Try This Trick To Give Yourself Your Most Perfect, Flattering Silhouette In Clothes
As easy as 1,2,3 … 4. There are 4 steps.
Image: AMC
by The Candidly Team
One of the reasons we get lazy about “styling” our outfits is that an annoying percentage of the time even when we put together pieces of clothing that we like, something still just seems … off.
It just doesn’t look as good as we pictured in our heads.
And while we can’t put our finger on it in the moment, here’s what we think it is, at least 87% of the time:
Proportions.
When it comes to looking great in our clothes, proportions are nearly everything. Not our size. Not our shape. Just finding a way to put clothes on our bodies that will most flatter them.
And since we get lost trying to make sure that all the individual clothes we love look good together, we appreciate a good guideline now and again.
There is one very simple 4-step outfit formula (you might even call it a template) that will give you your best proportions.
Here’s a little hint:
Confused? Don’t worry. There’s a reason we called this a “formula” and not just a single look, and that’s because there are various pieces you can plug into the equation that will add up to your best proportions. But if you follow it:
1) Your legs will look longer.
2) Your waist will look more defined - we believe the kids call it snatched.
3) You’ll feel as comfortable and “covered” up as you do in your pajamas, assuming you own good pajamas. And this matters because if you’re not comfortable moving through the world in your clothes, you’re probably not looking quite right in them.
Ok, so let’s get to the formula:
STEP 1: Start with a fitted, ribbed, scoop-neck top:
Why: A scoop neck is the most flattering neckline. It frames the chest, elongates the neck, and makes shoulders look narrowed. Choose a fitted style with soft yet supportive material that has some stretch - fine ribbing is the absolute best way to feel “held in” and supported but still very comfortable. Lastly, the sleeve length matters a lot. Here are the two that work best:
The 3/4 Sleeve
Everlane The Luxe Rib Scoop-Neck Tee
This tee from Everlane gets a ton of airtime on our site, because quite simply, it is our favorite fitted tee of all time. Instead of cutting into the thickest part of your arm, the longer sleeve has a slimming effect. And instead of creating a long, straight line across your collarbone that widens your upper body the lovely curve down the center draws the eye and shows off your décolletage - a word we just like to say. And the whole thing still works over almost any t-shirt bra. This tee in black, white, gray, and one-for-fun are staples in our closet for these reasons.
Price: $40 (or 2 for $60)
The Tank
Artfish Women’s Sleeveless Tank
We have a hard time conveying to people just how much the shape of your tank matters, not to mention just how flattering a correctly shaped tank can be. When the material is ribbed, the strap is skinny, and the cut is not too long, magical things happen to our arms, chests, and waists. This $19 tank from Amazon (which we wrote a whole article about HERE) is our base layer half the time. Needless to say we own multiple colors in both the long and short lengths, so we can skip the tucking in our high-waist pants and everything is still perfectly placed.
Price: $19
STEP 2: Choose a high-waist, wide-leg pant.
Why: Before you scream at us about how wide-leg pants can make you look shorter or wider, just know that there are many pants categorized as “wide-leg” that are very smartly tailored to look great on all body types. So while an extra baggy wide-leg might be perfect for some of you, the more universal pants we’re talking about fall into the realm of being almost bell-shaped, meaning they’re not insanely wide on top and have a very sliiiiight flair at the bottom, which will:
Make your butt and hips look their best.
Skim and elongate the leg.
And because they’re high-waist, they hit your right at the smallest part of your belly, which you can actually see because your shirt isn’t some loose sack. Here are two examples:
The Jeans
I think it’s safe for us to just come out and say: these are our favorite jeans. All of us who have tried them with our various body types (apples, pears, string beans) agree. They’re soft and breathable while maintaining the kind of shape that nips the waist and flatters your butt and smooths over thighs. The 31” is full length (our favorite full length jeans) while the standard length is actually cropped (and our favorite cropped jeans).
Listen, we won’t ignore the fact that they are more expensive than what we usually spend on jeans … by a lot, but at this point in our lives we are decidedly willing to invest once in our favorite, everyday lifetime jeans. We just had to find ones that were worthy and that we’d we wear more than any other jeans. These are them.
Oh, and we do have a code Paige was very kind to give us for 15% off. Use CANDIDLY15.
Price: $124 - $248
The Long Trousers
Madewell The Harlow Wide-Leg Pant in Drapey Twill
There are a few dreamy, drapey trousers we love. THIS pair from Aritzia has zero flaws. THIS one from Anthropologie makes legs look model-like. But Madewell’s Harlowe is such a hugely reliable staple that looks perfect on every human, comes in excellent colors, and has an amazing size range. They also happen to be madly on sale right now, so this is certainly the time to give them a go.
Price: $40 - $118
The Cropped Trousers
The Colette Cropped Wide-Leg Pants by Maeve
This is another pair we have written all about because the fit is such a cut above anything else we’ve tried. They’re Anthropologie’s most famous pants. They come in different materials (including ponte and denim), but the original “magic fabric” is so smoothing and gorgeous on curves, you almost forget to appreciate that they feel as comfy as wearing joggers at home. And again, the color and size selection is beyond.
Price: $120
STEP 3: Toss on A clean-lined and tailored outer layer.
Why: There are millions of reasons why we’d want a little extra coverage up top, but a sleek outer layer is also what turns plain old clothes into a “look.” There’s even a system some stylists swear by where you assign a point value to every item of clothing, and apparently, in order to look styled, your outfit should add up to 6-8 points. Layering is therefore key to racking up more points.
Because the shirt we picked out above is fitted, your silhouette will look perfect peeking out from under a not-too-bulky piece of outerwear. The trick is to choose really well-tailored pieces with clean lines that look luxe, because they’re well made (not necessarily because you spent a fortune on them). Here are some examples:
The Blazer
Favorite Daughter The Favorite Blazer
A blazer is the perfect layering piece but it needs to fit supremely well to not be boring. This particular one has topped our favorite blazer list for a long time, because it cinches the waist in the exact right way, as if we had it tailored just for us. It comes in many colors, but of course, black is staple. Though it ain’t cheap, it sells out ALL the time. So if you want to purchase the last blazer you’ll ever need, be quick. And you can use the code CANDIDLY15 to get 15% off to help with the price.
Price: $328
The Jean Jacket
Quince 100% Organic Cotton Denim Jacket
When we’re wearing any non-denim pant (or denim on denim, which can definitely work) a jean jacket is such an effortless, flattering way to frame your whole look while giving it a classic coolness. This one is the perfect shape, incredible quality, and only $50.
Price: $50
The Crisp Button-Down
The Bennet Buttondown Shirt by Maeve
As much as we appreciate a button-down, many of us forget what a great layering piece it can be. When left unbuttoned, sleeves rolled up, and your tight tee showing underneath, you still get that polished silhouette, plus a little coverage. And you can still wear it on warm days or while indoors. We’ve been raving about this particular button-down for a while now. It’s the best oversized fit we’ve stumbled upon, so we can actually move our arms. And it comes in an incredible size range.
Price: $98
STEP 4: Finish it off with a not-too-slight comfy shoe
Why: As much as we appreciate shoes individually, they tend to be an afterthought when getting dressed, and sometimes we can throw off all the proportions of a good outfit by picking the wrong pair. If you want more balance when you’re wearing looser layers up top (like a flowy pant or a boxier jacket), a chunkier shoe will help you avoid looking like an upside down triangle. Here are some of our favorites:
The Lug-Sole Loafer
Quince Italian Leather Lug Sole Loafer
Ok, this shoe is very pretty - in both black and white, but what you can’t see from a photo is it feels as cushioned and supportive as a tennis shoe. So much so, we were inspired to write THIS.
Price: $90
The Block-Heeled Boot
You will genuinely forget you’re wearing a heel when you walk around in these boots. They take a teeny bit of breaking in time (we broke ours in after 1 wear), but once they are, they will be the most reached for boots you’ve ever owned.
Use the code CANDIDLY20 to get 20% off.
Price: $119
The Pretty Heel
We’d actually never experienced a heel this comfortable and gorgeous at the same time. And we will not do one ounce of foot pain. None.
Price: $375
The Platform Sneaker
The original little white leather sneak that gives us height and elegance and comfort all at once. This shoe is perfect with this template but also every other thing we wear in our closet, dresses and skirts included.
Price: $139
And finally, here is a little personal gallery of some of us employing this formula in our real lives in which you will definitely recognize many of the above pieces:
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
We have to eat.
