Us women come in all shape as and sizes. I’m 5’6’’ and size 10. My legs are quite long and my torso is quite short. When I have heels on which are usually 4 inches and higher I look very tall mainly because wearing heels makes my legs look even longer. People are always shocked by my height when I have flat shoes on as they expect me to be much taller than I am.
Most women want to look tall and slim, however if you are naturally small and past adolescence which means you’re not likely to grow any taller then the best thing for you to do is give the illusion of being much taller and slimmer than you really are.
I can hear you all saying ‘How do I do that?’
Well I’m going to let you in on a few tips and tricks on looking good in everything you wear.
Firstly whenever putting together an outfit you should always remember the principle of horizontal’s and vertical’s.
Remember:
- Horizontals make you look short and stocky
- Verticals make you look tall and slim
- The less horizontals in your outfit the better
- Our Legs are one of our strongest verticals
- Our Shoulders are a strong horizontal
For instance, if you’re wearing a skirt and top the waist line will be a horizontal within the outfit, the hem of the skirt will be a horizontal plus your shoulders as our shoulders are one of our strongest horizontals.
The reason we don’t like horizontals is due to them drawing our eyes across the body rather than up the body towards the face. I.e. wearing a long fitted ball gown with a split up the leg will draw the eyes upwards towards your face as it is a strong vertical. A long outfit will always make you look much taller and slimmer than a short outfit as you are working with one less horizontal.
The same principle goes for wearing vertical and horizontal stripes. Horizontal stripes will make you look more stockier than vertical stripes as again vertical stripes lead the eye up the body rather than across the body giving the illusion of a taller slimmer body.
At the moment I know that one of the biggest trends is shoulder pads and big shoulders however if you already have broad shoulders this style is not for you as you are making an already strong horizontal much stronger.
I know it all sounds quite complicted but once you get it right you’ll look great in everything you wear. So don’t forget to eradicate as much horizontals from your outfits as possible as this will make you look like the woman you have always wanted to.
Chow!
This year’s spring and summer wear is going to be a season to remember as every trend you can think of is currently hitting the High Streets. Monochrome, Utility, Digital Print, Embellishment, Maxi Dresses the list goes on.
One of my favourite trends this spring I must say is Tribal wear. Having been to Africa, I must say the High Streets have really got it right. Whilst in Africa I explored the different types of clothing worn by men and women and many of the clothing is brightly coloured printed material which is usually made into gowns and head wraps.
Though the High Street version of Tribal wear isn’t as authentic as the traditional African Tribal wear it definitely does give you the feel of Africa. With the beaded bangles, printed dresses and bib necklaces this trend is sure to be a winner this summer.
Ways to wear tribal wear is to clash two different patterns; so maybe wear a skirt with a large pattern with a top with a smaller pattern (make sure they’re from the same colour palette), though I feel you really have to know how to carry off this look if you wear it this way. If you’re not as daring, I’d say wear a patterned/printed skirt with a plain top. If you’re still not daring enough but you love this trend, wearing a jersey back maxi dress with a beaded necklace and some beaded bangles will look great.
My waist is one of my greatest assets as it is quite small (many hours of slaving at the gym) and it makes me feel womanly and feminine.
After doing a bit of research it was brought to my attention that during the nineteenth century the waist was one of women’s most feminine features and they done anything to accentuate there waists; mainly by wearing corsets. During the 50’s and 60’s women had much smaller waists than women do now during the twenty-first Century.
As women of the twenty-first century I think we sometimes pay more attention to our boobs, legs and bums and forget about waists and how to accentuate it.
If your waist is smaller than your hips, bust and shoulders, than your more likely to be an pear, or hourglass shape which means you have a figure many of us would die for. However there are many of us who may have a larger waist, which means you are likely to be an apple shape.
Whether you are small or larger woman there are ways to accentuate your waist. If you look at yourself in the mirror you may notice that the area above your waist, just under your boobs is smaller so it is usually a good idea to go for clothes that sit just over your waist line as this draws the eye to the more narrower section and gives the illusion of a smaller waist. If you have a small waist you can get away with almost anything however if you have a larger waist it can sometimes be harder to disguise.
Waist tips:
- Always go for draped dresses and tailored dresses as they hide a larger tummy.
- Go for wider legged trousers i.e. boot cut or flared trousers, as they will create a more balanced silhouette.
- Try and avoid horizontal lines, as the eyes will be drawn from left to right giving the illusion of a wider waist. Always try and go for verticals as your eyes are automatically drawn up the body rather than across.
- Wear accessories to draw attention to your face rather than your stomach area. Wearing, earrings and necklaces will automatically draw attention upwards.
- Try and wear three-quarter length jackets rather than shorter jackets which end on your waistline or just above it as this draws attention to your mid-section
- Try and wear darker colours on top and lighter colours on the bottom.
- Invest in a body shaper, they work well no matter what shape you are. They keep fat in and they’re great to wear under dresses as they smooth out any seams. I have one!!!!
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