Welcome to my new series! Let’s delve into some of the styling specifics that I often bring up in my videos and posts. Today we’ll tackle a very common piece of advice that works exceptionally well for petites or anyone who needs to define their waist. The concept centers around dressing in thirds vs halves.

The reason that thirds look more harmonious is that they usually line up with the silhouette’s natural contours as opposed to the half ratio, which can cut your outfit in half at a seemingly random spot. Cutting yourself in half also usually obscures your other contours and throws off your proportions.

Florence’s silhouette is reinforced by the 1/3 to 2/3 ratios created by the higher waist placement and contrasting top. The clearer shoulders sharpen the edges of this top third. The bare legs and sleek shoes make the bottom 2/3 also more clear. Oppositely, the bulky jacket on the right lacks shoulder definition and is worn closed, which creates a heavier top half. The skirt takes up the entirety of her lower half without emphasizing any smaller contours like the knees of ankles, therefore creating one unit of the lower half.

Reese’s high waisted skirt and tucked in top emphasize the waist along the 1/3 line. On the right, the lower top hem contrasts strongly against the white flared skirt, which obscures the contours of her hips and upper legs.

Penelope’s outfit on the left creastes very strong 1/3 to 2/3 proportions, and her mini skirt is a much more harmonious shape and length for her petite frame. On the right, the higher and wider neckline plus lower set belt create a top 1/2 ratio, and the longer and wider skirt obscure the contours of her lower body.

Dressing in Thirds vs Halves with Outerwear

When outerwear comes into the equation, we have to assess whether it creates a new ratio or if it outlines the body and frames the ratios of the inner layers.

The dress worn alone really shines on Tessa Thompson. On the right, the wide and long contrasting blazer obscures all of the lovely color blocking and shaping.

Instead, choose outerwear that allows the inner layers to shine through. In this case, the long coat frames the entire outfit and doesn’t create ratios that overwhelm the main 1/3 to 2/3 ratios of the dress.

Of course, these are just a few quick examples. I’ll go into more specifics in future posts so keep an eye out!

xx

Nona