Bradley Bayou's Sexy Science: The Best Fashion for Your Shape and Size

I want you to try an experiment. Pick up any women’s magazine and look at all of the women inside. Flip through the pages while you are standing in line at the grocery store if you have to, and look at all the models, especially those in the ads. You will quickly notice something about these women: Most of them are young, beautiful, tall, and very skinny. The problem? That shape is not normal.

Let’s be real here for a second. The average fashion model is about 5'10", 115 pounds, and a size 4 at most. Now, consider this: The average American woman is 5'4", 164 pounds, and a size 14. In fact, half the women in this country wear a size 14 or above. Yet most of the clothes you find in stores are designed for tall, skinny fashion models. The problem is, the majority of women might not even look good wearing those clothes!

Today, most fashion books and magazine articles fail to distinguish the differences in body types when it comes to giving fashion advice. And they use vague lists of descriptors for how to look taller or thinner.

I have turned dressing into a science, literally. I began with a science called anthropometry. Anthropometry is the measure of the human form. It involves gathering statistical data on the variations in body dimensions across the population, all of which plays a huge role in clothing design. Cutting-edge scientific studies on anthropometry have proven the existence of many figure shapes. In fact, a national organization called SizeUSA conducted a study of 10,000 American men and women using a TC2 machine. This machine scans the body in less than six seconds, accurately measuring 200,000 data points on the body to produce a 3-D true-to-scale image of each human body. I have used this information to create a basic fashion formula that works for every type of figure.

The result? I can make women of all shapes and sizes look better. You’re not the only woman who wants to improve her look. Believe me, even the most beautiful stars feel they need serious help. It’s no wonder.

There’s a lot of pressure on women to be thin, young, and beautiful. In fact, one study on the perception of beauty published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that being surrounded by beautiful people can make you feel considerably less satisfied with your own physical appearance. The study, conducted by psychologists Douglas Kenrick, Ph.D., Sara Gutierres, Ph.D., and Jenifer Patch at Arizona State University, concluded that, “If there are a large number of desirable members of one's own sex available, one may regard one's own market value as lower.” And with the surfeit of tall, skinny, beautiful actresses all over the television, the movie screen, and magazines, it’s easy for you to start feeling down on yourself.

But don’t let it get to you. Remember, all those famously perfect women you’re used to seeing are being helped by a big bag of tricks: bright lights, professional makeup artists, costume designers, personal trainers, production magic, and photographic digital enhancements. They also have one more bonus in their back pocket: a professional stylist telling them what they should (and shouldn't) wear to look their best. You may not have all those perks at your fingertips, but what you do have in your hands is a formula that can have a dramatic effect on how your figure appears. A simpler way to explain it may be the way I talk about it in real life with my clients. Basically, it's this. The foundation of this "science of sexy" boils down to two simple things:

1. Dress to balance your body.
2. Learn to conceal your flaws and reveal your assets.

By doing both, you will create a figure that looks beautifully proportioned and that gets attention in all the right places. Like a couture gown for the Oscars®, I've developed a style system custom-made to flatter every inch of you. 

Start with Bradley Bayou's Dream Closet Checklist