By Reagan Dellinger
Do you ever struggle while shopping? Is finding denim or blouses that fit you right frustrating? Never know what color looks best on you? With this styling guide, we’ve got you covered - head-to-toe. There is no wrong answer when dressing yourself, especially when you are expressing your true identity or feeling confident and happy with what you are in. For instance, there is no reason not to wear the color blue if it’s your favorite color and makes you feel good. But if you are like many women who struggle to find clothing that looks best on them or maybe never know whether to wear a gold ring or a silver one, we hope these styling tips and tricks help you out. Although they may seem overwhelming at first, once you know your colors, tones and figure, shopping and dressing yourself will become so much easier.
What’s Your Skin-Tone?
First things first: know your skin tone. When you have this figured out, you can easily decide what colors and jewelry look best on you. If you have cool undertones, you’ll more than likely have hints of pink, red or blue in your skin. Warm skin-tones tend to lean on the peachy, yellow or golden side of undertones. There are many ways to determine if you have cool or warm undertones, all of which are simple and easy to do.
VEINS. The easiest way to determine your skin tone is by looking on the underside of your wrists. Are the veins you see purple or blue? Are they green? Well, if they are purple or blue or somewhere in those color lines, you are more than likely cooler skin toned. Green veins, whether dark or light, show that your skin is warmer toned.
HAIR. Your natural colored hair will tell you a lot about your skin tone. Cool skin toned people typically have grey, silver or ashy hair undertones, while warm skin toned people have red, yellow and orange undertones.
EYES. Go look at your eyes up-close. Most eyes have small “flecks” in them, usually grey, blue, golden or yellow. Grey and blue flecks correlate with cool skin tones where gold and yellow are warm. Although not always accurate, blue and green eyes usually mean you have a cooler skin-tone while warm-toned people have brown or hazel eyes.
In many cases, you could be neutral. Having neutral color tones is very common and oftentimes gives you more options when deciding on to wear or what shade of lipstick to put on.
What does my skin-tone say about my wardrobe choices?
In styling, colors are one of the most important keys to dressing perfectly. If you have a cooler undertone, you probably look best in cooler toned colors. Similarly, if you have warm undertones, you will look best in warmer toned colors. As stated earlier, there is no wrong way to dress yourself. If you feel good in a certain color or shade, by all means, wear it.
Colors for cool skin-tones: Blue, purple, green, grey and gold.
Colors for warm skin-tones: Red, orange and pink and silver.
When deciding on what jewelry to wear, the same rule applies. Silver tones look best on cool-toned skin, while gold looks best on most warm-toned skin.
Styling Based on Your Body Figure
Basically, there are five different body types, none of which have to do with a person's weight, body mass, or muscle. Body shapes have everything to do with where your lines and curves are, if any, and where they start and end.
The Hourglass: Defined as “curvy.” A well defined waist where bust and hips usually have the same measurement. Anything fitted is going to be your best friend and allow you to show off your curves. High waisted jeans usually look best on you and anything low-neck on the top suits you well.
High Waisted Denim
Wrap shirts / Blouses
V-neck, Boat Neck
NO flowy or boxy dresses / shirts
The Rectangle: Usually the athletic or straight shape. Evenly distributed throughout your body with hips and shoulders having around the same width. Usually this body shape has great arms, collar bones and shoulders - show them off!
Halter & Racerback styles
Scoop neck
Strapless
Add curve by tucking in shirts
Flare, Bootcut & Wide-leg Jeans
NO straight or boxy styles
Volume should either be on the TOP or BOTTOM
The Pear: You have fuller hips, your waist is usually wider than your bust and you have a bigger bum and narrow shoulders. Find styles that make your body look longer, and place emphasis on your upper half - dramatic jewelry is your best friend.
Cowl Neck
Bell Sleeves
Embellished Necklines
Belted Styles
Subtle Dark Colored Bottoms
Boot Cut or Flare Denim
Inverted Triangle: Your shoulders are the broadest part of your body and your waist is particularly small. Your bust is usually on the larger side. Your neckline and hips should be your focal point when dressing.
Scoop, Crew and V-Neck
Built-in waste styles
Printed bottoms
Boyfriend, straight and cropped wide-leg jeans
A-Line, Fit and Flared Dresses
Apple Shape: This body type is very similar to the inverted triangle. Your shoulders are broader than your hips but you are generally more well-proportioned. You should dress yourself in relaxed styles on the top and more dramatic or defined on the bottom.
Breezy A-Line Styles
Flowy Tops
Relaxed Boyfriend Button-Ups
Skinny Jeans
Leggings
As noted earlier, there is no wrong way to dress when you feel beautiful and confident in what you’re wearing. Styling yourself can often be difficult, but learning your body shape and skin-tone will make shopping and dressing yourself less stressful.
Reagan Dellinger is an editorial writer who specializes in all things Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle. Follow her on Instagram.