Dress Your Body Shape This Spring
Spring is almost upon us and with it comes the chance to finally ditch the sweatpants most of us have been living in and invest in something other than loungewear! Keep scrolling to see 5 spring summer 2021 fashion trends and personal styling tips on how to get them to work for different body shapes.
Statement Collars
You can’t have failed to notice them as big collars are everywhere! Here are some points to take into account if going down the big collar route. Giant oversized collars that finish off the shoulder can make the wearer appear out of proportion especially if you have a shorter neck and well defined (non sloping) shoulders. Next look at where the collar point ends, if fairly low on the body and you have a high full bust, the collar shape will distort and possibly not look as you would hope. Look for a collar that sits nicely into the shoulder line, with collar points finishing above the bust for a more flattering fit.
Exaggerated Sleeves
Sleeve details like puff sleeves are great for balancing out narrower top halves and rather brilliantly making waists appear smaller. Body shapes that really benefit from a puff are those with narrow shoulders and a smaller bust, those with slightly sloping shoulders (I’m in this one), have wide hips or where a very full bust makes your shoulder line appear narrower than it actually is. For those of you with broader or well defined angular shoulders, choosing a voluminous sleeve where the fullness is further down the arm, such as gathers into a cuff is extremely flattering.
Voluminous dresses
A style myth often told is that you have to be tall or stick thin to wear an oversize smock style dress. Not true at all, for hourglass or pear silhouettes belted waists are key - with leather belts creating more definition than their fabric counterparts. Petites and when I say petite this is defined as anyone 5’3’ and under from a size 4-18, go for a shorter length, if petite and curvy the belting hack still works. If you have a straight up and down or wider waist (apple) shaped figure an oversize dress is at its most flattering when an element of the dress is fitted at the shoulder or bust.
Wide Strides
Wide leg pants, a key trouser and jean style for this spring summer - blame a stunning Jenna Coleman in ‘The Serpent’ for the rise in popularity of this trend. She did though look amazing and so you can too as contrary to popular belief you do not need to be of model height - Jenna is a very petite 5’1”!. What she does have though are angles: cheekbones, jawline, collarbone, shoulders etc and those angles act to balance out wider trouser widths and not make the wearer appear shorter. Those not blessed with angles, height here is an obvious advantage and the taller you are the wider the leg can be. The curvier you are which can also include a round face, but relatively slim body, don’t go to wide on the width of your trouser legs. For those with wider waists or hips, styles that flare out gently from the lower hip with no fussy waist detailing are your best friends.
Boyfriend Blazers
‘Oversize always looks expensive!’ Another style myth - as oversize for many women, myself included can look like you have raided the lost property cupboard! If you are curvy or have a not so curvy figure with a rounded face/features oversized doesn’t quite hit the mark. Go for the illusion of oversized by adding a relaxed cut blazer like the All Saints style below to your outfit and choosing a colour (rather than black or navy) to achieve an expensive look. Similarly as for wide leg trousers those blessed with angular features (at any height) can really work this oversized look, as all the angles work together to create a synergy. If confused you can’t go wrong with a fitted blazer like the Reiss style below.
For those of you reading who are unsure what best suits them or how to put it all together, contact me to find out how I can style and create the perfect look for you. With 2 decades of fashion design and styling experience you are in good hands!
Thanks for reading!
Lisa
