What would be my best look?

I'm trying to figure out what exactly my best overall look would be, I am very short, only standing at 5' 4", and believe I have an oval body shape and a long torso.

I'm trying to figure out what jeans would be best for me or if I should avoid jeans altogether and go with other trousers instead. And shirts, according to your advise I should avoid long shirts because they make me look shorter but due to my long torso I feel like even medium length shirts are often too short for me.

I do have a relatively large bust and believe that I should probably play that up but I'm not exactly sure how, V-necks maybe? and should I look for interesting necklines or should I avoid them?

What patterns should I search for or would it better to simply wear solid colors? I'm young and am hoping that you can advise me on styles that aren't so grandmotherly as those normally advised for apple figured women. I believe my shoulders are a good asset and have fairly muscular calfs that I wouldn't mind showing off but I'm not sure how to best play up these good parts.

Then there's the hair, I believe that I have a round face. I have Red hair and brown eyes if thats helpful. I have no idea what to do with my hair because honestly everything I have ever tried has looked ok but not quite spectacular. I have a very fair complexion and a bunch of freckles and as I mentioned before red hair and brown eyes, so what would my best colors be?

My biggest issue is just that I need a change, when I look at pictures from 5 years ago I look practically exactly the same as I do now whereas all my friends look back on their pictures and laugh at how different they looked then and how much better they look now and I want to be able to do that as well so I just need a change!

Jane's answer... Your questions are very good ones for assessing how to change your appearance. However, they're very difficult for me to answer without actually giving you an image consulting session! I hope the tips that follow will help.

Recommendations for your body shape

At 5'4" you are classed as a petite (see my recommendations for petites here). However, if your torso is longer than your legs then you will probably find that petite tops will not work for you.

Having a petite frame you will look best when you keep your clothing styles simple: not too many styling details so you don't overwhelm your frame. If you do wear prints, make sure their scale is not too large and make sure you can't see obvious repeats in patterns.

With short legs and a long torso dresses and skirts will be good for you, to disguise where your legs start and make your vertical proportions more balanced. Your best lengths will be around knee length.

If you do wear jeans or trousers either keep your top in a similar color or color value (level of darkness), or wear an open cardigan, or jacket, or waistcoat in a similar color to your bottoms. Again, this will disguise where your torso ends and your legs start.

Keep focal points above the bust to attract attention to your face, rather than lower on your body. These can include necklaces, earrings, and scarves. This will help make you look taller and therefore slimmer.

Without seeing a photo of you I'd question whether your horizontal shape really is oval. However, if it is, you will be best with semi-fitted styles that flow through the waist rather than bring attention to you middle.

Tips for your coloring and hairstyle

With red hair you are most likely one of the warm color categories. Maybe one of the Autumn categories, since you have a lot of freckles.

If your face shape is round one of your aims will be to make your face shape look longer and more oval-like. You don't mention what length you hair is currently, but around shoulder length or a bit longer should look good on you.

Other considerations for your overall look

As well as assessing your body shape and coloring do think about the clothes you need for your lifestyle and make sure the way you dress reflects your personality and how you want to be seen.

Think about the outfits you currently have that make you feel good and try and work out why they work. Go to the shops and try on lots of different styles. Take photos of yourself in the different outfits so you can get an objective view of what works and what doesn't.

Good luck and do have fun with changing your look!