Whether you’re buying your wedding dress, or just trying to find the perfect office outfit, working with your figure, instead of against it, is the key to dressing to impress. It can be difficult to face up to imperfections, but dressing like they don’t exist is only going to be doing yourself a disservice. Plus, in doing so, you could be seriously underplaying your best assets, and making yourself look far frumpier than you need. Working with your body when you dress is all about understanding what suits your figure, and how to use color and patterns to emphasize or diminish the right bits.
Duly Delighted Midi Dress in Lemons
Emphasize your best assets
First things first, you’re going to want your best assets on show. If you have beautiful shoulders and a long, elegant neck, choosing tops which allow this to be demonstrated as a beautiful feature is the key to feeling confident. If you’ve got a lovely narrow waist, a belt around your middle can really bring your outfit together. Avoid shortening long, beautiful legs with trousers which cut off at the widest part of your calves, and choose items which flow over problem areas, but cling on the bits you love.
Bliss by Bit Wrap Dress
Consider your proportions
You may have heard the terms apple, pear, hourglass, and athletic bandied around, but they do have a basis in truth, and the advice really works. Using the information about your proportions allows you to make informed decisions about what sorts of styles suit you. For example, if you have a boyish figure, with a small chest and narrow hips, a wrap dress designed to emphasize a more hourglass figure won’t be entirely flattering unless you’re willing to undergo breast augmentation surgery. Similarly, somebody with wide shoulders would usually be advised to steer clear of halter-neck tops or spaghetti straps. Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, so be sure to try on things that you love, and not just stick to them hard and fast.
Homage to Mod Mini Dress
Don’t overlook color
Color is an amazing tool for emphasizing your best features, and helping to hide the bits you don’t love so much. For example, if you’re a more apple-shaped figure, and carry weight around your middle, using color on the lower sections of your body in pants or skirts, and using darker shades on the top half and really help to balance the look out. Play around with how color works for your body, but be sure not to shy away. Colors and patterns can do wonders for your figure.
Valued Vlogger T-Shirt Dress
Choose styles you love
When you find a style you love it can feel like you’ve won the lottery, especially if you’ve got a slightly trickier figure to dress. When you find this style, it can become your holy grail and go-to outfit. And why not? If you know that you look amazing in a dress, buy that dress in every print, color, and fabric available. If it makes you feel good, keep that theme going. I love a good t shirt dress, so that’s what I usually fall back on.
The key to dressing to impress is experimentation. Read and understand how different styles work for different figures, but don’t be afraid to break the mold and try something new from the safety of the fitting room catwalk. That’s how all the best outfits are discovered.
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