Want know why I like the show What Not to Wear? Because they don’t just throw people in stylish clothes and call it good. They teach them how to cater to their body type. So, in honor of my friends Stacey and Clinton, I thought I would share some ways to dress yourself skinny because, let’s face it, sometimes we just don’t care to lose those last five pounds. Or ten. Whatever.

1. Have your piece of clothing hit at the thinnest part of your body. For dresses, make sure the tightest part falls right under your bust. This is typically your thinnest part. Also, if you consider yourself to have a gut then try avoiding thick belts around your waist. Instead opt for thin belts, that again, hit your slimmest area.

2. It’s all about what you start with. For example, wear a fitted undershirt versus one that’s stretched out.  When layering, don’t add bulk with bulk. Be sure to layer with something tighter fitting underneathso that you don’t look like you are just adding weight. Majority of the time you can add tight + bulk and it’s like a positive and a negative that cancels each other out (that was for all you math whizzes out there). I must note, this is risky business so you should definitely get other opinions when doing this. You need to do it just right.

3. Elongate your body. It’s all about creating an illusion because for some reason people associate tall with lean. Have no fear shorties, you can be bite size and still seem long. Make sense? Here are some tips: when wearing heals, try going for a nude color because it will seem as though your legs are never ending. True, we all love our black pumps– however, you can still elongate your body this winter by pairing the black pumps with black tights. This too will make your legs seem like growing bean stalks.

4. Remember my post about big shouldered shirts? Turns out they help with illusions too (you can also use a well cut and structured shoulder). First, they fake good posture. Amazing posture = amazing slimness. They also draw the eyes upwards and away from your uh humm ba-donk-a-donk, and for most of us women that’s where we collect our lovely padding. It often creates that V look - where your hips appear smaller than your shoulder width (it’s all in the hips… well, uhhh sorta? In this case not so much). These well structured shoulders are your friends!! And yes, daring.

5. Water. Why does everything seem to always lead back to water? So this isn’t something you wear, but it’s always nice to have a reminder to drink just plain water. This will flush your body and get rid of any- barf, I hate this word- bloating. Without these extra gas bubbles floating around your GI tract (that sounds pleasant) you will look…. you guessed it, slimmer.

That’s all for now!

Kiersten