Do you love to shop but tend to get home with shopping bags brimming with things that you purchased on impulse?

When you try them on at home and look in the mirror do you wonder what on earth you were thinking?

Or maybe you fall into the “hate to shop” category. You just wish someone would simplify your closet and your life by telling you what to buy, so you look great all the time.

No matter what your body shape, the two major fashion “traps” that you can fall into are either

• blissfully snapping up every new trend (whether they suit you or not) or

• avoiding new styles altogether and sticking with the same old things (whether they suit you or not).

Perception is everything and the visual impression that we make on others takes only a matter of seconds. In that brief amount of time we can be judged as professional, traditional, artistic, trendy, frumpy, nerdy or one of many other labels that can be instantly called to mind. Sadly, these are based only on our appearance.

We are books judged by our covers every time someone looks at us and unfortunately some people never take the time to see that we are not like our initial impressions at all. No matter, for most of us we would rather make a good impression, but sometime we let ourselves get in the way of making that happen.
Other times our friends, being friends, tell us what they think we want to hear and in doing so help us perpetuate our ongoing style mistakes. What we have to do is face the facts about our body shape and dress for visual enhancement. When we bring our shape into balance, we can then project the image that we want the world to see.

You can go out to any shopping mall to people watch and see mums dressing like their teen daughters. You’ll also be surprised to see many attractive young people dressing like their grandmothers. You can even spot people for whom time seems to have stopped. They have the same hair style that they’ve had since high school or college and they still wear the same type of clothing that was popular decades ago.

As you people watch, you’ll also see those wearing tight clothing that actually makes them look overweight. And you’ll see those who wear everything so loose that they lose their curves.

We don’t really have any sympathy for the tall thin figures that glide by. If we’re overweight we probably think they are the ultimate successes. After all, what could be wrong with having a figure like a model? We don’t stop to realize that more often than not, those who are thin (and are not models) would actually like to gain a few more pounds in the right places. They stand in front of their mirrors and wish that they had some curves.

So where do we start to look and feel our best? We really shouldn’t wait for our friends and co-workers to nominate us for a TV reality show to make us confront our figures and see our fashion mistakes.

It’s time for you to take a realistic look at yourself. The first thing you need to determine is your basic shape. See yourself the way you are. Get out the measuring tape and don’t argue with the results. Disguise them.
You can dress your shape to give visual cues of perfection. Dressed for optimal enhancement of your body shape you will realize that you don’t have to lose weight to visually lose pounds or gain pounds. Fashion can help you make yourself appear thinner or have more curves.

Lose the attitude that you’ll wear anything you like no matter how it looks on you. You could be holding yourself back from moving up in your career or attracting the love of your life. Get interested in how others see you.

Realize that you definitely can change your appearance to reflect the person that you want to be. You will be amazed how much better you will feel about yourself.
In this instance, change is good, even necessary to help you move forward in your life with confidence. If you think you have a less than perfect figure, you are not alone. You’re in the majority.

You can look fabulous no matter what your shape. The Online Style University – www.become-stylish.com can help you transform yourself.

Author's Bio: 

With more than 30 years worldwide marketing experience at the corporate level and with start ups, one thing Annette has frequently encountered is that women often have difficulty marketing themselves.

Lack of confidence, poor body image, and little understanding of how they come across to others, are all issues which can hinder growth and success.

Annette has tapped into her national and international network of image stylists, personal development coaches, recruitment specialists and etiquette consultants and founded the world's only style university - Become-Stylish.com

This wonderful service has helped thousands of women of all shapes, sizes and ages around the world discover their true beauty,overcome poor self esteem and become thoroughly stylish women.