12 Easy Ways to Look Thinner By Tonight

Expose a bit with a V-neckline. The open, upside-down triangle creates a high focal point up and away from your midsection and gives the illusion of a longer, slimmer upper body. The more skin displayed between chin and chest (within reason!), the more elegant your proportions will seem overall; wider V-necklines visually balance broad hips and thighs. So collect Vs in everything-camis, tanks, Ts, sweaters, cardigans, dresses and jackets.

Free People, $40; freepeople.com.

Legs look slim and sexy in skirts paired with a shoe that has a tapered toe and at least a 2-inch stiletto. A slender toe and thin heel work to extend the narrow silhouette of calves. Square-toe styles with a thick, chunky heel give the appearance of a shorter, bulky leg.

Steve Madden, $90; nordstrom.com.

A professional bra fitter can determine if you, like most women, are wearing a wrong-size band and too-small cups, which neither lift nor shape. Down below, too-snug panties create bulges, while visible panty lines (VPLS) disrupt the clean lines of top layers, contributing to bulk around the butt and hips. Get a smooth rear view with thongs or G-strings. For more backside coverage, consider seamless tangas or cheekies.

Wacoal Red Carpet Convertible Bra, $65; nordstrom.com.

Get pieces that smooth bulges while lifting breasts and the behind. Shapers with extra-firm tummy control work well worn under shifts and pencil skirts.

Spanx bodysuit, $158; net-a-porter.com.

Long necklaces add length to a short neck and bring attention away from hips and to the front and center of your body. Mid-chest bibs or big chandeliers say look at the face and not the middle. Sparkly cuffs, stacks of bangles, and cocktail rings draw the eye to wrists instead of upper arms.

Kenneth Cole New York necklace, $45; macys.com.

Clean, streamlined jeans are the way to go. The most flattering styles are dark and feature unembellished pockets. Avoid extra details that catch the eye and give the illusion of bulk-think twice about tags, grommets, or decorative extras. The leanest silhouettes of all: boot cut and straight leg.

Raey jeans, $145; matchesfashion.com.

A salon spray tan or a do-it-yourself kit blends in blemishes (veins, cellulite, stretch marks, brown spots) that distract from the clean visual lines of exposed arms or legs. Don't want to go faux? All skin tones benefit from moisturizing lotion, which diminishes those imperfections and projects a head-to-toe glow.

St.Tropez self tanner, $32; sephora.com.

The crisp straight lines and narrow lapels of a blazer counteract excess curves. An open jacket is extra-slimming worn over V-neck tanks and dark-wash jeans.

• "Flat" materials don't add volume. Pick cotton, denim, silk, or wool gabardine.

• Some fabrics actually help slim and shape. Try jersey, cashmere, fine cotton, and anything with a touch of spandex.

• Wear bulky materials sparingly, such as wide-wale corduroy, crushed velvet, metallic, leather, suede, mohair, angora, brocade, taffeta, boucle, satin, fringe and flannel.

Tops and bottoms of the same color create an uninterrupted vertical line, making you look thinner and taller. Stark contrasts between your upper and lower body draw eyes to your middle.

Coordinate tones to elongate your bottom half. In winter, wear black opaque tights and black pumps; in summer, try neutral skin-hued versions with bare legs.

Pull tresses into a ponytail high on the back of your head and then lightly tease at the crown to bring out your bone structure and make your face look thinner.

Style expert and author Charla Krupp's book is available at amazon.com.