The goal of looking slimmer is about feeling more attractive and at the end of the day that’s a mindset rather than a practical solution. Simply feeling good about how you look will do more for your confidence than any optical illusion you might create. That said it’s really a catch 22 because creating the illusion of being slimmer will help make you feel better about yourself and give you confidence that. Try these tips to even out your silhouette for a slender more confident you.
1. Wear Clothes That Fit
Some of you might be thinking, hello, of course they fit or I wouldn’t be wearing it. Let’s clear this up right now. If it’s tight, it doesn’t fit and it will simply draw attention to every imperfection. If it’s loose, it doesn’t fit and it will make you appear bigger than you actually are. It also makes you look old. If it skims the curves of your body barely touching then it fits.
Wearing clothes that fit is the single most important thing to do to look slimmer, and correspondingly it’s the hardest thing to achieve. And not because of your body; it’s the clothes that are available. A one-size-fits-all approach cannot possibly address myriad body shapes we come in. Keep looking because you will find items that work. When you find a brand that fits, stick with it. This is also the reason it’s a good idea to buy investment pieces, like a pair of wool pants. Good quality fabrics wear better so it’s worth investing a little more to get a classic style tailored to fit perfectly.
The extra added bonus of fit is that your clothes will be comfortable to wear. Say goodbye to wedgies forever.
2. Wear Clothes That Flatter
No this is not the same thing as fit. It will be possible to find a pair of skinny leg jeans to fit most sizes and yet for all but a handful of people they will be instantly unflattering. Dressing to flatter is about dressing strategically to minimize your flaws and maximize your assets. It’s about style and acceptance. Your body is the shape that it is. Embrace it, learn to love it and especially learn what flatters and what doesn’t.
The thing that I love the most about wearing clothes that flatter is that I don’t feel self-conscious any more. I sometimes even go a whole day without remembering the size of my butt. Everyone can look good just by wearing a shape that suits their shape and looking good makes you feel good.
Clothes flatter you if they create an illusion of proportion. For women that means an hourglass shape. Working with shape is all about misdirecting the eye to create that illusion.
Just a subtle hint: this website is about what flatters your shape. Bookmark it, digg it, stumble it, tell your friends. Thanks.
3. Stand Up Straight
Its sounds really simple and it is. It’s truly amazing how many people stoop – the shoulders just kind of hunch forward and the neck pokes out, or, another exciting version, the stomach leads the way and the butt follows behind. Incorrect posture makes you look shorter and fatter. Correspondingly by standing up straight you will look and feel slimmer. This is particularly important for those who are bigger on the bottom. Hunching your shoulders makes your top half look smaller again and hence your bottom half bigger than Ben Hur.
4. Wear A Supportive Bra
If your breasts are anything over a B-cup then putting on a supportive bra can actually make you look up to a size smaller. Particularly if you have a little extra around the middle. A supportive bra will lift your breasts into the position they would be had gravity not had it’s way, and separate them into two individual breasts. A uni-boob – where your breasts look like a shelf or one big undefined blob – is aging and adds extra pounds. Get a bra that fits properly and you will instantly look slimmer.
Knowing what bra will work with your body shape is a great idea as well.
5. Use Color, Texture And Pattern To Camouflage
Darker colors camouflage and lighter colors highlight ergo wear the darker colors on areas that you want to hide and lighter colors on areas where you want to draw the eye. And the same works with pattern. The eye is drawn where the pattern is so wear it where you want people to look. For instance say you’re bigger on top. Opt for a plain darker colored top like a chocolate brown (over your supportive bra!) and pair it with a brightly colored A-line skirt with a busy pattern. The eye will be drawn away from your top and onto your bottom half.
Textured fabric is a way to create the illusion of volume without sacrificing fit. So if you’re bigger on top then wearing a boucle (nobbly) skirt on the bottom half, say with a tweed pattern, will create the illusion that the bottom half is bigger and more in proportion to the top.
If you’re camouflaging an area remember to have somewhere on your outfit that draws the eye. If there isn’t anywhere to look then by default the biggest area on your body will become the focus.
6. Shapewear
When all else fails bring out the heavy guns – shapewear. Shapewear is support underwear – the modern day version of the corset, except now you can get shapewear to minimize your waist and hips as well as slim your thighs or lift your butt or hold in everything from bust to knee if that’s what you want. Made from many layers of spandex shapewear comes in a multitude of shapes and sizes and will instantly slim and shape your body without benefit of hours of exercise.
Shapewear should only be used for special occasions, times when you want to look particularly spectacular.
Good shopping,
LISA
