What Trinny and Susannah Taught Me

Who remembers Trinny and Susannah? (showing my age) I wonder what happened to them. I remember receiving their book for Christmas and it becoming a bit of a style bible in my late teenage years.
It had examples of clothes that suit your particular body shape and colouring. I'm not sure what happened to that book but what stayed with me was the advice that I should only wear what suits me. So, I thought I'd share with you the pieces I love to wear and that I think suit my body shape and the items I avoid because I know they wont look good on me.

1. I am very partial to a high neckline, particularly a collar. This is partly due to the fact that I feel the cold all the time but also because I wasn't generously blessed in the bra size department. Nothing I wear can make this area look big so bring on the high necklines, tight tops/dresses and loud prints. 
For the same reason I never wear anything low-cut. It just draws attention to what isn't there and gives me a bit of a chill as I'm so used to being covered up. V-necks also don't look right on me so I avoid them

2. Being on the short side (around 5ft 3) I favour skinny jeans and trousers and short skirts/dresses to make me look slightly taller. Anything baggy or wide-legged tends to swamp me so on the rare occasion I do wear something like that high wedges are needed to balance things out. High wedges aren't practical for work so I got rid of all of my wide leg trousers in favour of slim cuts. My legs are also one of my best features so I tend to wear things that show them off when I can. I think the recent trend for dungarees is also best suited to tall people so I stay away

3. My stomach seems to be the only place where I carry any fat and I'm quite often bloated so my tops always have to cover this area and when I wear tight dresses I tend to go for tights underneath to hold me in a bit. I like tunic tops with skinny jeans as long as they're not too long as they can swamp me. 
For this reason crop tops are a no-no. I'd love to be able to wear them but I hate getting my belly out on the beach so definitely don't plan to expose it on the street. When your belly often looks bigger than your boobs it's best to hide it away! Of course I could exercise and tone it up but that would be too much hard work!

4. I really like the tailored look, especially for work. My uniform is a shirt, pencil skirt and fitted blazer but I like to mix it up with different colours and prints. I think I wear tailored pieces to look more grown-up and professional as I have such a baby face and could be mistaken for someone 5 years younger
When it comes to casual wear I can struggle. I do like a pair of skinny jeans but tracksuits are strictly for around the house and I don't do hoodies! I own converse but other than that I only have one pair of trainers which see the light of day on the rare occasion that I drag myself to the gym to do a class
I am tempted to jump on the Nike Blazer bandwagon but I have a feeling it will cause 18 year olds to chat me up in Westfield and people who work in the chemist to ask me for I.D when buying headache tablets. This is another reason why I won't wear dungarees and haven't since I was 13

5. This is less down to my body shape and more to do with being cold all the time but if I'm wearing a jumper or coat the sleeves have to be full length otherwise it's defeating the purpose of keeping you warm. What's the point of having a toasty chest and shoulders but chilly forearms? I know it's all about the layering trend with this look but things become bulky and I start to look like a small child whose mother has over prepared her for the cold weather

So, there are my rules of dressing which I live by pretty much all the time except for when I'm wearing a onesie. Do you have any style rules or do you tend to take more risks with fashion? I'd love to hear from you. Also. if you're not already please follow me on Instagram: ChelseyPrentice