Clothes for slimming

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33066, 6 November 1972, Page 6

Clothes for slimming

(By

NORMAN HARTNELL)

LONDON. Slimming can be such a frustrating business—it does not surprise me in the slightest that so many women throw in the towel before they have reached anywhere near their target weight Quite apart from the actual mechanics of trimming off those pounds and inches, there’s the vexing question of . . . what to wear. After all, who can possibly afford to buy a completely new wardrobe each time she succeeds in dropping down a size? TOO TIGHT, TOO LOOSE The answer is to choose wisely before you start slimming. That way, you will keep down the expense and, just as important, you will not be for ever groaning that you haven’t anything to wear. The two main things to bear in mind are colour . . . and to steer clear of anything that is too tight or too loose. TOO PALE, TOO DRAB Don’t pick anything too drab in colour, nor a dress that’s too pale. Palest beige, for example, would even make a snake look hippy. White, too, is to be avoided — so are minute or overlarge floral prints. And as for those large geometric designs, leave them alone. They are more suitable as curtains in the spare bedroom. Don’t waste your time looking at anything that requires a belt, either. And remember that non-waisted dresses are better every time

than two-pieces and suits. What is more, they are still in the modem idiom. If you do insist on wearing a two-piece, beware of a too-tight jacket or skirt MUST HANG WELL Now, having disposed of the “don’ts,” lets move on to what you should keep your eyes open for. . . . Simple tailored styles should be the order of the day . . . and gay accessories. Chunky bracelets, elegant jewellery, bright hats and silk scarves, and giant handbags — these are the sort of accessories that will suit you best. And while you’re about it, choose dresses in good fabrics that hang well — like bonded crepes, silkylooking ribbed crimplene (this washes like a dream and is non-iron and drip dry) and tricel jersey. It’s not a bad idea to try and line all your dresses, either. . . . Other points to watch are to always have sleeves to cover the tops of your arms if they are on the bulky side, and to make sure, if you are wearing a jacket, that it is a “bottom warmer” — in other words that it is long enough to cover your derriere. To sum up then, you should concentrate on loose, semi-fitted lines, stand-away collars, face-framing necklines, and shifts in dark or bright (but not too pale) fabrics. , SIMPLE ALTERATION You will be pleasantly surCrised just how long you will e able to wear such styles before they begin to feel like a tent on you. And when that happens, you will still be able to keep your purse in your handbag. Because, if

you have chosen wisely, your clothes will be easy to alter to fit your new shape. . . . And the simpler your clothes, the easier they will be to alter.

Suppose, for example, that you have several simple Aline dresses. Well, the first thing to do is to try them on and work out how much you need to take in.

The next steps are to unpick the hem and remove the sleeves then, starting from the under-arm, take in the fullness inside each side seam and pin right down each side to the hem.

Now, tailor-tack a guide line over the pins, then turn the dress inside-out and unpick the side seams. If you put a warm iron over the seam creases, by the way, you will find it easier to see what you are doing. This done, cut off approximately half an inch all round the armholes, because they will now be too small. MAKE-UP, PERHAPS

Next, tack together over the guide-lines — and try on the dress before you cut off any surplus so you can make any last adjustments. After trimming the side surplus, stitch up, neaten and press. Finally, baste in the sleeves, and fit again before stitching. Think of all that lovely money you can save. Perhaps you could put a bit of it towards some new make-up. It is surprising just how much different skilfullyapplied make-up can make to a woman on a slimming regime. Bear all this in mind . . .

and, next time you decide to take off a few pounds, it might inspire you to see it through.