9 Styles That Are (Surprisingly) Unflattering

There are some clothes that we expect to stab us in the back. We see them coming a mile away and it’s just obvious that they are going to be awful and unflattering and all the things. It’s easy enough to avoid them.

These are not those clothes. These styles look deceptively easy to wear. At first sight, we might be lured into thinking they are harmless, flattering even. I mean, they’re everywhere, and often held up as being universally chic and stylish.

And then we put them on. And something happens. Your neck disappears and your legs look shorter and your whole body’s proportions are just thrown off. And you wonder: What the heck happened? Where did I go wrong.

Repeat after me: It’s not you. It’s the clothes.

Some clothes are just deceptively hard to wear, and if their proportions don’t suit your proportions, it’s going to look off, and that’s no fault of yours. I decided to collect these wolves-in-sheeps-clothing and put them into one video.

All I can say is: You’ve been warned. :)

These principles are derived from the proportion system that I use, the Fashion Fit Formula, which is a foundational tool I use with all of my clients. You can learn about it here.

These principles are tailored to your specific body and it’s unique vertical measurements, and it’s all based on where you are long and where you are short. It’s accurate to an 1/8 of an inch, and it’s truly transformative information to have.

You can find everything in this video here.

The Dolman Sleeve

The Dolman Sleeve works best on someone who is tall, with a longer mid-torso area. If you’re short, or short-waisted, you will probably find this style unflattering.

The Empire Waist

The empire waist goes in and out of style, but it remains one of the hardest styles for many women to pull off. The empire waist looks best on small-busted women. If you have a full bust, or are plus size, you probably won’t love the look. It also tends to look best on petite women.

The Dropped Shoulder

If your shoulders are narrow or sloped, a dropped shoulder will accentuate that and also won’t fit well. This is especially true if you have narrow/sloping shoulders and are petite. If you’re taller, you can pull off this style a little bit better, but only if you have long upper arms (i.e. the space between your shoulder and your elbow is relatively long).

The Pencil Skirt

The pencil skirt, like the skinny jean, outlines the shape of the lower half of your body. This is good if you like that shape, and not so good if you don’t, or if you simply don’t want to amplify it.

To add to the confusion, pencil skirts are often touted as a universally flattering wardrobe staple, and many brands mislabel straight skirts as pencil skirts. A pencil skirt goes in at the hem, following the contours of the body, while a straight skirt falls in a straight line from hip to hem.

The Boat Neck Top

This style works best on someone with great posture and straight shoulders, either average or slightly broad. This style works best on someone with a medium to full bust with enough space in the middle torso area (breastbone to waist, see pic above). They can make a small/flat bust look smaller.

The Turtleneck

By creating an unbroken line from chest to neck, the turtleneck can be flattering or unflattering. It can cover the neck/chest, which can sometimes be helpful, but they work best on women with smaller busts. They can overaccentuate full busts, making them look bigger. They also don’t work well on someone with a shorter neck.

The High-Low Hemline

High-low hemlines are tricky unless you’re tall and have a long lower leg (from the knee down). The shorter the “high” part of the skirt, the easier it is to pull off a high-low hemline.

The longer front, on the left, is harder to wear than the one on the right.

The Midi Skirt

Midi skirts are practical, modest, and comfortable, but they can also be tricky. If the length isn’t exactly right, they shorten the leg and make you look wider. Midi skirts look best on women with long legs (regardless of height), especially long lower legs.

Length and details make all the difference, as illustrated by the pics below.

The Cap Sleeve

Unlike everything else on this list, a cap sleeve does not look good on anyone, Seriously. The only women who find this sleeve style flattering are those with very slim and toned arms.

It awkwardly encircles the upper arm and makes it look bigger. A sleeveless style is much more flattering for most women.

What do you think of these sneakily unflattering styles? Which of these do you avoid? Let’s chat in the comments!