How to drop a dress size without dieting with these simple style tricks

drop a dress size

As a Personal Stylist, I often work with women who have been through a transitional period and have put on weight because they have had a baby, been through a stressful event, suffered from illness or been through the menopause. 

The good news is that with a few simple styling tricks you can drop a dress size without dieting and straight away! Read on to find out how!

So, here are my top 5 style tips to drop a dress size without dieting

Dress for the body shape you have NOW

By learning to love and enhance the figure you have right now, you can feel confident and stylish regardless of your body type and size. You may plan to exercise more and/or/diet, but don’t wait until then to feel good about yourself!

If you don’t want to invest a lot of money in a new wardrobe, then try shopping at thrift stores, and on sites such as ‘Vinted’ or ‘Ebay’.

So, the principle of dressing for your body shape is to attract attention to the parts of your body you love and distract attention from the parts of your body you are less keen on.

For example, if you are a pear shape then wear a top with ruffles or shoulder pads to create visual balance. 

Also, make sure that you buy clothes that are the exact right size – not too tight (which will just showcase any lumps and bumps) and not too big (as shapeless baggy clothes will just make you look bigger!) 

Use stripes to create an optical illusion to make you appear taller and slimmer.

Horizontal stripes make you look bigger as they attract the eye from left to right to follow the lines and thus give the impression that something is wider/larger. 

If you have a large bust and you want to wear horizontal stripes, add an open jacket or cardigan, a long necklace or a scarf to create a vertical line and ‘break the area up’.

If you are an apple shape, you will want to avoid horizontal stripes altogether, a pear shape should wear horizontal stripes on the top half of the body and conversely an inverted triangle should only wear horizontal stripes on the bottom half of the body.

If you are an hourglass or a rectangle, you should be careful not to distort the perfect alignment of your shoulders and hips, so if you only wear horizontal stripes on one half of your body, balance this out with ruffles, thicker materials or other details on the other half.   

Unlike horizontal stripes, vertical stripes lengthen the body and give the impression of being thinner, so make sure to include vertical striped shirts, skirts and pants in your closet.

You can also create vertical lines with the cut of your clothing as long, open jackets also draw the eye downward to create the impression of a taller, thinner you.

Here are a few picks of vertically striped trousers and skirts, which will make you appear taller and slimmer.

High-Waisted trousers are also a great choice to make your legs seem longer and slimmer. Be wary of cropped trousers if you are ‘petite’ as they will make you seem shorter.

 Diagonal stripes deceive the eye and are a great way to create the illusion of curves. Combining vertical and diagonal stripes is also very flattering.

And, finally, colour-block dresses or skirts with darker side panels are also very slimming.

Choose dark colours to give the illusion of a slimmer you!

If you want to give the impression of being thinner or leaner, choose dark colours, – such as black, navy blue, plum….. and avoid light colours.

Combining dark colours such as navy and black, or burgundy and black is also visually slimming, as well as very chic, and a darker side panel (see above) is a great choice to drop a dress size!

Outfits that stick to just one color palette (monochrome) are the most flattering for all body shapes. 

Choose tops and bottoms of the same color to create an uninterrupted vertical line, making you look thinner and taller. 

The monochrome look is especially recommended for the Apple body shape and for ‘petite’ ladies. 

Neutral colors are very versatile and are great building blocks for your wardrobe. Layer with a long cardigan or a statement jacket and swap your sandals/shoes for boots as we head into the cooler months.

If you choose 2 colors of contrasting value, make sure to wear the darker color on the area you want to appear slimmer.

For example, if you are a pear shape, you should wear the lighter color on the top half and the darker color on the bottom, whereas if you are an inverted triangle then favour the dark color for tops.

Use accessories wisely

Belted looks are an easy option to transform your look and create a waist. 

drop a dress size

As you can see above, sometimes, it’s not just what you wear but how you wear it! A few simple tweaks can transform your look, and adding a belt and some high heels make this outfit look totally different.

Make sure to wear the belt at your natural waist (the thinnest part of your body) and also opt for styles that include belts or patterns that draw in your eye at the waist.  Have a look below for some inspiration.

Bold accessories, such as large tote bags, will make you seem smaller by comparison. 

The above bag from Sarah Haran (see this post) would be a great example of this. Most of Sarah’s bags are modular and customisable. They feature removable tassels, front clutches, key chains, straps and chains so that you can change your handbag to suit your look, and transition easily from day to night.

You can use the code VELVET10 to get a 10% discount on anything on Sarah’s site! 

I hope you enjoyed this feature about how to drop a dress size without dieting, and found some useful tips to drop a dress size without dieting and straight away! You can also have a look here for more style inspiration.