Wear lines that diverge (spread apart) on the parts of your body that you want to look wider. Wear lines that converge (come together) on the parts of your body that you want to look smaller.

When lines converge, they focus attention toward the point where they meet. Make sure they are pointing to something worth looking at!

When two or more vertical lines are close together they slenderize the figure. If the lines are far apart, the eye notices the width of the space between the lines; thus, widely spaced vertical lines can make you look wider!

Keep these tips in mind the next time you start looking at stripes!

Today is the first in a series that I will be doing on body types. There are 6 basic body types and each day I will be highlighting one of them. You will learn basic dos and don’ts for your specific type. Today we start with the hourglass. Enjoy!

Hourglass

Figure Description
Your overall shape is curvy, with your hips and bust about the same width.
Your waist is well defined, and at least nine inches smaller than your bust or hips.
You have a round, full derriere.
Your thighs are full, but narrower than your lower hips and your lower legs are shapely and proportionately slim.

Style Suggestions
Emphasize your wait.
De-emphasize your bust with softer, non clingy fabrics. Dark colors on top look best.
Look for flowing, skimming styles with simple lines and semi-fitted shapes that fall gracefully without overly exaggerating or hugging your curves.
Try set-in waists and belted coordinates. Use vertical lines, princess seams and details that elongate.

So if you’re like me and you can’t wait to start wearing your sun dresses, but are disappointed by the gloomy, overcast weather, I have a good tip. Try layering a light weight long sleeved top under your dresses. You can also wear leggings underneath them. You’ll get to enjoy your dresses, but still have the added warmth of sleeves and leggings. As the weather warms up, you can start peeling off the layers!

I know my main focus is on style and fashion, but I read this great tip the other day and just had to share it with you.

You know those little packets of silica gel that come in bottles of vitamins? Pull those out of the bottles when you are done with the vitamins and throw them in your cosmetic bag to keep it free from bacteria breeding, make up melting moisture.

I never knew what they did, so I used to throw them out right away. I think I’ll be keeping them around more now. Just had to share this with you.

Do you want a happening wardrobe, not one that just happened? Planning a wardrobe is not as difficult as it may seem. Here in Orange County, many of us look for clothes that we can wear to work but that also double as clothes to wear out with our friends in more casual situations. For example, a great little frilly blouse that we can wear with a suit, but that also looks great with jeans and heels for a nice dinner.

The goals of successful wardrobe planning for most people include:

• Getting more looks from fewer pieces
• Updating easily
• Spending less time in the stores and the closet deciding what to wear

When you shop and add to your wardrobe, think about buying outfits in capsules. A capsule is a coordinated set of clothing that harmonizes in color, fabric, and shape to be worn interchangeably. When we build our wardrobes using the capsule technique, it becomes so much easier to mix and match and end up with many more outfits.

Summer is coming so make sure you have a couple great pairs of sun glasses. Not only will they protect your eyes and help prevent squinting and crows feet, they will finish off your outfit and help you look more glamorous. Here are a few things to remember when finding that perfect pair of sun glasses.

• Frame shape and overall size should be in proportion to your face shape and overall size.
• Center the eye horizontally in the middle of the lenses.
• The upper part of the frame should reflect the natural curve of your eyes and eyebrows
• The lowest part of the frame should not extend down to the widest part of the nose.
• Frames should never cover more than one third of your face.
• Take off your sunglasses when speaking to people. When they can’t see your eyes they feel disconnected from you and are more likely to be suspicious or treat you less warmly.

Just a few things to think about. Happy shopping!