How to Wear Clothes That Make You Look Slimmer

With a little fashion savvy, you can learn to make your clothes work for you in showing off your best features and minimizing the not-so-flattering ones.

1.Choose clothing all in one color to give yourself a long, lean look.

2.Wear black. It gives a look that is especially slimming.

3.Try to avoid shapeless clothing. No one is fooled, and loose clothes often make you appear wider or heavier.

4.Avoid tight clothing that will emphasize your heavy areas.

5.Choose softly tailored pieces that define but don't constrain.

6.Steer clear of horizontal stripes, which make you appear wider, but consider vertical stripes, which make you look longer and leaner.

7.Wear blocks of color that draw the eye away from less-than-perfect areas. Wear a red shell or royal blue jacket, for example, to draw attention away from your legs.

8.Wear shoulder pads and wide necklines to balance wide hips.

9.Choose pants that have narrow or tapered legs to hide a large midsection. Flat-front pants and side or back zippers will flatter your figure, while pockets, pleats and tight pants will only draw attention to your midsection.