Getting the slimming look through fashion
Stylist Joanna Shacklock with some dresses at House of Fraser to show people how to 'dress slimmer.'
A FEW weeks into January and that plan to shed the pounds, that seemed so do-able at the beginning of the month, can often fall by the wayside.
But never fear, if your diet plans are not going well, no matter what your size or shape, style advisor Joanna Shacklock, says there are ways to appear to drop a dress size (or several) just by choosing the right clothes for your body shape.
She gave Elisabeth Pitts, aged 63, from Moulton, who is 5ft and a size 14/16 and Louise Barrett, aged 40, from Billing, who is 6ft and a size 18/20, a lesson on dressing for their shapes at House of Fraser in Northampton.
“We are constantly bombarded by images of a woman of a specific shape. She is 5ft 7 tall with shoulders just slightly wider than her hips.
“She’s an hourglass shape with a defined waist and an oval face.
“The fashion industry tends to follow this shape and to split the female body into four equal proportions... but most of us struggle because we do not meet all the requirements of a standardised model.”
But just because you are not this specific shape, doesn’t mean you can’t give the appearance that you are that shape, says Joanna.
“99.9 per cent of the population doesn’t have this shape and to create it we need illusions to be more like what is deemed aesthetically pleasing.
“If you are smaller you can make yourself look taller and if you are taller, smaller,” said Joanna.
“It is down to creating balance and proportion in how we dress.
“It is important to think about scale when you are dressing
“Face shape is also important, both Louise and Elisabeth, have a soft face shape so a sharp neckline or V-neck won’t suit then.”
She states that identifying our body shape and dressing to it is key to learning to dress to appear slimmer.
“There are three main body shapes: straight, semi-straight and shape,” says Joanna.
“Elisabeth is a shape and Louise is a straight.
“We can’t change our body shape but we can draw the eye to the best parts.
“Louise has long slim thighs so this is an area we want to draw the eye to.
“The eye will always go to a light area before it goes to a dark area, so always bear this in mind when thinking about your best features.
“Elisabeth’s hips are wider than her shoulders, but she can create the illusion this isn’t the case by embellishing the shoulder.
“She should try and draw the eye to the slimmest part of her body which is her waist, and not wear clothes that cut her at her widest point on the hips.
“If you cut the line of your clothes at your worst area when wearing different tones or colours, you will draw the eye there.”
Accessories can be just as important as clothes when trying to appear slimmer, says Joanna.
“Louise shouldn’t go for very small accessories because they will make her appear larger.
“For Elisabeth a shoulder bag is best as it diverts the eye up, whereas Louise should opt for a bigger bag and avoid small clutches.
“A monotone colour can make you look taller, whereas horizontal stripes are not good for a smaller person.”
Joanna also broke some common myths about dressing to slim.
“Wearing black to slim yourself is a myth.
“White or any block of colour can have that effect, and black is not very flattering when you get older.
“For everyone standing up straight has an amazingly slimming effect.”
She added: “Sometimes we are so desperate to wear something that has just become in fashion that we don’t think about how it fits or suits us.”
Email to a friend
Print this page- BREAKING NEWS: Tributes paid to Niamh Curry as brave five-year-old loses battle against cancer
- BREAKING NEWS: Pensioner dies after collision at Northampton shopping centre
- Man tied to tree and beaten on Northampton Racecourse
- BREAKING NEWS: Seven-year-old boy dies following house fire in Northamptonshire
- Northampton binmen at ‘breaking point’
- Northampton binmen at ‘breaking point’
- Saints’ stadium plans get support as long as traffic issues solved
- Staff strike at Northampton school over academy plans forces closure
- Eastern European pupils helping school standards across Northampton
- Vow to crack down on anti-social behaviour across Northampton’s eastern district
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Northampton
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.