Dress For Your Body Shape
No Comment //Get Ideas For What Suits You Best
We ALL have parts of our body that we don’t like no matter what our figure type is. There are many things we can do to work on these problem areas such as exercise and healthy eating programs, to more severe surgical enhancing methods such as liposuction.
However, simply by wearing clothing that suits our body shape we can overcome many of these problem areas without resorting to extreme measures.
Fashion and clothing has the ability to make you feel different emotions depending on the occasion they are to be worn for. A tracksuit, for instance, can make you feel ready to burn calories by pounding the pavement for the next hour, or similarly it can encourage you to put on the calories by watching a chick flick with a family sized block of chocolate with rainy weather outside.
The 80’s were well known for the introduction of power dressing which was typically created by wearing a Man style suit with broad shoulder pads. The look was created to portray an image of the powerful woman when equality for women was a very current issue. Whilst the trend for oversized shoulder pads has passed, the theory of power dressing is still relevant as this is what makes you feel good when you dress well.
These days we most commonly think about power dressing when we go for a job interview or are asking the boss for a promotion, in these instances we work hard to create a look of success and confidence. The essence of power dressing is important every day and we should use with the simple design principles listed below to feel wonderful, successful and comfortable in every look we create.
Petite
Generally petite people can wear mostly whatever they like so long as it is scaled down to suit their proportions. Vertical lines help to elongate the body and can be used in ways other than stripes including pleats and draping. Be conscious of the horizontal lines created when layering clothing. The more layers the more lines which then breaks up the body into pieces and shortens the body length
Thick Waist
Use layering to effectively hide the flaws. Long straight tee’s/camisoles with straight vests or cardigans can effectively hide many flaws. Avoid wearing tops that are too short and/or tight which show the “muffin top”. Wear straight leg pants that don’t taper too much down the thigh or at the hem.
Large Bust
V-neck lines can be a great frame for a large bust but make sure the neckline is only not too low and shows any kind of cleavage. Layering can also be effective to hide a large bust. Avoid wearing clingy clothing which can follow the curves of the bustline too much. Also try to avoid gathers off yoke panels, high waistbands and tucked in tops.
Broad Shoulders
Avoid halter necklines and racer backlines. Balance broad shoulders out with a fuller skirt.
Straight figure
You need to create the illusion of a more shapely figure by adding shape through design features in the garments. This could include empire line tops, flared skirts and bootleg cut pants. Try selecting a fuller shirt/top and wear a decorative belt to enhance your natural waistline.
Pear Shape
Avoid high waistlines and pants that taper from the hip. Straight and wide leg pants tend to be more flattering.




