7 Steps to Creating the Illusion of Curves ...

A lot of girls with a straighter mid-section are reluctant to experiment with outfits that feature a higher cut waist. While curve-hugging pencil skirts and skin-tight body con dresses are designed to fit women with Salma Hayek-style figures, there is a wide variety of garments out there directed at creating rather than showcasing a narrow midriff. Stylists suggest that a high-cut skirt with a flare and a thicker waistband will immediately take inches of its wearer.

Creating curves is about adding volume where, in reality, there is none. In light of this, choose skirts that will stand away from your hips: think Disney’s Alice in Wonderland. Lanterns, tulips and wide hems are you friends. Make sure whichever style you go for sits at the smallest part of your mid-section and pair it with an ever-so-slightly roomy vest or tee: the folds will give the impression of a fuller top-half and a nipped-in waist.

Increase the depth of your bust with good bra. So often push-ups look unnatural and kind of … upholstered. Instead of flinging on the first balconet that catches your eye, head to a department store with a professional fitter and get measured. This will help you to find a bra in a style that capitalises on size without sacrificing a great natural shape.

Nothing creates a feminine silhouette better than a wide waist belt, perfectly fitted. Take a simple shift from sweet to sexy in seconds while fashioning the illusion of a narrow midriff. Thick, elastic variations will do a little corseting as well, creating a curve in your midsection where, in actuality, there isn’t one.

Don’t shy away from the kind of detailed prints, ruffles and appliqués that your more voluptuous friends only wish they could pull off. No one’s suggesting you dress yourself in head to toe leopard print, but do recognise that your outfits can afford to get a little ‘loud’ here and there. If you’re keen to add weight over your bust, for example, wear a shirt with embellishments in that area.

While it’s all very well to create curves with voluminous skirts, roomy blouses and corseting waist-belts, it’s another thing entirely to do it in jeans and a vest. Stylists suggest that dressing a boyish figure in denims is largely a matter of pocket placement: apparently the jeans we should look for have wide ones which sit slightly towards the seam running from the waistband down the side of each leg. We should also go for super low cut styles, since these will widen our hips and emphasise the butt.

If you’re really desperate to give yourself a fuller butt and curvier hips, you’ll be pleased to know that there’s a whole range of support garments out there dedicated specifically to solving this problem. These ‘shaping aids’ are basically strategically padded underwear which, when worn under fitted jeans or a clingy dress, create exactly the kind of hourglass silhouette you’re after.

If you’re fortunate enough to have the kind of figure that is conventionally called boyish, you’ll know you can pull off a whole range of styles that curvier women find it difficult to wear. If, every now and then, you’re keen to look a little more voluptuous than usual, I’ve put together this list of 7 steps to creating the illusion of curves to help you out. Do you have any tips of your own to add?

Top Photo Credit: kevindooley