outfit 1!

A typical outfit I would wear in the summer:

Outfit 1 is simple enough. Black dress with white print, red belt, red shoes, silver shrug, and various jewelry.

Where: I got the dress from Charlotte Russe a couple years back, it was under $20 but I can't remember the exact price. The necklace was a gift from my friend, but she got it from Etsy.com. The shoes are from Rainbow, again too old to remember the price. The belt used to belong to my Grandmother when she was in her forties. The bangles I got from my friend when she went to India. And the silver shrug was for Christmas from Forever21.

Total Cost: It's hard to estimate how much money this whole outfit costs because a lot of pieces were gifts/I can't remember. I would definitely say the total comes to under $100.

Makeup: I did a green make up because the main color in this outfit is red, and green and red are opposites on the color wheel. It doesn't look Christmas-ee because the make up is less prominent than a fabric or something. I also did a natural lip color, a red lip with this outfit I think would be too much red.

Why it works:

1. The shape of the dress is flattering because it pulls away from the body, there is also a ruffle and button around the chest which helps place the emphasis away from my stomach. I can get away with doing this because I have a smaller chest and therefore emphasis on it doesn't make me look top heavy.
2. The pattern of the dress is nice because although there are horizontal lines there are also vertical, the checkered pattern helps distract from the stomach.
3. The bright red accent colors in the belt and the shoes draw the eye away from the stomach.
4. Though I am a fan of this dress it is a little loose on me, the belt helps emphasis the smallest part of my body which is the area under my chest and before my hips, while tightening the dress in the waistline.
5. I recommend wearing shrugs/cardigans/jackets like the silver one I'm wearing if you are self conscious about your arms. They help hide arm fat, under arm fat, while tying together your whole look nicely!
6. Smaller/Less gaudy jewelry works best with this outfit because I am already wearing bright colors and a bold print. Heavier jewelry might overwhelm.