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How to Dress Thin by Nikki Willhite If you have ever made a dress for yourself, you know how important it is to choose a pattern with the correct lines for your figure. The lines of a pattern are called the seams. The placement of the seams, as well as other construction details, will determine how the garment looks on you and your figure type. Even if you do not know anything about sewing, you should know how clothing is constructed. It will help you when you go shopping to choose the appropriate styles for your body type. You also need to know some basic rules for your figure type. It seems like everyone wants to look thinner. Here are a few tips on how to achieve that with your clothing. - As a general rule, gathers make your body look larger. A gather is where fabric has been bunched together, and sewn tightly into the seam. You see a lot of gathers in dresses for little girls. They are very feminine. A lot of them are in the seam at the waist or the seam where the sleeve is attached to the garment. Gathers make everything underneath them stick out. If you wear gathers at your waist, your stomach will stick out. If you wear them at your hips, your hips will look bigger. If you put them in a yoke seam (above the bust), and you are heavy on top, the fabric will go out and you will look huge (in a bad way). If you have broad shoulders and you wear gathered sleeves, you will look like a linebacker. - Even without gathers, horizontal seams add weight. Watch out for any lines that run across your body, either in the fabric construction or in the print of the item of clothing. - Short sleeves make a horizontal line. If you have a large bust, never wear a sleeve that ends at bust level. - Shoulder pads may be out of style, but thin ones will make your hips look smaller by making your shoulders look wider. - Avoid pockets. They just add bulk, which looks like it is coming from you, and not the clothing. - Don't think you can hide your weight buying dresses from Omar the tentmaker. Buy clothes that fit you as close as possible, and accentuate the things you like about your body. - Skirts should be straight, or slightly flared. Stick to a length slightly below the knee where the leg  is the most narrow. - Pant legs should hang straight, and not taper or flare. Be careful with pleats at the waistline. - Don't wear turtlenecks if you have a large bust. V-shaped necklines lengthen the body, as do other vertical seams or patterns in fabric. - Don't buy fabric that is either too stiff, or too clingy. Stiff fabrics fit more like tents, and clingy fabrics show every bulge. - Texture is not good when it comes to clothing. Keep away from bulky wools and nubby knits. Cottons and tightly woven knits won't add any visual bulk. - Always buy clothing that fits you correctly. Fabric that is being pulled too tightly, or gaping buttons are unattractive. - Wear neutral colors, and keep the bright colors near your face. Bright colors call attention to themselves. If your hips are large, you do not want to be wearing a pair of red jeans. Make your face the "center of interest" with your clothing. Wear earrings and scarves and other items that keep eyes looking at your face, not your body. - To elongate your body, keep your bottoms and tops of similar color. Color changes will chop up your body. - If you have short legs, keep your jackets and sweaters short. If you wear a long sweater, it will make your legs look short. A short jacket will elongate your body and make you look thinner. Save money and be a frugal shopper by buying the clothing that looks good on your body. Sometimes you can be so attracted by an item of clothing that you think you can overlook its "flaws." You can't, and you won't.  Use your clothing budget wisely. When it comes to clothing, less is more when it all fits.   About the Author: Nikki Willhite, mother of 3 and an interior design graduate, has been writing and publishing articles on the topic of frugal living for over a decade. Visit her at www.frugalhappyfamilies.com - where you will find hundreds of frugal living tips and articles. Frugal Happy Families- more than just money!

 

 

 

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