Dressing My Best: Torso

Necklace: some beachside shop in Oregon, $10
Shirt: secondhand Downeast Outfitters brand, $3.50 from thrift store
Belt: secondhand, $2 from thrift store
Right hand ring: gift from mom
Rose bracelet: gift from brother and sister-in-law
Watch: borrowed from husband
Leather bracelet: booth at Pike Place Market, $16
Skirt: secondhand J.Crew brand, $10 from consignment shop (shortened with hair elastic and leaf pin)
Sandals: gift from mom

I've had this shirt for a little over a month, and even though it's ultra-basic (and cheap), it has become one of my favorite pieces. I love the color, the sleeve length, the neckline -- everything about it. Summer in Provo has been hot as the blazes so far, so I'm all for things that don't need layers on top or underneath. The skirt, too, is a new addition; I bought it on a shopping trip with my mom the weekend of my brother's wedding. It has proven to be marvelously versatile and easy.

Continuing on with academichic's "Dress Your Best" challenge, today, I'm dressing for my torso. My torso is a bit on the long side, throwing that golden ratio of body proportion right out the window. I can shorten its appearance by wearing a high-waisted skirt or placing a belt a bit higher than usual, but for the most part, I don't like to take these measures. Being long of torso is a quirky yet happy little thing about my body, and I'm much more likely to draw attention to that rather than to disguise it with tricks. I wore a shirt today that fits close to the body and emphasizes my shoulders/chest/waist, then added a belt slung low across my hips.

Good ol' dictionary.com defines "torso" as "the trunk of the human body." What a cool visual, drawing that connection between the center of our bodies and the trunk of a sturdy tree. (And given this definition, what are we to make of the phrase "junk in the trunk"? Is that slang more appropriate for pot bellies than generous booties?) My trunk is pretty much straight up and down, slight but sturdy. Thanks, Torso, for being the place where my limbs grow from and the vertical root of my body.

Now give yourself a hug around the waist and share: what's the deal with your torso?