If you’re an A shape with narrow shoulders or even an 8 shape or X shape or just have more sloping shoulders rather than square shoulders, how can you make them appear broader to create more balance? Necklines – horizontal necklines like boat necks, square necks or wider v-necks can help to broaden. Shoulder detail…
Hi Imogen, I am 5’0 and 120lb with a figure of eight shape. I am very short waisted (my waist is the smallest about 1.5 inches from the bottom of my bust). So I’ve been wearing shirts untucked with a belt as I have a little bit of a belly. The only thing is, it…
If you are a busy mum and spend much of your time in practical clothing like a knit top with a pair of jeans, how do you dress it up to make it more stylish whilst still remaining practical? Accessories are key … let me show you how. When my daughter was 4 years old…
How the sleeve is cut and fits into a top or jacket can change the way a garment appears on your body. If you have a deeper, lower cut armhole, this will add some bulk to your chest region, so is great for women with narrower shoulders (A shapes) or smaller busts who would like…
I was asked by a reader the other day for help choosing winter coats. Here are a few tips. Clockwise from top left: Show off a defined waist with a belted coat like a trench – great for X, A and 8 shapes. If you are petite, keep your coat knee length or shorter and…
I was asked the other day by a reader where are the defining points to figure out body shape. How to Define Your Body Shape Is it bust, waist and hips, shoulders waist and hips and where are the hips defined from – the thigh or up on the buttock area? For me (and I’m sure there…
People always ask me where the best point is to end their tops and jackets. As the hem of a top creates a horizontal line, the best place is on a narrow point, rather than a wide point. If you are a body shape that has wider hips/thighs than waist, A, X, H, 8 (or…
If you’re like me and like to wear a cardi when it’s a little nippy, how to choose one to flatter your figure? How to Choose a Flattering Cardigan Clockwise from top left The stripy cardigan is great for I shapes, the wide stripes will add curves as will the pocket detail which will add…
“Do you think certain body types/faces look better in certain styles of clothes – and what I mean here is either casual, classic, sporty, etc.I have an X shape (hourglass) and with it being spring going into summer here in Canada, everyone wears t-shirts and capris/shorts a lot, but I find I look dumpy/matronly in…
Yes, body shapes can be confusing, we are all unique, so there is no exact standard for body shapes, but these are guidelines. You can be a mix of body shapes, though you will probably find that you fall more into one shape than another. If you have the top half of an A and…
One of the comments left on a post the other day was this: jinnan-tonnyx said… Can you explain more about why trousers pull across the crotch on X shapes? I am an X and whenever I buy a new pair of pants my husband always says they don’t fit right – and I tell him,…
Today I have a couple of examples of A body shapes for you. You will notice that they can be more or less obvious, but that the low hip is where the widest point is (rather than the high hip of the 8 shape). Their shoulders are narrower than their hips (shoulders are taken from…
I always find that I want to make shopping a pleasant experience. So with a little knowledge you can be prepared to assess a garment before you try it to see if it has a chance of flattering your figure. If you have an A (pear) shaped body, which many women do, it’s that lovely…
I was over at Academic Chic who all LOVE belts, in a big way. This week, S is doing a course on belting, if you’re interested in following along. Belting is something that you need to try out for yourself, some of us have bodies that belt well (body shapes -I, X, 8 A, V)…
If you want to wear a patterned skirt how do you choose what colour from the pattern to go with the top? It’s as easy as this. If you want to draw attention up, and distract from your lower half (A shape, X shape), wear a lighter or brighter colour from the skirt in your…
Yesterday I did a post on What Size Handbag to Choose – one of the commenter’s asked about handbag placement, should you wear it at your hips or under your arm, down the side of your body and what happens when you wear it across your body? The answer lies in knowing your body shape and…
How to Choose an Empire Waist to Suit Your Body Shape An Empire Waist garment has a high cut waist seam that sits directly under the breasts (above your natural waistline). It’s flattering on so many body shapes because it doesn’t require a defined natural waist to work. For petites it works because it raises…
Is it me or the clothes? Women, notoriously blame their bodies when it doesn’t flatter them or fit them, but in fact, if you look closely at the design of the garment, you will soon realise that it is not your body (which is perfect) that is wrong, instead, it’s a badly designed garment. How…
Karen asked me to give some advice on tucking – who should and who shouldn’t. Basically, if you are short through the waist (and especially if you have a medium to large bust), don’t tuck, it will make you look even shorter through the waist. This applies to H shapes, O shapes and…
Not only do we have body shapes (which can also be called our Horizontal Body Shape) we also have to take into consideration our Body Proportions (or Vertical Body Shape). Proportions are important as they tell us where to end our clothes, such as hems on skirts, hems on tops and jackets. Should you end…
Many of you have asked me to share with you some celebrities who have similar body shapes to yours (so you can get some style inspiration). Now in Hollywood ‘very thin’ is common due to the pressures put on celebrities so there is less variety in body shapes. But here are some celebrities who…
