A little reinforcement from Marie Claire.

6-SECOND RULES FOR LOOKING 5 POUNDS SKINNIER

Wear V-necks, long necklaces, low-slung belts: anything that draws the eye up and down the body. Avoid boatnecks, chokers, tightly cinched belts, and ankle-strap shoes: These create horizontal lines, which make you appear squat. It's similar to the idea that pinstriped pants make you look longer and sailor-striped tops make you look wider, says Elycia Rubin, co-author of Frumpy to Foxy in 15 Minutes Flat.

Stick with matte fabrics like cotton and wool. Skip satin and other light-reflecting materials, which enhance your body size.

Pair flesh-tone heels with all skirts. Heels always make you look slimmer; a pair that matches your skin tone makes legs look like they go on for miles.

Wear a curvy jacket. A jacket that nips in at the waist creates an hourglass figure without hugging too tightly, says Rubin. Layer over a cami that falls a few inches below it for a lean look.

Balance full with fitted. Pairing a flowing top with loose fitting pants only makes you look heavier. Better to match a big top with narrow bottoms or a body-hugging shirt with something roomier down below.

Hiatus: ended

The first in a series of fashion faux pas: a trip to the Arizona Desert Museum.

What is wrong with this outfit? Let me count the ways.

1. The shoes. Terrible, terrible shoes. They are shapeless, frumpy and scream "pre-pioneer era Native American." Even at the Desert Museum, it isn't a desirable look. They make her calves look fat, because her pants are stuffed into them and...
2. Her pants are too tight. See the crease on the back of the butt and thigh? It's a tell-tale sign that she needs to go up a size. The pants hug her thighs all the way around and her knees have made little indentations in the pants.
3. The shirt she's wearing on top is shapeless. It looks floppy and thus makes her body look floppy. The wrinkles accentuate her pudgy stomach and small chest. The sleeves aren't long enough, which makes her arms look fat.