The Perfect Fit: Dress Your Best

I wish every woman could spend some time with Stacy and Clinton from TLC’s What Not to Wear. Or, at least learn to see themselves the way Stacy and Clinton would.

Stacy has my eternal devotion for her views on body image, self acceptance and style. In the article, “Stacy London’s Low Snark Approach to Feeling Fine About Your Body” inThe Washington Post, she says that the point of What Not to Wear is to help women see the perfection in their imperfection.

In other words, see the beauty of the body you have now and showcase it by dressing to its best advantage. Stacy says it better: “Whether you’re as healthy as you should be or not, that doesn’t disallow you to look your best. Style is only possible from a place of self-acceptance.”

Stacy and Clinton realize that most women don’t have a realistic view of themselves. Some women who wear a size 0 think they’re fat; and some women who wear a size 16 try to fit into size 10 pants.

So, how can you see yourself clearly and accept what you see? Do you ask a friend to take candid photos or video footage of you? If that’s what it takes to get real, yes. In the article, “What to Wear” in USA Weekend magazine, Stacy says, “…the key to having great style is being very honest with yourself about what your body shape is and then finding clothes that highlight the things that you like and hide the things that you don’t.”

Once you see yourself clearly (leaving emotions out of it), you’ve only just begun. The next step: Shopping. Some women love to shop; some hate it. No matter, you must do a lot of it to find what’s right for you.

Tip: Find the perfect fit for the widest part of your body and then have a tailor take in the other areas. This may sound expensive, but it’s actually frugal. When the fit is right, reasonably priced clothes can look classy and chic. And you don’t need a huge wardrobe, either. You need basic pieces to mix and match.

In the October 2009 issue of O magazine, Lauren Hutton says, “An awful lot of people with great style have no money whatsoever. They have studied themselves and seen what works.” Hutton offers a shopping list of wardrobe essentials: “Always have a navy blazer. White pants, tan pants, navy or black pants—whatever looks good on you. Well-made T-shirts in long and short sleeves. And a good pair of black heels and camel-colored oxfords. If you can afford to, get high-quality classics so you can wear them forever and ever.”

So, instead of hiding in oversized clothes or showing too much skin in an unflattering way, express your own personal beauty and style with clothes that perfectly fit your perfect body.

Coming soon: Learning to love your perfectly imperfect body.