Putting together the perfect outfit, one that makes you taller and slimmer, may seem a daunting task and one that has no clearly defined rules. Like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, dressing to achieve a taller and slimmer look based on assumption may work half of the time, though replicating that perfectly crafted ensemble may prove tricky.
Getting your outfit right no matter the garment is super simple once you know this trick and I am so excited to share this with you. If you struggle to find the right clothing that is suitable and on trend for mature women or you can’t quite match an outfit to your body type, this article is perfect for you.
To understand this style tip to make you look taller and slimmer, I need to discuss how our eyes interpret lines. Our minds will instinctively and automatically seek out familiar patterns and shapes to help us orient and stabilise. This too means when we are viewing clothing, our eyes will land on the most familiar line we use to orient, which is the horizon, or a horizontal line.
Of course, there are many, many lines used in fashion and I have included a diagram below that outlines each of these lines and their purpose.
The horizontal line when used as a design aesthetic will help guide our attention immediately, often being the first thing we see. Placing a horizontal line (a belt for example) at the smallest part of our body will help accentuate our best features. Try adding a bracelet to your wrists or a belt to your torso to help define.
You can either wear a wide line or a thin line, but here’s the thing: just as wearing a horizontal line at your thinnest part will define and accentuate, so too will wearing a line at your widest part. Wearing a horizontal line at your widest part will only enhance the width and make you look bigger.
Horizontal lines in clothing are what is referred to as ‘slow’ lines, meaning our eyes zero in on them. The inverse of this is of course vertical lines. These lines are fast as the eyes move very quickly past them. Vertical lines travel down the length of our body, and when worn correctly in our clothing act to make us look taller and slimmer. We can use this to our advantage. For example, if you have short legs and a short waist, you can wear vertical lines on the bottom half of you to elongate that section of your body.
Using vertical lines and horizontal lines in conjunction with each other is where the magic happens. Applying a horizontal line at the smallest part of you with a waistband or a belt paired with vertical lines that meet at this point will draw the attention in and help put you into perfect proportion.
Another line to be aware of is the diagonal line. Diagonal lines travel perpendicular to each other from a point and act to draw attention to a particular feature. The eye reads Diagonal lines from left to right, so you are Able to direct attention to areas on your body that you want to show off. A left to right diagonal line will direct attention up to your face and placed in the opposite direction will draw the eye downwards, helping to minimise a large bust.
A curved line when used in our clothing will add volume and softness. Curved lines are considered as slow lines, as our eyes like to follow the flow of the line and spend time examining them. Curves are often associated with more feminine looks, like frills, puffy sleeves and floral patterns. Anything that is not a linear line can be considered a curved line.
The thing to keep top of mind here is that curves add volume so be careful not to wear to many frills and flow if you are not looking to appear more voluminous.
Another less obvious way to include lines in your clothing is through pockets, stitching and distressing. So, if you have distressing running horizontally at the widest part of your legs, this will make your legs appear wider. Make sure that you choose clothing that has these built-in patterns running in such a way that works harmoniously with your body type, for example vertical lines extending down the pant leg will help make you appear taller and slimmer.
Lines in clothing, though seemingly innocuous, can actually make or break an outfit depending on how they sit on the body. Lines, when worn in the right way, also have the ability to make us appear taller and slimmer. Make sure that you are choosing lines that work in harmony and not against your body.
Now that you know how lines work with our clothing, I would love for you to go out and experiment for yourselves. Let me know how you go!
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