Fashion Mistakes
Buying clothes that don’t fit: Do you have several pieces hanging in the closets with the tags still attached because you bought them hoping you were going to lose 10 pounds? “Dress for now, not five or 10 pounds from now,” says Shayne. “Otherwise, going into your closet every morning is torture!” Buying things that are too big is also an unflattering option. But keep in mind that it’s not always reasonable to assume that clothes will fit like a glove right off the rack, and that’s where a good tailor becomes essential. Take jeans for example: you need to buy the pair that fits and flatters your curves, then you should get the length and the waist tailored to fit you perfectly.
Wearing the wrong length skirt: Not every skirt will flatter every body. And even if you’ve got amazing legs, you still want to be careful about where your hemlines hit. The most universally flattering length for skirts—whether they’re straight or A-line—is just above or just below the knee. Which you choose mostly depends on whether or not you like your knees enough to reveal them. The absolute worst skirt length is one that ends at mid calf—that length will make even the best-looking legs appear shorter and thicker.
Trying to wear the same jeans with different height heels: There’s really no way around it: Unless you always wear the same shoes with your jeans, you’re probably going to need two pairs of denim. That way you can hem one pair of jeans to the right length for flats and another to wear when you put on a higher heel. According to Shayne, a jean with a slight flare at the bottom (the most universally flattering jeans shape) should hit no less than half an inch off the ground. “Any shorter than that and the proportion is thrown off, making you look more hippy,” she says. For flats, a straighter leg style—also hemmed just about half an inch off the floor—looks neater. To make sure the length doesn’t change after you’ve had them hemmed, wash and dry your jeans before you take them to the tailor.
