PLAID TO KNOW YOU, Tricks to wearing this poundsplus pattern and still look slim

PLAID
TO KNOW YOU…

Tricks
To Wearing

This Of The
Moment

Pounds Plus Pattern

Dear Sharon: I always buy a few exciting things each season to funk up my wardrobe. Plaid seems to be shown everywhere, but I am afraid it will make me look heavy. - Plaid About It

Dear Plaid About It: As soon as plaid unspooled its glorious royal tartan-ess, women recoiled to utter the universal enigma, "How cute, but won't this make me look fat?" There's no doubt about it, plaid, like any other busy pattern, can put on the illusion of girth.

But don't fret-- there are sooo many possibilities to explore tartan with this season that a girl could go utterly mad for plaid. There are oodles of bold plaids, Scottish plaids, glen plaids, color block plaids, box plaids, and argyles out there to go completely bonkers over. This fabric has a wonderful classic kind of quirkiness to it, if you know how to wear it the right way.

Most of us do get somewhat kooky about the fear of looking larger. Hey, there's even a book, Does This Make Me Look Fat? (Villard) by Leah Felon who believes there are two kinds of clothes: The ones that make us look fat and all the rest!

Accessories are the obvious choice to just test-run a pattern, but today's fashionable add-ons go much further than a run-of-the mill scarf. Burberry may have started the trend, but run, don't walk, to catch a pair of plaid kitten heel boots or sexy tartan slingbacks that abound in most trendy shoe salons. Or, opt for a totebag, satchel, or purse- like a wool tartan shoulderbag from Dolce & Gabbana , fuzzy gloves, crusher hats, or patterned jewelry that boosts more than a hint of this print.

While body size doesn't really matter when it come to accessorizing with plaid, it certainly is a major consideration when it comes to clothing. One of the most heinous fashion faux pas' is wearing super tight plaid pants that yank around your tush to distort the pattern into an outsized grin-ouch! A smooth fit is optimum with pattern, as is using it to play a discreet game of body shape hide and seek.

Stay clear of any heavyweight fabric close to your body unless you want to put on a quick ten pounds. Keep the bulky fabrics to shawls and accessories and be mad about figure-skimming lightweight plaids. A lightweight plaid flood pant adds dimension to a top-heavy figure without piling on too much bulk to your lower half.

Nothing fills out a meager upper body more than a bold patterned top. Consider an Argyle Merino Turtleneck (there's a nice one at BrooksBrothers.com ) to balance fuller hips.

If you are a Calista Flockhart gamine type, a darling little mini kilt (there's a cute one at Esprit.com ) plays up long, lean legs.

A wonderful princess-cut plaid coat is the perfect mood-lifter for a dreary day, but do be sure it fits just so. For a sportier touch, try the Molly Peacoat in plaid fromdELiAs.cOm

Be selective with plaid and wear only one pattern at a time, if you are extremely fashionably adroit, mix complementing plaids, but keep some distance between them. For that matter, too much of one good thing is not the way to go either, matchy-matchy, head-to-toe may be fashionable right now, but don't load up on plaid unless you are applying for a job at the Scotch Tape Store!

Try to also scale the size of the plaid to your body type, a smaller frame can wear a graphic plaid, but would be drowned in a big plaid. A larger frame woman would be more flattered by muted plaid, and no one really looks terrific in a completely outsized plaid.

Pattern fever is soooo high that if you are still petrified to pile on the fabric du jour, you can lavishly spritz it on with "Plaid" scented spray mist from Skirt-the scent of chic!

However you do it, it's a plaid, plaid world, so get to it.

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