We need not torment ourselves about how body flaws—be it a large tummy, small chest, big arms, or huge thighs—prevent us from looking good in our outfits. We just need to know the right clothes that will hide them and consequently flatter our figures.
Are you finding it hard to find clothes that flatter your: boyish figure, short legs, short neck, short torso, or wide shoulders? iVillage.com has a feature called Figure Flatterer that helps you find clothes that will work for you. It tells you what to avoid and recommends tops, pants, skirts, dresses, bathing suits, and even accessories you should wear.
For a sneak peek, here are some dressing tips from Figure Flatterer that address three common flaws women complain about: big tummy, big arms, and bottom heavy.
Big tummy
Tops:
- Tops that stop in the middle of your tummy break the bulge.
- Peasant blouses accentuate a full bustline while skimming over the tummy area.
Bottoms:
- Flat-fronted pants with side zips are best.
- Low-waisted jeans that are a size too big for you minimize your belly and make your waist look leaner.
Dresses:
- Some two-piece ensemble dress outfits, such as a sweetheart or V-neck shirt that ends at your tummy matched with an A-line or pencil skirt, are perfect for you.
- Wear loose-fitting wrap dresses that you can tie lightly around the area you want to hide, making sure the draping doesn't cling.
What to avoid: modern materials that are shiny and tight; a short shirt or a cropped top; pants and shorts that ride too low; hip-huggers; baggy shorts with pockets in the front; any dress in clingy material like Lycra or polyester.
Big arms
Tops:
- Long-sleeved flimsy blouses with floating cuffs give your wrists a daintiness that extends all the way up the elbow.
- Shirts in the right fit that have small puffs on the shoulder seams make the whole arm look smaller.
(See outfit in main photo, courtesy of Unarosa)
What to avoid: puff sleeves or blouses with elastic bands in sleeves that are shorter than three-quarter length; sleeveless tops and halter necks that create narrow necklines, making your arms look huge.
Bottom heavy
Bottoms:
- Swinging palazzo pants create an inverted triangle on the lower part of your figure—widest at the bottom, slimming as the eye moves up.
- Flared jeans and some boot-cut pants replicate the inverted triangle below the hips, which your pants need to do for you.
- A-line skirts in any length look great on you because it starts at your slimmest point, the waist, and skims past the hips and thighs.
What to avoid: leggings, skinny jeans, tapered trousers or anything that gets skinnier as it goes down; straight-legged pants, particularly jeans that won't do anything to distract from the width of your hips; slim skirts made of clingy materials; bias cut and pencil skirts.
Check out these combinations from the FN Dressing Room.
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