Wear clothes to flatter your neck. If you have a short neck, you want to avoid turtlenecks or anything that cuts off your neck. Instead go for low plunging tops or tops with items that draw the eyes down (necktie or button-down shirt, for guys). Wear clothes to flatter your shoulders. If you have narrow shoulders, you can wear items that make your shoulders look broader. Good examples include shirts that puff slightly at the shoulder or include a small amount of padding or structure to the shoulder. Avoid these same things if you want to play down your shoulders. Use stripes. You can also use stripes to your advantage, to make you look taller, thinner, or to make your shoulders look more narrow or broader. Wider stripes will make your shoulders look broader, while thinner ones will make you look narrower. Similarly, narrow stripes make you look taller and thinner, while wider stripes or horizontal stripes will make you look wider and shorter. Wear clothes to flatter your waist. Generally, you want to wear clothes that are fitted at your natural waist. Covering up a tummy with baggy clothes tends to make women look pregnant. Men can get away with it a bit more. Use contrasting belts to draw attention to a small waist. Both genders will also want to avoid large prints if they’ve got extra space in the stomach region, as this just adds imaginary weight. Wear clothes to flatter your hips. Men: if you’re pretty bootylicious, you’re going to want to skip double vented coats and suit jackets. [2] X Research source If you want to make narrow hips look more round, go for cuts that flow out at the hip. Those with too much hip should instead wear darker colors on the bottom and bright colors with bold prints on top.
Flatter your bottom. Rule number one is definitely to wear pants that fit, no matter the size. If you want yours to look more shapely and you’re a person of a lady-like persuasion, go for full shirts (either short or long). Either gender can go jeans with very structured and thick pockets, to create the illusion of shape. For those with a little too much bum, go for dark pants. Many of these same rules apply for flattering your hips. [3] X Research source Wear clothes that fit your height. Narrow, thin stripes will make you look taller, so avoid these if you’re already towering over your peers. Wider stripes or horizontal stripes, however, will make you look shorter and fatter. Play with either stripe to achieve a look that works for you.
Warm skin tones (naturally look better in gold): wear colors like reds, yellows, and olive greens. Cool skin tones (naturally look better in silver): wear colors like purples, blues, and teals. Try to highlight your best features. If you have bright eye colors, such as blue or green, consider wearing colors that are similar to draw that color out. Try to downplay bad features. If your skin is naturally ashy, avoid washed-out colors like pastels. If you have blemishes or a red face, avoid reds and pinks, as they will make the problem look worse.
Get a few basic tees and tanks. Get tee shirts and tank tops (or other warm-weather shirts) that look good on you. You’ll want some in neutral colors and some in more interesting colors. Get some fancy tops. You’ll then want to get some fancier shirts. These are the kinds of shirts that you might wear to a nice bar or a cocktail party. Choose these in sensual or dark colors. Get some basic button-downs. You’ll want several pairs of basic button-down shirts. Depending on the weather in your area, these can be long or short sleeve or a mix of the two. Have most in white, but a few can be colored or black. Get some sweaters. Now you’ll want some sweaters. How heavy-duty these are and how many you get will depend on the weather in your area. Have at least one cardigan (button-down sweater) and one full sweater. More than one of each is a good idea so that you can have one of each in a neutral color and one of each in a brighter color.
Get a few pairs of jeans. Get several pairs of jeans that fit well. At least 3 is a good number, more if you wear jeans every day. Try to err on the side of darker blue jeans with similarly dark seams. This is less prone to going out of style and they make just about everyone look thinner. At least one of these pairs might need to be short if your weather gets warm enough to ever need shorts. Get a pair of slacks. Now you’ll want a pair or two of slacks. The best bet is one pair of black (thinly pinstriped, if you want to look taller and thinner) slacks and one pair of grey or brown slacks (depending on your chosen color scheme). Get a pair of khakis. You’ll also want one pair of khakis. These are useful for weddings and spring or summer events (like Easter gatherings). They’re also great for interviews. Khakis are easy to dress up or down, so having one pair will make your life easier.
Get a formal dress. One formal dress, usually a nice cocktail dress in black, will be useful for semi-formal events. With the right jewelry and the right dress, it may even be able to pass for more formal situations, depending on the particulars. Get a day dress. Now get a dress that is more casual but still pretty. This one will be used for both nice summer days and events like weddings and garden parties. Get a short dress. If you want to, you can get a short dress. This can be worn over jeans or leggings for a cute look to go to the mall, or it can be worn on its own to go clubbing.
Don’t forget, ladies, to get some jewelry. Adding fancy jewelry can help make a more casual outfit look super dressed up. Use this to your advantage!
Get two pairs of casual shoes. Get these in either brown or black/white, depending on the color palette you chose. You can also get them in colors, but be aware that they might now match as well. Get two pairs of formal shoes. Get one pair in either brown or black, depending on the color palette you chose. Get a second pair in a more interesting color or just get more of the brown/black.
For example, for a spring/semi-formal outfit, women can wear the day dress, fancy shoes, cardigan as needed, and nice jewelry. Men can wear nice shoes, khakis, and a tee shirt or tank with the cardigan on top. Another example would be a summer/casual outfit. Men can wear jeans and a tank top or tee with casual shoes. Women can wear a short dress with shorts underneath and casual shoes. Women can wear slacks, the fancy top, and the cardigan on top. Men can wear a button-down top and slacks. Both would wear form shoes and accessories.
For example, jeans, formal shoes, a button-down shirt (no tie), and a suit jacket. Another example would be wearing formal pants and shoes but a more party-friendly blouse (as long as it’s not revealing).
