How many times have you been in a dressing room and heard yourself spout out that old cliché, “Do these pants make my butt look big?” You are not alone. No one wants to make the mistake of dressing in a way that accentuates what they most want to deemphasize. Unfortunately, the secrets of dressing slimmer aren’t exactly common knowledge, and we are most often left to just wing it . . . or to ask someone else’s opinion. So, what do you do when you don’t have a personal stylist? You learn the rules. Here are the guidelines for dressing for a slimmer look.
Black is the new black, and the only black. There is no substitute for black. Black can make a problem area seem to fade into the background. Just be careful not to dress in all black, as you might end up looking like a funeral director. Instead, decide which areas you’d most like to slim down, and cloak them in black. For example, if you are bottom heavy you may want to opt for black slacks; if your midsection bothers you, slim it down with a thick black belt.
Stripes on the horizon. Stripes are great – but only if worn the right way. Avoid horizontal stripes, which give the appearance of width. Instead, choose vertical stripes to slim down your look. If you’re feeling creative, combine stripes to really play with your body’s shape. For example, if you have small hips and a wide waist, you can create an hourglass figure by choosing a dress with vertical stripes in the waist area and horizontal stripes in the hip and chest areas.
Length. The best way to combat excessive width is with length. To create the illusion of length, dress “long.” That means you choose pants that are high-waisted, and that extend all the way to the floor. Avoid visually chopping your legs off with high-water or cropped pants, and make sure your long sleeves are long enough to extend all the way past your wrist.
Play with contrast. Slimming down is not just about camouflaging large areas. It is also about accentuating the positive. Remember that you can compound the slimming effect of a black skirt by topping it with a bright white shirt. By drawing attention to the areas you like the most, you are also detracting attention from the areas you’d like to slim down.
Your best bet is to combine all of these tips to create custom looks that are most flattering to your particular figure. Take a good, long look in the mirror and make a list of rules for yourself – rules built around your body and your goals for how you want to look – and keep those rules in mind when shopping and dressing. Most importantly, though, love yourself. You’ll be amazed at how amazing you look, no matter what, when you follow that one, key rule.
About the Author: Dorian Collura has always had an eye for fashion but his true passion lies in helping others. He currently attends an EKG technician training program and enjoys using sites like ekgtechniciantraining.net to learn more about his future career field.
