Clothing Masterclass - Curve-tastic Style: Volume and proportion

Written by Wendy Mak

Have you ever thrown on a top and a bottom and wondered why it didn't work? Read on to fix it!

In my experience, one of the biggest reasons is volume (too much) and proportion (lack of). This concept has a HUGE impact yet many women aren't aware of its effect.

When we have curves or are self-conscious about a specific area, we usually tend to cover it up by wearing something quite loose. For example I know I hate tight tops at the moment as I'm still carrying half of the turkey from Christmas lunch around my waist (no, still haven't managed to start my New Year diet as yet) so I am sporting a bit of a muffin top. And couple the loose top with a loose skirt, rather than hiding the turkey rolls I actually end up looking quite like a ham instead!!

The reason is because when everything I wear is loose, I have no shape and you can't see my curves. If you can't see my curves, I look like a square Gumby-esque block, and trust me - that's not aspirational. Definitely not sexy.

In essence the idea is this: if an item is fitted at the top then keep it looser at the bottom, and vice versa!

This way, at some point you will see my shape / curves whether it be in the top half or bottom half, instead of no shape at all.

To help illustrate this rule let's welcome back the beautiful Tanya.

In the first example below, as two separate items the top and skirt are both individually terrific, but worn together Tanya lacks a little shape as she has a loose blouse with a loose skirt.

13 01 13 Proportion square silhouette

Compare that with the second example and you'll see how different the outfit looks when we have a more fitted (but not overly tight) top instead. We instantly see more of Tanya's great curves, and yet nothing we wouldn't want to have on show is visible, and all it took was the change of a top.

13 01 13 Proportion Fitted top skirt

Skirt, blouse & shoes from Diana Ferrari

In the reverse of this proportion rule, if Tanya was wearing the red blouse from the first example, I would simply make sure she had a more fitted skirt at the bottom, such as the one in the Curve-tastic Best Skirts post, or perhaps a pair of straight legged jeans - and the outfit will work (promise)!

So the next time you throw on a top and bottom, consider the proportion of the outfit and stay looking Curve-tastic!