14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier on, we talked about how every woman, irrespective of size or body shape, can look good provided she doesn't commit a series of inexcusable fashion blunders. One of these unpardonable forays into the land of unflattering style is wearing a turtleneck sweater if you're not thin and have a boyish, flat-chested figure. The other is thinking you look good in tapered pants unless by any chance you're one of the lucky women who don't have an ounce of fat on their hips. For the rest of us, however, here's another iron-clad rule: the tapered leg on pants doesn't do us any favor - and therefore it must be ignored at all costs.
Not only will tapered pants make most women look shorter than they really are, but they will also accentuate the rear, hips and draw attention to the ankles. Which means that your lower half will look pretty much like an inverted cone, with a generous base positioned at the hips and its end pointing downwards. It's true that pants with a boot cut or a slightly flared leg can create the illusion of length and make your legs look more slender, but tapered pants won't do you any favors, except perhaps make you look like you're walking on tiptoes. It's basically like wearing a T-shirt reading "look at how big my hips look" - even if you're slim and have a nice, even shape without any bulges, tapered pants will add some unflattering pounds to your waistline.
However, for some unknown reason, tapered pants are quite popular among women, many of whom state that they have a classy cut which is likely to make their legs look more slender. However, nothing could be further from the truth, as tapered pants will only add a disproportionate amount of emphasis to your hips, as opposed to straight or wide legged trousers, which draw attention away from the hips and towards the bottom of your figure.
"Trousers with tapered legs do nothing for anyone but emphasize hips disproportionately", says Neill. In fact, tapered cuts emphasize hips rather than integrate them. Straight or wide legged trousers are a more flattering alternative as they draw attention away from the hips. Boot cut and flares serve to even out the curve of the hips because of their leg lengthening properties. "If you have a pair, burn them, for the narrowness of the ankle only magnifies your hips by earth-shattering proportions", advise British fashion gurus Trinny and Susannah. Harsh, but fair.
