Choosing flattering clothes is about knowing the best clothes for your body shape, or more specifically, what the cut, colour and shape of the clothes is actually going to do on your body.
For instance this very beautiful dress is a master of illusion. It’s taken the models curves and emphasized some and de-emphasized others to make her seem a lot more slender and curvaceous than she really is.
This dress fools the eye by:
- opening up the upper chest area and showing a lot of skin and a tantalising hint of cleavage giving the illusion of fullness but stopping the bust from becoming the entire focus of the outfit;
- the black panel over her bust covers her entire bust and focuses the eye directly on the whole width and fullness, giving the illusion of a very full bust;
- which is further emphasized by the very nipped in waist, giving her bust a round, sexy, but also smaller look;
- the black panel in the centre of the dress literally draws a more slender silhouette onto the model making her look taller and thinner;
- the dress cups the hips and bottom before falling in a lovely drape from mid thigh, further emphasizing the feminine roundness at the same time as hiding any thickness in the legs;
- and the length brushing the floor allows the model to wear heels (possibly?) without displaying shoes which further extends the length of her legs and makes her look taller and thinner.
That’s a lot of duty for one dress and it’s a fabulous example of the way patterns, seams or embellishments can be utilised to great effect to create a silhouette.
Of course patterns, seams or embellishments can also work against you, which I have far more experience with.
