Tips

DRESSING UP

Do ...

• Wear black for an evening affair if the event is black tie
• Do carry a small evening bag and dont overstuff it
• Do sew velcro on strapless bras and on your dress to keep everything in place.

Dont ...

• Wear a casual watch with very dressy clothes
• Wear a casual jacket over a fancy dress
• Wear anything too tight, too sexy or too see-through
• Wear comfortable shoes
• Upstage the bride in something that's too attention getting

BATTLING THE BUSTLINE

If you are large busted, skip:

• wide belts
• long necklaces
• big pins

And go for:

• Blouse that minimise:
• softly draped (but not oversized) styles in silk or polyester
• simple V necklines without pockets
• dark colours on top, light ones at the bottom
• a bright jacket over a dark top

TAMING THE TUMMY

If your hips and thighs are less than svelte , skip:

• Leggings
• Big patterns below the belt
• Narrow trousers

And go for:

• Loose-fitting trousers
• Long jackets
• Long flowing skirts

THE EXTRA: MAINTENANCE

Do ...

• Hem your cuffs and bear in mind that if you are tall, you can get away with a wider cuff.
• Treat your clothes with loving care and buy clothes you can afford to take care of.
• Hang woolens out for 24 hours after wearing them to air them out.
• Clip out labels from sheer blouses and bras
• Use liquid detergent when washing darks
• Dry clean and store winter clothes in the summer and vice versa.
• Bleach whites that are bleach safe
• Save time and iron only the cuffs and collars of blouses you are wearing under a sweater and jacket.
• Re-dye black jeans when they start to fade
• Keep white canvas sneakers white by soaking them in one part water to one part bleach.

Dont ...

• Try to wash something that says "dry clean only" unless you are willing to part with it for good.
• Re-hang clothes that are in need of repiars. Fix them first
• Hang sweaters
• Alter expensive clothes yourself, unless you really know you can.