Following dressing rules is tough because they often contradict themselves or only apply to one part of your body. Luckily, there are a few all-purpose items that flatter nearly every plus-size woman, whatever your shape! With these basics on hand, you'll never have one of those mornings when you stand in front of your closet and wail, "I look fat in everything!"

#1. V-neck and Wrap Tops:

My favorite fashion “do” of all time is the V-neck top. They are miracle workers – the one item in the world that is flattering on everyone! And a little cleavage never hurt anyone. ;)

The cool thing about V necks is that they can both enhance boobs in small-busted ladies and break up the expanse of breast in a large woman, meanwhile distracting from large shoulders by drawing the eye inward. Halters or sweetheart necklines can have the same effect. For pear-shaped women, any kind of open neckline draws attention up, away from your hips and thighs, and accentuates your thinner area.

Bottom line: V necks are a good thing! Nearly every top I own is a V neck, and there are plenty of options to choose from: wrap tops, deep V, shallow V. And if you want to tone it down for work, you can always add a lacy cami underneath.

Wrap tops and dresses in particular look nice on all women. They accentuate the top, and the ruching or tie details disguise tummy ripples. My favorite top is a wrap top, and my favorite dress is a wrap dress. They are an instant way to make you feel sexy. ;)

Work it, but if you go for a cleavage-baring top, pair it with something more modest on the bottom or you risk looking over-the-top and attracting negative attention instead of positive. \

#2. '50s-style Dresses:

Many women want to accentuate a smaller waist and hide hips. Others need to pull in a larger waist (or create one).

The one silhouette that can accomplish this for both is a rockabilly-style dress with a fitted bodice and full or A-line skirt. The skirt will hide your hips and thighs - whether they are too large or too small in proportion to the rest of your body - and the volume at the bottom will make ankles look slim. For large-breasted ladies, the full skirt will help balance out your voluptuous upper half.

Many of the '50s-style dresses are sleeveless or strapless. If you're nervous about showing your arms, don't be! Women with large arms should often avoid spaghetti straps (see tips for apple-shaped women below), but strapless dresses flatter women of all shapes. And if you are too uncomfortable, try one of the little shrugs or cropped jackets that are so popular right now.

As an added bonus, this style of dress looks super feminine and is especially fun for spring and summer.

#3. Low-rise Pants:

Low-rise pants can hide a large lower gut better than anything I know (short of super-spandex shapers). Since they ride low on the hips, they emphasize your waist if you’ve got a nice one and help create the illusion of one if you don’t. Also, if you’re a pear-shaped girl, you probably have trouble with pants gaping at the back of the waist. With low-rise pants, you won’t have this problem as much.

You might think low-rise pants are too daring – we’ve all seen those “what not to wear” pages in the backs of magazines, showing people with black bars across their faces and bulges hanging over the top of their low-rise pants (the dreaded muffin top).

The key is to get the right size – too small and too low are the most frequent problems. Choose pants that come up nearly to the top of the lower-gut, as it’s slanting back in toward the belly button. (On me that’s about an inch below the belly button). This way, they’ll hit you at just the right place to disguise without carving through the middle of a flabby area and creating bulges.

A flat front and/or wide waistband add extra tummy-slimming. Avoid pleats like the plague! Even if you are a smaller-waisted pear, pleats are like glowing neons signs saying, “Look at this belly!”

One caveat: If you’re short (like me), low-rise pants can make your legs look stumpy. To offset this affect, wear them with heels. The hem should reach the bottom of the heel without dragging (easier said than done, I know).

In dress pants, a wide leg from top to bottom can create a long, slimming line no matter your height. Bootcut and slightly flared jeans flatter most bodies.

Even tall girls benefit from pants that make the leg look long and lean. One way to enhance this is with your shoes. Chunky shoes are more likely to make you look cut off and stumpy than taller. Ankle straps must be done carefully to avoid making your legs look shorter, but they can work well to enhance a slender ankle. Pointy-toed shoes (my personal fave) extend the line of your pants, visually lengthening the leg. Round- or square-toed shoes end this line abruptly, making you look shorter.

(Still, shoes are the area where I believe there’s the most leeway … the shoes are worth it!)

Bonus tips for apples:
Turtlenecks make large-breasted women look like we’re nothing but breast from the chin down. Eeek.

If you have big arms, which you probably do if you have big breasts, you can believe the wisdom of my mother – and the BBC's What Not to Wear girls – and always keep your arms covered. Of course, not all sleeves are created equal – if they’re so tight you can see every bulge and ripple, that defeats the purpose. Also steer clear of too-full sleeves; baggy makes you look bigger, too. The most slimming sleeves have a small upper opening, though they may not be the most comfortable!

If you want to go sleeveless, spaghetti straps are not advised for women who are big up top … they’re too great a contrast and make you look bigger.

Still, all hope for spring styles is not lost. Style experts say most women look attractive in a strapless dress. A simple sleeveless shift can look nice, too, especially one with princess seams to give you shape or corset styling. Also, you can try “no-no” styles under a shrug or a fitted jacket.

A jacket that hits just above the hip will make the torso look shorter and legs longer. Choose a jacket that curves in at the waist and has a little flare at the bottom to create the illusion of an hourglass figure. I particularly love jackets that come down to the elbow, just shy of 3/4 length.

Choose pants with reasonably sized back pockets – especially in jeans – because they can help define a flat butt. Large pockets a bit lower on the jeans can boost your butt. Front pockets, likewise, can help hide lower-gut issues.

Try to avoid slim-fit pants or super-tapered pencil skirts. If you look tiny on bottom, you’ll look bigger on top. You'll look fantastic in A-line, straight or full skirts.

Bonus tips for pears:
Since you carry most of your weight on the lower half, there’s no sense accentuating it with light-colored or boldly patterned pants. Other bulkifiers are excess pockets, ruching, zippers, buttons, etc.
Pants with a bit of flare at the bottom can balance out your larger hips and thighs. Wide, straight legs that skim the body are ideal, too.

When buying jeans and pants, carefully consider the pockets. Avoid no-back-pocket jeans like the plague. They are evil and make every butt look huge. Likewise for teeny tiny pockets.

Avoid pencil skirts because they'll only accentuate your hips! Fuller skirts and ones with a bit of flare at the bottom can balance out hips.

Try fitted tops that draw the attention up. V necks, button-up shirts with an open collar, turtlenecks, etc. direct eyes to your face, and boat neck or square neck tops can broaden narrow shoulders. Empire waists can also lead the eye up, but be careful of the dreaded pregnant-chick look. We don’t want old ladies at the grocery store asking us when we are due.

Pear girls, who tend to have slimmer shoulders and arms, should feel free to wear sleeveless and strapless dresses. You can also indulge in more details on your tops.

Look for structured jackets that hit at about your hipbone. A thin shoulder pad can help broaden your shoulders, offsetting wider hips.