Why Your Outfits Feel Off & Style Hacks to Fix It with Proportion Play
Before we go any further, let’s get one thing clear:
If your outfit isn’t feeling or looking good on your body, it’s not your body that’s the problem.
So many women I speak to tell me about those mornings when nothing seems to work. They’re trying on outfit after outfit, checking the mirror, changing again and still ending up feeling frumpy, frustrated, and just not loving what they see in the mirror.
And the instinct is nearly always the same: blame their body.
“Maybe it’s my boobs.”
“Maybe I’m too short.”
“I’m too big.”
“Maybe I need to lose weight first.”
“My belly is too big.”
But from everything I’ve seen, in my own style journey and from working with women, it’s not your body that's causing the probs. It’s the shape of the outfits you're creating!
Why I Became Obsessed With Layering
Back when I was figuring out my own style, I kept noticing that some outfits felt like I’d really nailed it, and others just looked and felt off.
Looking back now through my stylist’s lens, the difference is obvious: it was always in the proportions, and how the lines of the clothes were interacting with each other and my body.
The biggest repeat patterns I spotted were...
Any time a hemline (jumper, top, jacket) landed right at my halfway point, the outfit just didn’t work for me. Didn’t matter if it was oversized or fitted, if it sits on that line, the shape feels meh, and it triggers that feeling of frump.
Another example of this type of observation is: I realised I don’t love an outfit when it's just a high-waisted skirt or trousers with a fitted top tucked in.
Why not? Couple reasons actually
I don’t like the shape or proportion it creates on my body. It makes me feel squished and too boobie. (I love my boobs, but I don’t want to lead with them.)
A word I come back to again and again in my personal style is flow. I need a flow in my outfits ( top and bottom) for them to feel right. So the fitted top isn't something I wear on its own. It has to be paired with something else that changes its shape and proportions!
Notice when I'm talking about how I didn’t go into criticising my body there! I simply made an objective observation: I don’t like that outfit proportion combo because it doesn’t create an outfit that I like the look of or feel good in.Once I began making observations about the effect different outfit combinations were having on my body, it helped me gather data on what I liked and didn’t like. And that’s when layering became my go-to styling tool because it's what lets me move and tweak those lines, and create shapes I actually like!
These are the 2 proportions I don't like on me, so I will always create outfits that move or break up these lines.
Different ways I do that are adding layers over or under. These outfits aren't styled, but I hope you can observe how much better this outfit looks with the extra layer. It completely changes how the base layer looks on my body.
These examples show how you can use layering to create different shapes in your outfits and break up any solid lines at that midway point.
💡Stylist Homework
Start being curious and make objective observations about your outfits:
What shapes do you like?
What makes something feel off?
Is there a pattern?
The Power of Lines and Proportions
Most women have never been taught how to play with proportions or create shapes with their clothes, unless it was how to chase the “hourglass.”
🙄 Blaaahhhh.
There are so many other fun and cool silhouette possibilities than the HG.
I could go on a full rant about the old-school rhetoric around flattering outfits… but here’s the cliff notes:
Generic styling advice says the hourglass is the thing you have to create.
It’s treated as the gold standard of being attractive and accepted.
That mindset is creatively limiting.
“Flattering” is subjective.
“Flattering” isn’t a personal style.
So if you’ve worked with a stylist before and still feel lost, or like things aren’t feeling FYEAH, the chances are you only worked towards a style goal of creating “flattering ” outfits, which isn’t a true exploration of your style.
So in short: flattering and hourglass are just options. They’re not the ONLY style goal for you or your outfits unless they genuinely match your preferences.
So What Do You Do Instead?
Every item in your outfit creates lines — and those lines, and how they’re combined, shape how your clothes feel and look on your body.
Hemlines, waistbands, necklines, jacket openings, even your sock line, they all play a part.
The brilliant thing is, none of these lines are fixed. So there are always ways to move, zhuzh, break them up and shift the shape of them.
You can tweak an outfit’s lines and proportions by:
Adding or removing a layer
Buttoning something up (or undoing it) or backwards unzipping a top/jacket
Belting, tucking, or choosing a different length
Even where a sleeve sits can change the whole vibe
You get to decide how the shape takes form on your body.
And once you start noticing where those lines fall, you’ll understand why some outfits click and others just feel off.
Sidenote: When a styling client tells me their outfits feel off, frumpy, or mumsie nine times out of ten, there’s one thing in common:
A dominant hemline hits at the halfway point. And once they learn how to break this line up and create a new shape, they start to feel good about their outfits.
Lessons from Real Clients (And Me)
Style Power Hour: Jeni
Jeni came to a recent Virtual Style Power Hour. She'd been through a load of changes from body to business and a whole load more, and she was feeling lost with her style.
She kept describing outfits that felt “mumsy” and “frumpy.”
So we looked at them together, and yep, every single one had the same thing:
Tops and jackets are landing smack on that halfway line.
So in this session, we put together new outfit combinations from what she already owned, that played with layers, moved some lines around and changed the shape of the outfits. By the end of the session, she felt:
Clearer on her personal style
More confident in her outfit choices
Excited to get dressed again
This is a screenshot of us playing with the lines in our session. Can you see the difference that shifting that line up is making?
Another Client: The Oversized Top & Leggings Trap
Another example is a brilliant woman I worked with in Shrewsbury.
She had a fuller bust and very slim legs, and for years she’d been wearing leggings with oversized tops, partly because she didn’t like her tummy and partly because she thought highlighting her legs (her “slimmest part”) was what she should be doing.
All the online advice she’d read told her to cinch her waist and emphasise her slimmest area. But when she did this, those outfits made her feel self-conscious. But because she didn’t know what else to do, she kept going back to the oversized top and leggings combo by default.
Once we swapped out the leggings for a different-shaped bottom and started layering in a way that changed where her outfit lines were sitting, things began to click with her outfits.
Client Story: Maya and the Tea Dress Era
Maya had been deep in a vintage-style swing dress era, cinched waists, full skirts, the whole 1950s hourglass thing. And to be fair, she absolutely loved it for a while! Those dresses really do create that classic hourglass shape, and at the time, it felt good.
Eventually, though, it just didn’t feel like her anymore. It started to feel a bit outdated and a bit costumey, but she just couldn’t figure out what her style was beyond that.
Then the pandemic hit, and like so many of us, she slipped into PJs and tracksuits… and stayed there! By the time she had actual occasions to start wearing “real clothes” again, she was totally lost.
She didn’t want to go back to her old style, but she had no idea what to wear instead. She tried following generic advice online, but everything just fell a bit flat, and she felt stuck.
When we worked together, we started experimenting, playing with proportions and trying different shapes to really find out what felt good for her now.
One of the things we tried that really opened something up for her was introducing wide-leg trousers. She’d always avoided them because she’s on the shorter side, but I found her a tailored petite pair that just clicked.
It became a bit of a springboard moment, not just about the trousers themselves, but about freeing her up from her old ideas that she had to create a set in stone silhouette every time she got dressed!
Quick Jean Chat (Because This One Always Comes Up)
If I were following all the traditional body shape advice, I’d be wearing bootcut or straight-leg jeans.
But honestly? I hate them. I don’t like how they look on me, I don’t like how they feel, they’re just not for me!
So instead, I wear:
Barrel-leg
Carpenter slouch
Cargo jean
Wide-leg
Do people think those aren’t “flattering”? probably! Do I care? No!
What I see all the time is people going straight into “what’s the most flattering jean for my shape?” Which, by the way, is a valid question!
But there’s a whole other path that people miss, which is: what jeans do I actually like the look of?
There is a world where your most flattering jeans are also the ones you love and feel amazing in.
And there is also a world where the most “flattering” option (in traditional terms) just doesn’t feel like you, and that’s okay.
BUT there's also a world where you might be missing out on your favourite ever pair of jeans, because you’re “should-ing” yourself into wearing the ones you’ve been told work best for your shape, vs following what you like and experimenting!
And remember, like I’ve said already, flattering is subjective.
For me I love oversized outfits and I find them flattering. Someone else, with a more traditional or male gaze-y take on style, might completely disagree.
And that’s okay. We’re not all supposed to like or wear the same things.
Here's a mantra I love to keep me valuing my opinion above everyone else's:
You do you. Let the haters hate. Let the lovers love.
💡Stylist tip: Next time you’re jean shopping, try this 3-step plan
1. Start with what you like, or rule out what you don’t.
If you already know you hate a bootcut or you’ve never liked a skinny jean, just cross them off the list. No need to try them “just in case”, trust what you already know.
2. Find the shapes you’re drawn to.
Look at jeans you actually like the look of, whether that’s online, on someone else, or on the rail. Notice the shapes you keep coming back to, even if they’re not “what works for your shape” according to old-school advice.
3. Try versions of those styles on your body.
Different cuts, lengths, and rises, try different variations, a version that creates a shape and vibe you like on you. Not the version that’s most “flattering” on paper, the one that makes you feel f*ck yeah!
A Simple Way to Start Changing the Feel of Your Outfits Through Proportion Play
You don’t need a fashion degree! Here’s a simple 3-step process to help you shift your proportions and start creating shapes that make your outfits feel good on you.
Step one: Start noticing the lines in your outfits
Especially in the ones that don’t feel quite right.
Where does your top end? Where does your jacket or cardigan fall? Are any lines cutting straight across the middle of your body?
Just observe. Don’t rush to fix anything; this is about gathering data. The more you notice, the more you’ll start to spot the patterns.
Step two: Experiment with shifting or breaking up the lines
Once you’ve noticed where the key lines in your outfit are falling, the next step is to experiment. Try shifting or breaking up those lines to see how it changes the overall proportion and feel of your outfit.
There's a concept called the “rule of thirds”, the idea being that when the top and bottom are divided roughly into thirds instead of halves, it creates more visually pleasing lines in your outfit.
But as someone who doesn’t do well with numbers or fractions (+ this doesn’t need to be precise), I just try moving lines up or down, tucking or layering, until the proportions feel right.
Just notice where your outfit lines sit, and if you have a straight line at that halfway point, or at another which just feels off, break it up by:
Adding a longer layer underneath
Swapping your top for one with a curved or asymmetric hem
Throwing a shorter layer on top
Tucking or half-tucking something
Buttoning a jacket differently
Belting or unbelted
Even where your sleeve starts or ends can shift the vibe completely
Basically, experiment with moving the lines until it feels good to you. Once you learn how to play with proportions, getting dressed is just easier! Here's a simple demo of this.
When I put the outfits below together, I wasn’t thinking about the Rule of Thirds!
I was just paying attention to where the lines sat and how the whole outfit looked and felt
Looking back, I can see the rule of the third at play, but my point is that wasn’t the goal I simply played around with the layering and shapes until it felt right.
Step three: Dial Things Up (or Down) - YOUR CHOICE
Once you’ve started noticing the lines your clothes are creating, you can begin to shift and shape your outfits with more intention.
Real Talk: Common Things Women Want from Their Outfits
This isn’t about creating the “right” silhouette. It’s NOT about making yourself look smaller or about focusing on flattering.
It’s about noticing how things feel and deciding what you want to dial up or down on any given day. Maybe that means a part of your body, or it could be a vibe, or a part of your personality you want your clothes to express.
Here are 4 different scenarios, some real-life things women I’ve worked with have said they want to shift, with a couple of examples of how we played with proportions to make that happen:
1.“I have a big bust and all the advice I've read tells me to wear a fitted low-cut V-neck, but I don't like that look. I want something slouchier and cooler!”
→ Try:
Layering a shirt/ shirt dress under something which is V-neck, like this cool gal here or creates a shape around the boob, this person has done with a cardigan here
Wearing an oversized shirt with a jacket, but unbuttoned to create the V. Like this look here
Use accessories like a long scarf, a long pendant or a stack of necklaces in various lengths over to create a V.
2.“I don’t want to highlight my belly when I wear trousers, and I don't like wearing tight tops; they make me feel restricted.”
→ Try
Tailored wider-leg trousers that have a higher waist. You want the fabric skim vs cling
A slouchier top tucked in
Adding a topper layer, like a waistcoat, blazer, cardigan or jacket, over the top. Make sure they are either longer than the halfway line or end just where the trousers begin
This is an example of the tailored trousers and slouchy tee
Gorgeous example of a 2 top layer situation, one that meets the trousers and one that's longer
3."I love the oversized look, but when I try to recreate it, it never looks right.”
→ Try
Mirroring the volume on the top and bottom to create that easy, slouchy look
A common mistake I see when trying to create an oversized look is pairing oversized-fitting trousers with something too close to your usual size on top, or vice versa. Which ends not hitting the mark.
Try going bigger than you think you need to on top
Pinterest examples:
If this shirt or jacket were any smaller, the slouch wouldn't be there
Same with this. It wouldn't look so cool if the top half items were any smaller
4."I want my outfit to be slouchy and express my cool rock chick part, but without it being a full rock chick look."
→ Choose 1–2 rock chick vibe elements, like a band tee and pointy boots, then pair them with something a bit unexpected, like slouchy, oversized pinstripe trousers and an oversized shirt.
Wear the shirt open over the tee, and make sure it’s a size or two up from your usual, that’s the key to getting that effortless, slouchy vibe you're after.
** Sorry, I couldn’t include the Pinterest photos directly in the blog (turns out you’re not technically supposed to use them without permission), so I’ve added links instead where relevant.
Bringing It All Together
If you haven’t gathered by now, this isn’t about only creating “flattering” outfits!!
It’s about creating shapes and proportions with your clothes that make you feel fuck yeah in your outfits.
Once you start noticing the lines your outfits are creating, playing with shifting them, and trusting what actually feels good on you, you’ll stop any blaming of your body you may have been doing and start feeling more like yourself in your clothes again!
💡Stylist Homework: Try This Tomorrow
Next time you’re getting dressed and something just feels off, pause and ask yourself:
What lines are being created here?
Where do things start and stop?
What’s being highlighted — and do I actually like that?
Then tweak just one thing:
Add a layer
Tuck (or untuck) something
Throw something over the top
Change the length or shape of a hem
Try a belt or an open neckline
And most of all, experiment, play and trust your instincts. This is all just about learning what works for you.
Happy playing :)
See you next time
Sarah xxxx
PS. Want help with figuring out what will work best for you? You’ve Got Options:
1.The Edit: Digital Lookbook
Tired of trying to DIY your style? A Lookbook gives you 10 personalised outfits built from what you already own (inside a digital wardrobe), complete with layering tricks for each formula. Perfect if you want a fresh set of eyes on your clothes and outfits that actually feel like you.
2.The Virtual Style Power Hour: Designed to help you translate your style into ACTUAL outfits
Need one-to-one support? In this 90-minute virtual session, we’ll dive into a specific area of your style together and map out outfits that feel more f*ck yeah.
FIND OUT MORE HERE.
3. The Style Shift
Begin to reconnect with yourself and your style and take your outfits from fine to F*ck Yeah over six weeks!
Author Bio
Sarah Duff: Visibility Style Coach, founder of The Holistic Personal Stylist & creator of F*ck Yeah Style. I help ambitious women find their Fck Yeah personal style so they can show up magnetically everywhere — from big life moments to everyday magic. ✨ Your Fck Yeah Style is calling. Come say hi on Instagram @theholisticpersonalstylist or explore the style tools above.
