Fabrics That Make You Look Slimmer

Fabrics That Make You Look Slimmer

    We’ve all tried a heap of different tricks and tactics to make our appearances slimmer, but an aspect that is often overlooked is the fabrics. Fabrics play an important role in slimming your appearance, often more so than color choice and clothing style. Below, I look at fabrics that make you look slimmer together with a range of do’s and don’ts so you can always create flattering outfits.

    Structured Fabrics

    Structured fabrics have a range of slimming benefits and examples include cotton blends, wool, and twill. Because of how the fabrics are made, they hold their shape fantastically and thus reduce the emphasis on any lumps or bumps you may have.

    Instead of a clingy fabric that accentuates the areas you want to conceal, structured fabrics on garments like womens button downs produce smooth lines and hide everything. These clean lines and the definition the structured fabrics give also have a slimming effect and help bring your outfit together.

    Textured Fabrics

    Some fabrics are textured such as tweed, boucle, poplin, denim, flannel, and brocade. These fabrics have subtle textures and are visually appealing compared to plainer smoother materials. This has the effect of removing the attention from your body shape and curves and placing it on the fabric instead.

    You are effectively breaking up the lines and bumps in your body and disguising them using the patterns of the fabric so this creates an illusionary slimming effect.

    Typically, textured fabrics can be used to break up an outfit and you can choose to wear them where you want to disguise or slim your figure the most. For example, if you carry a little extra weight around your middle, a textured shirt or blouse could be great when paired with jeans.

    Matte Fabrics

    There are two types of “finish” for fabrics - matte and shiny, similar to paint! Shiny fabrics are reflective and do not work well to conceal any imperfections and they can enhance parts of your body that you might not be confident in.

    In contrast, matte fabrics are absorbent - they absorb light which means that they create a smoother appearance that is forgiving and conceals those lumps and bumps you wish to ignore. Overall, you get the benefit of a flattering silhouette with a smoother look, but matte fabrics are also generally more comfortable and work with various outfits.

    Because the fabrics look “subdued” compared to shiny materials, this gives a chance for other parts of your ensemble to shine too such as accessories or layers that you wear over a matte shirt or dress for example.

    Stretchy Fabrics

    woman going through different colored fabrics

    Stretchy fabrics can work wonders as they can contour to your body shape and remove any unnecessary billowing and puffiness that can create the illusion of unnecessary body weight.

    Fabrics like spandex or the materials stretchy jeans are made from are also incredibly comfortable so you get the dual benefit of streamlining your appearance and body shape, and feeling great in the outfit you wear.

    Fabrics to Avoid

    There are some fabrics that do the opposite and enhance your figure when you want to slim it and some examples include:

    • Satin
    • Crushed velvet
    • Shiny fabrics
    • Clingy fabrics


    Essentially, shiny materials should be steered clear of as these draw attention to lumps and bumps and have the opposite effect of matte fabrics. Materials that cling to your body and enhance your curves in the wrong places should be avoided too.

    Shopping Tips for Slimming Fabrics

    While there are fabrics that make you look slimmer, you can’t look at these in a vacuum and there are other things to consider too. To give you further advice, I have listed some simple shopping tips below that will help create slimming outfits:

    • Black absorbs light and is one of the best slimming colors.
    • Darker colors can add intrigue and allure to your outfit.
    • Straight lines in skirts and pants can help make you look thinner and taller.
    • Necklines are important and V-necks are considered to be the best for slimming.
    • Puffed sleeves or cape sleeves are a no-go as they make your arms look bigger.
    • Consider your body shape and complement it accordingly.
    • Vertical lines in the patterns of fabrics are naturally slimming.
    • Tight fitting clothes should be avoided and will only enhance areas you want to slim.

    Get the Right Fabrics That Complement Your Figure

    I bet you never realized how much impact fabrics could have on your appearance but they do and I hope you now have a clearer idea of fabrics that make you look slimmer. To recap, structured, textured, and matte fabrics are all perfect and have qualities that create a slimming effect.

    Don’t forget to consider your body shape too, and the fabric color choice as these also play a role in slimming your figure. Darker colors are naturally slimming with black being the perfect choice.

    Article by:

    Gina Kuyers

    Gina Kuyers is the founder of Luxeire. The idea for Luxeire came out of founder Gina’s frustration with the discomfort and high maintenance of beautiful clothing. With a 20-year career and PhD in school psychology, Gina spent decades applying research to real-world problem solving. She brought these well-honed skills to designing and producing a line of elevated wardrobe staples.

    Gina grew up in West Michigan where she attended Calvin College graduating with a degree in education. She continued her education at Fordham where she received her PHD in school psychology. Gina and her husband, David, have four adult children and live in New Jersey—just a short ferry ride from the Luxeire studio in New York City.