How to Dress: Your Complete Style Guide for Every Occasion. Gok Wan
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So let’s get back to basics! Short of keeping me in the back of your wardrobe, nothing’s going to be more useful in helping you get a fabulous look together each morning than a selection of brilliant basics.
These basics are your New Best Friends, ready to guide you through season to season and from event to event. A set of wardrobe staples at your fingertips will make you feel like a super-confident dresser, always with something up your sleeve for whatever comes next.
These pieces are going to be the perfect way for you to wear that fabulous new top or skirt without having to wrestle with a whole new outfit. They’ll each give the edgier pieces in your wardrobe an extended life just by sitting next to them. In the future, when you buy a funky new piece, you’ll already have the perfect basic to go with it (which means that everything you buy will be ready-to-wear!).
There’s nothing like a collection of simple pieces in your wardrobe when you’re having a busy day or just want to play it chic. Once you’ve got them sorted, the world of style is yours for the taking!
So my gorgeous, let’s start building you a flattering and fabulous wardrobe of simple, uncomplicated pieces.
© Adam Lawrence
Figure-fixing, flirting and femininity
Panelling creates the illusion of a super-slim silhouette
if you’re tummy-shy wear a babydoll slip
magic underwear with sex appeal
Honey, this is your Bond girl moment. And your 007 secret weapon in the style stakes? Underwear.
The right underwear can totally transform your booty. A smoothing and slimming pair of Gok’s favourite magic pants will make you look like you’ve had liposuction, and a well-fitting new bra will get results as good as any boob job.
It’s so worth taking the time to find your perfect set of underwear because once you’ve got that right, like a great haircut or finding the right foundation, everything else seems to fall into place. Of course, as well as the way your underwear can make you look (i.e. fabulously curvy), a gorgeous set of lingerie will also make you feel sexier and more feminine. Mee-ow!
Lady, you could be wearing just a simple white T-shirt and jeans, but with a foxy little lacy bra and knicker set underneath you’ll have an über-confident glow all day that everyone will notice (but nobody will be able to work out). Unless, of course, you want them to …
COLOUR & PATTERN
Colourful patterns and prints are super-cute for the day. Maybe there’s a strict dress code in your office, but that doesn’t mean you can’t wear bright pink stripy underwear (just be careful it doesn’t show through when you’re wearing a white cotton shirt).
Off duty, if you’ve got fabulously coloured underwear why hide it? Have a cheeky coloured strap peeking out from a vest top, or at the shoulders of a slash-neck Tee. Or let your crisp white shirt reveal just a sneaky glimpse of pretty lace bra.
Pale pink and nude shades will make you look chic and sensual without being too OTT. These will work best under your white shirts and T-shirts (beware: white under white always shows through). Lacy fabrics or funky prints like polka dots add a kick to quieter colours – he won’t know what’s hit him!
And how to stop the classic black-and-red combo looking too tarty (although let’s not forget, tarty can be fun too)? Wear simple, streamlined shapes for an über-classy after-dark look.
MIX & MATCH
Mismatched underwear was once a big no-no. Your mother always warned you not to mismatch your underwear in case you got hit by a bus. Well, sorry Mum, but mix and match is now a cool look, and when your fella sees you, it’s him who’s going to feel like he’s been hit by a bus!
The reason mixing it up can be so hot? It’s great for figure fixing. If you’re boobalicious you can wear your favourite plain structured bra with some hip-boosting vertical stripe briefs. Pretty pears can keep their pretty pair in a bold print push-up bra, and you can then pick out one of the darker colours in the print for a hip-diminishing high leg brief.
The trick with mixing is to take one colour through the whole set, to make the mix look deliberate rather than accidental. So a pale blue bra can work with cute stripy knickers, if there’s a matching blue in the stripes. Easy! Have a look at my mixed up combo in this chapter to see it in action.
BEAUTY
Of course, there’s nothing more seductive than sexy lingerie, but don’t stop there. Think about the whole ensemble rather than just the lingerie itself. There’s probably going to be a lot of that gorgeous skin on show, so remember to moisturize, crack open the bronzer and use a shimmering powder where the light hits your skin. Smokin’.
Keeping hair messy and tousled will give an ‘undone’ twist to even the most boned of bedroom outfits.
Nude, natural make-up will accentuate that going-to-bed vibe, so work those subtle tones and keep it simple. A little lip gloss and a swipe of liquid eyeliner will work wonders for your seductive prowess, and add some blusher on the apples of your cheeks for an instant ‘so pleased to see you’ flush … and don’t forget to dust between those sexy bangers for the illusion of an even deeper cleavage.
Magic Underwear
Smooth operator
First things first. Let’s bring out the best of your curves by smoothing that silhouette. So, abracadabra: magic pants, to make that scrummy tummy and juicy thighs practically disappear (don’t worry – it’s just an illusion). A fabulous silky-smooth seamless, invisible-toned bra like this will give the impression of nothing more than a perfect rack underneath your elegant evening number. In fact it is all so seam-free, you’ll have him thinking you’re going commando (you tease).
Why just save your magic underwear for going out? Now you can look a million dollars in your jeans and T-shirt too!
Wonder Woman
Think of this underwear ‘outfit’ as your secret superhero-wear: pushing everything up, up and way-hey! Honey, nothing is escaping from this ensemble! A secret tummy flattener like this will smooth your beautiful belly and help accentuate your waspish waist. Add a pair of thigh-smoothing shorts and boost those beautiful bangers with a boosting bra, and you’ll get 10/10 for the perfect figure of 8. Your secret superpower? Being able to slay men with a single wiggle.
A waist-cinching tummy panel like this is the modern-day corset – but feel free to play the helpless heroine.
Screen siren sexy
Yes, magic underwear can be as gorgeous as you are! Think Fifties screen siren in this vampy black two-piece. Decadent detailing like this luxurious lace will keep you looking elegantly erotic. Best of all, foxy-but-firm pants will smooth and boost your sexy tum and bum. And a slinky padded satin bra will boost those beautiful boobs.