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Hourglass like Kate Winslet or boyish like Keira Knightley? Learn the style tricks the stars use to flatter their figures

Sponsored by F&F

Everyone has body hang-ups, including celebrities
But they have learnt how to showcase their best assets
Choosing the right outfit for body type is key

By Lucy Waterlow for MailOnline

Published: 11:30 EST, 6 October 2015 | Updated: 05:06 EST, 7 October 2015

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Too fat, too thin, too tall or too small, most of us have a body hang-up that can sometimes stop us feeling confident.

It’s the same for celebrities yet they also seem to ease confidence and glamour on the red carpet – so what’s their secret? They have learnt how to dress their figures to flatter their best assets, whether that’s Kate Winslet showing off her curves or petite Vanessa Hudgens revealing her lithe legs.

So don’t hide behind a fancy dress costume this Halloween. Instead, steal some of the style tricks used by the stars and then treat yourself to a new outfit...

HOURGLASS FIGURE

Kate Winslet showcases her hourglass figure in Stella McCartney's optical illusion dresses with dark panelling at the sides and cutaways at the chest

The classic hourglass figure was the most coveted body shape in the Fifties but in the 21st century, women have sometimes been less keen to flaunt their curves for fear of looking fat.

Hourglass figures have a full chest and hips and a smaller waist so the key is to emphasise this shape rather than hiding it under baggy clothing. Getting the perfect fit is crucial, an outfit should be figure-hugging but not so skin tight that the fabric becomes overly stretched and pulls.

Avoid cropped jackets that will make you look bottom-heavy and baggy, floaty dresses that will swamp your figure and make your waist look wider.

Go for tailored bodycon dresses and those with which use colour blocking to help emphasis your shape.

It’s a trick that actress Kate Winslet, who turned 40 this week, has truly mastered. The mother-of-three recently told Style magazine she hasn't always been fond of her curves but now she has learnt to love them.

She said: 'I still dip in and out of feeling confident as much as the next person but I can genuinely say, now more than ever, that I really do love the fact I'm curvy. I've got boobs and a bum and a man that loves me.'

Katie, and other celebrities with an hourglass figure like Carol Vorderman and Scarlett Johansson, can thank designer Stella McCartney for helping them love their curves. Her optical illusion dresses using clever cut aways and use of panelling sparked the trend for such styles.

Stella has given Kate a new trick, a stripe down the front to elongate her figure. Achieve the same effect with F&F's Colour Block Sleeveless A-Line Dress, £18

Stella has given Kate a new trick recently – the use of a long stripe down the front of a beautiful gown that elongates her figure and flattens her stomach whilst accentuating her curvaceous hips.

The Stella designed cobalt blue dress Kate wore to the film premiere of A Little Chaos was made to measure but you can get the look for less thanks to F&F.

Their Colour Block Sleeveless A-Line Dress, £18, uses the same technique with a stripe down the front to flatter and elongate the figure.

BOYISH

Keira Knightley has long had to endure scrutiny over her boyish figure and pictures of her in magazines and film posters have often been manipulated to give her a more womanly shape with bigger breasts.

The Pride and Prejudice actress, 30, admitted earlier this year that having her first baby, daughter Edie, earlier this year, has made her appreciate her body for what it can do instead of obsessing over how it looks.

Keira Knightley has learnt to love her boyish figure, choosing flattering styles such as strapless dresses

She told Elle magazine: 'As a woman, you hate certain parts of your body. You go through periods where you look in the mirror and think "Oh, if only I had different legs or arms or whatever".

'You go through pregnancy and labour and you go "wow, my body is totally amazing".'

So if you have a boyish figure, learn to love it like Keira and show off your slim torso – that will be the envy of many other women – with cropped tops and short jackets.

Strapless dresses also suit smaller chested women as they won’t be dragged down by heavy boobs, while jumpers with rounded necks that hang off the shoulder will look particularly flattering.

Diagonal stripes can make a boyish figure look more curvaceous, as demonstrated by actress Bella Thorne, left. For a similar effect, buy F&F's striped top, £14

If you want to make a skinny frame look wider and more curvaceous, avoid vertical stripes and go for diagonal ones. Model and actress Bella Thorne, 17, recently showed how this is done when she wore a colourful diagonal stripey dress by House Of Holland on The Tonight Show.

For a similar effect, wear F&F's striped top, £14

PETITE

If you have a petite figure then fear not, as there are lots of way to give yourself the illusion of height. Of course the easiest way is to wear a pair of killer heels as they will literally make you stand tall and make your legs look slimmer and longer.

But there are also less painful ways to achieve the same effect. Go for mini dresses and hotpants to show off your legs and make them seem longer – a trick Kylie Minogue has made her own.

Kylie, 5ft, left, and Vanessa Hudgens, 5ft 1, right, make themselves look taller with short skirts, heels and high waists to make their legs appear longer

Shirt dresses with small prints suit petite figures like F&F's Diamond Print Shirt Dress, £20

You can also make yourself appear taller by wearing a belt over a dress around your torso to give the illusion of a higher waist, while ankle boots rather than knee high ones will make your legs look longer.

Avoid long, untailored dresses and large prints as they will swamp your frame and overwhelm you.

Small patterned prints and shirt dresses that stop above the knee are a flattering look for petite women – as High School Musical actress Vanessa Hudgens has learnt.

You'd never guess she is just 5ft 1in as she makes herself look taller – often without needing to wear heels - by wearing short dresses in small prints with ankle boots.

Achieve a similar looks with F&F's F&F Diamond Print Shirt Dress, £20.

APPLE

Women with an apple shaped figure have a larger bust, broad shoulders and a less defined waist. You’re in good company as Jennifer Hudson, Angelina Jolie and Catherine Zeta Jones are all celebrities who meet the criteria of this body type.

Avoid wearing loose, shapeless clothing as this will only hang off your bust and make your stomach appear larger. Also avoid high necked tops in one bold colour as this will make your top half appear even broader.

A cape can flatter an apple shape as demonstrated by Angelina Jolie, left. Steal her trick with F&F's Checked Collarless Cape, £29

Instead, opt for large patterned tops that will disguise your shape and showcase your cleavage with V-neck jumpers and dresses.

Vertical stripes in dark colours will elongate your figure and make you look slimmer – but don’t be afraid of horizon stripes either.

Go for bold colour-blocking with a horizontal stripe in a bright colour across your middle and darker colours above and beneath to give the illusion of a waist.

You can also disguise your wider middle by making your shoulder appear wider and showing off your slim legs by wearing a cape - a trick Angelina Jolie has used on the red carpet and when out casually dressed.

Steal her trick with F&F's Checked Collarless Cape, £29

PEAR

Pear shapes, like Beyonce Knowles and Kim Kardashian, have wider lower body in proportion to their upper half. As both of these women prove, this is no bad thing as it means you have an enviably curvaceous bottom.

Both the singer and reality TV star have become famed for their figures because they have made the most of their best asset by the clothes they wear.

Kim widers her top half with a fur trimmed coat, get the look with F&F's Faux Fur Detachable Collar Leather-Look Jacket, £39, right

The key is to balance out the body shape by making the top half appear broader with fitted jackets that rest at the hips and boleros and pashminas over evening gowns.

Another trick Kim has used is to make her upper body wider is to wear coats with fur trimmed collars. Achieve the same effect with F&F's Faux Fur Detachable Collar Leather-Look Jacket, £39.

Large pattern prints on the top half will also broader your upper body and contrast this with darker colours on the bottom half.

Create a flattering silhouette with bootleg trousers or flares over straight leg ones and go for high waisted jeans, trousers and pencil skirts to create a waist.

So now you now the tricks for your body type, shop F&F’s full autumn collection and treat yourself to a new outfit.