RUNWAY TO EVERY DAY MODEL SERIES: ARONA

Introducing our third model from Runway to Every Day – the delightful Arona.

Arona is 43 years old and wears a size 16 to 18. After losing ten kilos, Arona attended a Style With Cindy workshop feeling challenged by what to wear following her weight loss. She felt “frumpy” and was seeking a way to dress her new body and rediscover her personal style.

Body Shape:

Similar to Julie, Arona is a strong inverted triangle where most of the weight is carried through the top half of the body and through the tummy.

For many women, the shoulder and bust area can be up to five per cent larger than their hips and in Arona’s case she has a very strong shoulder structure which contrasts with her great legs.

Aim: To balance Arona’s body by softening her shoulder and bust area and bring the attention to her lower half.

 

Outfit One: Casual

Arona looked super chic in this layered look where the scarlet coloured cardigan and black tones worked to her features.

Note that  we’ve kept the bright colour atop and we’ve used a waterfall cardigan for Arona and kept her silhouette dark and all the one color to slim her down . These waterfall cardigans are great for fuller body shapes thanks to their shorter front and longer length and in thin fabrics they work well as a layering tool without adding bulk. Additionally, they’re a great alternative to classic button up cardigans that generally bring attention to the upper body (not our aim in Arona’s case).

Underneath we’ve used a tone-on-tone black ensemble that can actually lengthen the body. You’ll see here that Arona looks taller and thinner.

To add to this, the V-neck black blouse we’ve chosen is also a cut that works to lengthen Arona’s look.

Now since Arona’s legs were worth showcasing, we’ve placed here in leather pants – yes you can wear them over 40!

Remember that leather pants don’t need to be worn in a rock star fashion. In Arona’s case, the overall outfit looks quite polished yet still warm thanks to the complementing fabrics of the other clothing.

Accessories were kept black and classic with ankle boots, a classic handbag and a necklace to help draw attention up to Arona’s décolletage.

Waterfall Cardigan: Trenery

Top: Trenery

Pants: Trenery

Shoes: Nine West

Accessories: Lovisa, bag from Trenery

 

Outfit Two: Smart Casual

Frumpy? Doubt it! Arona looks smart and sophisticated in this on-trend look.

We’ve taken a leaf from this season’s trends to place Arona in a sleek check coat from Trenery made from a wool-rich fabric that is perfect for winter.

The thin lapel allows for easy layering and draws attention away from Arona’s upper body. The line in the coat also creates a straight vertical line that further elongates Arona’s body.

Keeping with a cool colour palette for winter, we’ve opted for a black straight shift dress, tights and knee-high boots.

The cut of the dress skims over the stomach and upper areas flattering Arona’s overall shape. The only detail is around the neckline to bring the eye up to Arona’s décolletage and to further break up the outfit you’ll see Arona’s legs peeking through with tights.

We’ve brought in a contrast colour through the bag with the plum colour complementing the grey and black tones of Arona’s look.

Coat: Trenery

Top: Trenery

Pants: Trenery

Shoes: Trenery

Accessories: Mocha

 

Outfit Three: Evening

This was our favorite look for Arona. It is so elegant, has brought our Arona’s beautiful curves but still has her looking slim and sleek.

Now, you might be thinking why we placed a pattern on Arona when we’re trying to “distract” from her upper body.

However, note that we’ve used a muted pattern that is very flattering for fuller body shapes and we have it running right through the body not highlighting any particular part. In Arona’s case, it actually works to define her shape and is slimming since the foundation colour of the print is black. ( This print may not appeal to everyone, however it worked beautifully on Arona, which is the aim of this runway/ workshop )

In this look, we’ve actually utilised Arona’s shoulder structure and made use of her neckline with a bold necklace.

The small waistband and elbow length sleeves in the dress help draw attention to Arona’s waist, bringing in some definition and the dress sits fittingly (not too snug) over her lower body really capturing that feminine silhouette.

Again, the outfit is doing all the work so accessories were kept black and classic: low heeled shoes and a clutch.

Dress: Veronika Maine

Shoes: Nine West

Accessories: Mocha

If like Arona, you too have lost weight, it can be very challenging to begin shopping smaller.

Your old clothes may be loose and unflattering or you may naturally reach for very voluminous, too-large sizes. A reminder these will always make you larger.

You’ll see from our style makeover with Arona, she in no way looks large or bulky and all the clothes work beautifully to streamline and showcase her body shape.

What did you think of Arona’s looks? Anything you think you might like to try?

Arona and the Style With Cindy team would love to hear from you as we love to give our models as much positive feedback as possible!

Love Cindy x