fashion tips and tricks

Important Basics

• Recognise your assets and choose clothes which flatter this part of your body

Either show off your boobs or your bum, never both in one outfit.

Only wear shiny fabrics and bright colours on areas that you are sure can stand up to being in the limelight.

If you have love handles or a round tummy, wear textured fabrics and wrap-around tops.

Don't wear clinging clothes, but clothes that skim the body and show off shape. No matter what size you are, there is always shape there.Your wrist or your neck...whatever ever it is, show it off.

If you have a short or wide neck, wear tops that are open at the neck, rather than high or round ones, to lengthen and slim your neck.

Wear trousers that are on the larger side rather than too tight; trousers that appear to strain at the seams will make you look fat.

Don't wear lots of eye make-up and lots of lipstick.You want to show off one and let the other fade into the background.The same applies to breasts and legs. Show off one or the other, not both.

No woman over the age of 35 should wear skirts above the knee.

Never wear leather trousers unless you are a biker.They have connotations and, however cold it is, you still sweat in the crotch.You'll look like a gunslinger with a wet pubic area. And they hardly ever flatter anyone's bum.

• Go through your wardrobe and ask yourself "What have I not worn for the past two years?" Then throw them away.

Play with your clothes. Remember when you were eight in the dressing-up box and you would rearrange your wardrobe by colour? New outfits will begin to appear that you wouldn't have considered putting together before.

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• Neon and fluorescent colours should only be worn by people with olive-skin.

Only wear shiny fabrics and bright colours on areas that you are sure can stand up to being in the limelight.

Choose to wear the colours you gravitate towards when you are feeling a bit down.Those are the colours that generally lift your face, unless you are depressive and you just wear black.

Always wear colour with colour. If your main colour is plum, then you can wear red, pink, or orange with it. They all look wonderful and you will look taller, skinnier and far more stylish. Combining black with bright colours makes the black look boring and the colours look cheap.

If you have sallow skin, dark circles or bags, don't wear black near your face, it only draws attention to it.

If you're petite or of larger build, avoid a dramatic contrast between top and bottom as this will cut you in half.

• Always wear a bra that fits you properly; a good bra will lift the boobs and give definition to the waist.

Always make sure your bra and knickers are lighter or the same colour as the clothes you're wearing.

It is fine to show off your bra straps under spaghetti strapped tops and dresses, as long as the bra is pretty.

Avoid thin back straps unless you are totally fatless or you will end up with unsightly back bulges under your clothes.

Flat-chested women, whose nipples show when they are wearing tops without a bra, should put plasters over their nipples or put foundation on them.

Wear 'chicken fillets' to fill out a top if you have small boobs. Small breasts look good in bras with 'chicken fillet padding' and a draw-string front.

If you have big breasts - it's essential to wear a bra that fits you properly; a good bra will lift the boobs and give definition to the waist.

Balcony bras look great on girls with large chests.

• Look at the VPL (Visible Panty Line). Ban all knickers that show through your trousers.

Wear flesh-coloured underwear under white clothes or any outfit that is vaguely see-through.

If a skirt is see-through, but not figure-hugging, opt for big, flesh-coloured knickers rather than a G-string.

If you have bad cellulite on your bum, avoid G-strings at all costs if you are wearing thin fabrics.

• If you've got a large chest and are embarrassed to show off too much flesh in a v-necked top, wear a large necklace to cover the area.

Never wear a scarf or necklace over the top of a roll-neck jumper.

Don't wear long pendants that nestle in your cleavage if you have big boobs.

• If you have a double chin or your face is chubby, opt for longer earrings.

If you have a short neck, avoid large, choker-style necklaces.

• If you have thick ankles don't wear delicate, strappy heels; ankle straps which cut across the ankle or ballerina-style shoes.

Trousers and jeans should fall to the bottom of the heel.

Don't wear black shoes with light-coloured clothing unless the sandals are extremely dainty.

Black shoes shouldn't be worn with brightly-coloured clothes as they cheapen the colours. Black shoes look best with darker colours.

Avoid thin, teetering heels if you have skinny legs – the heels will look like they're going to snap under the weight of your body, which appear heavier than your legs.

If you are pear-shaped, avoid dainty kitten heels.

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