Are you always on a diet?

Do you avoid full length mirrors?

Would you like a fool-proof way to appear slimmer?

According to a survey carried out by Warburtons Bakery, by the age of 45 the average woman has been on 61 diets. They go on to report that with the average diet lasting just 15 days as many as 35% of women gain more weight than they lost in the first place once the diet is over.

Depressing stuff huh?

A more effective way to feel more body confident is to ditch the diets and be kinder to yourself by making one or two realistic changes to your diet. Changes such as increasing your veg intake and drinking more water.

Then, grab a cup of tea and take 5 minutes to tune in to my straightforward, easy-to- follow tips on dressing slimmer.

There is a bucket load of advice in fashion magazines, on TV shows and on the web but it isn’t always easy to follow or terribly practical.

To simplify this for you, here are my 5 fool-proof tips that are designed to be easy to follow and super effective.

Tip 1 – Hemlines

Hemlines draw attention.

Wearing the correct sleeve length, top or jacket length and skirt or dress length is essential for drawing attention to the right parts of your body.

Get this wrong and you will make your larger parts appear voluminous.

• If you have a large bust – avoid a sleeve that finishes in line with your bust.
• If you have a large tummy – avoid a top or jacket that finishes across your tum.
• If you have large hips – avoid a top or jacket that finishes across your hips.
• If you have a large bottom – ….you know what I’m going to say?!

Tip 2 – Use Colour

We all know that by painting a room in a light colour we can make it look bigger, whereas a darker colour will make a room look smaller, well it’s the same for your body. This doesn’t mean though that you have to stick exclusively to black outfits in the summertime – (see tip 3 for how to wear light colours well). With this in mind, decide whether your body is top heavy, bottom heavy or evenly balanced.

• Top heavy – you carry more weight on your bust and or tummy and torso.Wear a darker colour on your top half and a lighter one on your lower half. Beware of your hemline. (see tip 1)

• Bottom heavy – you carry more weight on your hips, thighs and/or bottom. Wear a dark colour on your lower half and a light colour on your top half. Beware of your hemline. (see tip 1) 

• Evenly balanced – you carry weight fairly evenly over your body. (see tip 3)

 Tip 3 – Create a leaner silhouette

If you feel that you are big all over and would like to appear slimmer, a wonderful trick is to dress in one tone from top to toe (or shoulder to toe).

Dressing in this way creates a long, lean silhouette. Use accessories to add interest and a splash of colour without adding bulk or drawing attention to the wrong areas. It doesn’t matter whether your outfit is dark or light, the important bit is sticking to one tone.

Tip 4 – Get the fit right

Your clothes need to fit you correctly if you are to look slimmer.

People who are overweight tend to buy their clothes a size (or more) too big in an attempt to hide everything. Unfortunately this doesn’t work.

 It is much more effective to choose clothes that fit correctly and this might mean trying out different cuts and brands until you find the ones that work for your figure type.

 Sometimes your clothes may benefit from a slight nip and tuck from a seamstress to create a perfect fit. It is worth spending a few pounds to improve the fit. Adjusting the length of a pair of trousers is easy to do so concentrate on getting the fit around your waist and hips right first.

Tip 5 – Match your footwear with your legs

Wearing shoes that are the same colour or tone as your legs (or the clothing on your legs) creates a long line with the effect of longer, slimmer legs. Beware of the ever popular ankle strap which breaks that line and can make your ankles look bigger (unless the straps are the same colour as your legs.)

I would love to hear how you get on by following these tips. Please leave a comment!