A short neck is one that is less than one of your own hand widths wide (check out this post). Sometimes a wider neck (we assume proportionally you are around 3 necks wide, from shoulder to shoulder) can also look shorter. If you have a shorter neck and find that you are stumped at how…
I was asked recently how to know if your arms are long, short or average – so I made this short video to show you how to tell. It’s a simple trick to find out if your arm length is long, short or average. Why does it matter? It influences how you will…
Hi. I’ve been reading your blog and found it amazingly helpful! Can you give me some tips for wearing crop shirts? Certainly, they can make your legs look longer. But I’ve seen people wearing them, and sometimes their legs looked rather short because the short tops only emphasized their bottoms. I see the difference, but…
Hey Imogen! I’ve read a lot about body shapes on your site and I’m already much wiser! But something still confuses me: I am petite (5’4”), very (!!!) short waisted and also a distinct A shape. And what I’ve learned about dressing these three characteristics seem to conflict. For example, a short waisted women should…
I suppose I’m “of a certain age” in some circles at least – look young 40s but I’m actually mid 50s – and the jewelry thing has me stymied. I have delicate features and small bones, so need smallish jewelry. Chunky or large things are just completely out of scale on me! I no longer…
Learning to use the illusion of lines in your outfits gives you the opportunity to change how you appear. There are a few different kinds of lines, horizontals (find out how to use them here), verticals, diagonals and curved lines. Each has its own effect on your appearance. Taking outfits photos means trying a few…
I have a question about using the column of colour to look taller (as a curvy petite H shape ) – should I only wear darker tops, avoiding white or cream tops ? There are two major ways to wear a column of colour, on the outside, or on the inside. The version on the…
Choosing Collars and Lapels O/A shape – broader collars to balance hips I, V shape or petite – narrower/smaller collars not to further broaden shoulders or overwhelm your frame H, X, 8 shape – medium collars – higher will make you look taller, lower will draw attention to bust and make larger Large bust –…
I am a sewer and some ideas about how to choose fabric to sew would be great. It can be challenging to locate good fabric and then imagine how it will look best sewn, and then find a suitable pattern. Fabric Drape How fluid or stiff is the fabric. The drape is not about how…
Whether you were genetically blessed in the gams department or not, most of us wouldn’t mind creating the illusion of even longer legs. You can still have legs for days with a few simple wardrobe tricks. It’s all about creating a visual illusion with your outfits…. 1. Keep your skirts shorter, to just on or above…
In one of your last videos, you talked about principles of coordination – can you go in more detail on this, please? There are 4 main principles of co-ordination – these are: Levels of Refinement Principle of Volume Related Shapes Related Lines Each of these influences how we put outfits together, from accessories to garments,…
It’s now been 3 months since I had my breast reduction surgery and I wanted to give you a quick update on how I’m recovering. My breasts now feel pretty normal, for quite some time I could tell that there was healing going on inside, it’s only now when they get squashed that I feel…
For a long time (well most of my life) I never ran. Well I couldn’t run without pain or holding my breasts and that’s exhausting, not being able to move your arms in the regular running pattern makes you tired way more quickly. After 30 years of searching, I finally found a sports bra that…
As many of you are aware, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight in the past 7 months. 15kg (33 pounds) to be exact, not including the just under 1kg loss of my recent breast reduction surgery. As someone who has not been easily slim since I discovered chocolate when I was 15, I’ve always…
n Hi Imogen, you’re looking fantastic! What a big year its been for you. Congratulations on all your achievements. I have a question about boot cut pants and/or jeans. Are they still current? I put a pair on the other day for a working bee at school (as they were my oldest pair) and though…
Sleeves please – I’m a H/O shape, and always wonder if I should have my sleeves shortened as a full sleeve makes me look bigger. The shape of the sleeve that you wear can make you look larger or smaller, depending on where it ends (watch this video for tips on that topic) and also…
Hi I have recently discovered your website and finally subscribed to the email. I wonder if you can help with a stripes related question please? I read conflicting information about petites and stripes. I haven’t found an answer on your website but if I have missed it please point me in the right direction. I…
I’ve been asked once again to share with you how to measure your body proportions, so I made a new video to help you figure out where you are proportionally longer and shorter. Just remember, when you’re measuring. 1 head length (top of head to base of chin) – use this length to determine…
Hard to believe but I’m now 6 weeks post my reduction, and I’ve forgotten what it felt like to have larger breasts (my shoulders and back do still feel like there is less strain on them than there used to be). I’m now allowed to go back to higher impact exercise (though I haven’t run…
Warning: this post contains boobs and may not be work appropriate or if you have beliefs about modesty you may want to skip this post. Today marks my 4 weeks post breast reduction surgery. Yes, I’m still having some pain, tingling, burning, stabbing kinds of weird and uncomfortable sensations, but I do not regret the…
There is no one route to style. You cannot become instantly stylish just from understanding your body shape (sorry Trinny and Susannah, it’s just not that simple). There is, what I call, the Style Puzzle, a group of elements when they all go together define your personal style. These puzzle pieces are just the start…
