How to fake a waist?! And also look more put together without wearing tight clothes

[wherewillwegoto]

I'm size 16, currently losing weight but got a way to go yet. I'm 5 feet 7. There's only 7 inches difference between my bum and waist measurements.

How can I fake a waist? Or do I need to? I can't wear anything tight or restricting or I get very anxious. I live in leggings or straight jeans with a long hoodie or jersey dresses with thick tights, ankle boots and cardigans over. All fairly loose but not stylish. I like bright colours, teal, purple, dark pink but also black and grey.

Grateful for any suggestions. I'm early sixties but very young at heart! Brunette, brown eyes, large chest!

Tailored, well cut clothes, rather than jersey or stretchy things are generally more flattering.

Well done with the weight loss. Keep going.

I find that wearing jeans or trousers that flare out give me a waist, so slim in the waist, slim on thighs then flare out. V necks always help, fit and flare/skater dresses, shirt dresses. Pencil shirts do not work for me at all, A line skirts work well. Fitted clothes are always better than baggy.

I wear a silky sort of top, tuck it in and then pull out slightly. Looks like it's tied in tighter than it actually is.

Trousers and skirts that flare out from the waist (go for a lower rise style or just size up so that you can wear them with the waistband sitting on your hip bones if you don't want them tight round the tum), paired with a top that covers the waistband, but doesn't reach as far as the widest part of your hips/backside. The top needs to be loose and worn untucked. Something that falls more or less in a straight line.

The top could be a thick top/blouse or a blazer/jacket (not as easy in winter, when you need more layers, but if you can find jumpers without a narrower ribbed bit at the bottom they might work; shortish smocks(!) ought to, if they are your kind of thing). Because your waist isn't visible, you create the illusion that you've got more waist-hip curve than you really have.

Maybe corduroy? I was looking for corduroy skirts and pinafores and came across cord tops - seemed a weird idea, but they would be heavy enough to fall well and you could wear a thermal/ thin fitted jumper underneath. The Nobody's Child ones might be a bit too short, this Seasalt one is perhaps a better length.

A good thick Aran/cable jumper of the appropriate length might be easier.

To illustrate what I mean take a look at Queen Camilla in separates and her favourite dress shape (not suggesting you emulate her vibe, as she isn't going for young at heart, but you can see how the skirt plus top combo gives her the illusion of a more defined waist):
Camilla with waist and without
Here you see (imagine) a waist, now you don't.

You really need to dress to your body shape so the first step is calculating that. The best sites for this calculation use the shoulder the measurement too. Shoulder, bust, waist and hip. Once you know your body shape then you can watch lots of YouTube videos on how to dress for that shape. When you’ve hit to your target weight you’ll want to measure again as your body shape will likely change.

7 ins between hips and waist sounds like a lot to me! That's quite a curvy figure already.

My measurements are 38/35/41 .. sorry, 6 inches between waist and hips.

I'm not a massive fan of low rise trousers, I feel like I need to pull them up all the time. I don't like cord either.

I think I understand what you mean, but not sure how practical that is in every day life. I don't like flares and don't wear long full skirts. Due to plantar fasciitis I tend to only wear trainers or my ankle boots. Sorry I don't mean to be difficult, just trying to imagine clothing like for every day wear. Could you post some examples?

I'll look into this when I get a chance to measure my shoulders tomorrow. Thanks.

I live in a city that has an ultra-rich, international community. I’ve learned from looking at those women, that looking “put together” and “classy” really does just come down to good ol’ fashioned “less is more” and dressing for your body shape. Good tailoring, avoiding stretch-type fabrics (especially in dresses, skirts and trousers), minimalist accessories, shoes that aren’t particularly flashy.
One of my favourite outfits for when I want to look put together in a more casual setting is well-fitting jeans, with a tailored cotton button-down shirt and some mid-heel, single colour shoes that tie in with whatever colour accessories I’m wearing. For more dressy situations, I love a pair of tailored high-waisted, wide-legged trousers with a satin (usually faux satin 👀🫣😂) blouse.