Who says you have to bare all to look sexy? That's probably the biggest misconception of them all! Slim people can dare to bare without looking obscene, as they are just too waif-like to look voluptuous, but unfortunately the rest of us can't. While it's great to be voluptuous, there's a fine line between sexy and sleazy, and it's easy to overstep that line. As a result most women end up dressing conservatively so they don't end up looking sleazy. Here's how you can look sexy and classy at the same time.

Overweight?

Sometimes we wear tight stuff in the belief that it will make us look slimmer. Well, it will NOT. You can get away with wearing clinging stuff if you are slim and without any excess weight anywhere, but the minute you have some spare flesh anywhere, don't draw attention to it with tight clothing.

Lips

Get your lips right. You cannot look sexy unless you've got some lipstick on. Sure, you can look pretty and innocent, which is fine if that's the look you're shopping for, or you can look sexy if you wear the skimpiest number you can get your hands on. (Who's going to look at your lips!) But, like we said, we're trying to look sexy yet decent. So make the most of your lips. If you're wearing all black or all white, you can get away by wearing a red or maroon lipstick. Don't wear a glossy lipstick though. Wear a matte shade, and cover it with a layer of transparent gloss. That always works better than glossy lipsticks. Or wear only gloss with a light rose or pink tint. Dark matte lips are out. Make it a point to line your lips and make sure there's never any lipstick on your teeth. Ugh!

Quality over quantity

Always wear good quality stuff. Even if you don't think so, believe me, quality shows. Of course if you have a good eye and some great fashion sense you can get some great bargains, but on the whole it's easy to go wrong. Pick up your causal clothes from the roadside, but for your formals, get ready to shell out a little more.

The colour red

If you're wearing a bright colour like red, stick to simple styles and good fits. Don't show too much leg or cleavage. Don't wear red from top to toe unless it's a red dress or you're Julia Roberts. Offset it with another colour. Wear red pants with a black top or vice versa.

Body

Don't show too much of your body at a go. If you're showing cleavage, don't wear a mini. If you're wearing a spaghetti top or if you're baring shoulders, don't show cleavage. While a low neck looks nice, a lined cleavage looks plain 'cheap' it's sexy all right, but, as we said before, we want to look classy, not crass.

Bra straps

If you're wearing a black top with a black bra, or a green top with a green bra - the identical green you can show your straps. But otherwise showing them is a fashion NO-NO. Take pains to pin them up in place. We know it can be bothersome, but it's something you should definitely do.

In order to look sexy you have to FEEL sexy. If you try and hide certain imperfections, it's going to show in your body language. So wear what makes you feel good and confident, and watch your sexiness quotient jump up by leaps and bounds.

• If you haven't waxed your underarms, don't wear anything with short sleeves. You will feel self-conscious every time you lift your arms, consequently reducing your sexiness quotient.
• As mentioned earlier, pin bra-straps to tops with wayward necklines so you don't keep wondering if everything is in place.
• Don't wear anything ripped in the hope that it doesn't show, unless you're a hundred percent certain that no matter what you do, your secret is safe.
• Wear sexy lingerie. It makes you feel good and ups your sexiness quotient.
• Apply perfumed body lotion on your arms before stepping out. It makes your skin moist, softer and will give it a subtle glow. The light scent will bolster your spirits, elevating your mood.
• When speaking to someone always look them in the eye.
• Don't hunch or slouch. Walk with your back ramrod straight.
• Exercise, exercise! Exercise produces endorphins that make you feel good.