Checks and tartan are one of the latest trends this season, which is a very good thing because this allows you to take advantage of this trend which – if properly chosen and paired – can be very helpful to flatter your silhouette and to elevate your style in an easygoing way.
In this post and in the next one we will see some tricks to achieve an impeccable outcome which furthermore may help you to slim your figure while adding a stylish and polished touch to your outfit.
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First of all, don’t forget that checks and tartan, being a print that certainly does not go unnoticed, require a certain attention in their use. This means that – to play it safe and achieve a chic outcome – when you’re wearing something checkered, any other garment you are wearing should be as clean and simple as possible. (pairing a checkered print to any other print could be done, yes, but this requires an impeccable taste and a meticulous care in any detail, so it may not be the quickest option when you’re rushing out early in the morning).
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Take just one tartan garment, and it will be quite easy to pair it with the rest of your outfit in a classy and stylish way. Take two, and you will easily look like a Scottish shepherd climbing up the hills while hunting for her lost sheep, instead of a classy girl trying to catch the subway train.
Now on the choice of the garments, a skirt or miniskirt is always usually a faultless choice which furthermore is very flattering to many body shapes.
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Pay attention, though, to pick out prints whose size correspond to your size: if you are quite short-statured it’s better to avoid big prints (if you’re wearing a miniskirt it would look like a two-checks garment instead of a checkered one), while if you’re 6-feet tall avoid micro-checks that could make your legs look like a picnic table (which can be quite interesting indeed, but maybe it’s not the outcome you’re looking for).
The skirt should preferably have a simple, straight cut, avoiding whimsy styles that would weigh it down.
The perfect pairing when it’s cooler is with opaque tights, knee-high (or lace-up) boots, and a turtleneck that incorporates one of the colors of the skirt. A close-fitting twin-set is a lovely alternative to the turtleneck.
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If you want to look slimmer and/or taller, avoid pairings with ankle boots which remain quite wide around the ankle, because they have the visual effect of shortening your legs.
Similarly, don’t pair your tartan skirt with wide sweaters or cardigans, because such an ensemble would easily wind up making you look older.
You may achieve a nice and very feminine outcome also with checkered dresses, which can also be worn with great results in spring, when the temperatures rise up.
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Conversely, a tartan or checkered long-sleeved shirt can be quite difficult to wear faultlessly. To play it safe, it’s preferable to opt for lightweight, short-sleeved shirts (as below) which can play down the widening effect that a tartan shirt may have, allowing a lovely and feminine result.
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Otherwise, you can layer a soft, long-sleeved checkered shirt worn open over a dark, monochromatic pant/top set: this ensemble always has a slimming effect, it’s cute and trendy in an easygoing way.
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As for the colors, the choice is quite easy because the alternation of different tonalities allows you to wear also colors that would not be very flattering to your complexion if used for a solid-color garment. For instance, a blue/yellow tartan fabric can look gorgeous on many women no matter what their complexion, whereas a yellow garment usually doesn’t.
The most flattering results, though, are usually achieved picking out classic and timeless prints which do not contain excessive contrasts.
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A scarf in a beautiful classic print like the one above is always chic. Conversely, wide prints and contrasting colors, aside from being not exactly elegant, will easily weight your figure down instead of helping you hide a few extra pounds as a properly chosen texture can do.
As for coats, overcoats and jackets, you can achieve an outstanding – and very fashionable – result keeping it on simple, straight cuts layered over a monochromatic outfit, avoiding double-breasted styles.
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When it’s too cold to wear your coat open, you can get a flattering outcome adding a scarf in a similar tone to that of your pants which – as explained in the previous post – is always a very helpful tool to look slimmer. This will make you feel trendy and put-together no matter what the place in the most stylish and timeless way.
