Patterned fabric can add interest to an outfit. However, not every pattern that you run across will be particularly flattering to you or anyone else. The main reason is that the pattern simply doesn’t hit you in the right places. Instead, a pattern can have the very opposite of effect of highlighting areas that you want hidden. Even if the clothes fit perfectly, a wrong pattern can make an outfit look really bad on.

With patterns, bigger is not always better. The big colorful flower patterns haven’t really ever been in style. The same is true of big dots, an exaggerated zig zag, or basically anything that takes up a lot of space to express itself. The problem here is that these big patterns often land right in the middle of the forbidden zones. The bright colors can make it hard to miss these areas.

Another pattern that can go horribly wrong is stripes. The standard rule is that vertical stripes knock off the pounds and horizontal stripes emphasize the extra weight. Of course, this is just an optical illusion but not the only problem with stripes.

Color can also play a part in a bad stripped outfit. The biggest problem is clashing colors for each stripe without a neutral color dividing them. The optical illusion will certainly put you on the worst dressed list or blind your friends.

The patterns available in fabric don’t always compliment a figure even though it advertises to hide problem areas. Instead, they can highlight them if they fall in the wrong place. Always try on patterned clothing before buying to make certain that they aren’t giving away secrets.