For a while, I blamed the dryer.

Then the dryer kept "shrinking" only my favorite things, and I had to have an honest conversation with myself 😅

I just turned 39, and my body got the memo. I’m about 15 pounds heavier than I was 5 years ago, and a few of my clothes are still in denial about it.

Now, I know my version of this is not your version.

But that moment when something that used to fit suddenly doesn’t go past your hips? That feeling doesn’t care what size you are.

Nobody teaches us what to actually wear when our body changes. So today, that’s exactly what we’re doing: six fixes, and I’m telling you exactly WHERE on your body each one works.

1️⃣ For your belly: check the rise before anything else

This one changes everything, so we're starting here.

The rise is the distance from the crotch seam to the waistband, and it decides where your pants CUT you.

Mid rise pants land right across the fullest part of your belly. Which means the waistband itself creates the bump you're blaming your body for.

I will completely ignore low rise ones on purpose because I haven't worn those since I was 17, and even then, they were NOT flattering.

✅ High rise pants are the way to go because they land above the belly.

The test: the waistband should hit at your belly button or slightly above.

This type of waist band is what we're looking for here ⬇️

3 examples:

• ​Quince Ultra-Stretch Ponte Wide Leg Pants ($44)
• ​SPANX Super smooth Perfect Fit Ponte Flare Pant ($158)
• ​ATHLETA Endless High Rise Pant ($76 - on sale right now) - I actually just got these. They're coming with me to Italy because well... pasta.

If you shop somewhere else, just use the image above as a reference on what to look for 😉

2️⃣ For bloated days: the open layer trick

This one costs zero dollars, because you already own the fix: a button down shirt, worn open, over a tank or tee.

Here's why it works. The two edges of the open shirt create two vertical lines running down your front. The eye reads the narrow strip of tank between them and takes THAT as your width. The belly sits behind the frame, out of the conversation.

Any button down does this. A linen shirt in summer, a flannel or chambray in fall, same trick all year.

Two more bloat-proof moves:

• Pick tops that fall from the bust. In the fitting room, look sideways: does the fabric touch your belly, or fall from your chest straight past it? If it falls, your belly can have whatever day it wants under there.
• Prints are camouflage. A busy print breaks up the surface, so there's no smooth canvas for a bump or an underwear line to show on.

3️⃣ For any part you'd rather not highlight: watch where your layers end

Every top, jacket, and cardigan stops somewhere on your body. And wherever it stops, it draws a horizontal line straight across you, and the eye measures your width AT THAT LINE.

That cute cropped cardigan ending right at your waist? It's drawing a line right at the belly. A jacket that stops exactly at the widest part of your hips is pointing at the widest part of your hips.

💡 The fix: your tops/layers should end clearly above the part you don't want measured, or clearly below it. Never right on it.

And this is why my long cashmere cardigan is my "nothing fits today" wild card.

It ends below EVERYTHING, hips and bottom included, so there's no horizontal line near any of it. Just one long vertical line from shoulder to knee, and it covers my 🍑 completely as a bonus. Any long cardigan excels at this job.

Styling tip: long cardigans are easier to style with skinny or straight leg pants. (not a "rule", just easier)

4️⃣ The zero waistband option: the right dress

Tip 1 gave you pants that work WITH your body. But some days you don't want to think about waistbands at all, and that's what dresses are for.

A comfy dress has no waistband, no cut line across the middle, no button asking questions. One piece, one decision, done.

That's why the right dress is the easiest thing in your closet IF you pick the right shape.

3 dress shapes that work:

• Fit and flare. The idea: the dress fits snugly at ONE narrow spot, then flares out and away before it reaches anything you'd rather skip. Where that spot is depends on you. Small bust? A dress fitted at the bust works. Fuller bust? Look for one that fits just UNDER the bust instead (that shape is called empire waist), so the flare starts before your middle either way. This fit and flare dress fits at the bust. It's flattering on pear, apple and hourglass body shapes.
• Tie waist / Wrap dress: YOU decide where the waist sits and how snug it ties, this year and next year. A sewn-in waist seam only knows the body from the day you bought it, but a wrap dress doesn't do that. They can stay with you for YEARS. The SPANX AirEssentials Collared Tie Waist Midi Dress is a great option.
• A sweater dress you can restyle. This cashmere mini dress is the fall version of this whole tip: cashmere is thick enough to hang from your shoulders instead of sticking to your body, and the mini length shows your legs, which pulls attention there. (this is the exact dress I'm bringing for fall in Italy later this year)

Then make it yours: add a leather belt to create a waist ONLY if you want one, or a structured blazer on top for structure (that's the layer trick from tip 3 working again, so check where it ends).

💡 If you want, finish with a long pendant necklace. It draws a vertical line down your chest, which reads longer and leaner. Keep the neckline simple and let the pendant land below it.

5️⃣ For everything: one fitted, one relaxed. Never two of the same.

I see this mistake constantly, and it comes from a loving place: when nothing feels good, we hide in loose everything.

But here’s what happens. When your whole outfit is loose, the eye has no reference point, so it assumes you’re as wide as the widest fabric. Loose head to toe makes you look BIGGER, not smaller. All tight backfires too, in the opposite direction.

✅ The formula: one fitted piece, one relaxed piece. A relaxed top with slimmer pants. A fitted top with wide leg pants.

And if both halves are loose? The French tuck rescues you: tuck just the FRONT of your top behind the waistband and let the rest hang. It gives the eye one narrow point, and your legs suddenly start where the waistband shows.

Ten seconds, no sewing, no shopping.

6️⃣ For the smooth finish: modern shapewear

If shapewear makes you think of girdles that required a recovery nap, it’s a different world now.

Today’s versions have one job: turning your middle into one smooth surface, so clothes glide over it instead of catching on every bump.

The rule: buy your ACTUAL size. If you can’t eat dinner in it, it’s the wrong size, not the wrong idea. Sizing down doesn’t make you smaller, it just makes a new bump where it cuts in.

3 great pieces - all from SPANX:

• ​SPANX supersmooth^® Undie-tectable^® underwear. GAME CHANGER! I have this thong. UNREAL. They have regular bikini versions too.
• ​SPANX supersmooth^® Essential Tank. A great base layer that smooths EVERYTHING.
• ​Booty-Lifting Mid-Thigh Short. Squats are good and all, but while you wait on results... why not!? 😅

​Browse all their shape wear here. ​

Match the piece to the problem:

• Dress clingy through the middle? Smoothing shorts underneath (they also stop inner thigh chafing)
• Thin top showing bra and waistband lines? A smoothing cami. One layer, gone.
• Lumps near the bra band? That's usually the bra, not you. A too tight band digs in and CREATES the bulge, and an old stretched out band stops smoothing anything. Either way, the fix is a new bra that lies flat without cutting in.

​I have this free guide about summer bras here - most tips are good all year 😉

Which fix are you trying first? Hit reply and tell me, I read every one (replies take me 3 to 4 days, but I get there!).

Thanks for being here 💗

XO,

Aimara

>>> PS: If your closet has a “used to fit” section staring at you every morning, move it out of sight. Your daily view should only hold clothes that fit the YOU getting dressed TODAY.

Listen, I know this is hard. I know it sucks to get rid of things that used to fit just a few years ago. But at least in my experience, having those items staring at me reminding me how much smaller I used to be just gave me anxiety that resulted in punishing workouts or binge eating. So no thanks! I'd rather appreciate and love the body I have today without any painful reminders.