Closet Smarts: Flatter Your Figure with the Clothes You Already Have

by Emily Neill

Short-waisted? Wearing a low-slung belt the color of your pants or skirts lengthens your waist like magic.
Chunky calves? Avoid capri pants and mid-calf skirts like the plague.
Poochy belly? A V-neck top will bring the eye up in the most flattering way, as long as it doesn't cling.
And hundreds more tips keyed to your figure and how to make it look its best! Finally, the real secret for looking thinner without dieting or exercise! It's all about what you wear. In this book, women will learn how to analyze their figure strengths and weaknesses and play up their good features while minimizing their weaknesses. They'll find out how to choose the colors that flatter them most and find the clothes that will look great on them as well as avoiding clothes that will look awful. Shopping for clothes will never be a dreaded chore again!

Genres: Nonfiction, Fashion, Self Help, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This 15 year old book is one of thousands purportedly showing women how to flatteringly dress their body shape. The introduction put me right off with a folksy faux-inclusive *dont we all just hate our ugly bodies but these fashion tips will make you feel so much better than you feel now in your ill-chosen clothes*. Of course the focus is on *repairing* the image of the larger figure with all sorts of pseudo-secret advice. That is so 20th century. Admittedly, some of the real girl models look good in their outdated garb, but really, would librarians please weed this book, like YESTERDAY...

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too many references to "problem areas" for my taste, but I did like the format of skipping the shape/fruit body typing and instead discussing different areas like what works with square shoulders/round shoulders.

2006 Emily Neill was not a fan of what would eventually become the skinny jean. I wonder if she came around when it became ubiquitous.

[Tububa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one lost me very quickly. She makes a lot of idiotic assumptions early on and talks in this omniscient tone like she can see inside your mind and your closet, but you can't, Emily Neill. I am not a pear. I am not 5'4". I do not own any stockings with rips in them, and I do not put my bras in the dryer. I look perfectly reasonable in a turtleneck or a V-neck. I don't know what live she's led to assume that most women can be assumed to fit these presuppositions, but when a self-appointed psychic of the closet starts out by guessing every wrong thing about her reader, that somewhat undermines her credibility.

What she has right: it's important to learn how to recognize poor fit. Lots of people don't seem to understand what all the wrinkles and drag lines are telling them (first and foremost, "take off this piece of clothing and get rid of it or get it fitted").

What she has wrong: well, she doesn't seem to be able to diagnose poor fit. The pics are so bad sometimes that I couldn't tell which one was supposed to be the "after" look. There is a truly horrific brown plaid taffeta crooked skirt that she puts on more than one person that had me howling. What else? The idea that there are certain garments that look good on everybody, and others that look awful on everybody. Also, there are people who make their body anxieties entertaining and relatable (Trinny and Susannah had me laughing), but Emily Neill just made me want to put a hand on her shoulder and ask, "are you sure you're okay?"

[AP]

ugh - superficial, boring, & lame. No insights into style. Abandoned before wasting mire time.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

What I liked about this book in they have real-life girls in their real-life bodies, curves and everything and show how clothing items looked on them, with a little mixing with the models. Some of the outfits just looked okay to me and the book seemed a little skimpy with the details. I liked how another book How Not to Look Fat had girdle recommendations. This book pretended that these models only had their underwear on underneath these clothes. Or maybe she just assumed that as smart women living in this time we would know that it's necessary. Anyway. The book pretty much seemed to throw most of their stuff out unless the clothes that were the after were actually from their closets although like I said there were a couple of models wearing the same top, etc.

[Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this better than The Wardrobe Wakeup by Lois Joy Johnson because while the latter gives the line up for the classics, Closet Smarts acknowledges the fact that not all have the same shape to start with. My only gripe is it could have provided other silhouette for the saddle-bag laden women. I'm just tired of the boot legs and the heels.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm attempting to add the word "fashion" to my vocabulary. We'll see how it goes... I liked it because the models were real women with real body types - not just perfect bodies that you see in fashion magazines!

[Leena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author had some interesting ideas but a lot of them were quite idiosyncratic - OK, I get that she really hates turtlenecks! *sob* Anyway, it had lots of pictures and I like books with pictures. So there.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me want to go shopping!

[J2418 K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Library Book