Style Icon: Sophia Loren

Body Type: Curvy and Tall

Height: 5’10″

She was once the most famous Italian actress in the world. Sophia Loren, well-known for her voluptous curves, once said, “Everything you see, I owe to spagetti.” 

Those curves have helped make her career. Sophia Loren embraced her figure and wore beautiful garments to enhance her vampy features.  

 I really like this dress on her. It brings out her hourglass shape. I think it is so important to work with what you have. Focus on your best features like Sophia Loren did. She’s not the thinniest and she’s still beautiful.

 A woman’s dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view.  -Sophia Loren

Jaylynn R. Perkins

myshopper@dressyourbodytype.com

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If you want to draw attention away from your pear shaped bottom, don’t wear white pants or light colored skirts. Instead, pick dark washed jeans or dark pants to proportion this with the upper portion. Be very cautious when wearing white pants. This color can be tricky to wear. I highly recommend a good quality fabric that’s thick. Also, I always say, “When you are unsure about the fit, go see a tailor.” You won’t regret it.

If you’re super-self conscious of a part and don’t want to highlight it with light colors, but still need to visually expand it, stick to prints instead as they will expand but camouflage!

Just a fun fact in reference to light verses dark… You may be familiar with the painting above. Frida Kahlo used lighter colors to maximize and dark colors to minimize. The painting above called The Two Fridas is a perfect example of this. Notice Frida dressed in all white. She looks wider and even stronger in the picture.

Jaylynn R. Perkins

myshopper@dressyourbodytype.com

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Kate Hudson

Kristen Bell wearing Tapered Pants

 Every once in a while a trend pops up that requires a true understanding of the construction of the item in order to pull it off properly.  For 2010 Fall & Winter season, it’s the tapered, pleated trouser also called the peg leg pant (or the old school terms harem pant or chinos). We embraced tapered jeans, and now trousers. This is a trend worth trying if you’re up for the challenge.

Diane Kruger

Peg leg trousers are characterized by their cropped leg, that falls right above the ankle. The volume on these pants are at the top and enhanced this season with pleats.

Ashley Olsen

Tall & Slim, Rectangles, Hourglass figures, and long waist body types can pull off this trend without much effort. For busty figures, inverted triangles, and short waists have the most difficulty. Don’t let your body type steer you away from this trend. With a few tips, you can pull this off successfully.

Busty Figures  or Inverted Triangle Shapes Combined with a Short Waist:

When working with a complex trend, you have to get creative when it comes to sporting the peg leg trouser look. The tapered legs enhance triangles, and can often create imbalance for busty girls. However, there are ways to wear this look and not look as if you’re going to topple over. 

1. Chose a pair with a pleated or ballooned waist/ hip. The added volume near the hips will give an hour glass figure.
2. Pair the pants with a darker top and lift breasts as much as possible with a supportive bra.
3. Lastly, wear a chunkier heel. For busty figures combined with short waists, heels work great with these pants.
4. Many of the cropped pants on the racks, sport a high waist, with a ballooned hip; which works great on long torsos, but can make short waists vanish. The key is to find a pair that does not have a high waist, and that balloons out a little lower than normal. Because your waist is short, wearing mid rise pants on your natural waist will automatically give you the high waist look. Be sure to leave space between the top of the pants and your breasts.
5.  Wear monochromatic color schemes when wearing tapered pants. This creates a vertical appearance allowing a distraction from the short waist.

 If you are still iffy about the Peg Leg Trouser, I recommend slightly pleated trousers. You can get the same look with pleated trousers but it’s easier to pull off.

Jaylynn R. Perkins

myshopper@dressyourbodytype.com

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Overly broad shoulders are difficult to disquise. However, you can learn to accentuate the positive and play down the negative. Following a few simple techniques and understanding what to shop for can limit your frustrations. So, I have decided to zero in on Broad Shoulders and Narrow Lower Body Types for my readers.

Kate Hudsen - She does a great job dressing for the red carpet.

Jennifer Garner

Celebrities like Kate Hudsen and Jennifer Garner have wide shoulders. From recent pictures taken, I feel they are doing a great job proportioning their shoulders with their narrow frame. If you have broard shoulders, I suggest following the styles of these public figures and incorporating it into your own wardrobe.

What To shop for?

1. Sleeves.

To soften your shoulders, choose tops with kimono, raglan,  sleeves or bat sleeves which have a tendency to disguise broad shoulders. Stay away from puffy sleeves and shoulder pads at all costs. Look for blousy sweaters.

2. Necklines

Tops with V necks tend to downplay the look of wide shoulders. The deeper or more vertical the V, the more narrow your shoulders will appear. Avoid wearing high scooped, boatneck tops, or tops with rounded or square necks if you have broad shoulders. However, deep or narrow, scoop necklines draw the eye away from the shoulder area.

V-Neck Bubble Blouse

Sweater Featuring Dolman Sleeve

Wear vertical stripes up top, which downplay the appearance of full shoulders. Avoid horizontal stripes up top.

Choose jackets that have no details. Look for very narrow lapels and avoid pleats.

3. Waistline

Become aware of the triangle created by your shoulders and waist, and dress accordingly. Nipped-in and cinched waists will make your shoulders look bigger in comparison.

Find jackets that fall to the hip instead of the waist.

Avoid empire waistlines which draw the attention to the the bust and shoulders

Wide belts are not a good match either.

4. Other Tips and Techniques

Soften the shoulders and make the body appear longer and leaner overall by wearing an entire outfit that’s all the same color. Darker clothing on top will also help achieve this look.

Wear a hairdo that lifts your center of visual interest. Short hair that doesn’t hit the shoulders is a good choice.

Emphasize your hips to add balance. Wear clothing that subtly emphasizes your hips for added balance. Horizontal stripes on a skirt or pants can be effective as can wearing a light colored bottom with a darker top.

Avoid boxy styles and anything that fits tightly across the bustline or shoulders. Longer garments with simple lines work better as do loose fitting soft form styles that drape the body with lightweight fabrics.

When it comes to the Busty, the Tall & Slim, the Full & Curvy, Curvy Petite and so on, it can be difficult to determine which body type you are.  I recommend combining and referring to the Tall&Slim and Busty figures for further guidance if you are tall with broad shoulders. If you are under 5’4″, combine Busty and Petite body types.

Jaylynn Perkins

myshopper@dressyourbodytype.com