does this outfit work?

november 2008

Krystle Pasion, of New Rochelle, New York, works for an investment bank, so she can't dress too wildly on the job. But she likes working a bit of color into her outfits, and she wanted to try out a high-waisted pencil skirt. We tweaked the combination to be just a little more flattering:

- We traded her slim-cut yellow top for a flowy purple blouse.

- We exchanged her wide belt for a skinnier style.

- We replaced her patterned gray tights with basic black.

"Krystle's only 5'1", so we wanted to make the high-waisted skirt proportionate to her frame," explains fashion news director Jen Ford. "The clingy yellow shirt shortened her torso and made her midsection look wider. The purple top blouses over the skirt, which elongates her figure. The belt is skinnier, so it doesn't overwhelm her. Finally, matching your tights to your shoes is an instant slimming trick, especially when you're dealing with an above-the-knee skirt and tall boots."

Krystle's Reaction:

"I think the thinner belt looks a lot more clean and dainty. And the new blouse goes much better with the skirt because it's billowy, so I feel more comfortable wearing this tight-in-the-waist skirt."

The items we chose: