How to Dress a Flabby Tummy

Call it a muffin top, spare tyre or whatever you will, many women, especially those of us over 40 carry excess weight on our stomach. I have met very slim women who are fit and trim but still struggle with a flabby tummy. There are a plethora of solutions offered on the internet, most of which involve diet and exercise, but regardless of whether you have tried a few of these, are in the process of trying  them or you have put it all in the too hard basket, knowing how to dress a flabby tummy can really help. So, here are AbFab's ten best dressing tips to help you look absolutely fabulous, even with a little pot belly.

1. Distraction. This involves drawing attention upwards and away from the trouble area. Do this by:

• Wearing eye catching necklaces and/or earrings
• Decorative or interesting necklines
• Interesting shoulder detail

2. 

   Define the waist.

Many of us succumb to hiding a flabby tummy beneath a big boxy jacket. Problem is we only succeed in making ourselves look big all over. Instead wear a jacket or top that nips in at the waist and is at least low-hip to crotch length.   Ponte and unlined stretch fabric jackets work well.

3. Don’t tuck in.

Soft flowing tops with a little wriggle room are a great way to hide what lurks beneath. They also help to elongate the torso. Remember, what looks longer looks thinner.

4. 

   Raise the waistline.

Choose empire line or raised waistline tops and dresses. However, avoid tops that are too loose and baggy. You don’t want to create the impression that you are pregnant. A fit and flare style skims, not clings to the slimmest part of your torso underneath your bust and then flares out over thr tummy.

5. Wear patterns. Patterns can be more slimming than a block colour because patterns confuse the eyes, they don’t know where to settle so they don’t settle anywhere. And as we don’t want eyes settling on our tummy, that’s a good thing. A few pattern tips include choosing:

• Medium sized patterns
• Deep to medium-deep backgrounds
• Angular patterns as opposed to circular.

6. Open Jacket or vest or cardigan.

When you wear an open jacket you are running two long vertical lines down the centre of your body and this is one of the most slimming strategies ever! As well as the vertical lines working their illusory magic, the jacket of course also hides the tummy beneath.  In summer, you can opt for a sheer, light weight fabric in a jacket, cardigan or vest.

7. Ruched, light to medium weight fabric camouflages a soft tummy. Look particularly for styles that have a ruched centre panel. The sides are smooth and only the central area of the garment is ruched. This is a particularly useful strategy for swimwear.

8. A medium to wide belt.

Preferably elasticised, wear a belt that can sit over the tummy area and ‘suck it in’. This works really well if combined with strategy No. 6

9. 

   Shapewear. I’m not talking about the whale bone corsets that our great-grandmothers endured. Today’s shapewear is pretty darn clever and pretty comfortable to boot. Try high waisted undies, slimming camisoles and slips or full body suits. Whatever you decide, make sure it is not too tight because otherwise you will put them on and take them straight off again. I have read that you should buy your shapewear in the same size as your clothes, or even a size smaller. However, I recommend going up a size, this way the garment will definitely fit, feel more comfortable and still smooth out the lumps and bumps. Give it a go and see what works for you.

10. Combine two or more of the above strategies!

Every year the Pantone Colour Institute declares its Colour of the Year. In 2016, for the first time ever Pantone has announced not one colour but a combination of colours; Rose Quartz and Serenity. This is an exquisitely beautiful pairing of two pastels, pink and blue. Together they are magical. They both have an ethereal and dream like prettiness reminiscent of a delicate sunset. However, like all things in fashion these colours will not suit everyone nor everyone's taste. As gorgeous as this combination may be, I know it will do little to flatter my deep, high contrast colouring and I will do better to leave it to others to embrace. So, who will suit this combination of pastels? Women with cool, light and medium contrast colouring will look stunning. If you're hair is silver/ash blonde, grey or brown, your skin is fair and your eyes are green, blue, grey or light brown this combo is a marriage made in heaven for you.

However, colouring is not the only consideration. Your Style Personality is an essential element of looking fabulous. Anyone with a strong dose of romantic femininity in their style will be attracted to these colours. But, even if you are blonde and blue eyed, if you shun most things girly, pretty and delicate then you will probably shun Rose Quartz and Serenity too.

However, there are many 'Classic', 'Creative' and 'Natural' style personalities who underpin their dominant style with some Romantic/Feminine and if this is you, then you should find ways to incorporate this colour story into your 2016 wardrobe. Even if you don't embrace the whole pink and blue catastrophe, a scarf, jewellery, shoes, bag and make-up all provide opportunities to update your look with the most on-trend colour of the year.

Check out the celebrities, past and present who would look absolutely fabulous in Pantone's Rose Quartz and Serenity.

Choosing the perfect pair of glasses can be a challenging exercise. There’s usually an overwhelming array of designs to select from, but the trick is knowing which ones to eliminate. When you do, the choices narrow considerably and the decision becomes much easier. The mantra of “harmony and balance” is just as valid for selecting glasses as it is for everything else that we wear.

The factors that affect whether frames looks fabulous on us are many, though they can probably be summed up under the headings of shape and colour.

Here are the important ones:

1. face size
2. face shape
3. internal facial lines (straight, curved or combination)
4. skin tone (warm or cool)
5. hair colour (natural or not)

So, no wonder it can be confusing. Let’s look at these factors a little more closely.

1. The Size of your Face. This is one of the easiest factors to get right. Small faces are usually overwhelmed by glasses with oversized frames and especially those which are much wider than your face. And of course larger and/or broader faces are underwhelmed by little frames.

• The Shape of your Face. Generally, if your face is rectangle or square with your temples, cheekbones and jawline forming a straight line glasses with a straight outside edge will be a good choice. Similarly, if your face shape is rounded or oval, then the outside edge of your glasses can also be curved.

• The Internal Lines of your Face. These lines are seen in your eyebrows, shape of your eyes and mouth as well as your nose. If the lines formed by these features are primarily straight, then frames that are angular and straight will flatter you. If the lines are predominantly curved, very rounded or oval shaped frames will suit you best. And if your face is a combination of curved and straight lines, then frames that are neither very straight nor very rounded will be best.

• Your Skin Tone. If your skin has a warm undertone then warm coloured frames will be your most flattering choices and the ones most likely to harmonise with your face. Very cool or black frames look disconnected and more obvious on those of us with a warm undertone. So consider gold, bronze and tortoise shell as best all-purpose shades. However, if you want more colour in your life and your glasses, then try oranges, purples, brick reds, olives and other yellow greens. Cool skinned people need to choose from silver, pewter, grey or black for versatile frames. Great colour options include blues, blue reds, blue greens, pink and purple.

• Your Hair Colour. If your hair is a deep warm shade such as brown with red highlights or a rich auburn, try darker warm frames; tortoise shell , dark brown, dark green or brick red could be perfect. If your hair is warm but lighter such as strawberry blond, golden blond or light brown consider gold, caramel, aqua or light yellow greens. Those of us with dark ash brown and black hair will look great in black, silver, burgundy or deep blue. Cool blondes and lighter ash browns will be suited to pewter, pink, blue, purple and blue greens.

Lessons to be Learned from a Style Icon

We love Audrey Hepburn, she is one of our favourite style icons. We think she perfectly epitomised stylish dressing and we began to consider that  the rest of us mere mortals could learn how to dress like a style icon by studying how Audrey did it. It's worth mentioning at this point, that Hubert Givenchy was Audrey Hepburn's stylist. Looking fabulous would be a little easier for most of us if we had someone of his inestimable talents directing our clothing choices. But in the absence of a personal Givenchy, the next best option is to learn from what Hepburn and Givenchy did.

 Firstly, her clothes and make-up were timeless, neither fashion forward or fashion passé. Minus the gloves perhaps, today we could replicate this outfit pictured here and look thoroughly contemporary.

 Secondly, she always presented a balanced visual image that showcased her beautiful face and slender body.

 Audrey's accessories and garments are carefully selected to create her stunning look.

Patterned pants are a very popular fashion trend this year. They are frequently colourful and just a little 'out there'. For the past couple of summer seasons, floral pants were the in thing, but in  Summer 2014/15, there has seen a shift away from flowers to abstract and geometric patterns. The colour options have been varied, and of course that's great because with a little discernment we can a find a pair of patterned pants that blend beautifully with our own colour palette. However, all that being said there are a few things to consider before spending dollars on this latest trend.

We frequently write about focal points and just as frequently about the need for balance in our visual image. Both these style issues need to be considered before we buy those colourful pants.
Rest assured, these pants are a focal point. People will notice them and they will draw the eye of the onlooker towards your lower half. For some of us this is a problem, not up there with world peace, but still an issue. If you are a triangular body shape and/or short legged and/or carrying a few extra kilos on the hips, thighs and bottom then the following tips are especially important. On the other hand if you have the good fortune to be tall and slim, these tips can still help you to look absolutely fabulous in your beautiful patterned pants.

1. Choose your pair of pants in a colour that works with your own palette. No point in buying something that doesn't work with the items you already own.

2. As these patterns often feature many different hues, choose the one which is most fabulous on you and base your outfit around this colour.

 3. To counter the downward attraction of these pants, do wear something eye catching on the top half. Choose a coloured top as opposed to a neutral shade or opt for an eye catching necklace, scarf and/or earrings. As well as taking the focus away from lower body figure challenges, this tip creates visual balance.
4. If you are hippy or short legged, avoid

elasticised cuffs. This style makes your legs appear shorter and wider. Instead select a straight or slightly tapered leg to elongate and slim your pins.

 So, with a little careful shopping and clever accessorising, there is no reason why we can't embrace this fashion trend and liven up our wardrobes and ourselves with a splash of colour!

Understanding how colours impact our appearance is the first step to looking younger and fabulous. Understanding how the line and design of garments and accessories work for or against us is the first step to looking slimmer, taller and fabulous.

Know Your Colours

When we wear colours that share the same qualities as our own colouring our skin glows, lines and blemishes are less noticeable and our eyes shine.  The qualities of colour are:

• depth,
• undertone (warm or cool)
• intensity (soft or bright)

Every one of us has colouring that can be described in these terms. Know your colouring and you will know the colours to wear that make you shine.

Line and Design

When we wear clothes and accessories that use the elongating power of vertical influence to minimise the impact of broadening horizontal lines and enlarging circular influence, we appear taller and slimmer.

Take a Look at Julie.

In one guise she is wearing burnt orange which is medium in depth, has a warm undertone and has soft intensity. This conflicts with Julie’s deep, cool and bright colouring. As a result her skin has taken on an unhealthy sallowness and her beautiful eyes have lost their sparkle. In addition, the orange outfit is making her look heavier than she is.

In the 2^nd outfit, the red and black colours are in complete harmony with Julie’s colouring. Look how clear her skin is now and how brightly her eyes shine. In addition, the 2^nd outfit employs strong vertical lines and a lower neckline to help Julie appear taller and slimmer.

Looking great is not hard and does not take any more time. All that is required is a little information and we think that’s absolutely fabulous!

If "a picture says a thousand words" then we only need to say a few. Wearing colours that harmonise with our own colouring makes our eyes look brighter and our skin look lovelier; in other words helps us look absolutely fabulous. Two photos of Julie, taken 5 minutes apart, same lighting, same camera, different colour clothes, different colour make-up. Julie has a cool undertone to her skin, hair and eyes, she has natural high contrast between her skin colour and that of her hair, and her dark hair colour gives her overall colouring depth even though her skin is fair. So, when she wears lipstick and clothing that have the same colour qualities i.e coolness, brightness and depth as herself, Julie looks wonderful. However, when she wears a colour like this orange which conflicts rather than harmonises, Julie looks nowhere near as lovely.

We love talking about Style Personality because we know it is a huge influence on what we love to wear, what makes us feel good and what helps us to look 'absolutely fabulous'. We work with six to seven categories of Style Personality but very few women totally fit into one single category. Most women will combine various aspects of two, even three categories. It's the blending of different styles that makes us different from each other and

keeps life interesting. This image combines elements from both the Natural and the Dramatic styles. It will appeal to a girl who has a little touch of the Drama Queen and quite a bit of the relaxed Natural in her style make-up. The jeans, unstructured leather handbag and casual Tee are the Natural elements here but the red scarf and the very structured military jacket add the drama. The fabulous black boots make a strong statement too, but notice the heels are flat so comfort is not compromised. Does this collection appeal to you, or perhaps you know someone who would definitely do this look.

Women’s bodies are constantly changing. We Abfab women look in the mirror and see a body that barely resembles the one we had as young 20 somethings. We may still be ‘rectangles’ and ‘triangles’ but that’s probably where the similarity ends with our younger selves.  We have had babies, gained and lost weight and got older. That’s life and that’s all good. Over the years however, we have had to recognise when our bodies shifted a little and accommodated our clothing choices accordingly.

This recognition is vital for anyone who wants to look good in their clothes. One of the essential elements of stylish dressing is correct fit. It doesn’t matter how fabulous the garment or outfit may be, if it is ill fitting on you, your visual image will be compromised. People will notice that a top is slipping off your shoulders, buttons are straining to be free of their buttonholes, hems are too long/short, pants are baggy, sleeves are too long, so on and so forth.

Before you think this means you should discard half your wardrobe, stop!! Remember a couple of minor alterations may save the day (and your bank balance). We personally have extended the life of many garments by having them taken in, let out, taken up or let down. A dart here and there may be all it takes.

However, alterations are not just a way of coping with our constantly evolving bodies. Very few people have been gifted with bodies that have perfect horizontal and vertical proportions that replicate the shape and size used by manufacturers to produce our clothes. Numbers like 10, 12, 18 or 24 have little to do with whether we are short waisted or long waisted, long legged or short legged, have narrow or broad shoulders, flat bottoms or rounded ones, straight hips or saddlebags. The female form is a veritable minefield of variations.

Most of us should open our minds to the possibilities of alterations. We leave wonderful garments behind in the change room when a simple alteration would make all the difference. Shopping can be a lot less frustrating and upsetting if we accept that ready made clothes won’t always fit us perfectly.

We pay far less for our clothes today than women did years ago. Back in the day, women had one pair of ‘going out’ shoes and their Sunday dress. Think about your own wardrobes and the sea of clothes and accessories inside. Mass production and emerging economies like China and India have transformed the garment industry. Minor alterations cost a little (they should not be expensive) but when added to the price of most garments, we are still doing much better than women in the past.

So, our advice is dress for the body you live in today, find someone convenient and reliable to alter your clothes and stop waiting to lose or gain weight before you go shopping! Life is too short to not look absolutely fabulous NOW!