As part of a series of sharing your style advice, the second piece of style advice from my wise followers and friends was:

“Don’t think just because you're curvy wearing loose clothes will be more flattering. It's the opposite!”

I couldn’t agree more. Loose or baggy clothes are rarely flattering when worn to cover up and hide your curves. I do want to caveat this by saying that figure flattery or looking slimmer isn’t always the goal. I’m certainly not saying that anyone needs to look slimmer, but I am speaking from experience of working with lots of women, and it is usually an important element for most. It is a far less important element to style than your style personality and confidence, and creative style personalities may well want to bend the rules and play with volume.

So if someone is drawn to baggy clothes with the sole purpose of hiding their curves and any parts of their body they are self conscious of, then read on! There are lots of clothes out there that will help you disguise these areas and highlight the parts of your body you do like in order to look and feel fabulous. And there are lots of things to consider when putting outfits together - but baggy isn’t the answer! Here are just a few things to consider - there are lots more based on what your individual style and bodyshape is!

The rule of volume

These two images are of the same model on the New Look website. In the first she is wearing volume on the top and the bottom, which is making her look bigger than the very clever dress on the right. The dress has some shape and a very clever curved line at the empire line.

I still think she looks great in the black jumper and skirt, but it would be more flattering if worn with slim jeans or trousers. And the skirt would be more flattering if she wore it with a neater top - tucked, shorter or with something more fitted (like the top of the dress). So the basic rule is that some volume is OK, but only wear it on either the top OR the bottom. Where you wear the volume largely depends on your bodyshape and preferences.

In terms of whether you want to wear tight clothing top and bottom, then you might have dramatic in your style personality and if so, go for it - you’re a rule-breaker anyway!

Fabric that skims but doesn’t cling

The other important thing to look for is the holy grail of fabric, something that skims your curves, but that doesn’t cling. You’re looking for fabric that drapes and hangs really nicely. If you are curvy, then softer fabric will be better than stiff fabric, which tends to suit some straighter body shapes.

Garment shaping

Every garment is constructed differently, but if you are curvy, look for curved or assymetrical hems, some shaping or ruching around the waist (if you have a defined waist) or at empire line (the New Look dress above does this brilliantly). Lower necklines usually work better too. If you’re more of a straight and broad bodyshape, then you could look for vertical details that lengthen and slim, but avoid too much detail at the waist.

Layer up

Wearing a jacket (a single breasted blazer or kimono top is great) will give you two great vertical lines to help lengthen and slim. Be careful of where the hem hits - hip or upper thigh is usually good, depending on your height.

Sleeve warning

Just beware of how voluminous your sleeves are and where the sleeve ends - a short sleeve with volume can add width to a large bust, for example.

If you’d like to ask any other questions, head over to my Facebook group: The Style Studio, where I will be live on Fridays to answer them. Or if you’d like to understand more about your personal bodyshape, then I am offering a bodyshape analysis for £25 - click here for more details.