You already know what feminine clothing looks like, but you need feminine action in order to truly embody this type of vintage "look". Poise is a major part of that feminine movement and it is instrumental in creating the intoxicating aura of a femme fatale character.
So how do you learn feminine movement? Well there are a couple ways that I've found work best for me:
1. For starters you should try out a better posture. It's time for the medieval torture devices that help you learn to keep a good posture. Think about the two times you need good posture: when you're sitting and when you're standing. So those are your two target areas to focus on.
The thing to do to learn good standing/walking posture you've seen many times.
The thing to do to learn good standing/walking posture you've seen many times.
That's right, it's time to walk while balancing a book on your head.
Not to brag, but I've become quite advanced at this. You want a good leatherbound or canvas bound book, not a slick plasticky one. The laminated covers slip around on your hair. Stand up straight, look straight forward, and place the book on your head. Now try your hand at walking around the room.
Mastered that? Okay. Squat down and pick something up from the floor.
Got that down? Great! Go fix yourself a cup of tea.
Did you make the tea without knocking the book off your head? You're on your way to to perfect! Now go sit down and drink the tea.
When you've managed all of this odds are you've got a great standing and walking posture. At this point I can do any of my household chores while keeping a book balanced on my head. Just remember not to look down! This is also great for making you look more confident. A woman who looks at her goal in the distance, or looks those she is speaking to in the eye, is a woman who has confidence in her appearance.
Mastered that? Okay. Squat down and pick something up from the floor.
Got that down? Great! Go fix yourself a cup of tea.
Did you make the tea without knocking the book off your head? You're on your way to to perfect! Now go sit down and drink the tea.
When you've managed all of this odds are you've got a great standing and walking posture. At this point I can do any of my household chores while keeping a book balanced on my head. Just remember not to look down! This is also great for making you look more confident. A woman who looks at her goal in the distance, or looks those she is speaking to in the eye, is a woman who has confidence in her appearance.
Now you've got to master keeping that posture when you sit down to work on something. As a blogger and writer I spend an inordinate amount of time sitting at a keyboard. So how do you keep from getting an ogre like hunch in your back and shoulders? Well I found a solution, and boy does it look silly. If you thought walking around with a book on your head would be embarrassing when your neighbors saw you, then just wait for this one...
What you need is a chair with a straight back to sit in at your desk or table. It needs to be one you can comfortably sit in with your behind scooted all the way back against the chair back. Next you need a scarf. Lean back against your chair (straight spine, shoulders all the way back) and then, putting the middle of the scarf behind the chair, wrap it around you and tie the scarf over your chest.
The idea here is to hold your spine straight and your shoulders back while you work. Thus, your body doesn't slip into a crouch while your mind is distracted. Eventually you should learn to sit up straight without the scarf while you work: it will just be muscle memory and habit. For now though this will help train you to sit up straight while you work and you'll be amazed at how much better your back will feel even after hours of writing or studying.
The idea here is to hold your spine straight and your shoulders back while you work. Thus, your body doesn't slip into a crouch while your mind is distracted. Eventually you should learn to sit up straight without the scarf while you work: it will just be muscle memory and habit. For now though this will help train you to sit up straight while you work and you'll be amazed at how much better your back will feel even after hours of writing or studying.
(Also, side rant here! Don't cross your legs at the knee while sitting. That causes vericose veins, and I can't think of anyone who wants those. Instead cross your legs at the ankle by tucking your toes and arch of one foot behind the heel of the other. And I hope I don't have to remind you to sit with your knees together to be lady-like especially whenever you're wearing a skirt!)
2. Think feminine shape. What is feminine about you?
If your answer wasn't "my curves" then you need to work on thinking positively about those hourglass curves you have. No matter how big or how small, you are made feminine by the shape of your curves. So let's learn to move in a way that accents those curves.
The 1930's and 40's was a time following the boyish and boxy look of the 1920's. Instead of trying to hide curves like the flapper fashion era did, we are accenting them as much as possible. Think about your curves when you stand or sit or dance or pose for a photo. Think about them just as much as you would when you're flirting with a guy. Your poise-accenting your curves-is the trademark Legally Blonde "bend and snap" of the 1940's.
So practice! Stand in front of a mirror. Just look at how you stand and experiment and play with it. Try lifting your chest and shoulders a little more. Try leaning forward ever so slightly. Experiment with standing with your weight on one foot or the other. Experiment with popping one knee forward or one hip sideways. Look at the lines your body makes and make a mental note of which ones you like to see.
Take those mental notes with you for your next group photo or for the next time you're waiting for your coffee and the cute barista is the one making it for you. Work what you got! Your body is a beautiful thing, learn to appreciate how it looks and what movements look best for it.
If your answer wasn't "my curves" then you need to work on thinking positively about those hourglass curves you have. No matter how big or how small, you are made feminine by the shape of your curves. So let's learn to move in a way that accents those curves.
The 1930's and 40's was a time following the boyish and boxy look of the 1920's. Instead of trying to hide curves like the flapper fashion era did, we are accenting them as much as possible. Think about your curves when you stand or sit or dance or pose for a photo. Think about them just as much as you would when you're flirting with a guy. Your poise-accenting your curves-is the trademark Legally Blonde "bend and snap" of the 1940's.
So practice! Stand in front of a mirror. Just look at how you stand and experiment and play with it. Try lifting your chest and shoulders a little more. Try leaning forward ever so slightly. Experiment with standing with your weight on one foot or the other. Experiment with popping one knee forward or one hip sideways. Look at the lines your body makes and make a mental note of which ones you like to see.
Take those mental notes with you for your next group photo or for the next time you're waiting for your coffee and the cute barista is the one making it for you. Work what you got! Your body is a beautiful thing, learn to appreciate how it looks and what movements look best for it.
3. Think fluidity. Walking smoothly and moving smoothly is part of having poise. Fluid and smooth motion lends itself to creating an illusion of delicacy, which we all know has long been thought to be a part of femininity.
The best thing I've ever done to learn fluidity was take a beginner ballet class. If you're not invested enough or have enough money laying around to take a class, then take the easier way and look up "port de bras" videos online and check it out. Trying those movements with your arms will make you aware of the space your arms occupy and the way they move from one space to another. Learning the motions and practicing them will make them muscle memory just like your posture, then you'll find that you can carry that fluidity of movement over to everything you do like drinking tea or getting dressed or picking up a book.
The other most important fluid motion (besides your arm movements) is your walk. Feminine, fluid walking is pretty, to quote Miss Congeniality "See, glide! It's all in the buttocks, don't I look pretty?". You pick your feet up and put your feet down gently. All things are done gently. You should move smoothly across a surface at all times. Hips should wiggle. Crossing one foot a little in front the other, runway model style, is pleasing to the eye while in heels. Your feet should come off the ground just enough to clear potential tripping hazards but not so much that your knee comes noticeably upward. That creates the illusion of gliding.
Sometimes, however, it can be fun to break the smooth walking rule and add a bit of a jolt to each step: walk with purpose. And wiggle those hips! Make Marilyn Monroe proud!
Sometimes, however, it can be fun to break the smooth walking rule and add a bit of a jolt to each step: walk with purpose. And wiggle those hips! Make Marilyn Monroe proud!
Walking with purpose leads me to my final point: being a femme fatale and having these feminine poise qualities is all about contrast. It's the contrast of the made-up, dainty, flowing femininity of womanhood paired with the rough and ready lifestyle of a film noir movie. Femme fatale characters were gorgeous, flirtatious women who all the while were packing firearms prepared and poised for attack. Being a femme fatale is knowing what you want and being ready to take it, all while looking like the most beautiful person in the room. Handle that, and you'll be the female lead of a film noir movie in your every day life.
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