Many of us have that extra pound here or there we’d like to shed. We work out, we cut back on junk food, we know we’re getting on the right track. But then tacos beckon. And vacations beg you to live a little and have an extra margarita. So we swing back and forth, balancing the urge to be slim and trim with the need to let loose on occasion.

Best case scenario, it can seem that our clothes are entirely separate from our struggles with the scale. Or worst case scenario, that they’re holding us back from feeling our best. But what if the way we dressed could help us along in our war against weight? What if there were tips and tricks to make feeling fit and fabulous simply a matter of making a choice within your closet?

We enlisted the help of three San Antonio bloggers to showcase three ways to leverage your clothes, making them work for you, not against you.

VERTICAL STRIPES
In perhaps the most well-known trick of the trade, Kimberly Frick of the local style blog Fricks Picks looks radiant in this off-the-shoulder jumpsuit from Apricot Lane. The crisp blue and white stripes are complimented by on-trend woven accessories, gold bangles, and tasseled heels to elongate the leg even further. The age-old adage is true: vertical stripes are your friend, horizontal often are not if your goal is to look lean and long.

PLAY WITH PROPORTIONS
Alyssa Walker is the owner of Twenty Something SA, a blog dedicated to all the hot spots and eats about town for the younger demographic. As such she’s constantly headed to events, so this high-waisted wide leg trouser and off-the-shoulder top from Voge Boutique is effortlessly chic. The ruffles of the top (which is actually a unitard for ltra slimming effects) draw the eye upward, while the pants hit at the smallest point of her waist to create the illusion of mile-long legs.

MONOCHROME & MORE
While it may seem contrary to popular beliefs, all-white can be slimming when it’s done properly. Rose Ferreira of the popular (and bilingual!) Café Con Ellas TV shows us how with this glamorous weekend look from Camilla Crown boutique. It’s all about layering smartly: with lightweight, breezy pieces like this kimono that’s comfortable and chic. Add a pop of color in your accessories with a statement bag and your look can easily go from brunch to the art gallery to dinner.

*Knowing your body type is key above all, and nothing makes this more apparent than when you’re trying to play tricks on the eye. Be cognizant of the outfits people compliment you on, and the colors they mention look great on you. These are your strengths, and no matter the number on the scale you should always play to them.

By Aquila Mendez-Valdez

Photography by Patricia McGrath