Cute? Or Flattering?

I am generally more entertained by commercials than the show I am purportedly watching. When I first saw those A T & T commercials with the little kids (especially the one where a girl pretends to be a werewolf), I fell off my chair laughing. 


A clever commercial in rotation now is the "X or Y" commercial from Ford, where the car owners consider that AND is better than OR. My favorite is the police that protect OR serve. "Hey, stop right there! Can we get you something to eat! We have a nice sea bass with rice or roasted vegetables!"

Hee hee. Oh, all right, I'm easily amused, but this made me think of yesterday's outfit (no picture, sorry), which was definitely cute. But was it flattering? All the pieces were cute: pink linen jacket, a tank in navy and pinks, and a raspberry pencil skirt. The jacket is styled like a denim jacket (seen here with a dress):

 

That pale pink is a good color on me and there is pretty embroidery inside the cuffs. But is it flattering? It is a little boxy, and the wrinkly nature of linen mixed with denim jacket styling means lots of rumpling around the placket, pockets, etc. The jacket construction means it is impossible to alter as well, so I can't nip in the waist a bit. And for me, having a waist is EVERYTHING.

Sometimes it feels like someone is moving the goalposts. What kind of world do we live in where cute is not enough!!! Ahem.

This morning, I cast a stern glance at this combination:

Talbots swishy skirt, Lord and Taylor cardigan, Kenneth Cole sandals. Now, I have been stopped by strangers on the street complimenting these shoes, and their lightness certainly suits the airy fabrics I am wearing. Better than these shoes:   

But the longer leg (because of the three inch heel) is more flattering than the perfectly flat sandal.

So. Cute? Or flattering?