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How to Find Clothes to Flatter Your Body

By Alina Bradford on Mar 10, 2010

Do you hate to shop because nothing ever seems to fit or you lose confidence halfway through the process? You may need to rethink how you shop so that you can find clothing that makes you look fabulous. The best way to do this is by acknowledging your body's flaws and assets and finding out what types of clothing work best for those areas...continues below

Step 1

Make a list of your sizes, what you like about your body and what you want to downplay. Keep this list handy while you shop.
Step 2

Find clothing that draws attention to areas of your body that you like by using color, cut and pattern to draw the eye to that area. For example, if you hate your waist but love your breasts, choose a top that has an empire waist. The high waist will draw attention to the breasts and away from the stomach.
Step 3

Create a defined waist by looking for garments that cinch at the naturally smallest part of your waist. Garments with darts, belts, wraps or gathering, like an empire waist, all flatter and define the waist.
Step 4

Play up nice breasts or a fantastic collarbone by looking for tops that are v-neck or a lower cut u-cut.
Step 5

Play-up nice shoulders by looking for tops with boat necks, off-the-shoulder cuts or thin straps.
Step 6

Look for jeans that bring attention to a shapely bottom with detailed back pockets or patch pockets.
Step 7

Choose clothing that are very simple in the area that you dislike the most. If you hate a certain area of your body, adding extra layers of fabric, color or pattern will attract attention to it. Remember this rhyme when shopping: "When it's not the best, choose less, play up the rest."
Step 8

Avoid clothing with shoulder pads, fluffy sleeves or poofed shoulders if you have wide shoulders or large arms.
Step 9

Choose simple, straight-legged or boot-cut pants in a dark color if you are bottom, thigh or hip heavy.

Keywords

shop
clothing
body
type

Resource

Clothing Recommendations for Each Body Type

Reference

Warnings

Don't get discouraged when trying on clothing.
Try on a lot of different items in several different stores.
Each garment brand has its own cuts and sizing. Find a brand of clothes that fit your body well and stick with them.