who could lay out in the sun until their skin turned leathery brown. Even though she had dark brown hair, she had the skin of a red head. When she tried to lay in the sun, thinking her freckles would blend together to give her a tan, she got sun poisoning. Ironically, because she had to stay out of the sun, as she got older, her skin stayed beautiful as her friends grew more wrinkled.

They say it’s not what our parents say but what they do that affects us.’

For me it was what my mother said and what she did. She was highly critical of her own appearance and my appearance. When I was about 6 years old, I was invited to my best friends ballet recital. I did not go because I got a stomach ache. That stomach ache felt real at the time, but I realize now, looking back, that underneath the stomach ache was anxiety because I felt I did not have anything to wear that I felt I looked good in. As I got older, I turned down many invitations, because I felt I did not have anything to wear.

When I became an adult, if I could not avoid going to a special event, I would look in my closet and feel panicked because my “old faithful’s,” were too raggedy to wear.

So I would go out and feel desperate as I shopped for something to wear for the special occasion. When I did go to the event, I felt self conscious and did not enjoy myself because I felt fat and frumpy. I would often find myself comparing the way I looked to the way the other women looked.

I wonder if any of you can relate to this?

I discovered after I got trained as an image consultant that I have the most challenging body shape to dress.

Even when I weighed 112 pounds, I felt I looked fat because I have narrow hips and a proportionally wide waistline and midsection. ( If you happen to have this body shape, you need to wear tops with undefined waistlines.) It was hard for me to find clothes that looked good on me because

I did not really understand my body shape or the colors that flattered me.

No matter how much I dieted, my waist stayed wide because of my bone structure. Because I did not understand which styles or colors were flattering, it would take me forever to find one thing that looked ok and fit me. Frequently if I found one piece that looked good, there would be nothing to match it and it would just hang in my closet unworn.

IMG_0705 (1) — Nancy at 112 pounds and still feeling fat

Something magical happened to me when I learned what silouettes worked best on my body shape and what my most flattering colors were.

Shopping got easier and putting myself together became a breeze. As I got more and more compliments about my appearance, some of those old feelings of self consciousness and “not looking good enough,” began to melt away.

When I have an important event to go to or I am invited out now, I still have a flash of panic, but it only lasts for a few seconds.

Then I remember that I have the knowledge to put myself together and look good. When I leave my house, I no longer feel self conscious because I am confident that I know what looks good on me no matter what my shape or weight.

Even if you did not have a self conscious, critical mother or body shape challenges, some of you may be experiencing body shape challenges as you have gotten older.

Do you understand your body shape and the styles of clothing that most flatter your body?

Do you know what shades of color really flatter you?

Do you understand your “Fashion Personality,” and how that affects what you feel comfortable wearing?

What are you doing as you get older to continue presenting the best version of yourself? I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment.

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Are you ready to save lots of money and look great everyday? To far away to meet in person. Think you might be interested in an Online Wardrobe Makeover? Call or e-mail to set up a Complimentary 25 minute telephone consult. The telephone consult I am currently offering is FREE, with no obligation, but I only have a few of these slots available each week. The purpose of the telephone consult is to help you determine what your fashion personality is and to help me better understand what your needs are. Say goodbye to those, “Nothing to wear moments.”

Nancy@WardrobeWiz.com, 410-513-9496, WWW.WardrobeWiz.com

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Nancy Goldblatt, “The Wardrobe Wizard,” is a “Color 1,” Personal Image Consultant who specializes in working with mid-life women whose size and shape has changed and who have too many clothes and “nothing to wear.” After a woman works with “The Wardrobe Wizard,”she will have a wallet of her best colors and styles, and a pared down closet. She will learn how to mix and match her best looks so she can get dressed “lickety split,” and look great everyday.

“The Wardrobe Wizard,” also works with younger women and is available to work with men. She was trained by Joanna Nicholson, founder of Color 1 Associates an International Image & Style Company.

Wardrobe Clutter: Why Do You Have So Many Unworn Clothes?

May 8, 2011 by Nancy Goldblatt 1 Comment

Nancy2-Original 4 — Nancy Goldblatt, "The Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,"

Why do you have so many unworn pieces of clothing? ( Part 1 of 2 parts)

When I was a little girl, I secretly believed I was a princess. I was very “sensitive,” and when the school librarian read, ‘The Princess and the Pea,’ to us, I knew I must be a princess in disguise.

When I was twenty years old, many years before I became an Image Consultant, that little girl part of me that still believed I was a princess in disguise finally found “the dress.” I was living in Chicago and I spotted the dress in Marshall Fields. I bought it thinking I would lose a few pounds and be transformed by the dress. I put it on many times, but when I looked in the mirror, I had to take it off. I was never able to wear it out of the house.

Maybe some of you can relate to this. I called it my princess dress because it reminded me of the dress Disney’s princess in the Sleeping Beauty movie wore. It was a dark blue velvet dress, with princess darts and a deep v neckline. “Princess Fiona,” from the movie Shrek wore a similar dress.

I loved that dress but it did not love me. In my “princess dress,” I looked more like the version of Princess Fiona after she kissed Shrek and turned into an Ogre.

The dress was my size, but even after I toned up with exercise, I never looked good in it. It hung in my closet for several years unworn. Finally, I gave it to a friend who was the same height and weight as me. The minute she pulled it over her head she looked fabulous in it. She looked like a ” true princess,” in the dress.

Why did it look so wonderful on her and so terrible on me?

Let me help you answer this. The answer is shape. The dress was shaped like my friend who had a small waist and wide hips. I have narrow hips and a wide rib cage. Even at my thinnest, because of the structure of my bones, my waist was never small. The dress hid my narrow parts and emphasized my wide parts. The dress complimented my friends shape because it was shaped like her.

Here is a simple but important rule to remember. Buy clothing that widens where you widen and narrows where you narrow. (This rule can also be applied to buying shoes.)

Most women wear only 20 % of what they own. So how many items do you own that you do not wear? Do you find yourself putting something on and taking it off ?

Why can’t you wear it? There are 7 reasons why you can’t wear it. to find out see part 2 “Why Do You Have So Many Unworn Clothes?” and discover some possible solutions.

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Nancy Goldblatt, Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore, is a Color 1 Associate. For over twenty years, she has been helping women whose size and shape has changed, to shop their closets.

She specializes in color analysis , and face and body shape analysis. After a client works with “The Wardrobe Wizard”, she will have a pared down closet with “mix and match pieces,” and the ability to put her own best looks together.

Nancy works with clients in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area as well as long distance customers. She can now do online consults. To find out more: Contact the Wardrobe Wizard at nancy@wardrobewiz.com/ or call 410-513-9496 for a complimentary, no obligation 20 minute telephone consultation to discover your fashion personality and find out what “The Wardrobe Wizard,” can do for you.

Flattering Clothing for YOUR Body Shape:How to Choose

August 18, 2010 by Nancy Goldblatt 3 Comments

When I was in my twenties I bought a dress that I called “my princess dress.” One of my favorite childhood stories was “The Princess & The Pea.” I secretly believed I must be a princess because I was so sensitive. If you think about how Fiona from the movie Shreck looked before she turned into an ogre, this was my image of a princess. My princess dress looked like the dress Fiona wore. It was dark blue velvet with a deep v neckline and princess darts. It narrowed at the waist and had a soft flowing A line skirt and it was long. This was many years ago before Shreck had been made and my idea of what a princess wore came from my viewing Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.

I put that dress on many times, but was never able to wear it out of the house because instead of looking like a princess, I looked like a stuffed sausage. The dress was my size but even when I exercised and toned up and lost a few pounds, I never looked good in it. It hung in my closet for several years unworn. Finally, I gave it to a friend of mine who had similar coloring to me and was the same height, and weight as me. The minute she pulled it over her head she look like a princess.

Why did she look so wonderful in the dress and why did I look so awful in the dress? The answer is body shape. I have a wide waist and narrow hips and she had a narrow waist and wider hips. The dress narrowed where I widened and widened where I narrowed. My narrow parts were hidden and my wider parts were emphasized by the style of the dress. My friend look fantastic because the dress shape dress was an extension of her body shape.

Body shapes have both curved and straight lines but there will be a predominance of more curves or more straight lines. If your body shape is more curved, clothing with waist definition will be more flattering. If your body is straighter, like mine, clothing without waist definition will be more flattering.. Choosing clothing that widens where your body widens and narrows where your body narrows will help you to feel comfortable and look your bestl everyday.

What do you have in your closet that you haven’t been able to wear? Do you know why you haven’t worn it?

Nancy Goldblatt, “Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,” is a professionally trained personal image consultant. She works with individuals and groups in Baltimore and surrounding areas. Contact her at nrgoldblatt@gmail.com or 410-235-5325. www.WardrobeWiz.com/

Avoiding Looking At Your Body In The Mirror?

October 25, 2009 by Nancy Goldblatt Leave a Comment

When was the last time you looked at yourself in a full length mirror? I am asking this because the more “over fat,” you are or “out of shape,”you are the harder it is to look good in your clothes.

I must confess, that for some time now I have been looking at myself in the mirror only from the chin up. Yes, I use my full length mirror before I leave the house but recently I only quickly glance at my self from head to toe. The other day I had to get a pictures taken of my silhouette in fitted non-camouflaging clothing for a sewing project I am doing. I am still in shock.

I have always had an apple shaped body with narrow hips, flat bottom and muscular legs. When I gain weight its usually in my stomach and waist area. My previously flat derriere is no longer flat. Because I know how to dress for my body shape I had even fooled myself, until I saw those pictures of me without camouflaging clothes. I know I must take action for my health and of course I am concerned about how I look and finding clothes that fit me. The areas I need to work on are my eating habits, exercise and sleep.

My eating habits are better than most of the other people I know, but they aren’t perfect. I consider myself a flexitarian. I eat mostly steamed vegetables plus small amounts of chicken and fish and dairy such as non-fat yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, almonds and walnuts. My weakness is rice tortillas and gluten free cookies. Also, because I am a night owl and stay up late at night, I tend to eat a snack before I go to bed. I have read that this is not good because those calories are not burned off and eating right before bedtime disrupts sleep because the body is busy digesting food and can not completely relax.

I have been watching the Dr. Oz show lately. Dr. Oz says to be healthy a woman should not have a waist over 32.5 inches. If your waist is larger than this, it means your belly fat is beginning to crush your other organs, especially your kidney function. One way to determine a good waist size is to take your height in inches and divide it in half. According to Dr. Oz your waist size should be half your height or less than half your height.

What is your waist size in relation to your height? How do you make time for exercise? What do you eat that isn’t good for you? When was the last time you looked at yourself in a full length mirror with only your under ware on?

Because I needed a “jump start,” to start exercising again, I applied to be in a research study at Johns Hopkins Hospital Bayview in Baltimore, Md. Its called “Shape Up.” There are two components to this study a nutrition component and an exercise component. I am hoping to be assigned to both the nutrition and exercise parts. The exercise would be at the Hopkins facility. As I write this, I am realizing that besides getting more sleep,and not eating before bedtime what I really need is, help with “building in” exercise to my daily life for a long term change in my habits.

How have you built exercise into your busy daily life?

How To Instantly Lose Credibility

July 16, 2009 by Nancy Goldblatt Leave a Comment

Earlier this year I went to a women’s networking event. I joined a conversation of two other women and ended up talking to a “20 something woman,”who was a graphic artist. The only thing I can remember about this young graphic artist besides her profession was the blouse she was wearing. She apparently had gained some weight and her blouse was too tight. Horizontal creases had formed where her blouse was especially tight over her bust area and the buttons down the front of her blouse were so strained they looked like they were about to pop open.

My eyes kept being drawn back to those “about to pop buttons.” She had unknowingly created a focal point with the strained buttons and the horizontal creases of her shirt. I was looking for a graphics artist at the time but this young woman’s appearance kept me from trusting her. I never told her I was looking for a graphics person.

My automatic thought was “If she isn’t willing to take the time to put on clothing that fits her, she is not going to take the time to do good art work.” She had managed to “instantly discredit herself,” by wearing clothing that was was too tight.

Wondering what will give you instant credibility? Here are four suggestions.

Create visual harmony by repeating hair, eye and shades of your skin color in your clothing
Wear three layers. This means a jacket or vest over a shirt or blouse. (This will make you look more authoritative and if the jacket or vest follows your body line it can hide figure challenges.) If you have a defined waistline choose a jacket or vest with vertical darts. If you do not have a defined waistline choose a jacket without darts that is not fitted. For a more “relaxed,” jacket look, use a cardigan or an unbuttoned blouse over a shell top.
Before you leave the house look in a full length mirror and make sure your face and eyes are the focus point.
Wear clothing that fits you, not too tight and not too loose.

Do you have any tips to share on how you create ” visual credibility?”

Nancy Goldblatt, the “Wardrobe Wizard of Baltimore,”was professionally trained by Color 1 Associates as a “Personal Image Consultant.” She specializes in teaching people how to shop in their own closets first before they purchase new clothing. She uses color analysis, as well as face and body shape analysis to teach her clients how to create “their own best looks.” She can be reached at Nancy@WardrobeWiz.com/ 410-513-9496, Her website is www.WardrobeWiz.com/ She works with both individuals and groups. She is now offering “Online Makeovers.”

Where Can You Buy A Full Length Mirror That Hooks On To A Door Frame for $5?

July 13, 2009 by Nancy Goldblatt Leave a Comment

I just found a place where you can buy a full length mirror that is easy to install because you can hang it over a door frame. The cost, only $5. You will find the name of the place at the end of this short blog.

I have previously suggested getting a full length mirror and placing it some where you have good light. It’s best if you can back up 5 feet from it to look at yourself, so you can do the “blink test,” to determine where your focus point is. Also, a full length mirror will show if something in your outfit is not right.

In the 1970’s one of my aunt’s discovered my grandmother who was in her mid 80’s at the time, standing on a chair. My grandmother had on a pair of my grandfathers trousers. She had never worn pants and pant suits had become popular. She did not own a full length mirror and she was standing on the chair to look in the in the mirror that hung over her dresser. My grandmother who was 5 feet tall, plump and curvy was about 8 inches shorter than my grandfather. My aunt said my grandmother looked like she had clown pants on. My grandmother liked what she saw well enough to agree to get several pant suits and wear them.

You don’t have to risk your life and stand on a chair to see your whole body. Just go out and buy a full length mirror from Wal Mart for $5. The mirror has a frame that comes in several different attractive colors. I believe the colors you can choose from are black, turqoise, orange and green. The mirror is probably a special for the college crowd , so if you don’t have a full length mirror get one quick before they are gone. I have previously seen full length mirrors that hook over door frames for $19 to $39.