Spring is the time to "up" your fashion game. Dresses are the ticket to finding ease and comfort, while adding an instant, "WOW!" factor that makes people think you took much more time than you did to find your outfit.
Women all over the world know that a first impression is what we are judged on, and if negative, is the hardest thing to overcome. Dresses say that you expect higher things from yourself, making others feel inspired to step up their game too.
Dresses can be worn for all lifestyles, whether you lead a casual or corporate life... or both. A great dress provides comfort and emphasizes your best assets, whether that be your bust, waist, legs, etc... So how does one find the right dress?
Know your Assets:
What is your favourite part of your body? What part of your body have you received the most compliments on? If you legs are your best asset, then don't cover them up - ensure that your hemlines end above the knee. If your neckline is your jackpot, then show it off with a boatneck, halter, or bandeau style of dress.
Is your bustline a knockout? Well then make sure to use styles that show this off, while being careful to judge how much of a great thing is too much for some audiences. You can add a cami or tank to a dress to show less cleavage for some occasions.
Draped or excessive, flowy fabrics are generally better for thin, medium to tall, small busted women, as they add weight to someone with a large bust. Most women should define their waistline as much as possible to have a more slender silhouette. This scares some women who don't like their belly, however, an empire style of dress emphasizes the most slender part of your torso, as it sits right under the bust line. Our Night & Day dress is a great example of this.
What do You Want To Hide?
Although I want women to embrace their bodies, not hide them, I do believe that for an outfit to be truly perfect, it will be something that you feel great and confident in, without fidgeting or thinking about it for the rest of the day. This means you need to address what you are uncomfortable with. From my experience with thousands of women over the years, they all have something they have issues with - their arms, legs, knees, belly, or butt. So let's deal with this.
It is not enough to cover something up, like your arms, if the length of the cardigan or cover doesn't suit the dress or your body. Don't wear a cardigan that is longer than the dress. If you are going to wear a cardigan, then consider belting it to get the emphasis of the waistline back. You don't have to close the cardigan all the way when belting it. If you are short-waisted, try a shorter cardigan with your dress rather than one that is too long.
What Colours Suit You Best?
Think of the colours you like and are drawn to. A lot of times, these are the best colours for you. Look at your closet to determine what colour you buy mostly. If your answer is beige, we need to talk further, as you not only probably blend into the walls of a lot of show homes, but beige is one of the hardest colours for any woman to wear, other that people with dark skin. If there is something that you wear that you are sure to get compliments on, then chances are it is a colour that suits you.
Remember that any woman can wear any colour of clothing as long as they put their power colour next to their face. You can do this by adding a scarf or another layering piece. It is, however, important to know your best colours and understand that these will change with a change of hair colour and sometimes with a tan or as you get more pale. Colours such as teal and fuchsia,tend to flatter most women, yet they evoke great fear from many who feel they will stand out too much in such colours. It is time to get over it and give some colour a try, whether it is these or others. To ease into this, try a scarf or jewellery for starters.
Try holding different colours of fabric to your face to see which colours make your eyes and skin pop, compared to which colours wash you out. If you really can't tell, then ask someone else to rank each one on a scale of 1 - 5 for you, as most colours should be looked at in a sliding scale way, rather than in an absolute yes or no way.
Today Is Your New Day:
Whether you love trying new things or if you only buy clothing that comes in black, today can be the day that you put forward a fresh, fun, and put together look that shows you care about the details. If someone told you that you had chicken knees in grade four, ask yourself why you are still giving that person the power to keep you from showing your knees in every purchase you have made since that time of silliness. Take back your body, emphasize your best assets, and aim to step it up. I guarantee you will be better and feel better about yourself, while inspiring others around you to do the same. Talk about a win-win!
