I’m going to share eight tips for styling your outfits to look put together. These styling tips will be different for each body shape.
Related: “What Body Type Am I?”
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8 Simple Tips For Styling l Video
8 Simple Tips For Styling
Tip #1: How Long Is Your Torso?
Someone with a longer torso tends to have shorter legs because their midsection is longer. One of the easiest ways to create the illusion of a more average or natural waistline is to wear high-waisted bottoms. You can wear high-waisted pants, skirts, or jeans. When you bring the waistline up higher, it elongates the legs and makes the torso appear shorter.
For example in this look, Jessica Alba is wearing high-waisted pants. She has tucked her shirt in which brings the waistline up, creating the illusion of longer legs and a shorter torso. Also, her pants are long, streamlined, and in a neutral color, which also helps lengthen her legs.
Aside from wearing your bottoms more high-waisted, think about doing a full tuck of your top or a French or half-tuck. This will accentuate the waist and give you a more proportionate appearance. An alternative to doing a full or half-tuck is having a top that hits where you want your natural waistline to be.
However, if you have a shorter torso, avoid wearing high-waisted bottoms. If your torso is shorter and you’re looking to lengthen your midsection, look for bottoms that are either mid-rise or low-rise. You don’t want the waist of your bottoms to be high-rise because it’s going to make your torso look shorter. In this picture of Taylor Swift, the low-rise pants make her torso elongated. Also, wearing a dark, fitted top will help lengthen the midsection.
Tip #2: The Length Of Your Legs.
The next thing you want to think about when you’re styling your body is the length of your legs. If your legs are on the shorter side, or you want them to appear longer, one great way to do this is with your shoes. To lengthen your legs, wear a nude shoe without any straps.
When you’re trying to elongate your legs, stay away from cropped pants. It’ll give the illusion of shortened legs. You want bottoms that have a streamlined silhouette that goes down to the ankles. High-waisted bottoms will also create the illusion of having longer legs as long as you don’t have a short torso. Finally, another way to elongate your legs is by wearing head-to-toe monochrome looks.
Tip #3: How Wide Are Your Shoulders?
The next thing to think about when styling for your body is how broad your shoulders are. If you’re broader in the shoulders, especially if you’re an inverted triangle, you generally want to avoid horizontal stripes on top. Wherever stripes lay on the body, they will make that area look wider. So if you’re trying to make your shoulders look less broad, avoid wearing horizontal stripes on top.
If you have a pear-shaped body, your shoulders are generally more narrow. For a pear-shaped body type, halter tops work because they’re smaller in the bust. If you have wide shoulders, look for wide straps that lay directly over the shoulders to minimize the appearance of broad shoulders.
Tip #4: The Size Of Your Bust.
The next thing to think about is the size of your bust. If you have a harder time finding a shirt that fits both your bust and waist, buy the size that fits your biggest area. If you have a bigger bust, you should go up a size in your tops to fit your bust. However, if it ends up being too big around your waist, get the waist tailored. This way, your clothes will work for you, and you’ll feel confident in them.
If your bust is on the smaller side and you want to accentuate it, choose tops with ruffles or extra fabric in the chest area. This additional fabric or ruffle detail will give the illusion of a bigger bust.
Tip #5: The Width of Your Waist.
The next thing to think about when you’re styling your body is the width of your waist. If your waist is wider and in line with either your hips or bust, accentuate your waist. You can do this with a belt or by doing a full tuck or French tuck with your tops.
Along those same lines, if you’re trying to minimize the width of your waist, you’ll want to avoid any extra fabric around that area. Instead, look for items that are tailored and more streamlined around the waist. This will help create a more fitted and flattering silhouette.
Tip #6: The Size Of Your Hips.
If you have a straight or rectangle shape and want to create the illusion of more curves, look for bottoms with extra fabric around the hips to add volume. An option is to wear a circle skirt or an A-line skirt, as the added fabric will make your hips appear wider. Adding color or prints to your bottoms can also help. Like in this look with Olivia Palermo, who enhances her straight shape with a full, circle skirt with a pattern.
If you’re more of a pear shape, look for tailored, fitted pieces on the bottom that are streamlined. Structured pencil skirts or silk midi skirts that follow straight lines along the hips are ideal. Wearing darker colors on the bottom also helps create the illusion of a slimmer, more proportional silhouette.
Tip #7: If You’re Petite.
If you’re petite and want to appear taller, there are some simple styling tips you can do when putting your outfits together. One thing is to give the illusion of elongating your legs. As long as you don’t have a shorter torso, you can wear bottoms that are more high-waisted and streamlined, like trousers with a slim leg.
Also, think about your tops hitting at your natural waist versus being longer. I recommend that whatever you’re wearing on top, whether as a piece on its own or a layer, shouldn’t hit longer than mid-hip. Longer tops shorten the body. Look for tops you can do a tuck with, or tops that hit at your natural waistline.
Tip #8: Avoid Head-To-Toe Oversized Outfits.
Avoid head-to-toe oversized pieces. Even if you’re not petite, skipping oversized outfits from top to bottom can be a great choice. A fully oversized look appears sloppy and disheveled, lacking a polished finish. If you love the oversized trend and want to incorporate it into your wardrobe, I recommend doing it like Hailey Bieber here.
She chose one oversized piece. An oversized blazer in a neutral color. A neutral color keeps the statement piece more versatile, unlike a bright pink or green, which might overwhelm the look. The key is to balance your outfit. Pair the oversized item with streamlined, fitted, and tailored pieces so you don’t get lost in the outfit.
8 Simple Tips For Styling | Video
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