Determining Your Most Flattering Styles

Nobody is perfect. Determining your most flattering styles from necklines to pant lengths will help you play up your positive aspects and minimize the problem areas. Knowing the best and worst features of your body will help you to determine where to camouflage and where to highlight. By correcting proportions through the lines of the garment and the fabric used, we begin to create an illusion of balance. While we could certainly start with hats and earrings, let's leave the accessories for later and start at the neckline.

Necklines
First, if you don't already know your face shape, here is how you can determine it. Stand in front of a mirror with your hair pulled back from your face. Take an eyeliner or lip crayon and draw the outline of you face. Stand back and evaluate the shape. Is it oval, round, heart shaped (larger at the forehead-pointed chin), or square? Is it extreme in any way - very narrow with a pointed chin or a wide prominent jawline? Using the appropriate neckline in your most flattering style will help to create a balanced look.

If you have an oval shaped face, you are lucky. Just about any neckline will work for you. But if you have any other face shape (especially if it is extreme in any way), you will want to avoid choosing necklines that repeat that shape.

A round face shape will want to avoid scoop or crew necklines and halter style tops. In addition, collars to avoid include mandarin, funnel, and any that ties at the neck. The most flattering styles will be those that bring the eye down such as sweetheart, v-neck, u-neck and square necklines. And sailor, shirt, and notched collars.

A heart shaped face should avoid v-neck and sweetheart necklines that can make the chin look longer. Collars that should be avoided are sailor and notched collars. Instead, flattering styles would include scoop, boatneck, and square necklines or shawl and peter-pan collars.

The square face shape's only real enemy is the square neckline or the notched collar. And it's most flattering styles will be the v-neck and the sweetheart neckline or the shawl, shirt, and peter pan collars.

Do you have a long or short neck?

If you have a long neck, you can choose just about any style neckline of collar. But you will look best in a keyhole, halter, or draped cowl necklines and collars such as the mandarin, funnel, or ties close to the neck.

A short neck should avoid turtlenecks or halter necklines and collars such as the puritan, funnel, mandarin, or those that tie close to the neck. The most flattering styles of necklines will be the scoop, u-neck, v-neck, and square.

If you have a wide neck, don't pick necklines that leave a gap at the base of your neck. The additional skin that is revealed will emphasize your wide neck where as a close fitted crew neckline will minimize it.

Shoulders
Necklines also play an important role in the look of your shoulders. Necklines that create a horizontal line, such as a boatneck, like give your shoulders a broader look. This is great for someone with sloped or narrow shoulders who wants to add the illusion of width. But for someone who already has broad shoulders, a deep vertical line will bring the eye down breaking up the width.

Collars can create a line as well. A notched collar or sailor collar will help broaden a narrow shoulder while a shawl or tied collar works best for broad shoulders.

Bust
To enhance your bust, use vertical lines to draw the eye across your body. Sleeves that end at the bust and horizontal stripes will both accomplish this.

Silhouettes that have have a high waistline or seam at the bustline, such as an empire style, brings the eye up.

To minimize your bust, avoid horizontal lines and dress styles that draw attention to the bustline. Instead a sheath style that creates the illusion of space between the bust and the waist will help to lengthen and slim the torso.

Waist
If you have a wide waist, avoid drawing attention to it using wide or colorful belts. Horizontal stripes are also not a good idea.

The most flattering styles will be dress styles such as a princess cut or with an asymmetrical closing will help to draw the eye down, minimizing the width.

If you are short waisted, creating the illusion of space between your bust and hips will help to lengthen your torso. Avoid wide or colorful belts and choose tops that are fitted under the bustline.

If you are long waisted, create a more balanced look by choosing pants or skirts that have high waistbands or have wide matching belts.

Hips
If your hips are narrower than your shoulders, you will want to choose styles that balance your proportions. Yoke and gathered skirt styles work well for you as will pleated trousers and boy cut jeans.

To minimize wide hips, A-line skirts and flat front pants work best. Avoid pockets or any thing that adds width.

Rear
A flat rear will tend to cause garments to sag in the back, styles with some fullness will help to camouflage this.

JLo has made the larger rear a fashion statement. But unless your derriere is well toned and defined, it is best to wears styles that cover rather than accentuate it. Styles that fall loosely from the seat and do not cup under will have the most flattering look.

Thighs
The most flattering style for heavy thighs is the boot cut pant. While any style that does not taper at the ankles will help minimize, the straight leg of the boot cut or even a slight flare will look the best.

Legs
If you have short legs, create the illusion of length by dressing in monochromatic color schemes. Visually breaking up your frame will only make you look shorter