A Modest Proposal

With a full-length mirror before me, I decide to apply the Bryant principles to my wardrobe. I belt "BG" and immediately see a difference in my silhouette, but it has lost its hippie flair. I no longer feel like a girl who bakes her own spelt muffins and sometimes strums an acoustic guitar. Of course, I do neither of the above.

"BG" gets pushed to the back of the rack, a relic of an image that I've outgrown. But I dutifully pair my mid-calf length vintage designer skirt with heels and a tight cardigan and see femininity winking my way. A pair of semi-tight tapered Levi's offsets the volume of a big, chunky knit sweater over a T-shirt. I add high-heeled black boots and extend the line of my figure by three inches.

Emboldened by my new outlook, I decide to let my hips go on a spree. I grab my seasons-old, semi-wide Fendi belt, a pair of luxe pumps and my family, and we all head to the local J.Crew. There is a plan. My husband will perch outside the dressing room with our baby daughter, Tess Darling, on his lap and evaluate the new trends.