shopfrugality tip: body type

Well dear readers, it has been a while since I've posted a tip, so here's a basic one I hope most of you already know: know your body type and what works on you.

My basic rules of fit:

1. If it's too small, don't buy it, wear it, go near it. I know it's tempting to buy the one-day-I'll-fit-into-them jeans, buy most likely you won't and it won't help your self-esteem staring at them. There's nothing more unattractive than a woman busting out of too-small clothes. Don't be disillusioned...if it doesn't work on you, it doesn't work on you. There are some things that only Kate Moss can wear.

2. Learn the art of illusion. If you have a bit of a belly, don't buy clothes that show off your stomach. Learn to highlight parts of your body you love (collar-bone, tiny waist) and camouflage the areas you don't love (arms, belly, thighs). If you're a bit on the heavy side, the best thing to do is create a waistline, not hide it.

3. Too-long on too-short is not good, and too-short on too-long is not good. Fashion is always in favor of the taller woman (that's just the way the industry works) but remember, it's always about proportioning clothes to the proportions of your body. Women with long legs but short torsos need to think about proportions just as much as women with short legs and long torsos.

4. You have a top half and a bottom half. Again--proportions. Throwing on way too many things that busy up the body will only turn you into a blob. When dressing, make sure you can tell where your top ends and your bottom begins (think strategically placed belts and hemlines).

5. God (or whoever you believe in) made your body the way it is. Don't dwell on what you don't have, be happy with what you do have and make the best of it. The easiest way to learn to dress your body correctly is by understanding it and appreciating it.

6. Break the rules. I'm 5' tall, but lord help me, I'm going to wear tent dresses that overwhelm my frame if I feel like it! If you absolutely love it, go for it! No one became a fashion icon by following the rules all the time.