Look 10lbs slimmer - instantly!
How to look 10lbs slimmer – instantly! Hands up if your New Year’s resolution was to lose weight? I read recently that something like 40% of us plan to start a diet and/or gym programme this January, but personally, I can’t think of a worse time to try to shed the pounds. Most of us still have a cupboard full of fattening little treats from Christmas (rum truffle, anyone?), and when it’s cold and dark outside, the idea of a jog round the block and a little light salad is, to say the least, less than inviting. So my advice would be to save the diet plan for spring, and go shopping instead. Whether you’re top or bottom heavy, or just plumper than you’d like, you can look taller and slimmer without losing a single pound, just by choosing the right clothes. I did a little survey of my best-dressed friends – of all shapes and sizes - to find out which clothes work miracles for them, and these are our tried and tested tips:
- Black, black, black! Everyone swears by it - slip on a well-cut black suit, or a curve-skimming dress, and you’ll look ten pounds lighter, instantly. If it’s a bit too harsh for your colouring, wear something light-reflecting near your face – pearl, mother of pearl or not-too-shiny silver work brilliantly.
- Boot cut or slightly flared trousers and jeans work wonders on chunky hips and thighs, because they balance out your silhouette. Try on a pair of tapered trousers and then some bootcut ones, and you’ll see the difference instantly.
- Wrap tops, V-necks and scoop necks are all great for making you look taller and slimmer, because they lead the eye downwards. If you’re not comfortable revealing your assets, the trick still works if you wear a contrasting camisole or vest top underneath.
- Wearing the same colour from top to toe makes you look taller, and therefore slimmer. That doesn’t have to mean the same shade - different tones of the same colour can work just as well. Wearing tops and bottoms in contrasting colours cuts you in half and makes you look shorter and wider, which unless you’re going for a part in Teletubbies, isn’t the aim (yes, I know Teletubbies are one colour from head to toe – but just imagine how much fatter they’d look if they weren’t).
- The shops are full of fabulous long knitted cardigans and coats, which are great for disguising lumps and bumps. Choose finer knits rather than enormously chunky ones, and go up a size if necessary, so they skim over your hips and bum. Yes, it’s painful to get that next size, but everyone knows high street sizing is totally arbitrary anyway, and no one’s going to see the label, are they?
So how about you? Do you have a ‘magic’ outfit that always makes you look and feel slimmer? What are the most slimming cuts and fabrics for your shape? Share your tips by posting a comment below, and we’ll all look fabulous in 2008!