Go Ahead, Flatter Yourself: 7 Ways to Dress a Not-slim Body

Check out that slimming wrap dress!WANTED: My waistline. It hasn't been seen since approximately May 2002, when my baby-carrying belly popped. One gift of motherhood is that I haven't had much time to mourn my shape's disappearance. Recently, though, I had a body panic attack: I had two events to attend, and I no great outfits for them. I needed a dress, bad. I needed my waist even more.

Then a fairy godmother arrived in my email in-box: Kimberly Garrett of Plush Fashion Styling, to be exact. Formerly part of the celeb dressing team at Polo Ralph Lauren, she's helped style Blake Lively, Julianne Moore and Debra Messing; she's also worked with the wardrobe designers on Gossip Girl and Sex and the City 2. Turns out she now specializes in working with New York City moms, and she was up for lending me-non-celeb me!-her expertise for events. Free. Was I interested?

Two words: HELL yeah.

Related: The 25 most slimming swimsuits under $100

We met in person at MaxMara on New York City's Madison Avenue. Kimberly looked just as chic as I'd expected, and she's nice, too, so I instantly felt comfortable. Then she started grabbing dresses off the racks. I looked on, horrified, especially when she picked a turquoise blue wrap dress. A bright color?! A dress that was going to cling to my body?! What was she thinking?

I tried on dress after dress: OK, not bad, no way. Then I slipped on the turquoise blue one. Wait, could it be? My waist! Found! I couldn't believe my eyes. It wasn't like I'd suddenly morphed into Gisele or anything, but the dress gave me shape that even Spanx hadn't. "When you go against your usual 'type' of clothes, you may be pleasantly surprised by how something makes you look and feel," Kimberly said.

Given that I wasn't going to be able to haul her along on shopping trips for the rest of my life, I asked for her best advice. "Once in a while, bring your most honest friend when you shop!" she said. "That may not necessarily be your best friend, but the one who's going to tell you the truth about how things fit. Also, get past size-phobia! Some clothing runs small. Don't feel bad about trying on stuff that's one or two sizes up from what you usually wear."

Related: 10 beauty secrets every woman should know

Here, top tips for the most flattering ways to dress a non-slim body (and, wait for it, one amazing Spanx pick).





Go for clothes that hug your curves1. Go for clothes that hug your curves
"Some clients get freaked out about clothes that conform to their shapes," says Kimberly. (AHEM.) "They're actually great for creating curves!" Try wrap dresses and ones with wide belts; for blazers, seek out jackets that nip at the waist, which give the illusion of a smaller waistline.
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Choose the right fabrics2. Choose the right fabrics
"Fabrics that have a little structure, like a silk crepe, crisp linen or stiff cottons, are really flattering," says Kimberly. In other words, they're good at disguising lumps and bumps. Jersey cotton doesn't do women with full-ish figures any favors, so steer clear.
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Related: 6 healthy snacks to get you bikini-ready for summer









Think slimming sleves3. Think slimming sleeves
"I like a three-fourth sleeve in general, whether a blouse comes that way or long sleeves are rolled up," says Kimberly. "Most of us have thin wrists and forearms-call attention to them!" This definitely helps you avoid the sausage-arm effect. "If you're wearing a sleeveless dress and want some upper-arm coverage," continues Kimberly, "drape a pretty scarf around your shoulders."
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Remember: Black isn't the only slimming color4. Remember: Black isn't the only skinny color
"A lot of women think that black is most slimming. Yes, it can be, but so are navy, dark purple and chocolate brown," says Kimberly. "They have the same slimming effect black does but they can be much more complementary on fair skin."
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Let Spanx suck you in5. Let Spanx suck it in for you
"A well-made camisole can hold you in, define your waist, smooth out your silhouette and lift you in all the right places," says Kimberly. "I'm very open with how I feel about Spanx! They make everyone look better." God. Bless. Spanx.
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Related: 25 chic hairstyles that take less than 10 minutes









Go for shoes that give you lotsa leg6. Go for shoes that give you lotsa leg
"If you're wearing flats, choose ones with pointy toes to elongate," says Kimberly. "For dressier shoes, go with peep-toe pumps or sandals in a nude color-they'll make your legs look endless."
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Get yourself some good jeans 7. Get yourself some good jeans!
"I love boot-cut jeans on most women-the width at the bottom makes thighs appear thinner," notes Kimberly. (The same goes for shorts-ones that flare out a bit are more flattering than straight-fit ones.) Also, think dark-wash: "Jeans with bleaching on the hips and thighs can draw attention to what women consider their problem areas," says Kimberly. Word about skinny jeans: "I see a lot of women wear them with fitted tops. It's tricky because you can end up looking like you're in a unitard-a scary thought for most of us! Flatter by wearing skinny jeans with a blousy top, or boot-cut jeans with a more fitted top".
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- By Ellen Seidman

For 4 more tips for dressing a not-slim body, visit Babble!

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Ellen SeidmanEllen Seidman is mom to two kids, and occasionally her husband. A longtime magazine editor, she is very adept at grasping pencils. She has held senior positions at Redbook, Good Housekeeping, SELF and Glamour, where she helped relaunch Glamour.com. As a freelancer, she's done projects for Redbook, American Baby, Martha Stewart Living, Allure and In Style, plus content development for Huggies.com and Makeup.com. She's a blogger for Parents.com and also writes Love That Max, a blog about kids with special needs who kick butt-and #20 in Babble's list of Top 50 Mom Blogs.

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