By Sheila Dicks

What makes the difference between a ‘wow’ outfit and a ‘hum drum’ outfit? Details make the difference. Details are those fine points that make an outfit come alive. For example, wearing the right hose is an accentuating detail vs. wearing hose in the wrong color which is a distracting detail. When you walk into a store and choose an outfit such as a top and pants, what you wear with it (the details) will either add to it or take away. Therefore, it’s very important to know how details affect your look.

There are many details that go into making an outfit look amazing. Here are some details to pay attention to (not in order of importance):

Bra: Your bra is your foundation garment and not only determines the overall look of your outfit but also affects the appearance of your figure (ie. better posture, less frumpy). There are 3 important things you should know about choosing a bra. Number one: The right bra – a bra that fits well - will make you look slimmer, younger and more vibrant. Number two: Select your bra colour wisely. Colour is important because since it’s an undergarment it’s not supposed to be seen. Choose a neutral colour bra to wear with light tops and a wear black bras with black tops (to avoid black dye on your bra). Number three: Don’t let your bra straps show. For example, when wearing a sleeveless top wear a racer back bra so the straps don’t fall off the shoulder.

Shoes: Your shoes should match your outfit in colour, occasion and weight. Your shoes should also match your leg/ankle shape. The right shoes can add pizzazz to any outfit but they can also ruin your look. For example, strappy sandals look best worn with a sleeveless dress; running shoes look best worn with athletic attire and loafers look best worn with pants. Learn more about shoes here

Hose: Wear hose that matches your outfit. For example, when wearing a short or ¾ sleeve dress choose hose in your skin tone.  Wear red or beige shoes with nude hose; don’t be tempted to wear them with black hose.

Colour: The most amazing outfit will not look amazing on you if it’s not in one of your best colours. I’m sure this has happened to you… you’re in a store and you see an incredible dress or top and it’s in one of your not-so-good colours but because you love the top or dress you buy it anyway. What usually happens is you don’t feel great wearing it and it stays in your closet. Save your money for the perfect dress or top in your best colour. The one that you’ll love wearing.

Fit: Although fit might not seem like an important detail, it so very much is. For example, a top that is too tight will make you look larger; a jacket that is too large will make you look sloppy and that dress you squeeze into because it’s on sale will make you look larger and feel uncomfortable. The right fit creates a pulled together look; unlike the wrong fit that looks like something is missing.

A 1-hour teleclass – June 14^th at  6pm EST

with Sheila

Would you like to know how to choose the right shoes for every outfit? Would you like to stop committing serious “shoe” mistakes – mistakes that make you look frumpy, mismatched or poorly dressed?  If you answered ‘yes’ then this teleclass is for you. You’ll never have to wonder if you’ve chosen the right shoes again.

What you’ll learn:

• How to choose shoes that make your legs look longer
• How to choose shoes to fit your leg, foot and ankle
• Which shoes should you wear with leggings
• How to choose hose that will flatter your leg and shoes
• 3 ways the right shoes will enhance your look
• How to choose shoes in the right colour, style and occasion
• Shoes you should own

REGISTER HERE – $9.99

This is how it works: When you sign up you will get a call-in number, passcode and the call instructions. A day or so before the teleclass you will get the handout that you’ll use to follow along while we are on the call.  We will start the teleclass on time and at the end I will allow a few minutes to answer your burning questions.

By Sheila Dicks

I keep hearing from women just how frustrated they are with finding clothes that fit and works with their body type. For example, from Katherine: “I am 5′2″, full busted (ugh!), have virtually no hips/butt, but tend to carry extra weight around my waist. What should I be wearing?” Katherine fits into the Inverted Triangle body type; she will look and feel better in styles that create balance between her upper and lower body. Dressing to suit your body type and choosing the right styles is just one facet of looking fabulous. Dressing well includes much more but for now we’ll look at some styles that are slimming and create a more balanced look for the inverted triangle body shape.
Do you think you might have  an inverted body type? You do if  you have broad shoulders, a large bust, thick waist, flat derriere, narrow hips and slim legs. To create a slimmer upper body choose v-necklines in jackets, tops and dresses; avoid, ruffles, cap sleeves, double-breasted jackets and coats and horizontal stripes.

This Ann Taylor suit is a perfect example of a jacket that the inverted triangle looks great wearing. This jacket worn over the white shirt creates a deep v -line that is visually lengthening.  The narrow lapels are also helpful. To create more of a slimming effect a long necklace can also be added. Since this jacket is also structured it has slimming effect unlike softer fabrics.

This dress ( Jones New York)  is  also a flattering style  for the Inverted Triangle body type. It’s deep v-neckline, empire waistline and floral print creates balance and harmony. Don’t wear boat, crew or scooped necklines unless you accessorize with a long necklace. Vertical lines are created in both these  tops – the blue sweater has sequin edging  to create a long vertical line . A  long vertical line is also  created with a white top under this melon sweater.

These are just a few ways to begin to create a more slimming look if you have an inverted triangle body shape. There are other ways to work with fabric, colour and lines that also make a huge impact.

I’m sure you’d agree that when you know you’ve chosen the right outfit and your grooming is perfect you feel unstoppable. Unfortunately, for most women this is not a common occurrence; if they attain it once it is by accident and they have no idea how to do it again. Since few women are fall into the ‘ideal body’ category used by fashion designers; who, by the way, decide what we wear, it is little wonder that women hate to shop. The good news is that there is a solution and you can look great – the trick is to know yourself and know how to use the lines in clothing to hide, distract, accentuate and enhance in all the right places.  To learn about how  to dress to suit your body type sign up for my 4 week STYLE & FASHION E- COURSE.

By Sheila Dicks

While I was wondering what I should write about  this week  I just happened upon questions from my readers that were posted on Facebook that I hadn’t seen. I thought, “Wow, this is great”. Since I my answer was too long and detailed for a Facebook reply, a  blog post would work great. So here we are. The first question:

What do you suggest for women who carry extra weight in stomach and butt? It’s really hard to find anything that looks good, Sheila… I’ve been trying for years!

This is such a common problem, especially for women my age who are beginning to see their weight shift (or that’s what it feels like) and they’ve been used to wearing styles that were once flattering,  that no longer look great on them.

The best way to work with this body change is to change the styles you choose since the old ones are no longer working.  I find that dresses are great  camouflagers in two ways. First,  they don’t need to be matched with anything other than accessories so they make it quick and easy to get dressed and second they are slimming if you choose those styles that suit your body shape. The drawback of course that you might not like wearing dresses but even if you don’t there is always room for one or two in your wardrobe.

To hide a thick waist and large hips dresses with an empire waistline  (left) work really well. Just be sure to choose them in your best colors and in materials that don’t stick but glide over your body.  Also, knee-length dresses are most flattering – don’t go short. Dresses are from Macy’s.

A sheath dress is another great dress that you can wear to your advantage. Choose a dress in a neutral color ( black, grey, beige   or navy) and wear it with a jacket in your best color.

Tops: If dresses aren’t your first choice  then you’ll want to look for flattering tops to wear with pants. The best tops to conceal a thick waistline are tops with ruching, small floral prints in a lyrca knit and sweater /or structured jacket. Don’t wear tops tight ( too tight will make you look larger). Tops should end a few inches below the hip bone but not longer or the largeness of waist and hips will be accentuated. Choose pants in a dark color that blends with the top.

I have more of a straight up and down body type but proportioned. What kind of dress do you suggest for this type of body? Sheaths tend to look good on me but wrap a rounds are awful!

You’re right, wrap dresses look best on full-figured women. To create the look of curves choose styles that trick the eye into seeing more curves. Choose styles that have a defined waistline and details such as ruffles around the neckline or prints that draw the eye outward. Wear sheath dresses with fitted or peplum jackets.

To learn more about dressing to suit your body type and how to use lines, colors and prints in clothing to fool the eye sign up for my 4-week online  Style & Fashion e-course.

By Sheila Dicks

Imagine wearing a beautiful dress (or any outfit) that feels terrific, that’s comfortable and you know looks fabulous. Wow!  Does this sound possible? Depending on what your experience with dressing has been it will be something you know to be true or it will be simply unbelievable. The truth is that your dresses and all your outfits can feel that way when you know yourself from the inside out – that is, know your body shape – what works well on it and know the styles that suit your personality and your lifestyle.

To get a fabulous look that you love and that looks and feels great there are three very important considerations. They are cut, fit and colour. The cut or style you choose should be based on your body type. Since we’re all different, to look our best we can’t all wear the same styles. Just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it will look great on everyone. The fit will be partly based on how well you’ve chosen styles to suit your body type; and will be based on the  fabric and design of the garment. The impact that colour has on your overall look is based on how your skin, hair and eye colour work with the colour you’re wearing. The colour of your outfit is so important that it can ruin your whole look or can make you look amazing.

To demonstrate how styles and body types work together I’ve chosen these spring dresses:  ( all dresses are from lightinthebox.com)

THE INVERTED TRIANGLE body type. The inverted triangle body type has a large bust, broad shoulders, thick waist, narrow hips and slim legs. She looks best in styles that have vertical lines above the waist to  accentuate her bust and styles that draw attention to her slim legs. This flared dress also balances her body by creating more detail around the hips

The RECTANGLE body type.   This body type has a small bust, narrow waist and narrow hips. She looks best in styles that accentuate her slim physique. Since she is has a small bust, dresses with bandeau tops are flattering as are styles with lots of detail.  This multi-coloured dress with a bow at the shoulder is great for someone younger or for someone who feels very self -confident.The longer length beige dress with sleeves (left) might feel more comfortable for others.

The OVAL body shape. This body type has a large bust, large waist and large hips. She looks great in styles that are one colour and have vertical lines. The bow that falls from the front on the dress left, creates a wonderful flowing vertical line to create the illusion of slimness and height.

The TRIANGLE body type. This  body type has a small bust, small waist, narrow shoulders and larger hips and thighs. The top with this purple dress balances the whole look by creating the appearance of wider shoulders and larger bust.

The HOURGLASS body type. This body type has a large bust, narrow waist and large hips. This is a great dress to accentuate the natural curves of the hourglass. If you choose this style just be sure not to wear it tight and risk the chance of looking larger.