The magic of clothing: The belly

In this series, I'll show you how clothing and accessories can help any "problem area" disappear. In this first part, I'll talk about ways to conceal a belly - a sought after tip in this festive season.

YES:

• A darker top under a lighter jacket/cardigan. While light top + dark jacket is a common combination, a darker top makes the belly go away as by magic! When teamed with a lighter color, the darker color recedes and seems to shrink. It's worth noting that "darker" doesn't have to translate to "black". Any color will do, as long as it's darker than the jacket/cardigan!
• Empire tops and dresses (high waisted - over your natural waist, below your bust). However, avoid excessive pleating and gathering, as that'll only make your belly appear bigger. Note: Soft pleating works
• Somewhat loose-fitting (not tent-like!) tops that softly skim your belly
• Vertical ruching on the sides or down the middle of the top. The folds will disguise any roll or lump and bump, and as by magic, the ruching makes the belly vanish
• V-necks and similar open necklines
• Colorful shoes which draw the attention away from the belly. Wedges are particularly good
• Pants and skirts with a side-zip, rather than the usual frontal zipper
• Pants and skirts which hit slightly under, or across your belly button
• Pants with straight, bootcut or wide legs
• Earrings and necklaces draw the focus away from the belly
• Long, lean jackets and coat which are open. By not closing your jacket, it'll divide the top half in three narrow parts
• Shaped, structured jackets with one button right under the bust
• Vertical stripes and seams
• A top with narrow stripes, particularly when paired with a jacket, works wonders for slimming the figure. Where large vertical stripes broaden, the skinny stripes works almost as a ladder - enabling the eye to climb upwards, thus creating a slimming effect
• Patterns work nicely if they are medium sized and dense. Sparse patterns appear to enlarge an area, where dense, medium sized patterns "confuse" the eye, and blur the area - making the wearer appear slimmer
• Hold in/Shape wear physically slims down your figure

NO:

• Pants and skirts with very high, or very low, waist
• Details around the midsection! Avoid pleating, horizontal pockets and so on in this area
• Large, shapeless pieces of clothing won't make you look smaller!
• ...nor will skin tight clothes. Especially not those in shiny or textured fabrics!
• Drainpipe jeans/Skinny pants is like an arrow pointing at your upper body
• Pants and skirts with a pleated waist. If desiring pleated skirts, choose those where the pleating starts at the hips
• Tucking tops into pants or skirts
• Belting the waist will only draw attention to it

Examples of belly slimming outfits in various styles:

(Click the pictures to view product information)