How Can Vertical Lines Impact on Your Look?
HOW CAN VERTICAL LINES IMPACT ON YOUR LOOK?
Vertical lines can have a positive effect on your look and style as they have the power to create an optical illusion that can create a lengthening and slimming effect. Our eyes travel more quickly up and down vertical lines and this means that the eye is drawn upward thus elongating your look. When you understand how to dress for your body shape and proportions you can use vertical detailing and lines to create an enhancing outfit.
1. Vertical Details in Construction
Next time you choose an item of clothing take notice to the vertical detailing that it has. There are many different ways vertical detailing can be expressed in clothing such as:-
- seams
- pleats
- zips
- single breasted buttoned fronts
- vertical stripes (width and colour combination of the stripes can influence your look in different ways)
- folds created by the way the fabric drapes and hangs
- pintucks
- trouser seams and creases
- vertical panelling
2. Vertical Details in Your Outfit
Vertical details can be created by the way you put your outfit together.
- Wearing a monochromatic colour scheme. A monochromatic colour scheme is one that consists of tones of the same colour. When you wear a monochromatic colour scheme you are creating a continuous line of colour with no colour breaks to interupt the eye . This creates a lengthening and slimming effect.
- Accessories such as scarves, earrings and necklaces also can create a vertical line.
- A handbag shoulder strap also can create the illusion of lengthening in the top half of the body. Be aware of where the bulk of your bag stops in terms of your body. You don’t want to add any bulk to an area of your body that you don’t want to draw attention to such as bust, tummy, hips or even thighs.
- An open cardigan, jacket or vest will break your body up into thirds and create two vertical lines. This will be more flattering if the opening is not too wide. I have tried on many cardigans that fall on the outside of my breasts and this tends to make me look and feel wider. A more flattering effect is when the body appears to be more evenly divided.
- Toning your shoe colour with the colour of your pants or skintone (if wearing skirts or dresses) will also create a continuous line and draw the eye upward. (I do not own a pair of nude / skin colour shoes because I haven’t found any that matched my preferred shoe style).
3. Vertical Stripes – What to be Aware Of
Not all vertical stripes are created equal. The colour combination and width of the stripes can impact differently.
- Narrower stripes lengthen.
- Larger stripes widen.
- Low contrast colours – These are colours that sit close to each other in terms of their lightness or darkness and can be more slimming.
- High Contrast colours – These are colours that are light and dark (eg:- black and white) will be more noticeable and attract more attention.
4. Vertical Details – Creating Body Balance
Dressing your body in a way that enhances your look is about balancing your body shape and body proportions. Using vertical details can support the creation of balance in the following way.
Most of us have an area of the body that tends to be the place where we experience more weight gain. The area/s of our body where we tend to experience weight gain is generally a proportionally shorter area on the body.
Your body proportions could be:-
- longer body, shorter legs
- shorter body, longer legs
- balanced top and bottom but proportionally shorter from the bust to knees (this is me)
- balanced top and bottom.
- Vertical detailing placed on your shorter area/s will create the illusion of lengthening and balance.
- Using vertical detailing throughout your outfit is a way of appearing taller.
- Low contrast, narrow stripes can be great for someone who wishes to appear slimmer.
- High contrast, wider stripes can give the illusion of more width and work well for petites or those that want a look that creates curves.
Vertical detailing in your clothing can be your best friend. Take notice of the vertical detailing in your clothing and notice what is doing for your look.
A professional consultation is a great way to understand how to dress your body shape and proportions to discover
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