Petite & top heavy - Caryn Franklin's How to Look Good

Action PlanStyle detective‘Just what is your style?’Many women have no sense of what they would like their style to bewhen I ask this question. Moreover, they have no understanding of thestyle they currently inhabit. Just jot down a handful of words thatrepresent you now – be as honest as you can bear. My guess is thatamongst your descriptions will include the words ‘practical,’ ‘thrifty,’‘comfortable,’ maybe even ‘bored,’ ‘scruffy’ and ‘bland.’Style should begin and end with who you are and what you areabout. Whether we like it or not people read our clothing, accessoryand hair and make-up choices. Despite not uttering a single wordabout ourselves to others, we will have communicated volumes aboutourselves through our clothes.One woman I worked with had a fondness for drab lifeless colours,shapeless garments, no make-up on her face and unloved hair. She wasamazed when I said I could see immediately that she had fallen out oflove with herself. To her these clothes were just what she had alwaysput on in the morning and she liked not having to think about them.I read her image as someone who didn’t want to think about herself,who was uninterested in the woman she saw in the mirror.Let’s start with the simple basics; like whether your clothes appearto be cared for. Do they give off a look of quality and do they fit? Ona deeper level ask yourself do your clothing choices flatter your body?Do they cleverly enhance your strengths and play downyour weaknesses.Do they give clues about your state of mind?Yes, others will effortlessly make assumptions about your personality byreading your choices on colour, design and print as well as all the above(this includes potential friends, bosses, work colleagues and socialacquaintances) – so will they be the right assumptions?A stylish woman will always communicate a regard for herself and apleasure in being. Size and age need have no bearing on how youpresent yourself - few things are more self-affirming than the act ofdressing well (this is not to be confused with spending well). Someonewho dresses well will not get caught in the trap of over spending ormaking expensive mistakes, even impulse purchasing. Once you beginCaryn Franklin’s How to Look Good 21