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Throughout the year, items such as hats, scarves, glasses and handbags prove very important for practical reasons and to add the finishing touches to your outfit too. Finding accessories to suit your size and height can be difficult. However, with a little styling knowledge you can help to flatter and enhance your natural features using a strategically placed accessory or two. There are few things that can go wrong when shopping for accessories, hence the reason why so many ladies love to buy accessories rather than clothing.
The Right Accessories for You
There are of course certain points to consider, which will help to steer you in the right direction, but generally there are few boundaries here.
Hats
Don’t be afraid of hats! Hats are extremely practical in the very hot and very cool weather. Having a bad hair day? It’s hats to the rescue! In a rush and don’t have time to do your hair? Throw on a hat and instantly look cool and stylish in seconds – nobody will ever know that you’re hiding messy hair underneath! The right hat can add height to your frame, whereas the wrong hat can make you appear shorter or make your face appear very round. Some hats can look extremely flattering, whereas others can drown a narrow frame or add bulk where not wanted.
When choosing hats, in order to guarantee you get it right every time, you want to avoid:
- Huge, oversized hats.
- Hats with bows on them.
- Hats with ribbons that hang in front of your face.
- Cowboy style hats with an under the chin tie.
Hats to choose that are both timeless and versatile include:
- Round hats that are not too wide
- Baseball caps
- Small hats
- Bobble hats with a bobble on top (the bobble will add height to your body)
- Trilby hats
Scarves
Scarves are an accessory that can keep you warm in the winter, as well as make an outfit look smarter or more casual in the right situation. You will see that there are often various styles of scarves available, from those that are very short and used as wrist scarves, silk scarves used for fashion purposes, shawls, snoods and thick winter scarves. Different types of scarves suit different people. For e.g. short scarves rarely suit tall people, whereas long, oversized scarves look too overpowering for anybody who is apple shaped or under 5 ft 5. You will see many fashion models wearing very long, oversized scarves which may be up to 2 metres long in length and 30cm wide, but these can be very difficult to wear if you are not 5 ft 9 with a straight type of body shape. Wearing a scarf that is too long will cover the majority of your body, on the other hand tying it and folding it will add bulk around your neck and chest area, which will again make you look several inches shorter, as well as out of proportion.
Scarf Definitions:
• Thick winter scarf: long scarves worn in the winter, varying in length (some are short and others are very long and can span the entire length of your body).
• Snood: a round scarf that sits comfortably around your neck. These can come in woollen varieties or softer, lighter varieties and depending on the material used they can be worn all year round. Snoods do not have two end pieced like a typical scarf, they are round and can be simply put round your neck and doubled up if too long – they make putting on a scarf quick and easy.
• Shawl: shawls (see below) are used as a cover up on the beach and can also be worn with formal wear, such as with a dress. Shawls are an excellent alternative to light jackets and cardigans.
Here are some scarves that will suit you perfectly. Note how they are not as long, but how it is still quite possible to find an excellent range of stylish and attractive scarves for all purposes and seasons.
• Scarves with pointed ends such as the first picture below will give the illusion of a slimmer, taller figure.
• Also, experiment with different ways of tying your scarf, as some people find it more comfortable to wear their scarf in certain styles which perhaps suit them better.
Glasses
The type of glasses and sunglasses that will suit you will depend on your face shape and personal preferences. The most important point to remember when choosing glasses is not the style and shape but the width of the glasses. The most common problem that affects mostly petite ladies or ladies with pixie facial features when shopping for glasses is that they often end up buying “on-trend” styles which are actually too big for their smaller bone structure. This issue mainly affects petite ladies of all weights and body shape, no matter your face shape or any other contributing factor. Many ladies who have round face shapes suffer this problem too because they buy and wear sunglasses that are too wide for their face and forehead. To avoid this problem, make sure that when testing out glasses (sunglasses or normal glasses) that the sunglasses do not come away from your face – they should not exceed the width of your head.
The best shape sunglasses for delicate features and smaller, narrower faces are those with smaller frames. Wayfarer sunglasses and smaller aviator sunglasses are an excellent option, as well as round sunglasses and cat eye sunglasses with smaller frames and lenses. Here below are some excellent options for you that won’t overpower or hide all of your face:
Top tip: If you have stronger, more defined bone structure then choose softer frames. If you have less defined bone structure then choose thicker, heavier frames.
Handbags
The good news about finding handbags that will compliment your height and shape is that the general rule is very simple. If you are not looking to alter your shape then go ahead and pick any handbag of any size. If you want to appear slimmer, opt for a larger handbag such as a tote bag. If you want to appear curvier go for a smaller bag such as a cross-bag.
The more complicated side to picking a handbag is that you need to pay attention to the shape!
How to Choose a Handbag that Will Flatter Any Shape or Height
Wide, oversized handbags that appear “floppy” and untailored are not ideal for ladies under 5ft3. Wide handbags in general are best avoided because they can easily add fullness to the point of your body at which they sit, such as under your shoulder, at your waist, at your hips or near your thighs. Large, oversized handbags that resemble the style of beach bags can also make you appear far shorter than you really are, because these kinds of bags can actually make you look as though you are carrying luggage rather than a handbag.
What you want to look for are bags that are longer in length rather than wide and try to choose bags that look more tailored in design, rather than bags that have no obvious shape.
Longer straps are an excellent idea too, as these will elongate your upper body and legs. Remember that you can wear both small and large bags, just make sure that when choosing larger handbags that you choose handbags that are longer, more tailored in appearance and that have a prominent shape to them.
Here are some fantastic styles to choose from:
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