Marina | June 11, 2014 | Fashion |

When it comes to dressing up, I think we all have a common goal and that is to look our absolute best for the day. Many women, you and I included, go to great lengths to find the perfect outfit that will make them look fabulous and often, these outfits end up being the ones that flatter the body the most. While there’s nothing wrong with your waist being an inch or more bigger than the average or your weight being a few pounds heavier than what most women have, there’s certainly something about wanting to look fitter, slimmer and thinner. Check out these secret styling tricks to make you look thinner.

• Create contrast at the waist – the waist is one of the few parts of your body that dictates whether you look sexy or not. Having some shapely curves from the waist to the hips is certainly worth working hard for but while you’re on your way to achieving that, you can fake a sexy waist by creating contrast right around it with your outfits. There are lots of ways to do this and two of our favorite popular ones are to 1) use a belt and 2) tucking your shirt in. Make sure to do this trick at your natural waist to get the best effect.

• Draw attention to the waist – making your waist the focal point of your outfit is one effective way to make yourself look thinner. Drawing attention to the waist makes the eyes focus less on flaws on other parts of your body that make you look bigger. You can use prints to draw attention to your waist or you can also use accessories like a belt or a sash / scarf tied around it to get that slimmer-looking silhouette.

• Wear a flouncy skirt – if one of your problem areas concern large hips and thighs, you can wear a flouncy skirt to mask and conceal it. A flouncy skirt is great for making hiding large hips and thighs and making them look like sexy curves.

• Mix and match different prints in one outfit – to some, this may seem a bit overwhelming but if you want to conceal visible problem areas and look thinner, it’s one of the best tricks that you can use. Having one print at the bottom and a different one on top will keep the eyes busy and distracted so it sees less of your flaws. This trick works like an optical illusion and it’s one of the most effective tricks used by celebrity stylists.

• Wear A-line skirts and dresses – when dressing up to look thinner, skirts and dresses with an A-line silhouette are your best friends. The way an A-line skirt / dress flares away from the hips makes it look like you have a smaller mid-section and gives you a slimmer look in general. You can maximize the effect of this trick by adding on a belt around your natural waist which is also wear the A-line cut starts.