Sometimes a tendency to poor posture is inherited – look at your mother / grandmother. Poor posture can also be caused by lack of muscle tone due to insufficient exercise as we were growing. There can also be psychological causes – unhappy childhood (trying to make yourself invisible, small, not drawing attention to yourself) or as a response to breasts which become too big too quickly or are not dealt with adequately through a supportive bra as they grow.

Whatever the reason, some of us are left with rounded shoulders, a tendency to thrust our head forward and possibly a humpy back to some degree. Nothing is more ageing than this posture.

Imagine a string…

There are ways we can try to correct our posture:

• See a reputable physiotherapist for appropriate exercises
• Have plenty of full length mirrors around your home in order to maintain an awareness of your posture.
• Develop and awareness of your breathing and link it in your mind with walking tall.
• The old trick of imagining a cord from the crown of your head pulling you up straight.

In the meantime:

There are some hairstyles which are best avoided and some points to remember when choosing clothes:

Clothing

How to dress to cover for bad posture

• Avoid tops which follow your contours too closely at the back – much more flattering to choose a straight drop or just slight shaping at the waist.
• Shoulder pads go in and out of fashion of course, and the mega shoulders of the 80’s happily only remain as a distant memory for those of us old enough to have worn them! But slight padding on the shoulders can help to visually correct poor posture. (If you make your own clothes a good tip is to set the shoulder pad back about 1cm – 1.5cm from the intended position – this gives the impression that you are carrying your shoulders correctly).
• If you feel that you carry your head thrust forward – be aware that visually this shortens your neck – so avoid high necklines, go instead for deep v’s or scooped necklines which give the illustion of a longer neck. Avoid collars for the same reason, they clutter the space your neck needs for itself. (see our post on short necks here)
• Avoid chokers – a pendant on a chain is more flattering.
• Tailored clothing helps to disguise poor posture, making us appear smarter – but of course tailored clothing is not appropriate for every climate – experiment with light padding in summer jackets and knitwear. When we feel we look smart we are more inclined to walk tall.

Hair Styles

By manipulating the silhouette and profile of your head can also help to disguise poor posture. We cannot change our skull shape literally, but it is possible to change the appearance by being creative with our hair.

Try to create volume at your crown and at the back of your head – through back brushing or experimenting with the numerous gadgets available to create buns, chignons and French Pleats. Even a simple healthy swinging ponytail helps!

How to wear your hair to compensate for poor posture

You can liberate your look!

If your breasts are small enough, you might be one of those lucky girls who can go bra-less – a real bonus in the summer months (and girls who are obliged to wear supportive gear will envy you.) Think of Gwyneth Paltrow – elegant, sexy, blithely dressing beautifully for her figure type.

When there are times you would like a bit of a cleavage, you have the greatest selection of bras and chicken fillets ever available – you have choice!

Try to avoid:

• Scooped necklines exposing too much empty space
• Empire line tops & dresses unless you can successfully enhance your fullness – we have the technology with clever bras & chicken fillets…
• Clingy fabrics around your chest.

Look for:

• Cut away armholes with high necks
• Halterneck – perfect for you
• Evening wear with neckline plunging to navel.
• Chunky sweaters with big roll collars – you are the only girls who look great in them.
• Double breasted jackets.
• Frills & detail on the chest area add volume & distract from any shortcomings.

Make the most of your attributes – look around and see how much of todays fashion has been designed with you in mind.

It can be great to have these natural assets, but make sure you are in control of them – avoid stretch straps (bounce), skinny straps (slice) and extra padding (unnecessary!) The best way to be in charge of your breasts is to invest in really good bras – expect to pay 2-3 times more than your small-boobed mates. Get a professional fitting in a reputable store – check your back view, side view as well as front.

Underwiring works wonders for full breasts – if you have never tried a bra with wires I suggest you do – they are more comfortable, more secure and more structured. If you get a well fitted one, you will be able to forget about any breast problems! Some manufacturers produce ‘Minimising’ designs which cleverly and subtly mould your breasts into a less ‘thrusting’ shape, which is more appropriate for some styles. These minimising bra are also ideal if you want to avoid drawing attention to your chest generally!

If you are blessed (or cursed, whichever way you look at it) with large breasts, you know from experience you have to take that fact into consideration when choosing clothes. It is very easy to look top heavy or tarty if you are not aware of some useful guidelines.

If you want to keep your overall silhouette in proportion and prevent your chest being the thing which defines you, there are a few things to bear in mind when shopping:

Try to avoid:

• High necklines
• Chunky Knit sweaters
• Halter necks are not a good idea – the triangular shape they create draws attention to the width of your chest
• Double breasted anything – unless you want to look matronly!
• Peasant style smocks – go in and out of fashion but maybe one to avoid unless you really love then (I do!) in that case, try a minimiser bra.
• Short tops generally. They make a boxy square on you, changing the intended look of the garment.
• Sleeveless garments (unless strapless too!) Even a little suggestion of a sleeve will help balance your look.
• Bows and frills on the chest area do not disguise they just add volume.
• High waisted trouser & skirts just visually compress your boobs into a more narrow space – making them look even larger.
• Skinny jeans will make you look like a lollipop

Look for:

• Great well fitting bras – be prepared to pay more
• Wide and deep V necklines to visually elongate your top half
• Fitted jackets with narrow lapels and single button at waist.
• Empire line dresses with sleeves
• Boot cut jeans or bell-bottomed trousers help to balance your silhouette.
• Tailored clothes generally. Well endowed girls look better in smart versus casual.

Enjoy dressing your body to show it at its best.

The classic man’s suit has something important in common with its casual equivalent – the Levi jeans and shirt / t-shirt combo. The reason they have been popular for so many decades is that they both camouflage any figure problems men may have*.

* Men don’t have the same issues as women of course, but nevertheless basic body proportions vary, length of torso vs length of legs etc., wide hips, skinny legs / arms (you can see how the twin outfits of men’s suits / classic jeans / shirt perfectly do the job of disguising any problems)

Men, wisely or instinctively have recognised for years that they look better in these classics. However, while still attractive and readily available staples, they can be a tad predictable and men might feel the need for a change now and again too!

The Recent Past – Teddy Boys and drainpipes, flares & flowers.

There have been some forays into various options over the years, sometimes interesting, sometimes disastrous.
There was the ‘Peacock Revolution’ in London in the 1960’s – brightly coloured suits with flared trousers replaced the traditional dark ones. Cravats and slim fitting floral shirts made an appearance, often worn with high waisted flared trousers or jeans and platform soled shoes which enhanced the tall lean look.

These were a welcome change after the post war uniformity of the 40’s & 50’s, which was broken only by the Teddy Boys with their Edwardian style frockcoats, drainpipe trousers and crêpe soled shoes (brothel creepers). The drainpipes regained their popularity when they were adopted by punk culture. But on the whole, very little improvement has been made on the classics in terms of enhancing the male image.

The Future – Men or insects?

There was a vibe at the end of the 90’s when it seemed there might be an exciting change of direction in men’s clothing. It felt as if there might be a shift towards shapes and fabrics inspired by the east. Softer, longer collarless shirts, layering, looser unstructured pants. But 9/11 quickly quashed that particular possibility and sent men’s fashion running for cover.
There has still been a leaning towards eastern influences, unfortunately , very half-hearted, with garments arriving in the shops completely out of context, with no supporting image to aspire to. An example of this is the dropped crotch jeans/trousers which look dreadful worn with traditional western shirts/t-shirts.
The super skinny jeans so popular now are another example of a garment which needs to worn with appropriate tops – not just slotted into an existing wardrobe. There have been some terrible sightings of short legged, wide hipped men wearing really tight figure hugging jeans with short tops, looking like some type of two legged insect.

While we wait for something new…

So if we are looking for a gentle change for you guys – let’s look at some basic guidelines:

• Be aware that the male models you see advertising a look – they are picked, like the female equivalent because they are almost perfect.
• If you know you have short legs try to cover the point where your legs join your body – but don’t overdo it – just cover!
• Unless you are uniformly slender try to avoid the skinny pants look – generally speaking they don’t look good on any other figure type, unless accompanied by a longer, softer style of shirt (you will have to shop around – look online)
• Make use of the well tested outfits – suits, jackets, classic jeans but look for more interesting fabric, prints, weaves, textures, colours – be adventurous!
• Unless you are really well proportioned (look in a full length mirror, be honest, as a friend) avoid wearing a strong contrast in colour on your top and bottom halves.
• Consider your colouring – eyes particularly.
  If you have blue eyes – wearing blue close to your face will enhance your eyes, likewise if you have green or brown eyes choose shades of these colours.

We have all tried various regimes and diets suggested by manufacturers and magazines – some with a little success sometimes.

The truth is – we can all lose weight if we really want to – without paying a cent. We have to fully accept the responsibility ourselves.

So here it is:

The Last Piece of the Puzzle

Okay girls – we all know what we should and shouldn’t eat, we all know we have to exercise – we all know we should drink more water -

SO WHAT IS GOING WRONG?
WHY AREN’T WE LOSING THOSE EXTRA KILOS?

The answer is simple – we have developed bad habits which are sabotaging our efforts – EVERY DAY!

The Ten Deadly Habits

1. Imaginary “calorie cancellation”
   Be honest with yourself – be aware of everything which passes your lips. There are no free calories – even that chip from someone else’s plate!
2. Learn to distinguish real hunger from ‘fancying something to eat’. Teach yourself to enjoy the sensation of hunger!
3. Portion size - we are generally smaller than men and therefore require fewer calories – keep this in mind when dishing up!
4. Breakfast - sorry, but it is essential.
   It takes three weeks at most to learn to enjoy it. (Women who skip breakfast but on weight more readily – FACT.)
5. Concentrate - eat only when you can pay full attention to your food - no mindless chewing in front of the TV or cinema screen! 
6. Eat slowly - give yourself time to enjoy every mouthful and chew well (and give your stomach time to send a message to your brain to tell it when you have had enough!)
7. Beware of cheese - very high in calories and as we know, very tasty – choose lean protein instead.
8. Eating out - the more we eat out the less nutritious our diet becomes – FACT.
9. Soft Drinks - they are all either full of sugar or chemicals, neither of which we need – train your palate to enjoy plain water and green tea or herbal teas, or pure fruit juice diluted with water.
10. Alcohol - Sorry – this is a habit most of us have come to enjoy – but if we value our health, looks and waistline, one drink a day is the only safe allowance – two for special occasions!

If you have just one problem area, such as big hips, saddlebags or bust, it is a great technique to always use your dark tones on these areas and highlight your better features with lighter tones.

Those of us who are shorter, chunkier or have shorter legs than we would like would be well advised to avoid wearing strongly contrasting tones on our top and bottom halves. For example, don’t visually cut yourself in half by wearing a dark top and light trousers or light top and dark skirt. Any visual dissection like that will further reduce the length of your body (see illustration below).

By keeping your top and bottom halves tonally close you will give the illusion of a slimmer, taller you. This does not mean that both halves have to be the same colour – just tonally similar – as light or dark as each other.

This season there are cleverly designed dresses available which do the work for us, making use of tonal contrast to flatter any figure. It is a simple trick, not new, but very effective. The idea is that the central panel of the garment is in one colour, or print, while the side panels, framing it, are in a darker tone. If the contrast is too great, for example black and white, this technique can look too obvious, but Mark & Spencers have produced some very successful examples this season.

Play around with these ideas to visually sculpt a new you without the gym.

The basic principles of sculpting with tone are:

• Dark colours absorb light – visually receding (shrinking)
• Light colours reflect light – visually advancing (enlarging)

Useful if you need to visually widen your shoulders – good for hippy girls too, as it helps to balance shoulders and hips.

Therefore, people with very slim figures can wear all light coloured outfits with no problem – in fact those who feel they are too thin will find that light colours help to give them volume.

The rest of us know how wearing black outfits visibly ‘shrinks’ our outline – great for ‘feeling fat’ days! But some people are convinced that they can’t wear black for various reasons. I  believe everyone can wear black to great effect with a little planning.

Redheads always look great in black – simply because they have enough natural colour above the neckline to carry it off effortlessly – warm hair & skin tone, green or blue eyes, possibly freckles & rosy cheeks. It is often a favourite colour of redheads as it is a perfect foil for their natural palette.

Those of us without the advantage of an interesting natural colour scheme don’t need to be left out:

• Eyebrows – if you have indeterminate eyebrows get them tinted and shaped
• Eye Make-up – a little more pronounced than you would normally wear – experiment with eye shadow colours.
• A little blusher – always flattering to give your face definition.
• Highlight brow bones & cheekbones.

Using these hints, you can wear black when you choose, looking glamorous and not dowdy (and a size smaller too!)

Many of us are dismayed that we do not have a sufficiently trim waist, especially as some current styles seem to demand a well-defined waist in order to look good. Of course body shapers and cinchers can be helpful and are readily available in stores, but there are perfectly lovely styles around which will disguise this problem area when you want to look your best, without the aid of special underwear!

The idea is simple – draw attention away from your problem, wear softer shapes around the area, accentuate your best points and no-one will guess you are not perfectly proportioned, not even you!

Skirts and Trousers

Firstly, low waisted skirts and trousers will only draw attention to your lack of definition – far better to select a high waisted version which will snugly hug your waist ( I don’t mean ‘under the bust’ high, just what we used to think of as normal!)
But this first step is just to help you feel secure – you will probably not show the tops of skirts/ trousers when you discover the joy, comfort, freedom and elegance of the wide range of loosely fitting tops available.

Tops

Don’t follow the crowd by choosing tightly fitting tops.
T-shirts which gently skim around your waist and end at your hips or thighs are very
flattering for your figure type. If your hips are relatively slim you could try a loose belt too. Kaftan shaped tops are very fashionable just now and are the perfect shape to hide a less than perfect waist – they are available in a fantastic range of colours and prints.
( also good for too-generous boobs – but that’s another post….)

Dresses

Is it any wonder that Empire Line wedding dresses are so popular? They give the illusion of height, drawing the eye upwards towards the face, they kindly skim both the waist and hips, leaving the boob area a clear field!

Jackets

Lightweight jackets, hip to thigh length, worn open, are also flattering, distracting the eye from your perceived problem.
Tailored jackets which are shaped in at the waist also help to give the illusion of a shapely waist, as long as they are not too tight.

The thighs can stubbornly retain fat, creating an impediment to elegance. Fortunately there are several simple ways to conceal over enthusiastic thighs thereby drawing attention away from them.

Trouser / Pant suggestions for troublesome thighs

• When choosing trousers, if there is a definite convex outline when you look at your side view – then those pants are not for you!
• Similarly, try to avoid trouser styles which are tight enough to produce horizontal creasing around the crotch – these become exaggerated as you walk and draw attention to the problem.
• Try instead elegant and flattering Palazzo pants or the similar Katharine Hepburn wide legged and tailored long pants almost touching the floor (over shoes with heels to keep yourself in proportion).
• One last piece of trouser advice – avoid sharply tapered trousers, these create a peg shape, highlighting the contrast between bulky thighs and narrow calves.

Skirts for thicker thighs

• Avoid skirts cut on the bias – they cling in all the wrong places for you.
• High waisted skirts and dresses which flare and skim over the thighs are the kindest shape as well as the current trend for full length floaty dresses which are ideal for concealing this particular problem area.

We’ve also created a Pinterest board with some examples of outfits to help you find your style with heavy thighs.

By creating the illusion of an unbroken line right to the tips of your toes, you will add visual centimetres to your leg length. You can do this by;

1. Avoiding ankle straps, which appear to cut your lower legs in half.
2. Choosing light coloured shoes where possible. Shoes which are of a similar tone to your legs appear to lengthen the calf.
3. Try to find shoes which are not totally flat – even a centimetre or two of heel will help.
4. In colder weather, the best visual trick is a nicely heeled boot under pants or a longer skirt. Keep them in the same tone to enhance the illusion of legs which go on forever…

Our Pinterest Board on shoes which can help to lengthen your legs visually…