How to look good and feel confident in a bikini

Posted on by Toni Carver

The modern bikini as we know it today, is thought to have been introduced on 5 July 1946 by Louis Réard, making it 78 years old this week.

Feeling your best in a bikini is about understanding what suits you. It’s easy to feel anxious, but do bare in mind that generally, people are more concerned with how they look and feel, rather than what you’re wearing!

Don’t let the fear of wearing swimwear stop you from wearing something you’ll look good in. Because, like any garment of clothing, understanding what fits and flatters is key to feeling confident.

There’s three things to consider when choosing a bikini. If you prefer a swimsuit, the same applies.

Colour

Anyone who feel subconscious in a bikini, may well opt for black. Unsurprisingly as a colour analysis consultant; black may not be the most flattering shade for you.

Dark colours (including black), are thought to be slimming, but it’s a visual trick. Dark colours absorb light, reducing their appearance and making them appear further away. This is why black is thought to be a slimming colour!

Due to this absorption of light (ie. sunlight), you’re much likely to feel hotter wearing dark colours. Opt for a complimentary colour which will improve your mood and your confidence instead!

Style

Are you a cut-out detail kinda gal, or more frills and flounces? If you’re a lover of print (I’ve talked about patterns here) or not, be sure to choose something that feels like you! Prints can add balance to your proportions, or draw attention to or from an area.

Wearing your style is key to feeling good in what you wear. Check what you’ve already got and how it makes you feel when you wear it. No point going for a neon, cut-out, brazilian cut bikini if you’re more of a polka dot one-piece kinda gal – you won’t feel comfortable or happy.

A beach cover-up like a kaftan, sarong or playsuit is an easy throw on to take you from beach to bar. Plus, it can ‘hide’ any bits you feel conscious of and accentuate your style.

Shape

There’s guides online to help you find the right swimwear for your shape, plus you can revisit my blogs here and here. Consider what fits you well. So, if you’re conscious of your tummy area, opt for shape-wear options, like tummy control or ruching. High cuts will add length to your leg area. Wired cups are better if you need more support.

Try not to feel daunted about shopping for a bikini and make sure you give yourself enough time to try them on. Bring them home if you prefer, but do keep the sticker on the briefs and return any which aren’t right for you before the return period expires.

Buy the right colour, right style and right shape for you which fits and flatters and you’ll feel much more confident in your choice.

Get in touch to book a colour analysis or style & shape consultation.

 

How to find clothes that are the right fit for you

Posted on by Toni Carver

If you find it a challenge getting clothes to fit you, it’s tempting to blame yourself. Often, it’s that they aren’t quite right for YOU.

Unless you make your own clothes, or have them made specifically for your body, there might be certain aspects of a garment that don’t quite work. Rest assured, there’s tips and tricks to ‘correct’ many elements, it’s simply understanding and learning what to look for.

This quote sums it up perfectly for me:

The dress must follow the body of the woman, not the body following the shape of the dress. (Hubert de Givenchy)

Identify what’s right for you and work with your body shape, not against it. So, if you’ve got a curvy figure then a boxy shape to a garment will add pounds to your frame because it hides your frame and shape. Nobody wants that!

I meet a lot of ladies who feel that things don’t work for them and they dislike shopping as a result. This is totally understandable, especially if you don’t know what to look for. What’s more, you’ll spend lot of time and money trying to find out.

Right colour, right style, right fit and lifestyle-appropriate. Nail these, and you’ll be grinning like the cat that got the cream. Let me go through these in more detail.

Colour

Have you ever put something on and noticed that the colour drains from your face? Or that suddenly your skin has gone a funny colour?

That need to add a brighter lipstick or slap more blusher on, is because the colour you’re wearing isn’t quite right for you.

The transformation to your overall appearance when you’re wearing the right colours for you, cannot be ignored! It’s a subject I cover frequently here on the blogs as well as on social media.

Colour analysis consultations are by far my most popular service and I never tire of seeing the transformation with clients. I work with a tonal colour analysis system, which assess the colour of your hair, eyes and skin tone to determine the three elements of your colouring type and colours which flatter you the most. My colouring type is soft, cool and deep which means that my core colouring type is soft (low clarity to my features overall, muted and mid-tone colours), with a cool undertone to my skin (blue toned shades rather than yellow) and with some depth (my tertiary as the light pale colours really do wash me out).

Wearing the right colour will visibly lift your appearance but unless it fits like a glove (or vice versa), it will never be perfect for you, so you’ll need to factor these next elements in as well.

Style

Your style is really what feels most like you. Sometimes, it can be hard to describe what your style is, or you may feel like you don’t have one! But, I can assure you that everyone does. Just think – what feels most like you when you wear it?

When you put something on that doesn’t feel like you, you’ll immediately protest as much and take it off! But, wear something which you feel happy, comfortable and more like you when you wear it, and you’ll be much happier. No point dressing like Paloma Faith if you’re really more a Jennifer Aniston type.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t dress differently, or try something new. Try to push your style boundaries, but in a way that feels authentic and still like you. Sometimes it can be the choice of fabric, but more on that shortly.

Patterns can be a real deal-breaker in the style department. For me, I’m not a fan of fussy patterns or stripes. They just don’t work for my style personality, so I don’t tend to buy them as I know I won’t get my £’s per wear or be happy in them.

Fit

We all know when something doesn’t fit right, but often associate this with the number on the label. It’s more likely not fitting your body shape, body line and proportions. Understanding these aspects will help you identify the right style, fit and fabric to choose. Let’s say that you’re petite in height, with a long upper body and short legs – of course it will be harder to get the right fit! But, understand how to dress your features and you’ll make better choices with styles and cuts.

Don’t forget the finer details like sleeves and necklines. A high neckline when you’ve a large bust will enhance the area. You’ll find a lower neckline (like a v-neck), will break up the colour and be more flattering. Sleeve lengths and shoulder seams can be corrective; like a ruffle sleeve when you’ve got small and narrow shoulders. On the other hand, they can enhance the area if you’re broader with wider shoulders by merely extending the shoulder line out, visually speaking.

Most people who come to me for a style and shape session don’t consider the fabric of a garment. Yet, it plays a crucial role in the fit of a garment. Different fabrics have different weights and feels, not to mention how it drapes. Whilst both light in weight, cotton and jersey have a different feel and structure to them. The same garment made from both will look and feel different when worn, depending upon the body wearing it.

In this example, the cotton top left loose over a satin skirt hides my underlying shape and proportions. A few tweaks and hey presto! Learn much more during a 2.5 hour style and shape consultation.

These are just tweaks. Tailoring can be a game-changer in achieving the perfect fit and I often recommend clients have a good seamstress on hand, if they need one. Transformed into bespoke pieces that fit YOU and make them a perfect fit! Which is a huge benefit when you do make your own clothes, because you can create the garment to take into account your own body measurements and adjust the pattern accordingly.

Not knowing what fits and flatters you means you can still end up making costly mistakes so it pays to understand these elements of your body.

Lifestyle-appropriate

Being able to tick all boxes with your clothes, or altering them accordingly, will make it so much easier to dress in clothes that make you look and feel good.

I’m a big believer in having clothes which work for how you spend your time. If you’re the outdoorsy-type and love nothing more, those knee-high, stiletto, velvet boots aren’t going to fare very well…

When your clothes suit the occasion you’re dressing for, you’ll feel appropriate and comfortable, especially when you know they tick all the boxes: right colour, right style, right fit and lifestyle-appropriate.

Get to know what works for you!

Gaining the knowledge can take time if you’re not sure what to look for and it can be costly if you keep making mistakes. My consultations are designed to guide you so that you understand what works for you, and why.

Discover the colours which enhance your natural features and how to wear your colours during a Colour Analysis Consultation. During a Style & Shape session, you’ll learn how to find clothes that tick all the boxes for you as we identify your style personality, shape and proportions.

Get in touch to book your session with me now!

Unboxing the b.kinda mystery box

Posted on by Toni Carver

Given it’s Second hand September, it seemed like a good opportunity to introduce the B.Kinda mystery box.

They do things a little differently by putting together pre-loved clothing boxes. It’s a mystery because you won’t know what’s inside!

It’s worth pointing out that I’ve not been paid for this – in fact, it will be a surprise for them too! I wanted to highlight them for doing something different in the pre-loved, second hand space.

Detailed below is how it works and what’s included based upon my own experience. Plus, I’ve recorded a video to show you the items I received and how to use their website. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/CvR1GyAfD88

How does it work?

The mystery box is made up of four items picked for you based upon your preferences.

There’s an element of tailoring your order with scope to add notes (if you didn’t like stripes for example).

First, select the age that you like to dress, rather than the age you actually are. If you fancy something a little more mature or youthful, select a different age range box.

Next, it’s about sizing. The options are from 6 to 24. You’ll be asked to select the size for your tops, then bottoms and finally, dresses. I like this because it’s an opportunity to reflect your body shape. So, if you’re a pear shape or inverted triangle, being able to select a different size top to bottoms makes it much more customised to you.

In relation to trousers, you can choose the leg length which is great if you don’t have balanced proportions. Select short, regular or long.

Now the size and fit is sorted, you’ll move onto your colour choices. In this section, you mark the colours that you don’t like. Because I know my colouring type, it was an easy one for me.

Here’s the colours I didn’t want:

  • Auburn (too warm)
  • black (too draining)
  • brown (not a fan)
  • gold (I’m better in silver)
  • copper (too warm)
  • grey (don’t need anything)
  • beige (not a fan)
  • orange (too warm and bright)
  • yellow (too tricky getting the right tone)

This left me with: blue, green, purple, navy, pink, red, silver, white and burgundy.

Being able to refine to a colour group allows you to choose a colour you love or fill a gap in your wardrobe.

What’s inside the mystery box?

If you fancy a nosy, watch the video and I’ve summarised the contents below.

One top was cute with little details to the shoulders and a lightweight fabric. Very similar to blush pink in the soft, light, clear and deep dominant swatches.

The second top was a boho pattern on a lightweight fabric. The base colour was a little darker than the grey green in the warm and soft dominant swatches.

Onto the dresses; the first was a warmer shade of red with zip details to the front. Would definitely work for someone with warmer tones in their colour type (dominant or sub-dominant).

The final dress was a patterned dress. On closer inspection looked dark and night navy and soft white combinations. Colours which could easily be worn by most people. The dress was fitted, lined and had a side concealed zip.

The result!

At the time I ordered, it cost me £15 for four garments including postage (it’s a rather big box too!).

As at 1 September, the cost has increased to £20.95 which to me still represents great value for money! I asked about the change and they said: “Our boxes always reflect the change in seasons. From today (1st September), every box we pick will include autumn clothes as well as all year round pieces. We have tried to hold back with a price change for as long as we could but in order to continue to grow and support our community this is something we had to do.”

You’d have to spend much more to get four brand new garments. This method means you’ll have rescued four items from landfill and at the very worst, you’ll have given to charity.

The gamble is that it’s a mystery box – so you could have four new items you’ll wear, or nothing at all.

For me personally, two of the four would work for me. I’ll definitely be keeping the pink top because of the style, the fabric and the colour.

The colour of the second top is too warm for me, the pattern too much and too boxy for my shape.

Whilst I love a dress, I won’t be keeping either. The red dress was too warm a tone for me, not as fitted as I’d have preferred and the zips too dramatic for my style personality!

The patterned dress had all the features of being a keeper (colour, style, shape, fit) but, on reflection, I just don’t have a gap for it in my wardrobe.

Summary

Overall, I would still recommend having a go at the mystery box. It’s a great way to dabble in pre-loved and support a good cause.

It is a surprise and a mystery after all so the excitement of not knowing is part of the thrill! The ordering process is pretty simple as you can see in the video.

Whilst it doesn’t drill down to select the specific shades (like you’ll learn in your colour analysis), being able to focus on a colour you love or that you’re seeking is great. Tailoring the size and cut narrows down the chances of the fit being better for you too.

As Forest Gump said: you never know what you’re gonna get! Surely that’s all part of the fun.