Ladies, you don’t have to always wear black!
*A guide to coordinate colors in your wardrobe to maintain proportion.
“Black is slimming.” Yes, it is... But that doesn’t mean you must wear black head to toe to be the slimmest version of yourself.
What is this obsession about being “slim” anyway? You don’t have to be slim to look good.
That’s right! Size does not matter. It’s all about proportions. Understanding how to work with the proportions of your body will help you dress your best, no matter your size.
Fashion is architecture. It is a matter of proportions. – Coco Chanel
Research shows that humans are naturally attracted to a proportional body type in women, often referred to as an hourglass figure. That’s when the bust measurement is about the same as the hips; and the waist is significantly smaller.
But women come in all shapes and sizes, so what do you do if your body is not in proportion? The trick is to draw the eyes to the parts that are smaller and take attention away from the parts that are bigger.
The use of color is key.
You can emphasize a part of your body by wearing bright and dominant colors, just like using a highlighter to bring attention to certain words on a page. You could also take attention away from the parts that you feel are bigger by wearing darker, or recessive colors making those parts appear smaller.
For instance, if you are bigger on the bottom, wearing a bright yellow shirt will draw the eyes up to your top; taking attention away from your bottom. Yellow is a very dominant color so you can wear almost any other color on the bottom and appear proportional.
Note: 3D detailing, patterns, and cuts are examples of other ways that you can manipulate proportion along with color. But let’s look at some examples, focusing on color only.
The bright pink color attracts the eye up. The jeans are a recessive color that fades into the background. Great for someone that is bigger on the bottom.
Bright orange, bringing the attention to the top. The blue is a more muted, which fades more into the background. A little bit of orange in the shoes, to balance the top.
White, paired with bright colors, becomes a background color. It’s not visually as interesting as the green and purple, which bring the focus of the outfit to the bottom.
Though the whole outfit is similar in color, eyes are drawn down to the pants, because it is slightly brighter and the fabric is shiny. This outfit is great for someone that’s bigger on top.