Shopping should be a pleasure, not a complex, frustrating undertaking. Yet shoppers encounter many nonsensical contradictions that can ruin their experience. For example, should stripes be worn or avoided? There are fool proof rules in the world of fashion, though, and they are guaranteed to give you confidence, whether shopping for or wearing dresses. Here are three of them:

It's important to know your strengths and capitalize on them. Everybody has them, and you can bet others are working their strengths. First, figure out your own beauty strengths. If you have an hourglass figure, with hips and shoulders equally wide and a narrow waist, you have a rare asset and should play up your waistline. You can do this by wearing wrap dresses, belted dresses, or form-fitting skirts with blouses to draw attention to your curves and emphasize your feminine shape. If your figure is the shape of an apple, with your weight concentrated in the belly area, you can flatter other areas and deemphasize your middle (avoid the wrap or belted dresses that hourglass figures can wear, for example). You can wear flowing tops to cover your middle but should highlight great legs if you've got them by choosing clothing that ends just above the knee. If your face is one of your best assets, select tops or dresses with necklines that frame the face and focus attention: cowl necks, ruffled collars etc. This draws the eye up toward your face and away from other problem spots.

You do not need to shy away from patterns and prints. The belief that plus-sized women should only wear solid colors is an outdated old wives' tale. Prints add fun and variety to wardrobes. They can also be used strategically, to direct people's eyes and viewing attention away from your figure's problem areas. For example, if you have a pear-shaped figure, you can wear a printed top with a solid-colored skirt to draw attention to your top, while downplaying your bottom half. This combination would give you a more balanced look.

The power of color should never be underestimated under any circumstances whatsoever. If you wear an unflattering color, your appearance cannot be saved, no matter what profile you strike. The colors that are right for you and the colors that will result in cosmetic doom must be worked out by you in the comfort of your home. You are the one who determines whether you are an autumn or a summer, after all, not a minimum wage employee in the make up department.

Look through your drawers for several swatches of solid color fabric, perhaps some pillowcases, or dishcloths, or scarves. Look into a mirror in a brightly lighted room. Hold the swatches next to your face, one after another, right beneath your chin. You'll see a difference each time you change swatches. While some shades will make you look more radiant, others will make you look washed out. It's not your skin that's at fault, it's the color that's next to it. After you've tried this, you'll understand why you should only wear clothes in truly flattering colors.

Andrea writes about Plus Size Clothing. Visit us for plus size deals on a Plus Size Bra at http://plus-size.discountsonline.com