Flamboyant Natural

How to dress it

Silhouette and line

Long and loose. The reliable shape here is a relaxed vertical: an unconstructed long jacket over a straight or slightly flared trouser, a maxi shirtdress, a duster coat, a long cardigan over a column. Let the garment hang from the shoulder without a defined waist, or belt it low and loosely over the hip rather than pulling it into the natural waist. Shoulder seams can sit past your own shoulder point — a dropped or extended shoulder is native to this frame — and should never be padded, since the width is already there and padding only sharpens a corner the body has rounded off. Trousers wide, straight or slightly flared, with a mid to high rise and a full- length hem. Skirts long: midi to maxi, A-line or straight, with movement in them. Layer freely; this is one of very few types where three unbuttoned layers of different lengths reads as considered rather than as clutter.

Fabric and weight

Textured, matte and substantial. Washed linen, raw and dupioni silk, denim, suede, brushed wool, tweed, wool flannel, chunky and cabled knits, cotton canvas, corduroy, heavy jersey. The frame is large and blunt, so a cloth with visible surface interest reads as belonging to it, while a fine flat cloth reads as a smooth panel stretched across something rougher. Weight should be enough to hang straight from a wide shoulder without clinging — a heavy linen or a mid-weight denim does this, a thin viscose does not. Avoid the smooth crisp end of the range: fine worsted suiting, poplin with a hard finish, duchesse satin, stiff taffeta and glassy high-shine surfaces all belong to a sharper line than this one. Where you want dressing up, get it from a rich texture rather than a hard sheen: velvet, raw silk, a heavy matte crepe, a hand-loomed weave.

Necklines

Open and unstructured, with a wide rather than a deep opening. An unbuttoned shirt collar worn two or three buttons down, a wide soft V, a boat neck, a shallow scoop with a relaxed edge, a loose cowl in a heavy knit, a shawl collar. The width is the point: a wide opening repeats the shoulder line the frame already has, and a narrow one puts a small vertical slot in the middle of a broad chest. Collars should be generous and soft-edged — a large camp collar, an open notched lapel, a big shawl — worn undone rather than fastened. Skip anything small, closed or precisely finished at the throat: the crisp buttoned-to-the-top shirt, the tight crew, the small round collar, the mandarin, the neat pussy bow. A turtleneck works if the knit is chunky and the neck is slouchy, and fails if it is fine and snug.

Details and proportion

Details should be functional-looking and cut at a large scale. Patch pockets, visible topstitching, buckles, grommets, drawstrings, unfinished or raw hems, wide cuffs turned back once — anything that reads as construction rather than as decoration. Prints want to be large and irregular: painterly abstracts, broad plaids and checks, animal prints at full scale, wide stripes, tie-dye and ikat. A small precise geometric or a fine pinstripe fights the blunt edges of the frame. Proportion is best played long over long, or long over narrow, with the break placed low: a hip-length or thigh-length top over a full-length trouser. Avoid a break at the natural waist, which is the one place this body is least defined and where cutting the line accomplishes nothing. Sleeves relaxed — rolled, pushed, or full — rather than set tight into a narrow armhole.

Accessories

Large, tactile and slightly rough-finished. Chunky beads, hammered and brushed metal, wood, horn, leather cord, raw or irregularly cut stones, big organic-shaped earrings. Polished high- shine metal and small precise jewels are the two things that reliably look borrowed here. Bags large and unstructured: a slouchy hobo, a big soft tote, a canvas or suede shoulder bag with a long strap that hangs at the hip. Shoes flat or low-heeled with a substantial sole — a chunky loafer, an ankle boot with a block heel, a leather sandal with wide straps — and a longer vamp rather than a strap across the instep. Scarves big and loosely wound: a heavy wool wrap, a large square silk knotted casually rather than folded neatly. Eyewear large with softened corners and a thicker rim; a small wire frame disappears on this face.

What fights this line

Sharp structure is the main failure. A fitted blazer with a padded shoulder and a nipped waist, a stiff pencil skirt, a crisp buttoned shirt tucked in tight: each of these draws a hard outline around a body whose outline is soft-edged and wide, and the result reads as armor rather than as tailoring. The opposite failure is fussiness — ruffles, bows, lace, tiny prints, delicate chains and puffed sleeves all read as decoration stuck onto something plain. Avoid cutting the line at the natural waist, and avoid short jackets with long skirts, since the break lands at the widest stable point of the outfit. Cropped trousers over a delicate shoe expose the length of the leg at its least flattering, and anything cut close through the upper arm will fight a shoulder that is broader than the sleeve was drafted for.