More often than not, when I first put on my clothes (with the way the pieces fit off-the-rack), the look is dreadfully unflattering and feels like the clothes are “wearing” me. But a few strategic tweaks, rolls, and tucks are usually all that’s needed to turn the look around from frumpy to flattering! Below, I’ve outlined some simple guidelines that I dress by, and you can watch the quick video here.
1. Wear skin-toned shoes, or pair shoes with same-colored bottoms
The easiest and most effective tip! Whether it’s wearing dark jeans with dark shoes, bare legs with nude pumps, or my winter default – black tights with black booties.
2. Don’t drown out your waistline
This can be done in a variety of ways – by adding a belt over a looser outfit, by tucking in a long top near your natural waist, or by wearing high rise bottoms, just to name a few!
Below, on the left side, my sweater and skirt connected via straight lines on both sides to form one shapeless, rectangular outfit. Since this was a lower rise skirt, I rolled up the waistband so that the waistline fit higher rise near my navel, and then half tucked the sweater to further define my waistline.
3. Finish with a long & lean outer layer
Both jackets below actually work, but I prefer the longer one as it really streamlines the overall look. Oftentimes petite ladies are afraid of midi length pieces, but I love a longer cardigan or jacket for creating visually long lines.
For a shorter jacket, for me the key is to choose slightly cropped ones like below which hit above the widest part of my body (my hips), rather than add bulk to the widest area.
I too am interested in hearing your review of the Lily and Bean Hettie Bag!
Hi Sue, I’ve been enjoying it and feel the quality is pretty nice for the price point!
I still have some extra postpartum fat around my stomach, so tucking in doesn’t work for me. Any advice?
One idea would be to try some longer pieces and belt them!
Hi Jean, Happy New Year! I’m interested in your review of the Lily and Bean Hettie bag. How is the quality and versatility? Thanks!
So far I’ve found it to be pretty nice quality for the price point!
Great tips! I employed tips #1 and #2 (and a style tip from another blog post: layering a sheath dress) to style an outfit, and they made a huge difference.
Thanks so much for sharing, Jean! It’s always so encouraging to hear feedback like this xx
While I agree about the advice regarding dark color bottoms/shoes, the tucking in of a slightly bulky sweater just doesn’t work for me. No matter how I try, it does nothing but look like I have an extra roll there. I am 5 ft tall and 107 lbs, with a very flat stomach. I am very athletic, my legs and hips are probably bigger than others of this size, so a tucked in sweater or even a tight fitting shirt a no-go. The back just flares out over my hips. Cropped length sweaters and high waists work. So do longer sweaters, with no side slits.
Yes! I agree with this. I’m 5’ and 98lbs, but have more pronounced hips. I love how the half tuck defines my waistline, but I have a difficult time getting the back and sides to sit right without adding bulk to my hips/backside. Sometimes I just completely tuck in a thinner shirt, but it doesn’t work for bulkier sweaters. Open to any suggestions!
Love this! It is amazing to see the look transform from frumpy & school-girlish (probably thinking of my school days as girls now seem always instagram ready, haha) to sleek and sophisticated! These tips are so helpful as these are the kind of mistakes I would’ve made without your guidance! 😆
Always happy to share what I’ve learned from trial and error!
Thank you, for the tips you provided