How do you instantly look 10 pounds lighter? Let your outfit do all the lifting. The right slimming styling secrets can instantly create a more streamlined, elongated silhouette. And the best part? No shapewear, crazy diets, or hours in the gym required. This post is your ultimate guide to unlocking the secret to those “Wow, you look SO good”, compliments (even if you’re not feeling your best). You’ll want to keep these tips in your back pocket for the next time you want to turn heads OR use them every day for chic, slimming outfit inspiration. Ready to elevate your style AND dial-up your confidence?
Let’s do this… 👗✨
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slimming style secrets
We’ve all been there – staring into our closets wondering how to create an outfit that makes us feel confident and fabulous. The good news is that you don’t need a magic wand or a drastic makeover. The secret lies in understanding the power of strategic styling. Before we dive in, do you need to look slimmer? No, absolutely not. But…if your goal is to dress in the most flattering way possible for a more slimming appearance, then these style secrets are for you! These tips are easy and effective.
#1) Dark Wash, High Rise, Flare Jeans
If we had to pick one (just one!) style of jeans that is going to be the MOST slimming on all body shapes, it’s going to be your dark wash, high rise, flare jeans. Other styles can certainly be very slimming and elongating. But, the dark wash + high rise + flare jean equation is going to be your most fail-safe jeans formula when it comes to looking long and lean. Let’s break it down…
The high rise will conceal a tummy and smooth out your sides. Think 10” or higher!
Darker colors are naturally going to be the most slimming. So, dark wash jeans like a deep, dark blue or even black will be the most slenderizing and flattering.
Why flared jeans? It’s the flared leg in contrast with the higher waist that helps create that va va va voom, hourglass shape. The gentle flare at the hem, wider than the waist, creates a flattering, slimming and undeniably feminine silhouette.
Above, Erin is wearing AG Farrah bootcut jeans, which are a perfect example of this look slimmer formula. But not only do they look good, they are incredibly comfortable too. Win, win! Erin loves these so much she owns them in 2 different washes. The fit-and-flare style creates a sexy silhouette, balancing proportions and accentuating curves in all the right places. The dark wash and subtle flare elongates your legs, making them look a mile long!
What To Avoid?
🚫 Low-rise jeans that sit below the natural waist can cause a muffin top effect and make your legs look so much shorter.
🚫Light wash creates opposite effect, often making legs look wider.
🚫Skinny jeans might be making a come-back, but overly tight skinnies can cling to every lump and bump and emphasize problem areas rather than smooth them.
🚫 Super baggy jeans and overly voluminous styles add bulk rather than elongate. There’s a fine line between looking cool and edgy…and like you’re drowning in denim 😉
#2) Monochrome Outfits
Wearing one color from head to toe—especially darker shades, creates an elongated and streamlined effect, making you appear taller and leaner. It creates an uninterrupted vertical line. So, the eye travels up and down the unbroken line rather than being drawn to different color blocks that can break up your silhouette. You can get creative here! Black is always a sleek and slimming option, but you could also wear monochrome navy, chocolate brown, charcoal grey, and other jewel tones like deep green or burgundy.
Above, Erin is wearing a black sweater with contrasting cuffs and a pair of super-slimming Spanx ponte-knit wide leg pants with built-in compression. Not only is the monochrome aspect of this look very flattering, but the pants follow the same formula as tip #1 so it’s like a slimming double-whammy! The pants come in 3 different lengths so you can get the perfect fit for your frame. If you work in an office or don’t already have a go-to pair of slimming black pants, these are a must.
What To Avoid?
🚫 Visual disruption – The eye naturally stops where colors change, so wearing multiple colors in contrasting sections like a dark top and a bright bottom, will make the body appear more segmented rather than streamlined.
#3) Elongate Your Legs with the Right Shoes
Shoe choice can sometimes be an afterthought. But when it comes to dressing to look slim, your shoes can really make a difference. Your fail-safe option here is going to be a pointed-toe pair of boots, booties, flats, or heels. The pointed toe elongates, streamlines, and creates a slimming vertical line. To maximize the slimming effect, you can match your shoes to your skin tone (when your legs are exposed) or match your shoes to the color of your bottoms.
What to Avoid?
🚫 Open toe shoes can still look chic, but they definitely will not make you look longer and taller.
🚫 Contrasting color shoes create a harsh break in the visual line of your body.
#4) Define Your Waist
Adding waist definition to your outfits is going to create natural curves. You can wear a waist belt with your high-waisted jeans or pants. You can also add a belt to dresses just above your natural waistline to create an hourglass shape. But if you have an apple or triangle-shaped body type, you might not feel comfortable highlighting your waist with a belt. In that case, you can skip the belt, and try a structured blazer, cropped jacket, or jacket that nips in at the waist. A blazer with structured shoulders helps balance out the tummy area or wider hips, making the waist appear more defined.
What To Avoid?
🚫 Straight cut or boxy styles can make the torso look wide and bulky.
🚫 Over-sized or boyfriend blazers can make the waist appear broader with the extra fabric and looser fit.
#5) V-Neck Styles
And our last slimming style secret is…to embrace the V-neck. Tops, t-shirts, sweaters, dresses…the visually elongating effect draws attention vertically rather than horizontally. V-necks also accentuate the collarbone and neckline, lengthen your torso, can minimize a larger bust AND, we might just need a drumroll for this one….they work on ALL body types. Talk about an easy solution to look 10 pounds lighter!
What To Avoid?
🚫 Ruffled or embellished necklines. Extra fabric, ruffles, or high-neck embellishments add volume, which can make the upper body look heavier.
🚫 Square necklines. The sharp angles can emphasize width, especially in the shoulders or bust area.
🚫 High crew neck tops cover too much of the neck and chest, making the upper body appear shorter and bulkier.
Super easy, right? Use any of these 5 slimming style secrets or a combination of a few of them to instantly level-up and slim-down your appearance. The right clothing choices can truly be transformative!
Looking for even more style tips to look slimmer? Make sure you check out this post next.
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