Control your curves!

Hips
For large hips
Choose: Darker pant (skirt) than your top top, unless you are too short. Box jacket to balance hips. For women, gored skirts or princess styles. Also pleated skirts that avoid bulk and hang well. Emphasize a small waist when possible.

Avoid: Tight, straight and tapered pants (tight & straight skirts). Contrasting bright plain or plaid/patterned slacks (or skirts). Trimming and pockets below the waistline. Long, fitted jackets. Bulky (or flimsy fabrics on skirts). Contrasting bright plain colors or prints, solid and smooth is much better for your bottom half (pants or skirts). Heavy gathering and pleats will only add weight visually.

Narrow hips allow you to wear high-style designs and any boy-cut fashion. But if you hips are considerably narrower than your shoulders, you need to strive for balance by adding dimension to your hips. Wear hip pockets, cargo pants, pleats and more on the lower half of your outfit. For ladies, a full or gathered skirt will create balance with your larger upper half. Women, you are also one of the few who can wear a straight, boss jacket, but you must balance this line with a pleated or flared skirt.

If your hips are too wide, avoid pockets or excessive fullness at the hip-line. Often a loose vest works well to camouflage a wide hip. Avoid cinching your waist. For women, an a-line skirt works as long as it doesn't ride up, but an even better camouflage is a modified dirndl—not the lamp shade, but a very gentle gathering, about three inches more than the waistband, eased in evenly. Some slight fullness in a skirt or dress is always good on you.

To flatter all hips, choose briefs/panties that give a smooth line to your garment. Bikini/speedo style panties/briefs leave a ridge under slacks, unless you buy the kind with a wide band at the top. Smooth lines are youthful and sexy. The dent caused by your underpants isn't flattering. However, if you are wearing loose garments this is not necessarily an issue.

For a smooth line and best effect under slinky, revealing outfits, wear control-top panty hose or a whisper weight panty girdle.

Chest/Bust
This information is geared towards women. However, the same principles of creating portion apply for men. If you don't have a large chest than add visual weight with heavy fabrics, colors, prints, details, pockets, etc. If you have a large chest, than do the opposite to avoid drawing attention to your chest area. The idea is to look balanced in your appearance, not too heavy or too small in one area.

Full Bust
Best Bets: Loose tops (not too full), V-necks, open collars, silk shirts.
Risks: Tube top, dolman sleeves, tight knits, tight blouses, princess lines, patch pockets on shirts or dresses, lightweight fabrics that reveal bra lines, clinging fabrics, puffy sleeves.

Small bust
Best Bets: Easy flowing blouses.
Risks: Tight shirts (especially if full hipped).

Your bra can make or break the line of your outfit. Bra-less is fine for the woman with a youthful bust, but for the rest of us a bra is sexier and smoother. When you are wearing a bra, your nipple should be no more than three inches below your armpit (unless you are very full busted). Take a good look at yourself to be sure your bra is doing its job. It may not be.

Many women make the mistake of buying the cup too small and the band too large. Get the snuggest fit around your rib cage that is comfortable, and the largest cup that still fits smoothly. In addition, women are built either far apart or close together, and bras are designed in both fashions. Be sure you are buying a bra cut for you. If your breasts are slightly different sizes, still buy a bras with the snuggest fit around your rib cage and a cup that covers your slightly larger breast, then use a bit of padding/stuffing to fill in the other cup.

If your bust is very small, you will have to avoid necklines intended to show cleavage. But take heart. It is much easier to dress a small busted women that a large one. You can wear high-style clothes and all the wonderful blousy designs that the large-busted women must avoid. Be grateful for small blessings. There is no escaping the fact that a large bust is a difficult figure problem, partly because it is hard to find clothes that fit.

Here are some tips for the busty lady:
-Avoid sleeve lengths ending at the bust.
-Avoid horizontal lines at bust level—no seam, stripe, piping or similar details.
-Avoid a low yoke (or smocking) at the bust-line.
-Try garments that taper gently under the bust-line. Too much fullness adds bulk, whereas an outfit that is too fitted will accentuate your bust. Pass up a peasant blouse, which makes the figure fuller, in favor of a tailored blouse, which makes it slimmer. It is worthwhile to tailor or alter garments by adding a seam under the bust-line, thus slimming the midriff, removing excess fullness, and adding the illusion of length between the waist and bust.
-Avoid high-waisted looks.
-Keep your belts small, and if possible, the same color as your skirt/pant/dress. A self belt is good.
-Wear your collars open, and wear V neckline with lapels rather than high necklines with no detail, such as turtlenecks or crew necks.
-Vertical lines—a necklace, a seam, a slit, small button—all help to minimize a large bust-line.