Chapter 2: Not Every Trend Is For Every Body

"Being a slightly miniature person, I had a hard time with the whole high-waisted trend. The way I made it work for me was to wear a high-wasted, wide-leg pant, instead of the skinny, tight version. It actually made me appear to be taller then I am." Rachel Bilson

trend n.
1. The general direction in which something trend in fashion.

2. A general tendency or inclination.

3. Current style; vogue: the latest trend in fashion.

If you could order style at a bar, the recipe would look like the following:

STYLE COCKTAIL
Ingredients:
1 part fantasy
1 part reality
1 spring of intuition

Directions:
Mix equal parts fantasy and reality.
Stir, but do not shake.
Garnish with spring of intuition. Imbibe!

Let's start by breaking down the style recipe: the fantasy is what you see on the runway and in fashion magazine, the reality is an honest appraisal of your frame and lifestyle, and the intuition is what personalize your look.

Step 1: First, you need to make an honest assessment of your height, weight, bust size, hip size and body shape. Is this fun? No, not really, but we promise it's helpful down the line. We can all be sorted into one of five typical physical types- slim (few curves, lean all over), curvy (bigger hips and bust., light waist), pear (smaller top, bigger bottom), cone (bigger top, smaller bottom), and athletic (muscular)- so figure that out first.

Step 2: Once you're clear on your basic shape, all you have to do is pick your celebrity doppelganger and see what works on them!

(Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power. Who What Wear Celebrity and Runway Style For Real Life. 2009 by Abrams Image New York, NY)