A new miracle diet? A touch of lunchtime lipo? No and no. Dressing yourself slimmer is the quickest, easiest way to a sleeker, more svelte you. How do you do it? Here are our top ten tips to dressing yourself down a dress size.

 1. Colouring thin: The easiest way to dress your self down a size is to wear one colour. The darker the better, so opt for blacks, greys and navys. If it’s all a bit too Morticia Adams for you, brighten up your outfit with some colourful accessories.

2. Size is but a number: The biggest mistake made by women to make them selves look thinner, is to select clothes sizes that are either too small or too large. This absolutely does not work. Wear tight clothes and they will hug every lump and bump; wear baggy clothes and they’ll hang off those very bits you are trying to hide, giving you a larger silhouette. Stick to your dress size and you’ve already won half the battle. But, of course there is one exception to the rule. For smaller girls, wearing a dress size too big, i.e. a slouchy cardigan, can actually make you look slimmer.

3. It’s what’s inside that counts: Never under-estimate the value of a great bra! Poorly fitting lingerie will do you no favours, making you look larger, saggier and rounder than you actually are. Get the right support and you’ll gain a whole new shape. As for your bottom, try some contouring briefs to smoothen, shape and suck-in.

4. Not so pretty in print: This is a tough one! The catwalks were awash with pattern this season, but no matter how beautiful they are, they can be very unflattering. Try to avoid wearing too much print if you are trying to minimise your silhouette. Unfortunately this rules out this season’s penchant for the Breton print. Nautical styles are here, there and everywhere, but it is a well known fact that the horizontal stripe is not a flattering friend. Buy into the trend with cute sea-faring details, like buttons; they are 100% harmless.

5. Face-lift: Always wanted model-esque high check bones? By framing your face with the right hair-do can really change the shape of your face. If you have a rounder face, a fringe will reduce its size and face-framing highlights will give you those much lusted after cheek bones. And when it comes to make-up, contour your face with the right powder and blush combo.

6. Armour: The infamous bingo wing – no ones favourite look. The mistake? Wearing the wrong sleeve length, so avoid sleeves that cut you upper arm in half as they will accentuate the bulge. Go for full length or three-quarter sleevs to elongate your arms.

 7. Stack ‘em up: If you love your flats, you’d better get to grips with a pair of skyscraper heels. Adding a few extra inches to your pins, will take inches off you. That’s a top tip used by celebs and models the world over.

8. Legs, bums and tums: Longer legs, lifted bums, flat tums can be yours by wearing the right pair of trews. Go for high-waisted styles as they will suck you in and prevent any signs of muffin top appearing. If you are larger in your hips, try a figure-hugging pencil skirt and say no to minis. Finally, draw attention to your upper half with pretty detailed tops.

9. Beach body beautiful: Summer is a-coming and that means only one thing: stripping down to your swimmers. Uh-oh! If you are generous in size, avoid wearing a bikini and find a figure-hugging one-piece that will hold you in while making you look smaller.

10. Stand up straight: And finally, here’s the easiest way to transform your size. Simply by altering your posture – stand up straight, lift your chest and breathe in – you can look a lot lighter. So no more slouching! 

Article by Stephanie Holding -

For more styling tips we recommend you book a personal stylist or image consultancy with one  Stilorama ‘s team of fashion experts who can help you create your own personal style and show you how you can develop your own look.

Catwalk looks from Yves Saint Laurent, Celine, Donna Karan and 3.1 Phillip Lim.