by Jayne Clarkson

Created on: May 18, 2009   Last Updated: December 08, 2009

Buying clothes that  flatter a fuller figure, can be difficult. Every day we are bombarded with pictures of very young, skinny models . Most of us are not  a size 2 or 4, yet a lot of the fashion advice in magazines completely ignore this fact and only advise  those with  slimmer figures. If you are a curvy girl and you love fashion , what are the essential style rules to follow? Here are a few tips .

1. Get great underwear. You can't build a house without good foundations. The same is true for a great outfit. If you have a tummy or large breasts, support is needed. You can ruin the line of a great outfit , if you aren't wearing the correct under wear. Alternatively wearing a great bra (in the correct size) or body shaping briefs can create both a fabulous line and great confidence. Even Hollywood stars use this trick, so there must be something to it. For great control underwear, look online at, www.figleaves.com .

2. Discover your body shape. Women come in all shapes and sizes, whatever dress size we are. There are some of us, with larger hips than shoulders (pear shape), some with small hips and larger chests and shoulders and others with large chests and hips, but a small waist (hourglass shape). This is true of women of all sizes. So to find what best suits you it is important to discover your shape and embrace it. I'm an hour glass with quite thick legs (boo hoo) so any thing that is nipped in at the waist looks good. On the other hand anything smocked or unwaisted looks appalling, as do mini skirts. So find what shapes and styles suit you, and stick to them.

3. Wear clothes that fit properly. A big mistake that people often make, is to wear clothes either that are too tight, in the vain attempt to appear smaller. The opposite is also true,wearing clothes that are  too baggy in an attempt to hide the parts they don't like.Unfortunately both ways of dressing, make you appear larger.

 Using badly fitting clothes, gives no definition to the body , so it is impossible to see a wonderful waist or gorgeous cleavage. Too tight just makes it appear that you are squeezing yourself into clothing that is too small. Not a good look! The key here is a good fit. Well-fitting garments always look better . You look slimmer .The clothing gives your body definition, can hide the bits you don't like and highlight the bits you do.

4. Accessorize. An outfit is made by great accessories. A lovely new bag, shoes, brooch, scarf or belt can instantly update an outfit and if you find a particular type of accessory that suits you it can really look great. I always buy accessories, mainly wide belts and skyscraper heels, as they are the things that suit me , but they also make me feel good. They are cheaper than buying a whole new outfit too and whatever shape or size you are, you will find great accessories.For great accessories, look at www.accessorize.com .

Lastly, love yourself for who you are. Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield would be considered plus size if they were alive today . They were gorgeous and always looked great, as can we all.

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