Dress for Success with Classic Kennedy

This week as we continue with the fabulous Kayla and her guest posts from Classic Kennedy (our style expert), we’re talking workwear that’s appropriate based on our body types. I don’t know about you guys but I find that dressing for work is one of the hardest things for me. From what’s dress code appropriate vs my personal taste it always seems to be a struggle. So with that, let’s see what advice Kayla has for us:

A BODY SHAPE

Your goals: Show off arms, add shape to your upper body and down play wide hips to heighten upper body features.

Jacket/Coat: Bright and lighter colours, shine, details (buttons-flaps-pockets), large lapels, fur trim, Hoods, Patterns. The more detail brought to your shoulders and upper torso the better.

Shirt/Sweater: Thicker materials, patterns, details (buttons-flaps-pockets), lapels, colours, textures. The more detail brought to your shoulders the better.

Pants/Skirt: Dark Solid colours ONLY. Straight cut, Boot cut, Wide Leg are the best and ONLY cuts you should wear. No Skinny Jeans Please! Pencil skirts work best, Stay away from full A-Line Skirts. You could get away with a soft cut A-Line.

Dresses: Form fitting & Floor-length flowy gowns. On the top half of the dress look for detail – ruching, lace, beads, sequins, flowers, etc. If you choose to wear a dress that has detail all over, for example- full lace, tiering, or beading. Keep it in a dark solid colour – add extra jewelry on top.

Handbag: Never wear a cross body/messenger bag-this will only add width to your hips. Opt for a medium-large shoulder bag in any pattern or colour of your choice.

Accessories: Scarves, chunky necklaces, bold earrings, Sunglasses. Go BIG or Go home! You want all the attention on your upper half. Accessorizing with an A Body Shape can be a lot of fun!

Shoes: Heels that are Pointed-toe, this works best on any figure. Stay away from squared toe shoes and shoes with an ankle strap. If you are more comfortable in a flat keep them monochromatic with your pants. You can also get great pointed-toe flats as well!

X BODY SHAPE

Your goals: Find a middle ground between baggy, drab clothing and overly sexy clothing. Show off your curves, balance the weight of your curves, and compliment your curves.

 A lot of people have a misconception that an hourglass figure is only for girl from size 6-10. No way is that true! You can be an hourglass from size 2-22! Honestly, all you Hour glass girls have it easy breezy. There is no need for me to go through each category because honestly you can wear whatever you’d like. Now there is one rule to that though – Keep things balanced. For example: If you have a crazy bright print on top and a solid black skirt or pant on the bottom go ahead and do a wicked shoe! You want attention brought to your upper half and your lower half – keeping your middle simple.

V BODY SHAPE

Your goals: Accentuate your lower body, and distract from broad shoulders.

Jacket/Coat: Straight silhouettes, Very little detail, solid colours, No prints or patterns, clean shoulders, No Hoods or trim of any kind.

Shirt/Sweater: Simple, solid colours, clean cuts, No shoulder details, V-Necks, Details or prints on lower half of Shirt only.

Pant/Skirt: Bright colours, Light colours, Prints, patterns, Shine and detail. Straight cut, Boot cut, Wide Leg. Skinny jeans can be worn only in a Light colour when matched with knee high boots. Full skirts and A-line shirts work best for this body shape.

Dresses: On the bottom half you want Full skirts, Large A-Lines, Shine, ruffles, colour, sequins-you name it! Keep your top half clean and simple. Never do one shoulder strap dresses-this will only draw everyone’s attention to the widest part of your body. If you go strapless – no necklace, and small earrings.

Handbag: Cross body/messenger bag is best, this will add width to your Hips. Be careful with large shoulder bags, this will only emphasize the width of your shoulders, making you look even more top heavy.

Accessories: Long scarves, Long chains/necklaces (NO short necklaces), chunky bracelets, small/dainty earrings, Rings.

Shoes: Heels, Flats, wedges, boots, You name it! Think bold, shiny, bright…The possibilities are endless!

O BODY SHAPE

Your goals: Create curves, give yourself a waist, and show off slender legs and arms.

Jacket/Coat: Solid colours, Knee length, Waist details (Fabric cuts, belts, wraps, buttons, bows, etc)

Shirt/Sweater: Wraps and faux wraps, ruching, tiering, monochromatic prints/patterns, clean cuts, waist details, loose fitting.

Pant/Skirt:  Whether it be a pant or skirt you always what to keep it a dark solid colour. You can do soft A-line skirts. Pencil skirts paired with a jacket looks best. When it comes to pants, the best cuts are: straight, wide leg and boot cut. Don’t even think about skinny jeans. The key to dressing with an oval body shape is to keep everything monochromatic. Think along the lines of a test Paint strip. Where the paint colour goes from lightest to darkest. That’s exactly how you should dress.

Dresses: Anything with waist definition is your best friend. Because you don’t have much of a waist we want to create the illusion that you do! Wrap and faux wrap dresses are the #1 choice for an oval body shape. When it comes to prints and colours, keep prints monochromatic and colours dark.

Handbag: Your best bet is a medium-large shoulder bag, any colour, print, or style. Two things you want to avoid is a cross body/messenger bag, and bags/clutches that are small. Carrying around a small purse will only emphasize your weight.

Accessories: Waist belts are great for your figure! If you don’t have any, let that be #1 on your list next time you’re out with the girls! You can wear scarves, chucky bracelets/rings, and medium-long necklaces.

Shoes: The key here is keeping your shoes the same colour/shade as your pants. Heels are best as they give you extra length and height. You can experiment with prints as long as they are monochromatic with your outfit. Other than that, I say if your shoes match your pants, there isn’t much you can do wrong.

Great Advice, I know I’m definatley taking some pointers! If you have any questions for Kayla you can find her at her blog here or her Facebook page here. Thanks for joining us today and Happy Halloween!