Clothes can make you look slimmer or heavier.

 

Has anyone ever said to you “You look thinner out of your clothes than in your clothes.”

 

 Before I became an Image Consultant and learned how to dress my body type, I went to a beach retreat and when I put on a bathing suit, several people said

” You look thinner out of your clothes.”

 At the time, I felt confused by their comments.

 

Before I put on my bathing suit, I was wearing an oversize top and wide-legged pants.

Can you guess what I was doing wrong?

 

By wearing wide-legged pants with an over-sized top, I was hiding my thinnest parts.

Our eyes automatically search for the narrowest place to look.

If there is no narrow place, because you are wearing a loose top and bottom, you will look heavier than you are.

 

Dressing Your Body Shape

•  If you are thinner from your waist up, you will look better with fitted tops and more loosely fitting bottoms.

 

•  If you are heavier from your waist up, you will look thinner in unfitted, tops and more tapered or fitted bottoms.

Choosing the right fabrics can take pounds off your silhouette

• What fabrics and styles should you avoid wearing when you are trying to look slimmer?

   

• What fabrics are figure friendly?
  

   

• What visual tricks can you use to get people to focus on your face?

You can strategically place color and clothing lines so that people look at your face and just glance at your body.

What Not To Wear

• Avoid stiff fabric or thick fabric, ruffles, heavily textured fabrics, shiny fabric or fabrics that are too thin and cling to the body.

   

• Also, avoid wide horizontal stripes, and large horizontal patterns.

What To Wear

Choose fabrics that drape and are medium weight in your most flattering colors.

 

Jackets, A Great Way To Look Slimmer

 

I love jackets because they are “workhorses,” that can camouflage a tummy or large waist, buttocks or hips.

 

To look slimmer, you must choose a jacket that flatters your body and ends at one of your narrowest places.

(If you don’t want to wear a traditional jacket, you can layer an unbuttoned blouse or cardigan sweater over a shell for a more casual jacket look.)

• If you have a wide mid-section, and waistline but relatively narrow hips you need to wear a jacket that ends at your narrow hips.

   

• If your mid-section is wide you will look better in a jacket that has at least 3 or 5 buttons.  Two buttons usually stops at the stomach area.  (This is like pointing an arrow at your widest body part.)

 If you have a defined waistline (your waist is 8 to 10 inches smaller than your hips)

 

Wear a jacket that tapers in at the waist.

If your waistline is not much smaller than your hips

 

Avoid a jacket with darts and a defined waistline.  A better choice is a straight jacket.

If you have a small waist and a large buttock or large hips,

 

 Avoid a jacket that ends at your waist because it will emphasize your buttock or hips.

 

A better choice for you

 

A longer jacket that tapers at the waist and stops at the     narrowest part of your thighs.

Attention: Shortie’s: Don’t wear a jacket that is too long, because it will make you look shorter.

 
Wear Layers To Look Slimmer

To create a longer, slimmer look

• Wear your jacket open.  You can wear your jacket with a skirt or pants of the same color and wear a blouse or t-shirt in a different color.

  
  Create a new outfit, by changing the color of your shell or blouse.

  
  By wearing your jacket open, you can create two vertical lines and the illusion you have a waistline, because only a little of your waist shows.

  
  Wearing clothing that skims your body shape and is not too tight or too loose will make you appear slimmer.

   

One More Important Suggestion

By having your “ready to wear,” clothing altered you will look slimmer because your clothes fit so well.
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Nancy Goldblatt is available to work with you no matter where you live.  If you live in Baltimore, Md or surrounding areas she can work with you in person.  If you live other places, she can work with you on-line using digital pictures.

Nancy Goldblatt, “The Wardrobe Wizard,” is a “Color 1,” Personal Image Consultant who specializes in working with mid-life women whose size and shape has changed and who have too many clothes and “nothing to wear.”

After a woman works with “The Wardrobe Wizard,”she will have a wallet of her best colors and styles, and a pared down closet.   She will be know how to mix and match her best looks so she can get dressed “lickety split,” and look great everyday.

 

She was trained by Joanna Nicholson, founder of Color 1 Associates, an International Image & Style Company.

E-mail to set up a no obligation telephone consult to find out if her services are right for you.

You will also get a free “fashion personality test,” during the consult.

Nancy@WardrobeWiz.com, 410-513-9496,  https://blog.WardrobeWiz.com

dressing for comfort, dressing slimmer, dressing smarter, Looking visually harmonious, understanding body shape, visual tricks

Appearance & Self Esteem, Baltimore Wardrobe Makeover, choosing flattering clothes, fashion tips