Dress Yourself Skinny (TM)

Thank you Shelly and everyone at San Antonio Living for having me on the show!

This TV segment will appear on San Anonio Living (WOAI, Channel 4) on February 27, 2009. To watch it, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

No matter how attractive a woman is, more often than not, she doesn’t like what she sees in the mirror. We spend lots of energy trying fad diets, starting exercise programs, or just beating ourselves up about the way our bodies look. There is another way! You can make yourself look thinner just by changing your clothing.

Many women just choose the wrong clothing. Either we wear clothes that are too loose to cover up imperfections. Or we insist on wearing a certain size and look like we’re bursting out of our too tight clothes. We think we’re hiding our flaws but we are really making ourselves look 10 to 30 pounds heavier than we really are.

Today I brought along 3 women who would like to change their bodies. We’re going to make them look thinner just by changing their clothing. We aren’t even going to use Spanks!

Model 1 – Hips & Thighs

Michelle just had a baby. She used to be a size 2 and is now a size 8. She’d like to reduce her hips and thighs. Here’s what we did to create the illusion of smaller hips and thighs:
- Shrank her hips with wider leg pants and by expanding her shoulders (puffy sleeves)
- Showed off her small waist by emphasizing her ribcage (tailored vest)
- Divert attention away from her hips by bringing the focus to her upper body and feet (bright color and detail)
- Made her thinner over all by making her look taller - upper body lengthened with V-neckline and vertical lines, legs lengthened with really long pants and platform heels

Melissa's outfit is from Macy's: INC knit shirt ($24), XOXO Vest ($44), Kenneth Cole Jeans ($99), Rocket Dog Platforms ($59)

Model 2 – Tummy

Beverly is the business manager for sculptor Pablo Solomon. She is a size 8 and would like to minimize her tummy. Here’s what we did to create the illusion of a smaller tummy:
- Camouflaged the tummy (with flat pleats, or rouching)
- Showed off her small waist by emphasizing her ribcage
- Divert attention away from tummy by bringing the focus to her upper body (jewelry) & legs
- Made her thinner over all by making her look taller (Upper body lengthened by V-neckline and pendant necklace. Legs lengthened with high heels)

Beverly's outfit is from Macy's: Adrianna Pappel dress ($160) and Kenneth Cole shoes ($99)

Model 3 – Thick Torso (no waist)
Sarah (me) is a size 12-14 and would like to create a waist to make torso look thinner.
Here’s what we did to create the illusion of a smaller waist
- Broaden shoulders (reveal skin at shoulders)
- Boaden hips (A-line skirt)
- Emphasize ribcage (this is the smallest part of a woman’s body)
- Camouflaged the tummy (with flat gathers)
- Divert attention away from torso by bringing the focus to her upper body (jewelry) and legs
- Made her thinner over all by making her look taller (upper body lengthened by V-neckline and legs lengthened with shoes with heels)

Sarah's dress is by Alberto Makali (Dillard's, $178)

The tricks to Dressing Yourself Skinny (TM):
- Avoid horizontal lines (makes us look wider) & create lots of V’s (makes us look taller)
- Divert attention to your assets so you don’t look at your flaws
- Make yourself taller with long pants and heels (even ½" heel makes a difference)
- Balance your proportions so your hips and shoulders appear to be the same width and waist looks smaller

Click on the link to watch the segment

Spring 2009 Fashion Trends

This segment aired on Great Day Houston on February 17, 2009. To watch the segment, click on the link at the bottom of this post.

Spring 2009 looks are classic and wearable. The trends are a continuation of everything we loved from Spring 2008. I brought along some outfits from Dillard's to show you some examples of the hottest trends.

Trend 1 – Luxe Lady – Hollywood inspired glamour from the 1940s features very tailored pieces, dainty gloves, daring shoes, pearls, floppy hats and round sunglasses.

• Look 1 – Ralph Lauren brown and cream dress ($199), Carolee pearl jewelry ($48-$150), Preston York Hat ($58), J.Vincent shoes ($138) and Calvin Klein clutch bag ($178)


• Look 2 – Jones New York classic tailored black uit jacket ($199) and flat front slacks ($99), no iron white blouse ($69), Gianni Bini patent pumps ($89), and Carolee jewelry ($48-$150)



Trend 2 - Future Fashion – Flashback to the 1980s. Think updated Cindy Lauper with geometric designs, banding and bright colors.







• Look 3 - New Arrival - Peter Nygard navy and white geometric cropped jacket ($138), clacks ($88), pink knit top ($68) Donald Pliner handbag ($280), and BCBG bright pink pumps ($99)


• Look 4 - Peter Nygard (exclusive to Dillard’s) cropped yellow jacket ($395), sleveless paint brush silk dress ($148), black clutch ($99), Gianni Bini black strappy stilettos ($99)


• Look 5 – Amalphi paint brush top ($99), Michael Kors pima welesly capris ($89), Marchan sunglasses ($90), AK silver jewelry, Donald Pliner yellow handbag ($425)



Trend 3 - Garden Glamour - This trend features feminine ruffled pieces and garden-inspired prints with butterflies and flowers in pinks and greens.










• Look 5 – Lilly Pulitzer Newbury floral tunic ($225), white denim capris ($148), sandals ($138), go with the flo straw bag ($248) and vittadini earrings ($59).


• Look 6 – Ralph Lauren ruffle floral dress ($199), Makowsky green handbag ($298), Rachel Reinhardt bangles ($45 each), Melani Sandals ($99)




Trend 4 – Life Exotic - This trend is a continuation of the safari trend we saw last spring. Animal tribal motifs, fringe, bohemian styles, gladiator sandals, and Asian and African beading.








• Look 8 – DKNY black ikat jersey dress ($295), J.Vincent shoes ($150), kate landry zebra flap clutch ($45), ABS gelometric necklace ($125).


• Look 9 – Nuchael Kors knit flutter sleeves top ($89), Ikat jacket ($179), natural denim pants and belt ($129), barse tumble necklace ($250) and earrings ($100), and Gianni Bini slides ($99).


• Look 10 – Reba leather jacket ($348), Studded kint top ($58), dark denim ($78), Barse turquoise necklace ($210), Gianni Bini brown strappy sandals ($99)



What's Sarah wearing? Alberto Makali purple print dress (http://www.dillards.com/ $178), Enzo brown suede platform boots ($150), gold tone necklace (JS Collections, Harwin St. Houston, $5)

For more about the outfits in the segment, go to http://www.dillards.com/. Here's a link to watch the segment on Great Day Houston http://www.khou.com/greatday/video/?nvid=332951&shu=1