How to Pick Flattering Clothes for Your Figure

The hardest thing for a woman to accept is that her figure is less than perfect. The reason it's so difficult is that we very often are not honest about our body image. We may see an outfit that is so beautiful we just have to have it, yet when we put it on it's a disaster. The same is true of color. How many of us really look good in our favorite color? Sometimes we blind ourselves to the image that the mirror is giving back to us and that "perfect" outfit ends up looking better on the hanger than it does on us. The focus of our dress should be to look the best that we can and for most of us, that means compromise.

Instructions

1. Take a look in the mirror and take note of your figure. Are you tall, short, top heavy, too skinny or too fat? Be honest with yourself--no one is perfect. Once you have identified both your strong and weak spots you will be able to select clothes that will focus on what's good and detract from what's not.

2. If you are overweight try to select clothes that are made with thinner fabrics. Heavy material only makes a heavy figure look bigger. You also want to wear clothes that are one color rather than contrasting tops and bottoms. Darker colors are more slimming. When you wear one color the eye will travel down a straight line from your neck to your hemline. The longer the line the thinner you will appear.

3. If you are large on top wear dark colored tops and blouses without too much detail or decoration. The idea here is to draw the eye away from your prominent area. Try to pick blouses or shirts with a fuller or baggier sleeve rather than a tight sleeve. Also, avoid clingy fabrics and shoulder pads.

4. If you are pear-shaped or heavy in the hips, choose clothes that have vertical lines. Select longer shirts and blouses that cover your hips. You can also wear lighter colored shirts and blouses to bring the eye up and away from your hips. Avoid full skirts and large patterns.

5. Wear horizontal stripes if you are tall and thin. You'll want to stay away from vertical stripes and monotone outfits. Add some color to your clothes by wearing contrasting shirts and bottoms. Wide belts are wonderful if you are are tall and thin, as are frilly blouses and ruffles. Stay away from tight, straight legged jeans and pants and opt for wide legs and flares instead. Don't shy away from large accessories and bulky fabrics as they will help to fill out your figure.

6. Wear monotone outfits and solid darker colors if you are short. Stay away from belts and anything else that would chop up your figure or the length of your body. Belts should be avoided, however if you need to wear one, get one that is the same color as your outfit and make sure it's a very thin belt. Wear high heels, but again make sure they are dark and the same color as your clothes. If you like patterns wear small darker prints and stay away from horizontal stripes.

7. Choose multicolored clothes if you're tall. Wide horizontal stripes look great on tall figures as do wide colored belts and larger accessories. Shoes should be flat or have small heels. Look for fashions with larger prints and wide pant legs and skirts.

Tips & Warnings

• Always shop with a friend--sometimes they can see what you cannot.