Looking Great at Every Age: The Pros Share Their Top Tips

Wear what makes you happy! (Just make sure it fits.) Credit: BeauBazaar, Flickr

All Ages

The universal age rule: Make sure your clothing fits properly!

The biggest style mistake I see on a daily basis is badly fit clothing. Sometimes we think if we can squeeze into the size 4, then it “fits.” But sometimes just because you can manage to button a pair of skinny jeans after a 15-minute struggle, that doesn’t mean the cut is actually well-suited for your body and the fabric will likely sink into all the creases and hug you — tightly — in all the wrong places. When you find a size that feels and looks good, go ahead and buy it, whether it’s a size 6 or 10 or 18.

All women have different body types. If you compare yourself to runway models who are often too young to have womanly curves yet, sure, you might feel uncomfortable with your size, but remember this: The numbers on the tag mean nothing. When shopping for new clothes, grab more than one size of a garment. Take them all into the dressing room and try them on. Be honest how you really look and feel in it.

Conversely, hiding yourself in oversized clothing doesn’t do anything to flatter your figure either. All the extra fabric can make you look larger than you actually are.

How to find the perfect fit

Clothing companies hire fit models that set a standard size to work from. Most of these fit models are evenly proportioned. But overall, most women are not. Some of us are busty, bootylicious (did I just use that word?) small up top big on bottom, vice versa, wide shouldered, tiny shouldered and everything in between. So what is a girl to do?

Some women can’t find button-down shirts that don’t gap at the breasts. The solution? Buy a size larger than you are and take it to a tailor. Well-dressed celebs don’t buy off the rack and throw it on. They have stylists who make them try it on, pin it where the garment needs adjusted specifically for them and a seamstress makes it perfect. Many women take time to treat themselves to manicures, facials and pedicures, so consider a custom fitting a kind of treatment all in itself.