Stripes
All those lines and the opportunity for print overload can spell fashion disaster so before you fill you wardrobe with potential faux pas check out Female First's essential to guide to stripe success.
There are two key rules for wearing stripes:
Horizontal stripes are particularly dangerous if you have a little bit of a podgy tum
Horizontal stripes make things wider
Basically a horizontal stripy print will make you look bigger- but this isn't always bad news. Pear shapes can wear a horizontal striped top with a plain block colour below to make the shoulders and bust look bigger and create balance.
Horizontal stripes are particularly dangerous around the stomach area. If you have a little bit of a podgy tum wearing stripes across it will only highlight the area and make it look ten times bigger.
Very few women are brave enough to wear horizontal stripes below the waist- and that's why you won't see many such items in the shops.
However if you are considering it then you would need to have super skinny matchstick legs and a tiny bum otherwise you risk creating thunder thighs and a backside the size of a bus.
Vertical stripes make you look longer and sometimes even thinner- sounds like a dream. This means a vertical stripy pair of jeans are brill for lengthening short pins and in theory they will also slim down larger thighs.
However it's not that simple. Let's not forget that fabric can stretch and stripes are very good at pointing out just how much they have stretched by. So if you squeeze your problem thighs and J-Lo backside into a tight pair of stripy pants you're just asking for trouble. You see the problem is the downward stripes will go closer together as they reach the ankle making you look all out of proportion.
Having said that if choose the right cut and fit then that won't happen. A loose linen or fine pin stripe tailored trouser can be great for balancing out thighs and bums.
Vertical striped tops are great for lengthening a short body. If your legs are a little long for your body and you fel=el a bit Sponge Bob Square Pants then wear a long vertical striped top over plain skinny jeans to create a more lean and long torso.
The final thing to remember about stripes is to keep it simple . Try and keep to one stripy item and combine it with block colour. Never mix horizontal and vertical stripes unless you really want to get noticed. Other than that have fun playing around with this super cute trend and get ready for the summer of the stripes.
Caz Moss- Female First