Ruffles, Layers and Tiers ... A Designer's Best Kept Secret

So many of my most figure flattering pictures are when I've been photographed in layers or "tiered" dresses and tops. For the same reason a majority of wedding dresses have layers and tiers, this style flatters so many figures because it hides a lot of problem areas and highlights body parts, like the decolletage (upper chest, neck and shoulders) that are typically "showcase" areas for many women.

This Free People top is on sale right now at Macy's and comes in four different colors! For $36.99, this is a real deal. Shop the top here. The Levi's classic, cutoff,  jean short is a look that never goes out of style. I like this faded pair as an alternative to the James Jeans rolled, darker denim shorts that I raved about on my blog post "The Top 10 Things You Never Knew You Needed on Amazon but Must Have." (I once bought the James Jeans shorts at Nordstrom and then they reappeared on Amazon for cheaper! Check those out as well.) The Levi's shorts are under $60! 

The most asked about dress that I have ever worn, the Needle and Thread tiered dress shown below, has multiple tiers that hide all the wrong stuff in all the right places. Since I had so many people ask about it, I wrote a blog post about the dress as well as several other alternatives to the look if you love that dress but want something a little less formal. I hesitated buying the dress online and it was surprisingly the most popular post on my blog. Read "Moms Want to be Princesses Too" here to get all the mother daughter dress details!