It is too easy to get stuck in some kind of time warp. You found a dress that you loved 30 years ago, and you just can’t bear to throw it out. Well, guess what; even if it still fits you, it won’t look as smart now as it did then. In 30 years, things have changed, both personally and in the world of fashion. What worked 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago, looks dated and frumpy now.

So, if you have anything in your closet that is more than 10 years old, get rid of it! I don’t care what it is (unless it is really a timeless classic) – every decade a girl needs a complete makeover!

Over time, we change in so many ways. That midriff that used to look so cute, may be better off behind some flattering clothing now. That super short skirt should perhaps be replaced with one that is a little longer now. Or, you may realize that the deep plunge neckline you used to love, actually doesn’t look quite as flattering any more. Or, perhaps you are a bit curvier now, and need clothing that flatters your new curves. Every decade (or even more often), all of these issues have to be re-evaluated with great honesty. Get a second opinion from an honest girl friend if you can, and if you are courageous enough to really hear the truth, ask your own daughter! Then throw away everything that doesn’t work, and write a list of what you need now.

Knowing your horizontal and verical body type is really helpful. Now you know what lengths your skirts, pants and tops have to be, and which part of your outfit that has to be a dark color or a lighter color. You also know which parts that has to be fitted and which parts should be loose.

Knowing all of this makes it much easier to pick something that flatters your body type, and is still in fashion. This way, you don’t have to be a “fashion slave,” wearing clothing that doesn’t flatter you just because it is “in.” No, we have to know what will enhance our best features, and then look for that, and disregard everything else. That way, you can use fashion to your advantage by creating a clothing style that is uniquely yours, but still fashionably up to date.

Tomorrow, I will talk about a completely new system I have developed that makes it easy to determine what are your best colors to wear. Forget about “Seasons” and “Sunset Colors” – my system is better because it is easy to use, and it works!
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Anyway, lets talk about what actually does flatter your neck.

Flattering necklines for long necks:
If your neck is long, you can wear turtle necks as long as the neck on the sweater is at least as long as your neck. If it only comes half way up, like a mock turtle, you are in danger of looking like a turtle. (Sorry, I’ll stop joking). In addition, you look great with a ballet neck, boat neck, cowl neck, wide v-neck, off shoulder necks, and anything that creates some kind of horizontal lines (except crew necks!!!). This will visually shorten a long neck and widen the shoulders to create more harmonious proportions. If someone with a long neck happens to love v-necks, it should be a rounded v (not a sharp v), and you need to break up the neck lengthening effect with lots of necklaces or scarves around your neck. You can also get away with super long ear rings!

Flattering necklines for short necks:
This type of neck needs visual lengthening, so the most flattering necklines are deep v-necks and deep scoops. In addition, you need to accessorize with long necklaces, nothing too close to the neck. If you also have narrow shoulders, you might try deep and wide v-necks instead. Tiny ear rings looks best. Don’t use any scarfs around the neck. If you like scarfs, pick long scarfs that hang down loose, or put a triangular scarf around your shoulders. This will widen the shoulders and still lengthen the neck. Long dusters worn open are also a good option.
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Determining horizontal body type is easy. Measure around the bust, waist (around the narrowest part) and hips (around the widest part).

If your bust and waist measurements are bigger than your hips, your shape is like an apple.
If your hip measurement is bigger than your bust, your shape is like a pear.
If your bust, waist and hips are fairly equal, your shape is like a rectangle.
If your bust is almost the same size as your hips, and your waist is 7-10″ smaller, give or take a few inches, your shape is like an hourglass.

Dressing an apple
Promise me to NEVER, EVER wear a big, loose, boxy t-shirt over tights or skinny pants!!! For some very strange reason, women with this type of figure love this combination, but unfortunately, tights and a loose, baggy t-shirt looks way too boxy and actually accentuates your proportions in the wrong way. I know it is tempting, because this type of figure often has skinny legs, but skinny legs and a heavy top can easily look top heavy. So forget leggings and skinny pants. What you need to do is to add fullness to the hips while minimizing the bust.
The best way to do this is by using dark colored tops in crisp, somewhat fitted fabrics. NO BAGGY T-SHIRTS! Also, stay away from short sleeves, which add weight to your bust. Long or 3/4 sleeves are more flattering.
Pants should be light colored (since light colors will add fullness), with straight or wide legs (NO TAPERED LEGS). This will make your body look more proportionate.

Dressing a pear:
When dressing a pear, we want to minimize the hips, and add fullness to the bust. For some odd reason, women with this kind of body shape love wearing pants that are baggy around the hips and tapered on the bottom. TERRIBLE! I call these “frumpy mommy pants!” This will only make your hips look bigger and more disproportionate! What you need is nicely fitted pants with straight or wide legs in a dark color. Dark colored pants are a must for this type of figure. If you love jeans, get the darkest color you can find, and make sure they fit snugly around the hips.
To add fullness to the bust, think bright or light colors, patterns, horizontal stripes at the top (not at the hips), shoulder pads and short sleeves. The goal is to try to even out the proportions so that the hips and shoulders look more equal.

Dressing a rectangle:
Here, the main purpose is to divert attention away from the waist line. The easiest way to do this is use the same color on top as on the bottom, preferably a dark color. Avoid belts or pockets in this area. Use long scarfs that create strong vertical lines. Try tops with princess seams or baby doll styles that don’t cling.

Dressing an hourglass:
The more extreme the hourglass shape is, the more tailored and fitted the clothing has to be. Baggy clothing doesn’t fit this type of figure at all. If your waist line is tiny, you can wear narrow belts to show it off. If your proportions are balanced, you can even get away with tights and skinny pants if you wish. This type of body can get away with wearing a bit more extreme fashions than the other types.
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Long legs + short torso:
For this body type to look balanced, you need to visually shorten the legs and lengthen the torso. Low waisted pants are good for this, and also long tops. The most flattering length is somewhere near your hip socket. Being 5’8″ with very long legs, my most flattering top length is 24-25″. 23″ is a bit on the short side, and 27″ looks disproportionate the other way. If I wear anything shorter than 23″, I look way taller than I actually am. The other trick to visually lengthen your torso is by using long necklaces, long scarfs hanging down, and low slung belts (no waist belts, unless the belt is the same color as your top). You can also layer the look with a long t-shirt and a shorter jacket. But normally, jackets look best if they are quite long.

Balanced legs and torso:
If you have a balanced body type where legs and torso are equal length, you have to stay away from any extremes. Pants should be mid rise, and tops should be a few inches longer than the top of your hip bone. No cropped tops, cropped pants or long tops. The proportions are already correct and should not be visually changed.

Short legs and long torso:
If you have short legs and a long torso, high rise pants, or pants that go to your natural waist, are more flattering. Pinstripes visually lengthens the legs. The torso should be visually shortened with cropped tops and jackets and tucked in t-shirts. Belts around the waist look great if your body is slim. Avoid long hanging scarfs and long necklaces. A pretty pin would be a better choice. Long skirts are also a good way to visually lengthen short legs. Even though I hate high heels with a passion, moderate heels are not a bad option for this body type, since it also helps even out the proportions.

Clue: If you always find yourself pulling or tugging on your top, you need longer tops. Pay attention to where you like to pull it down to – that is usually where your best length is. Likewise, if you are always blousing your top upwards, see where you usually push it to, and buy tops that have that specific length.

Short waisted:
If you measure your hip to bust and find that you are short waisted, you have to always try to lengthen this part. Baby doll type empire tops may look great, and also vertical stripes. Definitely no horizontal stripes, and no waist belts. Fitted tops and princess seams are another good way to lengthen your midbody. And don’t even think about using cropped tops. Longer tops look better, as long as they don’t shorten the legs too much. Check in the mirror to see where the length of the top looks just right.

Now, when I buy cloting on ebay, I don’t even look at clothing that has the wrong length. What is the point? It just makes me look dis-proportionate if the length is wrong. Recently, I just hit my 50th birthday, and since I believe that a girl needs a major makeover every time she hits another decade (and probably in between as well), I threw out all the tops that were too short, and went wild on ebay, looking for longer tops. Finally, my wardrobe really works, and I am very happy. It is fun to create your own clothing style.
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In the last post, I talked about how you can measure your leg length, subtract it from your total height, so you can determine if your legs are longer, shorter or equal to your torso length. In addition, you also need to know if you are short or long waisted. To find out how you measure up, start with your leg length first. Measure from the floor to where your legs enter your hip socket. Then, measure from the hip socket to the tip of your bust.

To figure out what your proportions are, first subtract the leg length from your total length. Compare this number with your torso length so you can determine if your legs are long, equal or shorter than your torso.

Then subtract your hip to bust measurement from your torso length. Ideally, hip to bust and bust to top of head are supposed to be equal. If hip to bust is longer, you are long waisted. If hip to bust is shorter, you are short waisted.

Now, write down what your vertical body type is. Here are some possibilities:

Totally balanced: leg length = torso length
Longer Legs: legs are longer than torso
Shorter Legs: legs are shorter than torso
And in addition, you also need to consider whether you are long waisted, short waisted, or if your waist has a normal length.

When buying clothes, the most flattering clothes are the ones that balance out these proportions. Once you know what they are, it is easy to figure out what length top or skirt to buy. More about the length of tops tomorrow.
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