Dress Thinner: Fashion Do's & Don'ts

Every one wants to look thinner. You don’t need to cover your body if you have extra pounds. You just need to know how to play up your best feature.

Here are several tips on how to have a thinner, leaner, sleeker looking you.

Find the right size

Clothes that are too tight will show all the flaws of your body (bulges, roll, dimples) and clothes that are too baggy will add pounds. When you buy clothes “try it on”. Walk, sit, bend, and hug yourself to check if you feel comfortable with it. Don’t buy a particular dress because you think that it’s the size that you should be wearing. Fit is everything!

One color darker dressing code

Choose one color, it may be black, navy blue, gray for longer, slimmer look because one color dress code could create an unbroken line.  Best rule is to match your separates. Lose pounds by matching your blouse, skirt, jeans, stockings, shoes. You could slip a pair of bright scarf or shoes or belt to loosen things up.  

No extra bulky fabrics

Look for thin horizontal lines for fluid look. Avoid pleats, bulky sweaters and sweatshirts, flashy fabrics, flowing skirts, baggy pants, extra ruffles, large prints will add more bulk in your appearance. V-neck shirts can make your torso look longer. If you prefer sleeveless dress try to cover it with nice shawl.

Avoid too tight pants

According to Jill Martin author of Fashion for Dummies “Jeans should hug you in all the right places”. Boot-cut pant leg will give a more symmetrical appearance and thus make you look thinner. Don’t choose pants in clingy fabrics like silk or velvet that cup your rear. Avoid too tight pants that cling to your thighs and hips.

Wear heeled shoes

The higher the heel of the shoes the more slimming effect. Make sure of course that you’re comfortable with it to have good posture adding to your slimmer look.

Accessorize to complete your outfit

Thick waistband helps flatten the tummy. Long pretty scarves draw attention to your pretty face. Don’t overdo your jewelry. Pick jewelry appropriate to your size. Great hair color, sleek nails, nice bag all this things can enhance your overall image.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF LUXURY

From Coco Chanel's humble beginnings in Deauville to today's fashion conglomerates, the practice of Haute Coulture still thrives in the current marketplace.

1889

Jeanne Lanvin, recognized as the French Ambassador of elegance, began what is now known as the House of Lanvin after making exquisite dresses for her daughter Marguerite. The dresses she made attracted attention of the nobles of her day, and the House of Lanvin was born. By the 1920's, Lanvin had moved her burgeoning business to rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, Paris, where her empire would grow to includeL mens-wear, furs, lingerie, home decor and fragrance.

1913

Gabriele "Coco" Chanel established her now famouse house in Paris. her use of jersey fabribc, unheard of and highly unusual at that time, coulped with her menswear-inspired designs earned her early success and a dedicated clientele. The house is noted for their tweed-box shaped jackets, quilted handbags, camelia flower, fragrances and the black and white cap-toe shoes. The House still occupies the same Rue de Cambon address that it did when Coco was alive and lived there.

1914

Cristobal Balenciaga, the famed Spanish Couturier opened his first Couture shop in Spain in 1917m and in 1937 on Avenue V in Paris. His greatest successes came after WWII when he introduced empire waists, sculptural dresses with stiff petticoats, broad shoulders and chemise dresses. Balenciaga was one of the first designers to have in salon shows.

1921

Guccio Gucci, creator of the bamboo handbag and metal horse bit logo, opened his first store in Florence. Gucci is noted for designing saddle-shaped handbags, striped webbing, the Flora silk scarf worn by Grace Kelly, and the suede moccasin with the metal bit. Although the company was subject to infighting and alliances, it grew into a global luxury brand until its downfall in the 1970's. A turnaround of the brand came in the late 1980's under the mastery of Tom Ford and continued enjoying global success with Creative Director Frida Giannini.

1946

Christian Dior, one of the most important couturiers of the Twentieth Century, launched his fashion house in the early 1940 when he sent out his first collection featuring prominent, rounded shoulders, cinched waists and very full skirts. He is noted today for creating designer licensing, the A-line, ethereal floral prints and trompe l'oeil detailing.

1947

The Marquis Emilio Pucci opened his couture house, and the bright, eye-popping abstracts were born. After being photographed on a ski slope in ski-wear of his own designs, a buyer from Lord & Taylor commissioned a ski-wear line. Within a short period of time his bold coloured designs achieved international acclaim. The Pucci line, was then and remains to this day, one of the most loved fashion houses.

1960

Valentino Garavani 'Valentino' returned to Rome after working as a design assistant for Guy Laroche and opened his own atelier. After showing his line in Florence, buyers from I. Magnin department store were so enthralled they bought the entire line and 'Valentino' was born. He is known for his signature colour red, his refined lady-like designs, extravagant fabrics, precise tailoring and his wealthy and royal clientele.

1961

The great Yves Saint Laurent opened his fashion house, often using tribal, ethnic motifs that invoked his Tangier birthplace. Noted for his invention of the "Le Smoking" tuxedo suit for women worn sans blouse, the trapeze dres, and for continuing where Chanel left off with the art of masculine in feminine dressing.

What to Wear and When

Teenagers:

Your greatest asset is your youth so you should wear make-up that plays up to that instead of hiding it. Your foundation should be sheer, oil-free and water-based. Natural eyes are best so go easy on the mascara. Keep lipstick lipgloss sheer for maximum effect.

Twenties:

Go light on the foundation and match the colours you use for your eyes with the natural colour of your eyes and your skin tone, as well as the mood you are in.

Thirties:

This is when the initial, telltale signs of ageing like fine lines begin to appear. That’s why you should start toning the palette of your make-up down. Also, you can go a little heavier with your foundation but wear your blusher in more muted colours. Avoid frosted make-up to keep the attention away from the small wrinkles and fine lines.

Forties:

Signs of ageing become more apparent so start wearing make-up that is kind to your skin. An oil-based foundation is a good way to go if you have dry skin. You could use concealer more generously over dark spots and panda eyes. Steer clear of frosted or metallic eye shadow, especially if you tend to have puffy eyes and use softer shades of blusher.

Fifties Plus:

This is when you should be letting yourself age gracefully. Be kind to your face and avoid matte make-up. Never go the frosty, shiny or metallic colour route for eyes because it only highlights puffiness and wrinkles. Keep your lipstick colour light.

How to Pack a Clutch

We're not afraid to admit that the clutch is an impractical bag. Not only is it tiny, but, as the name implies, you hav eto clutch it all night. And the remaining hand just isn't enough to handle the simplest of task.

Still, clutches are chic, they don't make your outfit rumple in odd places, and, well, as we said, they really are chic.

The effect is lost, howeverm when said bag bursts, spilling its contents across the floor. So we have compiled a list of suggestions on how to pack in everything you need.

.While it might sound a obsessive, you should have particular items saved specifically for clutch-carrying occassions. Think about it: you are going to an event fancy enough to require a ridiculously small bag, so you obviously want to look nice. To do this, you probably want to carry a full make-ip bag, perfume, brush and hairspray. You need to plan ahead.

.Don't try to cram in all your usual cosmetics. Hold on to any tester-sized items you might acquire: sometimes when you spend a certain amount at a favorite counter, the store gives you tiny lip glosses or moisturisers as a gift. Also, near the counter in both Boots and Faces, there are often minis that are just the right size.

.Find a foldaway brush with a compact mirror inside. Folding it reduces the size and also stops stray hairs from getting entangled in your stuff.

.Remove every item but the front door key from the key ring. You don't need anything else, and if you leave extra keys at home, there is no chance of losing them.

.If, like us, your wallet is bigger than the clutch, take our your ID, credit card and cash and put them in the bag's internal compartment. This is a good way to limit your spending too - you can only fit so much cash in a clutch.

.If you have any medication, matches, chewing gum, spare contact lenses, etc, remember that you don't need a whole box of each. We recommend you keep a gorgeous little pill box (there are hundreds of quirky ones) in you favorite clutch with just one or two of anything you might need.

Now if only we could find a way to shrink our mobile phones.