Welcome to my A-Z of Style Tips - I hope you enjoy what I have put together in the list. I have used an adjective for the description of each letter and hope that the content will not only give you style tips but also be in part a help for your own self-esteem, value and worth. Too often today women feel less than they should through the pressures of all forms of media be they television, magazines, social media - all showing us what the perfect woman should look like and this is always someone super slim. I want everyone of you to read my styling tips which will hopefully give you ideas and ways to enhance what is already a gorgeous you.so that you will feel more body confident and proud.

 

We need to remember that there is no 'perfect' woman on this planet and no perfect body shape. Most of the imagery we are bombarded with today has been photo shopped and enhanced so is unrealistic - heaven knows why as some of those photographed would still look gorgeous without the photo shopping. However the fashion world still dictates stick thin models and this is mainly because some of their outrageous designs on the catwalk could only be worn by a stick thin person (and even then they sometimes don't look great haha). No woman or man should be made to feel less of themselves because of this type of media bombardment. Good body image powerpoint link to watch: Tall, Thin, Beautiful & Fake

 

It really saddens me to hear of young children (as young as seven) saying they are fat and refusing to eat foods because of their poor body image - whether it is something that they have decided themselves or have been the subject of bullying over. We all have to be a part of stopping this increasing and that starts with each of us taking ownership and being body confident and happy in the skin we are in and ensuring that those messages are heard by our children. The sublimal messages that we pass onto our children by commenting in front of them that we feel fat etc. is being heard and is unfortunately being taken on board by our young people in their own perception of themselves.

​

Please embrace your body - whatever shape or size you are - you can and are beautiful and an individual. It is all about finding what suits your body shape and how best to enhance your shape by wearing the clothes that not only do so but also clothes that you feel comfortable in and make you feel fabulous. We all have that outfit that when we put it on we feel amazing.  There have been numerous books written about identifying your own body shape with many different names and types - however I think the easiest are these set out below and will help you define your shape. Remember that these are the basic shapes and within these shapes you may be a petite, shorter legged or carrying extra weight version of your basic shape - however the style tips remain but you may need to incorporate some tips from another shape - i.e. a rectangle could move to being a bit more like a triangle by putting on weight on her buttocks/hip area.

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECTANGLE - this body shape is best described as not having a defined waist and your hips are a similar width to your shoulders so not a lot of curves. Your bust size is small to average. The positives for this body shape are your slender arms and hips and thighs are perfect for skinny jeans and clothes hang well from your strong shoulder frame. You are able to wear a wide variety of styles and having slender hips/thighs gives a slender appearance.

 

Aim: to give the illusion of more curves to your body.

 

What to wear:

• Skinny jeans, wide leg/flared trousers in any colour

• Sweetheart or scoop necklines to create curves

• Tops with collars and ruffles

• Wrap dresses with side rouching

• Adding a thin belt will add the illusion of a waist

• Jackets - long, structured and shaped, peplum bottomed jackets are great as give the illusion of curves

• Wear a good bra to make the most of your bust

 

What not to wear:

• Shapeless clothes

• Straight dresses and skirts

• Crop Tops or Boxy Jackets

• Drop waist dresses

• Square necklines/shoulder pads

• Halter/boatneck/off-the-shoulder tops/dresses

• Tucked in tops

​

Famous Rectangle shapes:

• Nicole Kidman

• Gwyneth Paltrow

• Gwen Stefani

• Cameron Diaz

• Duchess of Windsor (Camilla)

 

TRIANGLE - this body shape is also known as pear shape - and is the most common body shape for women. Your hips are larger than your bust/shoulders and you have a nice defined waist. Your arms and shoulders are slimmer. Weight gain usually appears in lower body area (bottom/thighs/hips) first followed by abdominal and upper body area. You may have shorter legs with a longer torso or a balanced height shape.

 

Aim - to dress in a way that visually draws attention to your upper body and away from your hips/thighs and to elongate your legs. Stick to wearing dark block colours on the bottom half of your body and wedge shoes to elongate your legs.

 

What to wear:

• Brightly coloured tops/blouses in prints ideally with wide sleeves (bell and kimono) that finish at your waist

• Also tops with embellishment or collars at the neck.

• Your tops/jackets should either finish at the waist or be much longer (you do not want them finishing on your hips or thighs)

• Strapless (tube), V-neck, sweetheart, square and boat necklines all look great on you

• Layer your clothes (above the waist) but always accentuate your waist with a belt 

• Waist belts are fab - stay away from hip belts

• Accessories - big and bold to accentuate your top half - also scarves are great

• Waisted and slightly flared dresses (not tight and straight)

• Dark plain coloured straight cut (not tight), bootleg and flared jeans/trousers (high rise) - in weighty fabrics

• Dark plain coloured high waisted A-line, fit and flare skirts to just below the knee and longer

• Wedge heels or high heels with pointed toes - wear bold colours to draw attention down

• Wear the right bra - padded or push-up to add volume to a small bust

​

What not to wear:

• Trousers or skirts with pleats or side pockets or have any embellishments added.

• Baggy shapeless clothes

• Any very straight skirts or trousers that are tight or made from light fabrics

• Tight fitting straight dresses and skirts

• Short skirts

• Crop Tops or tops that end on your hips

• Drop waist dresses

​

Famous Triangle shapes:

• Beyonce

• Rihanna

• Jennifer Lopez

• Sandra Bullock

 

HOURGLASS - this body shape is best described as your hips and bust being wider and your waist is well defined.

 

Aim: to dress in clothing that suits your figure - wear styles that accentuate your waist without adding extra volume to your hips or bust areas.

​

What to wear:

• Tops, dresses and outerwear that accentuate your waist

• Wrap around dresses and tops that tie at the waist

• Clothes that skim your figure (but not too tight)\

• Waist belts

• Tops with scoop, boatneck or V-neck

• Cropped jackets (that finish at the waist)

• Good undergarments (especially if you carry a little extra weight)
   

What not to wear:

• Baggy and shapeless clothes

• Clothes that are too tight

• High necked tops/dresses such as turtle necks or tight crew necks

• Any extra fabric around bust or hip area (as will make you look larger)

• Horizontal striped fabrics

• Lower half clothes with embellishments
   

Famous Hourglass shapes:

• Sophia Loren

• Marilyn Monroe

• Kate Winslet

• Scarlett Johansson

​

INVERTED TRIANGLE - this body shape (also referred to as the most athletic-looking silhouette) is best described as your shoulders being wider than your hips. You may have a large bust and you have a slim (but not too defined) waist, hips and legs. This is the shape of many catwalk models as their wide shoulders and great legs is the easiest for designers to dress.

 

Aim: to dress in a way that take attention away from your shoulders and accentuate your waist and draw attention to your hips - therefore balancing your shape.

 

What to wear:

• Tops with vertical details and in dark colours

• Lower half of your body wear lighter colours (i.e. trousers/skirts)

• Unbuttoned jackets, shirts

• V-neck and U-neck tops/t-shirts/dresses

• Necklaces should be slim and long

• Belts to accentuate your waist

• A-Line dresses/skirts with embellishments at the hips

• Wide trousers with pockets/embellishments - you can also wear culottes

• Horizontal stripe patterns on skirts/trousers and dresses (although with dresses the top half should be plain so as not to accentuate bust area)

 

What not to wear:

• High necked tops or dresses (will accentuate your bust)

• Halter neck tops/dresses (accentuate your shoulders)

• Shoulder pads in tops, dresses or jackets

• Puffed sleeves

• Scarves at your neckline

• Pencil skirts or skinny jeans

​

Famous Inverted Triangle shapes:

• Renee Zellweger

• Naomi Campbell

• Demi Moore

• Cindy Crawford

​

​

ROUND - this body shape is also sometimes called Apple. It is best described as you are fuller in the mid-section area (waist/chest) than your shoulders or legs.  The positives for this body shape are your bust and arms/legs.

 

Aim: to dress in a way that makes your mid-section look narrower and add interest to your shoulders/neckline and volume to your hips to balance out your silohuette.

 

What to wear:​

• Good undergarments such as shapewear and a good push up bra

• Wear lower necklines - plunging if you dare (v-necks or scoop) in tops/dresses

• Shirts/dresses that flow from under the bust line (A-line, bias cut or hanky hem)

• Show off your great legs by wearing knee length hemlines or just above the knee (not mini skirts)

• Wear the right fabrics (non-clingy)

• High waisted trousers with side zips and back pockets

• High waisted trousers in denim (heavy fabrics) with flared, wide legs or boot cut

• High waisted shorts  - wear with nude sandals (to show off your great legs)

• Platform shoes, wedges, calf-length boots, ballet flats and strappy sandals

 

What not to wear:

• Clingy shirts or dresses

• Halter neck, off the shoulder or boat neck design necklines

• Clingy fabrics

• Waisted dresses

• Tight waisted skirts

• Any shoes that make your feet look big (kitten heels, ankle boots, Uggs)

​

Famous Apple shapes:

• Jennifer Hudson

• Elizabeth Hurley

• Rosie O'Donnell

 

COLOUR:

​

In addition to wearing the right style of clothes for your body shape - another big consideration is colour. Again many stylists have written about the different colour palettes which should be adhered to but I think as a person you feel great when you are wearing the right colour - we all have those days when we feel less than energised (in fact sometimes a little down) and realise it is because we are wearing something which is just not our colour tone and therefore doesn't make us feel great.  I am a big believer in making sure you wear what you feel great in - and if you want to wear bright pink in the middle of winter - why not!!!  The rule of thumb that I live by is by all means wear whatever colour you like - but just ensure that the colour(s) closest to your face are those which really suit you - as it is your face which is reflective of those colours. My favourite identifier of what is your own individual colour palette is using the Seasons as your guide - so you need to identify whether you resonate with Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter for your colour palette. Spring and Autumn hold the warmer colours whilst Summer and Winter host the cooler colours - by looking at the colour palettes for each season you will quickly identify which season colour you are as you will identify which shades of colour look great on you (and these will be the ones you receive compliments on from others). The shades that sit within your colour season should be worn close to your neck/face are as these are the ones that will compliment you the most.

 

 

 

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you have identified your season of colour my suggestion is if you struggle a little with colour matching - to look for your colours in Op Shops and create your own swatch of fabric colours to take with you to match whenever you go clothes shopping - this way you will ensure that you are buying clothes that sit in your colour palette and will therefore always look fabulous in your colours. Similarly when choosing lipstick or blushers - again match these with your colour palette to get the right shade. Your skin type is either warm or cool and the easiest way I find of deciding what you are is to decide which looks best on you - gold jewellery or silver. Those who look good in gold are usually warm season colours and those who look good in silver are usually cool season colours.

​

So my aim with my A-Z of Styling Tips is that I hope that by the time you get to 'Z' I may have helped you find your 'Zen' with regards to the style you want to follow but that more importantly you are feeling fabulous about yourself on a daily basis - let's get rid of body negativity and be proud of what we have and we who we are - everyone is beautiful in their own way!