Dressed

The Trick to Wearing Stripes That Makes You Look Thinner

Stripes, especially the horizontal variety, have gotten many a distrustful side-eye. Wear the wrong width (or direction!), and you suddenly look entirely disproportionate in photos; get it right, however, and you can look 10 pounds lighter. We learned the secret to making sure your stripes are flattering (and slimming). "Make sure the base of the color is darker than the contrasting color. It's slimming," stylist Denise Caldwell, who works with Fit for Me by Fruit of the Loom, explained. Long-reviled horizontal stripes can also be figure-friendly, so long as you pay attention to size. "They key to that is to have slim stripes that are less than two inches wide. That's true for stripes going any direction." "Mismatched stripes, a mix of slanted and angular stripes, create a contrast that can contour and reduce curves," she said, suggesting scoop or V-neck silhouettes for stripes and prints. "It will highlight your neckline and minimize the bust." This summery dress from Zara, for example, hits all the points on her list. The black base color contrasts against those skinny white stripes, and angled lines near the hips cut in for a streamlined silhouette. Do you love wearing stripes? Is it something you

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Stripes, especially the horizontal variety, have gotten many a distrustful side-eye. Wear the wrong width (or direction!), and you suddenly look entirely disproportionate in photos; get it right, however, and you can look 10 pounds lighter. We learned the secret to making sure your stripes are flattering (and slimming).

"Make sure the base of the color is darker than the contrasting color. It's slimming," stylist Denise Caldwell, who works with Fit for Me by Fruit of the Loom, explained. Long-reviled horizontal stripes can also be figure-friendly, so long as you pay attention to size. "They key to that is to have slim stripes that are less than two inches wide. That's true for stripes going any direction."

"Mismatched stripes, a mix of slanted and angular stripes, create a contrast that can contour and reduce curves," she said, suggesting scoop or V-neck silhouettes for stripes and prints. "It will highlight your neckline and minimize the bust."

This summery dress from Zara, for example, hits all the points on her list. The black base color contrasts against those skinny white stripes, and angled lines near the hips cut in for a streamlined silhouette.

Do you love wearing stripes? Is it something you start to really break out come spring?