Don’t Be Afraid to Wear White November 29, 2009

Throw out any rules you have about wearing white after Labor Day. This is the 21^st century—anything goes. White can be worn all year long. What’s important now isn’t when you wear it, but how. Where black is slimming and flattering for everyone, white is just the opposite—it shows everything. But where black can be heavy and depressing, white can be bright and refreshing.

Bottoms:

Your bottom half is the trickiest place to wear this color. Your best bet is to go with a loose-fitting, straight- or wide-leg pant. If it’s too tight, all lumps and bumps in your butt and thigh area will be very visible. If the pants are too skinny, you’ll look top-heavy. Though it can be hard to find white pants in the winter, J.Crew comes to the rescue.

Tops:

The main thing here is don’t let your shirt be too tight. Again, there’s no camouflaging with white.  When in doubt, buy a flowing white shirt that can be dressed up or down. Charlotte Russe makes an adorable top that’s loose, yet the belt cinches you in at the waist creating a flattering, hourglass shape.

Accessories:

You can never go wrong with any type of accessory. My favorite right now is anything big, bold and daring. Flowery collars or this shell necklace (above) really stand out. They pair with any plain shirt and look great peeking out from a blazer. This necklace from American Eagle Outfitters does double girly duty mixing pearls, a flower and ribbon.

At Arm’s Length–The Miracle Sleeve November 11, 2009

People watching is a very interesting concept. As I was looking around at dinner last night, I realized everybody’s arms are different. No matter what your figure looks like, your arms can be any size or shape. By that I mean there’s no formula for how a person’s arms will look compared to their body. I, for instance, have extremely long arms—often referred to as monkey arms in childhood.

So, upon thinking about this, I realized there’s one type of sleeve that flatters any shape of arm—the flowy cap sleeve. The flowiness adds interest and depth to a thin arm as well as hides thickness in bigger arms. It feminizes muscular arms and can be worn on any occasion, dressy or casual.

The flowiness is the important part however. Be careful—if you end up with a tight cap sleeve your shoulders will look cut off from your arm creating an unwanted shape. Nordstrom and Forever 21 have a few cute and reasonably priced ones on sale.

Tips to Flatter Any Tummy October 21, 2009

Shapely stomachs can be one of the hardest things to dress well. The three most important characteristics to pay attention to are tightness, patterns and length. When shopping for shirts or dresses follow these simple rules:

1)   Tightness. It sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how many girls do it. Unless you have washboard abs (although that still might look weird), don’t buy skin-tight shirts. That’s an easy way to show off unnecessary curves. It can even create lumps that don’t actually exist by squeezing too tight in certain areas.

Try: Instead, buy looser fitting shirts and/or wear a tank top underneath. Tanks keep you warmer and smooth things out. To retain your waist, find shirts that cinch in at the waist and flow out from there.

A cinched waist and the flow from waist to hip smooth out your figure. Also, see the Length section.

2)   Patterns. Certain patterns on shirts can create the illusion of unwanted shapes. Horizontal stripes make you look 10 times wider than you really are (and also kind of like a jailbird). Try to avoid that altogether. Other than that, you have to pay attention to where plaids and circles hit you when you’re trying on shirts. It helps if you stand far away from the mirror to see what shape it gives you.

Try: Dark colors are always flattering and hide unfortunate lines. Vertical stripes also make you appear longer and leaner and small prints are always more flattering than large.

3)   Length. To protect against muffin tops and disproportionate shapes, stick to shirts that end below your waistband and lengthen your torso. Also stay away from cropped jackets that draw attention to your middle section. The idea is to keep the eye traveling in a line down your body.

Try: Tunic length is flattering on almost anyone and longer jackets that tie in at the waist create a perfect hourglass figure. Don’t get confused between tunics and dresses though—there’s a fine but definite line between a tunic that is supposed to be worn with pants or leggings and a mini-dress. If you’re not sure, ask someone.

The belt at the waist gives you shape even in a thick material.

More Thigh Tips and Tricks October 8, 2009

So many questions!  Many of the comments on my last post were asking similar questions so I want to address some of those issues before I move on to a new body part.

Skinny Jeans

Ignore that Megan Fox is stick thin, but see how the shirt is long and flows out?

Skinny jeans are my favorite type of pant, but unfortunately they aren’t the best choice for curvier thighs in general. If you simply can’t resist, pair them with an extra long, flowy top to balance it out, especially if you want to tuck the jeans into boots.

The thing about fashion is that not every look is for every body type. Problems arise when girls try to force outfits that look great on a model onto a non-model’s body. You’re more likely to achieve a model look if what you’re wearing is flattering for your body type. The goal is to make your body look proportionate and not have one part obviously bigger or smaller than another.

Skirts

The high waist and width at the knees flatters any figure.

As for skirts, anything that floats away at the knee is the best choice. A pencil skirt will make any thigh problem worse by accentuating the curve at your knees and exaggerating a wider thigh. Find a skirt you love that sits on your hips and is loose at the knees to help balance your thighs with your ankles.

Shoes

Look at all the choices!

Wide leg pants work well with almost any kind of shoe. If your pants are long enough, heels are classy. If they’re barely touching the floor barefoot, I’d stick to flats. Both can look professional or casual depending on the type of pant and shoe. The most important thing is that the pants aren’t too short. Skinny pants can get away with almost any length, but if you have a wide leg that’s too close to the ankle height-wise, your feet appear unattached to your leg—not normal.

Boots

Even though tucking in your pants is what you think of first, there are plenty of boots that look great not tucked in—especially with wide-leg pants. In fact, pairing boots with a wide leg can keep you warm and make your legs look long and lean—which, of course, is the goal.

Well, this post ended up being longer than I’d anticipated so I’ll leave you with that. Coming up next: Tips to trick out your Tummy!

Thighs To Die For September 30, 2009

It comes as no surprise to those who know me that I love fashion. But I’m not sure that everyone knows I love it for reasons other than simply it looks pretty.

In the Midwest where I currently reside, it is a rarity for a college-aged girl to wake up in the morning between the hours of 7 and 9am and actually get dressed—put on a cute outfit, do her make-up, curl her hair, etc. I feel (and am told regularly) that I am in the minority group in which I do such things everyday.

The common thought is that everyone throws on sweatpants because they’re so tired and it makes them feel comfy. I feel the exact opposite! Sweatpants make me feel even more tired. But getting ready makes me feel happy about myself and therefore happy about my day. When I feel good about myself, I am more productive and more energetic. There’s my secret.

Now with that comes responsibility. Well, the responsibility I have to my body for putting the right things on it. This blog is actually not about me—it’s about helping other women find the skills to make clothes they love look good on their bodies. My goal is to feature a different body part every entry with new tips on the most flattering ways to dress it up.

Today we’re going to look at one of everyone’s least favorite body parts….

Thighs!

Tip: For curvy thighs, a wide leg pant balances out your hips with thinner calves and ankles. They should flow straight down from the top of the hip and dark colors are always flattering. You can tell which ones are straight versus flair leg right on the hanger by looking at the shape of the pant. If it curves it at all, it’s flair. When in doubt, straighten it out!