I’ve spent the better part of 30 years loathing my thighs, so my attempt to embrace shorter dresses has not been without struggle.
I wore this outfit to an afternoon of desk side interviews in New York last weekend, and it was the perfect mix of casual and dressy, with some tall boots to keep the street funk off my feet.
Dress: 1969 Dark Denim Shirt Dress, size XL. Gap (on clearance in store)
Belt: Lane Bryant
Boots: Valencia Wide Calf, Fitzwell
Bag: Belle, Epiphanie
You look great and should not even be concerned with wearing a short style! I’m loving the belted waist! Wish I had your confidence! <3
This is my confession – the problem I have with dresses is that my thighs stick together and get sweaty in between, I know, eww. So I have not worn a dress in years just for that reason. Is it just me? Is there a solution?
I always wear leggings under mine. You can get the shorter style so they don’t peek out from underneath the dress, unless you want them to. It really helps!
Ok this is how classy I am. I have the same sweaty leg, thigh-rubby issue. A trick I do is to either wear a pair of men’s boxer briefs, or find a pair of Target knock off spanx with thigh coverage, to give me that barrier to prevent chaffing.
I’ve heard they make great barriers you can apply, like creams and whatnot, but I just physically like having something between my thighs. (that’s what she said.)
This is brilliant! Target here I come.
Brittany, you should do a whole post about these little secrets.
Signed,
The Girl With the Sweaty Chaffed Thighs
This reminds me of Steel Magnolias!
Truvy: “Well, I haven’t left the house without lycra on these thighs since I was 14.”
Clairee: “You were brought up right.”
I never wear a skirt without Spanx and I think of that quote whenever I’m struggling into my foundation undergarments.
I do Brittany’s suggestion, but also they make slips that are like pants. They are thin and silky and loose and kind of awesome. You can buy them in varying lengths, but don’t go too short or they will just scrunch up by your crotch. I’ve been wearing them for years and years and they are awesome.
I have been wearing the pant slips (my name for them) for years…..I have feeling like I have a million pieces of clothing on under a summer dress, so the pant slip is perfect!!!
hate feeling….
I have the same problem. I always wear tights under mine. Real soft, silky kind of tights.. obviously made to go under dresses/skirts. I actually kind of HATE people who can get away with wearing short shorts or any length skirts without needing baby powder/tights… pisses me off.. I always have to wear that extra layer!
BODY GLIDE. Yes, sounds like a sex lubricant, but it’s not. It’s made for runners to stop chafing and blisters, but I use it on my thighs under skirts, on my arms when wearing tank tops, on my feet when breaking in new shoes. Rubs on like a deoderant stick. I think Dicks or Sports Authority has it, and our specialty running stores do too.
http://www.amazon.com/Bodyglide-For-Her-Anti-Chafe-Balm/dp/B0031Y4TRW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337893193&sr=8-2
I was just going to suggest this! (And, actually, lube will work in a pinch, if its super hot and you have a nice, silicone-based lube and nothing else.) Also, if you’re having to deal with a post-sweaty-thigh-chafing rash, Gold Bond Medicated powder is amazing. I prefer it to baby powder.
The dress is alright, but I’m not loving how the boots look with it. Good for you for stepping out of your comfort zone though.
I have thigh-phobia too – plus I’m 34.5 and apparently, anything over the knee past 35 is “tacky”.. so I’ve got 6 months to mini-skirt it up. That whole outfit you’re wearing is adorable. I have zero fashion sense and just wear the same thing over and over, and accessories terrify me. So rock on. You’re gorgeous. BTW We watched your TED episode and my boyfriend said “dayum” about your backside in a bathing suit. A good “dayum”. Since I know your entire goal in stripping in front of a live audience was in impress one redneck in small-town-texas, I thought I’d share.
Wait, I have a skirt deadline!? I had no idea! I need to be ok with dresses while I still can!
Oh, and thank you so much, high five your boyfriend for me, you two made my day!
The only fashion rule I follow is if you are legally an adult, you must buy clothes made for adults. Otherwise, if I feel like I’m rockin’ that over the knee skirt, I’ll wear it for as long as I want.
Long live the mini!
I have this dress and love it! I wear it belted, too. The boxer briefs thing…that is pure genius!!!!
Love you in it….Me? Nope–I have thigh hatred that cannot be bested….yet!
I am trying to grow to be comfortable in them, it’s HARD. But, I hate shorts more, and I am hot.
You look fabulous! PS – I saw someone waving a sign on (I think the Today Show) that said Curvy Girl Conference 2012. So whoever did it definitely got air time :)
Having spent years of avoiding dresses due to the thigh chaffing issue, I have learned to embrace it and I never have to wear a pair of shorts under them! I had heard of using baby powder on your thighs, but it wears off so quickly that it’s not worth it. My sister in law told me a few years ago that if you use spray deodorant, you never chafe. She was totally right! I have spread the word to all of my girlfriends, and even some guys who seem to have this problem sometimes. I was recently at a wedding that started around 12:30 pm and I didn’t get home until after midnight. No chaffing! I used it when I wore my own wedding dress. It’s a total life saver.
I’m 41 years old (I rarely admit this, so let’s have a collective moment of silence) and I haven’t worn a short skirt or shorts since I was 14 years old. That’s how much I hate my legs. In my 30s I slowly started allowing knee-length skirts and dresses into my life. But it’s a battle. Amazing how much of this is in our minds, because damn girl, you look amazing in that denim dress! I love shirt dresses (on other people) and wish I could will myself into liking me in them.
SIGH.
Since I’ve been a size 18-20 (English sizes… not sure what the US equivalent would be), since I was in my teens, I’ve been using the shorts/boxers under skirts trick since I was in high school (religious jewish high school = forced to wear skirts every day of high school…)
These days if I’m at home I’ll occasionally just go with nothing under a skirt or dress, but the second I’m setting foot outside my house, on go the shorts or leggings.
I actually found these amazing short leggings which have a high rise tummy section, so instead of having the elastic which bends and folds over creating a weird line under the dress and pressing on your tummy, it just has the awesome extra coverage!
They’re from a store called Hoodies, which I don’t know if they have in the US, but if they do, go check ’em out, cuz they have awesome stuff. It’s in the same vein as Hanes over there, I guess.
You GUYS! I have seriously been assuming that I’m the only one with the sweaty chafed thighs. God, I love this blog and it’s community. You are my PEOPLE.
I am on a mission to obtain a thick belt this weekend. I wore a dress a couple of weekends ago and I looked pregnant because of the way the fabirc billowed. Not cool. Bravo to you for encouraging me to wear dresses and Bravo to Meredith for kicking my ass to show off some boobage.
T
A skirt deadline? Phsaw, I say. I’m 40 and pretty much wear a dress or skirt every day. Dresses are so much easier than pants. Take out of closet, pull over head, leave house looking fab…
Check out a product called Glide. It looks like stick deodorant ( I wrote “not d.o.” on my lid so i don’t get confused). Runners (of which I am not one) use it to prevent chafing so you can find it at a running store or even REI. I even have a little one for my purse if we’re going to be out for awhile and i’m worried about the home application wearing off. It works like magic.
Daisy mentions this product on her blog and suggested coating the bottom of your feet when breaking in new sandals. It works like magic!
Please tell me you learned the boxer trick in Catholic school too!We were supposed to wear them to keep the boys from looking up our skirts when we went down the fire escape to the recess yard. Except we wore ours for the exclusive purpose to show them off to our friends. And had mortifying moments when you tucked your skirt into them by accident and then walked around the school with your polka dots boxers hanging out. Because we were classy fourth graders. Ahh the memories…
You look gorgeous & I love the boots! LOVE
Oh my word – I need that handbag!
A friend once told me, “you know, us big girls need to have a rule about skirts… let them never be shorter than they are wide.” Yeah, it stuck with me.