Gok Wan, presenter of How to Look Good Naked and Gok’s fashion Fix, explains why you should embrace your body shape and dress to maximise your potential

Women come in all shapes and sizes with bulges and lumps and good bits and bad bits. The key, according to Gok, is not to focus on the parts you hate, but to emphasise your best parts by really dressing for your shape. And once you know what works for you then you will look fabulous and ooze confidence.

‘If your outfit doesn’t say, “I’m the most gorgeous creature who ever lived” then you need to reassess your look,’ says Gok. Every single woman has one or several parts of their body that they don’t like and try to cover up. ‘[But] other people rarely view your body in the same way that you do. I think that was one of the most important lessons my girls learned on How to Look Good Naked,’ says Gok. ‘All of them had different areas of their body that they hated: their ‘love handles’, their ‘saddle bags’, their ‘bingo wings’. But when we polled the public (showing them naughty projections of my naked Gokettes!) the feedback was always so positive.’

For Gok, it’s the clothes that can do the work, and it’s not down to you to change yourself into something you’re not. Let’s face it, you were born with your shape and even if you diet to within an inch of your life, you are not going to alter the fact that you may have wider hips and a small waist or smaller hips and a bigger belly. So don’t be ashamed of your shape – learn to celebrate it by dressing like a diva!

PEAR SHAPE
What works: Opt for A-line skirts and loose trousers to slim the width and skim the hips.

Perfect skirt: A-line in stiff fabric such as denim, thick cotton with a hemline just below the knee. Don’t wear: Pleated skirts or those gathered at the waist. Avoid shiny fabrics, they’ll make the bum and hip area look larger.

Perfect dress: Wrap dresses are the best style for you. Cross-over or asymmetrical styles are also good. And a halterneck top will broaden your top half. Don’t wear: Straight cut shift dresses; avoid horizontal detailing, it will broaden you in the wrong places.

Perfect trousers: Loose-leg styles with a slightly higher waist. They should skim your curves until they hit the widest part of your hips then fall straight, to elongate your legs. Don’t wear: Tight or tapered styles which will make your bum look bigger.

Gok says: ‘Most women in the UK are pears. There is something so graceful about the pear-shaped silhouette – from the delicate shoulders and waist to the curvy, womanly sensuality of your hips’.

APPLE SHAPE
What works: Adding shape to your upper and lower body; raising waistbands to define your waist.

Perfect skirt: An A-line or softly flared style will create hips and therefore a waist. A hemline that falls just below the knee will help to balance out your body. Don’t wear: Gathers or pleats on the waist – keep all volume above the waist, not below.

Perfect dress: Empire-line styles create a high waist, making the body look longer, or waist-wasping wrap around frocks with a deep V-neck. Don’t wear: Straight up and down shift dresses and drop-waisted dresses as they won’t give you a waist.

Perfect trousers: Flowy styles with wide, straight legs will give you a smaller waist and a mid-rise waistband will keep your legs looking as long as possible. Don’t wear: Pleated trews which will add bulk
to your middle.

Gok says: ‘With little or no waist the belt is your best friend. It’s fun to create curves: a sexy flare here, a detail there, some fab colours and eye-foxing prints. You’re as curvy as an hourglass gal, just in a more rounded way.’

HOURGLASS
What works: Look for items to boost your boobs, tone your tum and skim your hips to work that tiny waist.

Perfect skirt: A flared or pleated 1950s style that skims your hips and thighs and emphasises your waist. Go for a hemline between knee and mid-calf. Don’t wear: Pencil skirts that narrow at the knee, which will exaggerate the hips.

Perfect dress: The classic 1950s frock works for you, with a fitted top, tailored waist and a wide- pleat, A-line skirt. Open sweetheart or scoop necklines work for you, too. Don’t wear: Tight dresses in jersey that will cling to lumps and bumps.

Perfect trousers: High-waisted wide legged trousers will skim over your lumps and bumps and a wide curved waistband that sits on (not below) your tiny waist. Don’t wear: Tight or tapered trousers, they’ll make your hips and legs look wider or cropped trews, they’ll shorten your legs.

Gok says: ‘An hourglass figure is the classic symbol of a sexy woman. The average size for women in the UK is a 16, and there is nothing more glamorous than a size 16 woman in a corset. Think Hollywood’s most enduring screen goddesses – Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield.’

SKINNY
What works: Items that hat cinch in the waist and add volume at the hips and chest with pleats and gathers.

Perfect skirt: A full skirt defined at the waist will create an hourglass look. A pencil skirt that narrows at the hem will make your hips look rounder. Don’t wear: Hems above the knee as they’ll make you look less curvaceous.

Perfect dress: To give you a curvier look go for dresses that look like they have a body in them when they’re on the hanger. Keep necklines high; and puffed or capped sleeves will soften thin arms. Don’t wear: Stretchy wrap dresses and Empire-line styles.

Perfect trousers: Thick and busy fabrics will give you a greater visual presence; cuffed, pleated knee-length shorts are a funky option worn with knee-high boots. Don’t wear: Pin stripes as they will make you look taller and thinner.

Gok says: ‘Skinny gals have the most envied figure. But many skinnies can feel gawky, awkward and boyish. If this is you, you need to add the illusion of curves to soften your look.’