No VPL - Tips to Look Stylish

I was walking along the road behind a somewhat Rubenesque woman the other day.  She was wearing extremely tight, patterned trousers, showing not so much as a VPL, as a detailed description of her underwear.  Not a pretty sight! 

I am certainly not the style police, but I picked up a few things when writing fashion articles; and, for me, there are some rules that should never, ever, be broken.  Timelessly elegant women like Audrey Hepburn followed these rules instinctively, and most of what she wore would not look out of place today.  Style is about As Ralph Lauren said, “Fashion is quickly over, style is forever.” 

1. Never, ever, ever show a VPL.  It is not attractive, even on the slimmest person.  (This applies equally to men and women, by the way.)  Either wear thongs or boxers (yes, it is possible to get them for women). 
   
   
2. Never, ever, ever wear trousers that are too tight.  Unless you are a super-model or stick insect, wearing trousers that are one size larger than your normal size will usually be more flattering. 
   
   
3. Unless you are wearing a print dress, stick to wearing no more than three colours at any one time.  Look at naturally stylish women like Jennifer Anniston; you never see her going out looking like a court jester. 
   
   
4. Unless you have very good legs, do not wear mini skirts or micro shorts, whether they are in fashion or not. 
   
   

5.  If you are going to wear a low-cut top, fine.  If you are going to wear a short skirt or shorts fine,        but never both together.      

6.  Play to your strengths.We all have them.  If you have a six-pack, you can afford to wear closer
     fitting clothes.  If you don’t know what your strengths are, stand naked in front of a full-length
     mirror and objectively assess yourself. 

7.  Dress appropriately for you age.  I'm not saying that once you hit age 40 you should start to  
     dress like a Victorian dowager, but our bodies change as we get older.  Things that were once
     very firm loosen up a bit.  So think about what you wear and re-assess from time-to-time.

8.  Look in the mirror before you leave the house.  I have been guilty of this myself, dressing in
     the dark so I didn’t wake my partner, only to find I was wearing one blue shoe and one black
     one…

9.  Stick to classic shapes and cuts rather than going for blatantly fashionable outfits.

10.Stick to colours such as black, white (or off white), grey, navy blue, oatmeal and tan as your
     main colours.  Save your brighter shades for the accent colours.

11.Buy a few good quality pieces that can be worn with different items of clothing, maybe a jacket
    or coat.  Trust me, good quality pieces will last you a lot longer, and can make the rest of your
    clothes look better.  I particularly think that expensive shoes are a good buy - not only do they
    last longer, but they are generally more comfortable.

12.Accessories can really change the look and feel of your outfit.  You can make the same outfit
    look different for day or night by changing the accessories.  Accessories include jewellery,
    scarves, belts, hats.  Just remember rule number 3.