Fabric has a lot of properties that can be used to your advantage. Color, pattern, texture and density all have a great affect on a garment. Let's take a look at some examples.

Color

You should choose your fabric color carefully. Depending on your skin tone, some colors will be more flattering than others. If you have an outfit that consistently gets compliments, consider the color. The best colors are muted and the very best color is black.

Here's an example of the same outfit in black and red. You'll see the black outfit looks much leaner and taller. Black is always your friend.  Most of us can't stand the monotony of wearing the same color all the time, so if you're going to stray from black, stick to the deeper darker colors. Browns, grays and neutrals are good. White is usually a big mistake.

If you really like white, try to stick to a cream or oyster color. Stay away from the stark white. White is hard on the eyes and creates a drastic contrast to everything around you. It also washes out nearly everyone's skin tone.

Stay away from high contrast pieces. They will cut you in half and create an undesirable horizontal line. Keep the colors in the same tone and range and it will be much more flattering.