Nine Style Tips to Boost Your Confidence When You've Gained Weight
Sometimes I find it difficult overcome the feeling of insecurity after I’ve gained weight. Whether I’ve gained a lot of weight or only went up a size or two, my self-confidence might be at risk. Instead to overwhelm myself of thinking of that situation and feel miserable, I just keep my positivism on, and guess what? looking fabulous with a few extra pounds can easily be done with the right style knowledge and willingness to try new things.
Think of your body as the blank canvas and your clothes as the means to creating beautiful art. After you use the following nine tips, you’ll overcome your insecurity no matter how much weight you’ve gained or how much your body has changed. If you are in the process of losing some weight –or not- our tips will cover everything from sizing as well as all the little tricks you can use to make yourself look slimmer, and keep your confidence level at maximum point.
1. Focus on Sizing
You may be tempted to keep squeezing into the size that you used to be, but this is counter-productive. Nobody looks good in clothes that stick to them like sausage casing, so skip the drama and start buying sizes that actually fit. It’s the only way to get back on track with your clothing style.
Different stores will have different sizes that fit you. You might be a size 8 in one store and a size 10 in another, so be sure to try on everything that you’re buying before you head to the cash register. You may notice that you have to go up sizes because one part of your body has gotten bigger, while the rest is the same size. It’s in these cases that tailoring will be your best friend.
2. Your Tailor is Your New Best Friend
Say for example that you’ve bought the perfect fit and flare dress that perfectly camouflages your belly, but it’s baggy around your chest area. You could go down a size to get a better fit around the chest, but then it would be too tight around the stomach.
What’s a girl to do in a situation like this? This is where your tailor comes in. Buy the bigger size and take it to a tailor. They’ll be able to adjust the rest of the garment to your exact measurements for the most flattering fit possible. No matter what your size, all women would benefit from having their clothes tailored. There’s nothing quite as chic and sexy as an outfit that is perfectly fitted.
3. Pay Attention to Silhouettes
Speaking of perfect fits, silhouettes are something that you should always pay careful attention to. There are some styles that are universally flattering, while others are the complete opposite. You might feel the urge to wear loose, shapeless clothes after gaining weight. This is a common mistake. All this does is make you look bigger than you truly are which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve. While it’s not flattering to wear skin-tight clothes either if you have extra weight, there is a limit to how loose you should go.
In general, fitted clothes are the best option. As mentioned above, they will create a streamlined silhouette that has been custom-made for your body.
Fit and flare dresses are a great example of this. This kind of dress will hug the chest and flow over the belly. Since the belly is the area in which most women gain weight, this style is a great way to hide weight gain. Wearing a fitted dress instead of a loose dress also allows you to accentuate your waist. An hourglass figure can easily be achieved this way, making you look slimmer than you are.
4. Try Different Necklines
The most flattering neckline when you’re trying to look slimmer is undoubtedly a V-neck. It tricks the eye into thinking you’re slim by elongating the body.
In contrast, a boat neck cuts the body off at the neck and can make you look even chunkier. Some women may find that a round neckline or sweetheart neckline also flatters their body shape. Try on a variety of necklines and take pictures to see which are the most flattering before you start buying new clothes.
5. Focus on Length
Many women feel insecure about their legs after gaining weight. This doesn’t mean you have to hide them in maxi skirts forever! Skirts can still look great after you’ve gained weight, but it’s important to note where the skirt ends on your leg. You want the skirt to end at a thinner part of the leg, since this creates the illusion of an overall thinner leg.
The two most flattering skirt length will end right below the knee and at the thinnest point of the calves. When the skirt ends right below the knee, the natural indent there creates a streamlined look. A midi skirt that ends on the thinnest part of your calves does the same, especially when paired with high heeled shoes.
6. Pay Attention to Sleeve Length
Sleeve length can determine how slender or thick your arms look. You should follow the same basic rules as with skirt length by avoiding any shirts that end on a thicker part of the arm. This includes batwing shirts, which tend to be universally unflattering. T-shirts ending right below the shoulder and long-sleeves that end right at the wrist are your best bests for creating a fashionable look that is flattering to your body type.
7. Play with Colors
The belief of black being a slimming color remains true to this day, but that doesn’t mean you suddenly have to start dressing like Morticia Addams every day if that’s not your fashion style. Instead, strategically use black. If you’re insecure about your belly, wear a fitted black shirt. If you want to shrink your legs, fitted black straight leg jeans will do the trick. The opposite can be done with brighter colors. Do you love your bust? Wear a bright shirt and pair it with a high-waisted black flare skirt to disguise the parts that you’re insecure about.
Colors offer a world of opportunity when it comes to creating flattering outfits for full-figured women. Avoid horizontal stripes, those shapes may you look bigger as you really are. As you try on different colors and styles, you’ll start getting outfit ideas that you’ll love wearing. Check out these Color fashion Tees!
8. Accessories are Your Friend
Accessories can make you look bigger or smaller. If you want to trick people into thinking you are slender, a long scarf is your friend. The scarf hanging down your body will draw the eye downwards, creating the illusion of a taller and leaner figure.
A belt can also be used to make you look taller and skinnier. Cinch your waist using a wide belt and your legs will look like they go on for miles. A necklace can add a little pop to the look!
9. Shoes Make a Difference
Shoes are a girl’s best friend, especially after weight gain. Different shoes will do different things for your body. To start off with, a pair of nude high heels will be the pair of shoes that will always make you happy. The added length will help to slim you, while the nude color gives the illusion of the legs being naturally longer.
Use shoes with straps that go around the ankle when you are wearing a pair of leggings, dresses or skirts, that will slimmer your ankle. Make sure that the length of your pants is above of the strap. Avoid this kind of shoes when you are wearing a below knee skirt length, this style shortens the legs.
