The Ultimate Guide For Dressing To Flatter Your Figure

lauren messiah personal stylist

I want to live in a world where the phrase, “Do I look fat in this?” doesn’t exist.

Sounds unrealistic doesn’t it?

What if I told you I held the secrets to abolishing that phrase? You probably wouldn’t believe me, and that’s totally cool, but I actually do have the solution.

It’s wearing clothes that flatter your figure. Gasp! What a concept. I know, easier said than done but hopefully after reading this post and watching my handy videos, you’ll be a step (or five) in the right direction

Why Dressing For Your Body Seems So Freaking Hard!

So why is such a simple concept (dressing to flatter your figure) so freaking hard?! Simple answer, the fashion industry sucks. Seriously, 99% of clothing is presented to us one ONE particular body type – a body type that most of us don’t possess. Yep. Curve-less models, most of which are teenagers, walk down the runway in clothing that will be sold to women who look much different than those models. The clothing looks great on them, yet when we try them on it’s no dice.

The magazines and bloggers, don’t really help us out either. Magazines are full of models, and the majority of influential bloggers are models without the runway.

No one is telling the rest of us how to dress or what will look good on our bodies. It’s ridiculous, but the good news is I will tell you what’s up because I’m cool like that.

Determining Your Body Type

Step 1 in the process of dressing to flatter your figure is to determine your body type. I was taught by one of my many mentors, Stacy London, to ditch the concept of body types that are named after produce and instead opt for keeping it real with body types that make sense.

There are five different body types, and they are actually quite simple to remember: bigger on top, bigger on the bottom, bigger in the middle, proportional, and no curves. It’s all about where you carry your weight.

Some of us have a hard time looking at our bodies objectionably. We all think we have a HUGE stomach or GIANT hips, but nine times of our ten we’re tripping! Bust out the tape measure and let the numbers do the talking.

Watch the video below to find out how to take your measurements.

Terrified of the tape measure or are your measurements not coming off accurate? Then go to the area of your body that’s hard to dress because “nothing ever fits” that part of your body.

Dress For YOUR Body

One of the reasons clothing tends to make us look blah is because we aren’t dressing for our bodies. We are hoping that if we wear the same pants that Kendall Jenner has on, that we’ll suddenly look like Kendall Jenner. Hate to break it to you, but only Kendall Jenner can look like Kendall Jenner.

Accept YOUR body the way it is in it’s current state and dress accordingly.

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Bigger On The Bottom

When you are bigger on the bottom, you carry your extra weight in your hips and booty. Some women love this area of their body and want to play it up (Nikki Minaj, eyes on you), where other women strive for a more balanced body.

If you have this body type, check out the video below for tips on how to dress this particular body type.

Bigger On Top

Some of us were blessed (or cursed, depends on how you see it) with big boobs. Most women would kill (or pay) for larger breasts, but for many women breasts can be a real trouble maker when it comes to getting dressed. They are bursting buttons off of blouses, or they become an accidental distraction at the office.

The key to flattering this figure, and all figures actually, is balance. Balance out those bosoms and they won’t appear as large as they actually are.

Take a look at the video below for tips and outfit ideas for ladies who are larger up top.

Bigger In The Middle

Everyone swears they possess this body type, but few do. When you are bigger in the middle, your stomach is the largest part of your body. I am not talking about women who have a little pooch; I’m talking to those women who get the ever-so-insulting question, “When are you due?” when they aren’t even close to being pregnant.

This body type can be the most defeating, but there is a solution! Watch below and never have someone rub your belly ever again.

Proportional

Oh, the coveted proportional aka “hourglass” figure. This is the ideal body type. However, less than 10% of women have this body type.

Don’t get it twisted, just because this body is the ideal doesn’t mean it’s easy to dress. One wrong move and you end up looking bigger than you actually are. Check out the video below to properly outfit this curvy body type.

No Curves

Aka the model body. This boyish figure is what we see on the runway and in the magazines. The benefit of this body type is nearly everything looks good on it! The problem is, not everyone wants to look like a runway model. Women with the no curves body crave curves, and with the right clothing, you can have them.

In the video below I will share tips and outfit ideas on how to create curves with clothing

Additional Body Type Style Resources:

Can Women With Large Hips Wear Leggings

Best Bras For Large Chested Women

Do I HAVE To Wear Spanx?

How To Properly Dress Wider Hips

How To Tell If Jeans Fit Without Trying Them On

How To Stretch Your Shoes

Want even more information on how to dress for your body type? I literally wrote the book on it, and I want to give it to you – for free! Inside my book you’ll get a more in-depth look on how to dress your particular body type with style inspiration, style do’s and don’ts, and a ton more helpful information. Give it a read and be sure to share it with someone in need.

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What challenges have you faced when it comes to dressing your body? Share it in the comments section, I might even create a video about it on my YouTube channel.

3 thoughts on “The Ultimate Guide For Dressing To Flatter Your Figure”

  1. For most pants, the two main measurements used to determine fit are the waist and inseam. For dress pants, side length, rise and leg opening need to be taken into account. While most men know what their waist and inseam measurements are, these other measurements may have gone unnoticed or forgotten.

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