How to dress for your body type and freshen up your wardrobe

It’s not a secret — when you look good, you feel good, and putting your best-dressed self forward can change your mood, your opportunities and your life.

So says Renée Danielle Martin of Halifax, N.S. Formerly known as The Style Coach, she has rebranded as Renée Danielle Styling, and for the past 15 years, has become known as the Maritimes’ number one style coach.

“The people that reach out to me are mostly those who feel stuck, with a wardrobe that doesn’t fit and reflect who they are — like women whose bodies have changed because of pregnancy, perimenopause, weight loss or weight gain, or breast cancer,” says Martin.

Her clients, she says, are often those who have forgotten how to make dressing fun and sexy after 20 years of marriage, who have fallen into a style rut and are now back on the dating scene, people who are aiming for a different position at work or got promoted and don’t know how to dress the part, or transgender or non-binary people who don’t feel good in their skin because they don’t know how to dress it or where to start.

Martin’s primary business objective is to help people feel good about themselves, bring comfort and confidence, and show people how truly beautiful or handsome they are. Sometimes, she says, that needs to happen from the outside in.

The key to dressing is to find items and outfits that will balance and flatter the body, says Martin. We want to attract positive attention with our outfits, and we want to wear the outfits, and not have the outfit wear you.

By wearing the wrong shapes, sizes and colours, often we can do the very opposite and bring negative attention to ourselves without knowing it, she says.

“You know that outfit you thought you loved when at the mall and suddenly once at home, you try it on and hate it? It now lives in the back of your closet, probably still with the tag on. It’s probably accentuating that part of the body that you are often self-conscious about or trying to hide,” she points out.

One of the categories of people looking for help on how to dress more stylishly are those with bigger bodies.

First of all, especially for women who have gained weight, Martin says it’s important to learn how to love your new body.

Almost all her clients whose bodies have grown larger in size than what they were in their younger years will try to hide behind baggy clothes and have a closet full of black clothes. They’ll often shame their bodies as if they have failed them in some way, says Martin.

Instead, women must learn to embrace the woman body as a vessel that is forever changing.

“If your closet is anything like mine, it will consist of up to four different sizes, to accommodate the changing seasons of hormones, chocolate and the stresses that comes with being a woman —  motherhood, Molly Maid, taxi driver, sports mom, boss babe, wife of the year, chef’s kitchen, Sex in the City and Magnolia to Frankie and Grace — basically Wonder Woman,” says Martin.

Think about dressing for your body type now and gracefully accept the different stages of life your body went through without shaming it, all while continuing to dress with the colours, prints and styles that you loved, no matter your size or age.

Wearing the wrong piece of clothing for your body shape will have you feeling like your body is the problem, when in fact, you just needed some guidance from a style coach to help you find the right combination and fit to make you feel like a million bucks.

When an outfit starts to come together, Martin says she sees the person’s posture start to change and a twinkle in their eyes. Confidence sets in, and the longer stare in the mirror says: “I look amazing!”

The most balanced body type is the hourglass figure, says Martin. This is when shoulders and hips are even with a cinched waist.

The trick in dressing is to find the right shapes of clothes that will balance and flatter the body best by dressing it to look like an hourglass — balanced.

More often than not, women whose shoulders are wider than their hips don’t like to wear shoulder pads or tops with embellishment on the shoulder because they feel like they look like a football player. Instead, they should be focusing on pants with side pockets and pleats, as this will widen the hips and balance the shoulders.

And the opposite is the same, she says. Women with wider hips than the shoulders should stay away from side pockets and pleats and wear tops that embellish the shoulders.

Someone who is straight from the shoulders to the hips can wear both pleated pants and shoulder pads, as this will create a cinched waist.

A round body type could wear straight, flared pants with a waterfall cardigan (an open-front, buttonless sweater) to create contrast and movement.

Someone whose legs are taller than the torso could wear capri pants with a mid-to-short top. However, if wearing long flare pants, they may want to add a long blazer to the mix for a proportional look.

If the torso is longer than the body, shorten the top or tuck it in and lengthen the pants.

“Remember, it’s all about balancing the body,” says Martin.

Wearing the best colours of your colour palette can frame the face and add a glow to the skin, says Martin, whereas wearing the wrong colour close to the face often will have you feeling washed out.

Prints are fun but should be worn accordingly.

For example, if you have wide thighs, a print pant can add an extra 10 pounds visually. If that is a problem area for you, opt for a solid colour on the bottom and a print as a top or in an accessory like a purse or a shoe.

Back in the day, Martin says a belt used to be a must to complete an outfit. In the last few years, however, the belt hasn’t been as popular as it once was but is slowly making a comeback. The key is choosing the right width for your body type, she says. If you have issues with your midsection, then a belt may not be the best option as an accessory, as it will bring attention to that area.

To save a few bucks on a new wardrobe or simply revamp that favourite piece in the closet you’ve had for years, Martin suggests doing a few alterations.

Try changing the buttons on a blazer you’ve had for years to give it a fresh, modern look, or hemming those extra-long jeans and turning them into ankle pants or capris.

Accessories can help too, like tying a fun mini scarf to your purse.

Create contrast and give a business suit a new look by throwing your hair up in a ponytail, putting on a pair of white crisp sneakers and a white t-shirt with it instead of the already-been-done blouse and heels.

The real transformation, says Martin, truly happens when you start wearing your new clothes out.

Day one may be odd for you, as you may be receiving more compliments than you are used to.

On day two, she says, you will start to notice that others are noticing that there’s a change with you, but they can’t pinpoint exactly what.

On day three, there’s a clear indication that you have been consistently looking put together from head to toe and that there is a positive change in your overall look and attitude, she says.

“Get ready to have complete strangers walk up to you and comment on your outfit and overall look — this happens,” says Martin.

Even if you have a full new wardrobe of beautiful clothes, some may struggle to put it all together for that perfect, effortless look.

If you are still struggling about what to wear for your body type, then Martin recommends reaching out to a stylist for help.