In an effort to streamline my wardrobe, I have been trying to figure out ways to have less but wear it better. I’ve often thought that our wardrobes balloon beyond what we’d like because we haven’t figured out what truly suits us or we aren’t wearing the beautiful garments we do have in a way that compliments our particular silhouette and is aesthetically pleasing to our own eyes.
Our human eyes are attracted to symmetry. There are a number of strategies we can all use to balance out our silhouette so we see a symmetrical figure when we look in the mirror. If, on the other hand, beautifully asymmetrical looks are what appeal to you, you can use the same strategies but with an eye for emphasizing asymmetry rather than balance.
Here are 6 strategies for different body types that are helpful with drawing attention to what you’d prefer to emphasize. It helps to think of an outfit as a way to achieve a cohesive, balanced look:
- If you have broader shoulders and narrower hips, you can balance your silhouette with volume at the bottom and open, vertically deeper necklines at the top. This could be wider legged pants or an A-line skirt at the bottom and a deeper v-neck or scoop neck and fabric that skims the body on top. A wider leg pair of pants can help create symmetry between the top and bottom halves and a slightly deeper v-neck top can draw the eye from top to bottom rather than from left to right.
- If your hips are fuller and your top half is slimmer in comparison, choose flowing fabrics that skim your hips when you pick bottoms and consider wearing tops with patterns or colors to draw the eye’s attention upwards rather than to your hips.
- If you have a shorter torso, wear longer tops to elongate your torso. Take pictures of yourself with tops in different lengths to figure out the length that looks the most balanced on your body type.
- If you are fuller in the bust, streamline your look on top. Forgo voluminous ruffles or pleats in favor of well-fitting, simpler looks in darker solid colors.
- If you are smaller busted, utilize intricate patterns, smocking, ruffles and other details on your top half to add volume and balance to your look.
- If symmetry is not what appeals to you and you’d prefer to emphasize curves, do the opposite of the suggestions above and add color, print and volume to areas you’d like to emphasize instead of subtracting from them. The goal is to end up with a wardrobe and outfits that make you feel confident and your best as you go about your day.
🌷The best wardrobe advice I’ve received – Don’t worry about rules if something is right for you. Wear what brings you joy and is truly you.
If you love reading about ways to buy less and also have a wardrobe you’re happier with, here are 2 more posts for you to enjoy :
🌷🌷How to add joy with color to your curated capsule wardrobe
🌷🌷Attaining wardrobe peace – Staying away from prescriptive style formulas
What are some of your tips for doing the most with your wardrobe while keeping it pared down?
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