My line sister Shontadra hit me up on Twitter yesterday and asked for outfit suggestions. She has a lunch date right after a Saturday chapter meeting. We are required to wear business casual clothes to our meetings. Since my LS will be going from meeting to lunch date without having time to change, I put together some business casual looks that are professional but would also do a great job showing off her figure, while leaving something to the imagination of course!
Shontadra reminded me last night to keep in mind that her body top is bigger on top. She has large “girls” so the key to creating the ideal hourglass shape is to deemphasize the top half of her body with wrap tops & dresses and bring attention to the bottom top half of her body.
If you love wearing dresses and don’t currently have a wrap dress or faux wrap dress in your closet, I recommend you purchase one ASAP! This style of dress is flattering on all body types. For a woman who is bigger on top, the v-neck neckline actually deemphasizes the chest and holds the girls in place. If the neckline was too high, it would make a woman’s check look bigger. If a woman is bigger on the bottom, the v-neck would bring attention to the top half of her body. The fabric of wrap dresses skim over the hips so whether your bigger on top or bottom, it doesn’t add volume. For someone with a boyish frame, a wrap dress helps create curves. And the wrap effect across the midsection snatches that waist and hides the midsection, helping to create an hourglass shape.
If you want to trick the eye, find a printed dress like the Diane Von Furstenberg one below. The eye doesn’t know where to look when a woman wears a printed dress, essentially helping to camouflage problem areas (i.e midsection). Complete the look with fabulous boots, a grey bag and neutral makeup. Save the smokey eye for an evening date.
Shop wrap dresses here:
The second look takes up the sex appeal a notch but is still very appropriate for a meeting. Pair an animal print skirt with a blouse. Animal print is treated as a neutral, so while I used a black blouse for this look, any color will work. Specifically fushia, red, colbalt and coral. For Shontadra, I’d recommend a top that doesn’t have pockets on the chest. As mentioned above, the goal for her is to balance the top half of the body, so I’d recommend wearing color and/or print on the bottom half of her body to bring attention away from her chest. Use accessories and lipstick to add a pop of color. Of course if the temperatures drop, this look and the wrap dress outfit can be paired with tights.
You may want to wear pants instead of a dress or skirt. That’s fine but shy away from the typical black dress pants. That screams “I’m going to work.” Remember, a date follows the chapter meeting so you want the outfit to be business casual but also fun and flirty. The cream top on the right will work for women who don’t have a large chest. A collar that high and in that color may actually make a women with a large chest look bigger on top. For someone like Shontadra, I’d again recommend a top that doesn’t go all the way to the neck.
Finalize the look with pointed toe heels to elongate the body. If you aren’t too worried about height and rather break up the preppy look with some edge, opt for a bootie instead. Seal the look with eyeliner, mascara and blush.
Shontadra, I hope you have a fun on your lunch date! Let me know what outfit you put together for the special occasion.
What do you think of these looks? To see more looks created for various occasions, check out my Style Gallery.
