Easy Ways to Hide Those Holiday Pounds
January 11, 2007 by Diana · Leave a Comment
Twelve dumplings in gravy…
Eleven pies with filling…
Ten lattes with sprinkles…
Nine lady fingers…
Has the holiday spirit hit your scale like a ton of bricks? Join the club. According to the National Dietetic Association, the average person puts on between five and eight pounds during the holiday season. If all those sweets and once-a-year menus have you facing the New Year a little heavier than expected, here are some sleight-of-hand (or is it sleight-of-closet?) tricks that you can use to help you disguise those unwelcome pounds until you can burn them off on the ski slopes or while shoveling snow:
1. Stand Up Straight
Shoulders back, chest out, stomach in. You’ll stretch out the load around your middle, which will make you appear thinner. You’ll also look taller and more confident, so strive to make this a part of your every day success arsenal. Slouching isn’t a success posture.
2. Wear Vertical Lines
Opt for clothes that offer vertical lines, like long vests, dusters, and straight skirts. A long scarf or necklace also works nicely. Avoid horizontal lines, particularly where you tend to carry your extra weight (like the upper arms, waist, hips, or thighs).
3. Choose Dark Colors
Dark colors make what’s around them appear smaller, light colors make what’s around them appear bigger. If you’re trying to disguise something, don’t call attention to it with a light or bright color or accent piece.
4. Go Monochrome
If you want to appear taller and thinner, try dressing head to toe in one color. Not only will you look pulled together, you create your own vertical line, which is slenderizing.
5. Call Attention to Your Face
Pull attention to your face by wearing an unusual scarf, necklace, or pair of earrings. Or, try pulling your hair back in a different way. If you’re looking for something fun and dramatic, try wearing a bright (or unusual) color lipstick.
6. Look For Slimming Styles
Lots of ruffles, swinging skirts, peplums, and bell-bottoms all add visual width. Don’t wear them when you’re trying to hide pounds. Instead, opt for straight skirts and pants with narrower lines, or fluid, wrap styles that skim the body and form diagonal lines.
7. Wear the Proper Size
Just because you can get it zipped doesn’t mean it fits. If you’re exceedingly uncomfortable, spill over the edges, pucker, or can’t sit down, it doesn’t fit. Try a larger size.
8. Strive For Balance
If you tend to carry your extra weight in your hips, thighs or buttocks, strive to visually broaden your shoulders to give the illusion of balance. If most of your excess weight is above your hips, opt for dark colors on top and lighter colors on the bottom to visually balance. To look slender all over, try clothes with center-front details to draw the eye inward and up and down.
Chances are, you can manage most of these handy tricks with what you already have in your closet. Be creative. You may surprise yourself.
In short, don’t punish yourself for enjoying the holidays. Just keep away from weight enhancing styles until you return to your pre-holiday size. It’s an easy way to look great and feel good.
Need some more tips for using your clothes to appear thinner? Download a copy of WARDROBE MAGIC:
to see how easy looking great can be.
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Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a wardrobe and image consultant and author of “Wardrobe Magic,” an ebook that shows women how to transform their unruly closets into workable, wearable wardrobes. Visit her online at www.fashionforrealwomen.com .
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