Style: The Rule of Thirds

From summer through early fall, I've noticed what women wore because we can still see the clothes, not just the coat. I wondered whether there was a defining look. Yes, for the younger women: the shirt or blouse unbuttoned from mid-midriff to hem.  

Women in the Passage fell hard for floaty skirts once the temps routinely passed 30C during the hottest summer on record. As the days darken earlier by the week, I am still seeing these skirts, with ankle boots and brogues instead of sandals. Those who had not worn a long, loose skirt since their campus days made the leap, but not always confidently. 

This lovely woman  in her new maxi skirt and top had doubts, so posted on Facebook to ask for advice from a personal stylist and her readers. She had not worn a long skirt for ages, and felt it wasn't a good look. At least forty commenters said that the top was too long, and maybe there's too much volume in the skirt for her petite frame.  

Tee and maxi skirt

They told her to tuck in her top, but really what they were telling her is to create a better proportion— the classic  Golden Ratio for visual harmony. Here's a similar outfit that shows the ratio, also known as the 1/3-2/3 Rule or Rule of Thirds.

The Golden Ratio in action

The Guardian's style writer Jess Cartner-Morley wrote about this guideline, "The Rule of Thirds: A beginner's guide to transforming your look".

The Rule: "It boils down to this. Your outfit should “break” either one-third of the way from your head to your feet, or two-thirds of the way – but not halfway. The break can be created by contrasting colours or anything else that creates a horizontal line (a belt being the obvious example)."

This is a useful reminder: it's not necessarily that you "can't wear" a specific item, it's that the proportions need tweaking. I bought a pair of loose white linen trousers (similar, from Vivid Linen) and discovered I needed a shorter top—to the waistband or just below—or it looked like I was wearing a dropcloth.

With a top-and-bottom, tucking in the top creates an easy one-third, but you do not need to fuss with the French tuck version (so named by stylist Tan France). I prefer what I call the Italian tuck, the sprezzatura-esque, straightforward one eased for gentle softness. 

The Italian tuck; photo: MaxMara  

The Rule of Thirds also dispenses with fretting about how long a hemline 'should' be; the answer is, whatever you like—but the top and bottom need to approximate the ratio.

Breaking the Rule

Now and then the ratio gets nudged, easier to essay in  a monotone. Isabella Rossellini in her white ensemble is very close to a 1:1 ratio, but there is still a visual flow, because she initiates the vertical line with her huge earrings.  

 If you enjoy long tops, there's your two-thirds on the torso, as in this Toast tunic shirt and trousers:

When I looked at several unworn tops, I saw that several ended about five inches short of 1/3 and unless I wore a mini (fat chance), I could not hit that Thirds Rule.

Sometimes, a bad buy has nothing to do with the style or colour, it's a ratio-wrecker. I especially liked what Cartner-Morley said: "You don’t need any new clothes. You don’t need much time. You don’t need a needle or safety pins or shapewear or, in fact, anything at all, except a full-length mirror. "

My introduction to Rule of Thirds happened thirty-nine years ago, when pregnant. A saleswoman waved me off the longer tops I wanted, and sold me ones that met the ratio when paired with narrow jeans and trousers—the only narrow thing on my body, thanks to twins. 

Last week, I donated the ratio-wreckers and, chastened, see that "back to school" at this point means re-learning some old math lessons.