At Artichoke we meet lots women who exude confidence and are very comfortable in their skin whatever their shape or size.
We also meet lots who have in some way lost their sparkle and this is when we turn to Jo Allen our local 'style guru' for advice. We are thrilled that Jo has agreed to offer some of her practical, down to earth style advice to our readers in a series of occasional posts. Advice that we can all understand and if we choose to follow.....
DON’T SLOB OUT: Fitted, shaped clothes are always preferable
to oversize tents. Baggy clothes do
nothing to define your good points – and we all have at least one good
asset! If you are curvy, wear clothes
that celebrate this, not hide it. Badly
fitting clothes can add years and pounds!
Know your body shape and dress to it.
Do you have a defined waist? If so, you must wear clothes that are shaped
in at the waist!
·
If you have very little waist definition, don’t
go for belted styles that highlight this – better to put the emphasis somewhere
else – say neckline or bottom line.
·
Are you someone who is wider on the
hips/bottom? If so, keep this area plain
– add lots of detailing above the waist.
·
If you are top heavy/big-busted, try a loose
open cardi over fitted tops to break up the area.
·
If you have a tummy you’d like to camouflage and
want to disguise middle-age spread:-
o Try
a jacket or overblouse, or bypass with tunic styles that hang from the
shoulder.
o Avoid
double-breasted jackets which make you look wider – opt for single-breasted
o Divert
the attention elsewhere – with necklaces.
o Look
for flat-fronted trousers which avoid adding bulk to a fuller tummy
o Try
longer skirts lengths (below the knee or to mid calf) to visually elongate the
body and thus disguise fullness around the tummy and hips.
o Try
a long scarf or perhaps a tie front or waterfall cardi – this will draw the eye
up and down and away from what’s hiding underneath.
You see it is so obvious when you know how!
