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Here are other ways to flatter the figure

The Denver Post

February 22, 2009

If there's just no way you're going to wiggle into a piece of shapewear, dressing slimmer can be as easy as wearing the right color or silhouette, according to wardrobe experts Elycia Rubin and Nancy Taylor Farel.

Here are their tips:

•Clothes should skim, not swallow, the body. "Often, a person's first inclination is to get something big and baggy so it will hide them, but that only makes her look even bigger," Rubin says. "It's better to stick with clothes that are more form-fitting and lie closer."

•Look for tops with banded bottoms that rest at the hips. "The shirt can be blousy at the top, but fits around the lower waist and hips," Rubin says. "You can eat another couple of crab cakes when you wear one."

•V-necklines are flattering, particularly in dress and evening tops.

•Wrap dresses and A-lines are universally flattering. Wrap dresses are not overly fitted, but define the waist. A-lines often balance the figure and minimize emphasis on the waist.

•Long, layered necklaces draw the eye inward and upward. "A big, chunky statement necklace, a scarf or a couple of cuff bracelets draws attention to that part of your outfit," Rubin says.

•Think about contrast. When wearing dark and light colors, the area where the darker color is will appear smaller; the lighter looks bigger.

•Keep it discreet. "The line between showing your bust in a flattering way and exposing yourself is thin," Farel says. "You don't want to cross it."

•Dark colors are slimming. Look for black, navy, chocolate brown.

•Shiny and shimmery fabrics make things look larger and exaggerate curves.

•Stick with flat-front-style pants. Pleats add bulk around the waist and middle.

•Pants with wide leg openings can balance wide hips and derriere, but watch the proportions. If your legs are short, the effect might not work.