Q I am looking for a hot party outfit that shows off my newly slim figure. I’ve lost more than a stone in the past eight months, and I’m now a toned size 10. Can you suggest something sexy and fashionable?

A You may be an ideal candidate for the new body-con trend, which is too challenging for lumpy, bumpy regular folk. Only those in tiptop physical condition should attempt it. It involves wearing tiny, tight clothes, such as the minidress by the hot UK label Preen (£890, from Browns). You could wait for Preen’s new Topshop collection, hitting stores on September 9, which has minidresses from £80. Alternatively, look at Ann-Sofie Back’s Fusion collection for the new shopping website Oli, particularly the plum jersey gathered minidress (£60; www.oli.co.uk). Or buy one of American Apparel’s scoop-neck clingy minidresses (£22).

Q I have a problem. My boyfriend is the same height as me, if not slightly shorter, which makes it difficult for me to wear heels without embarrassing him. We are going to a friend’s formal birthday bash in two weeks. I have a gorgeous, figure-hugging little black dress, but no idea what shoes to wear. What would be the best solution?

A If you really want to wear heels but your boyfriend disapproves, then I think it’s about time you got a new boyfriend. But maybe you really love this guy, so that’s not an option. In that case, buy a fabulous pair of heels anyway, and tell him to wear lifts in his shoes – there’s a good selection at www.shoelift.com. You’ll find this tough-love approach is easy to execute when you’re wearing a pair of shiny Christian Louboutin slingbacks (from £250, from Selfridges).

Seriously, though, if he is that touchy about his height, you need to have the Tom Cruise conversation. When Cruise was married to Nicole Kidman, she would habitually wear flat shoes so as not to loom over her pocket-sized husband in pictures. When they got divorced, Kidman famously remarked: “At least I can wear high heels.” The moral of the story? Couples should aim for shoe harmony. Cruise certainly seems to have taken that message on board. His new wife, Katie Holmes, is also taller than him, but she wears heels all the time (probably a consequence of being friends with Victoria Beckham), and, to judge by their manic beams in the paparazzi photos, they couldn’t be happier.

QThe biker look is in for autumn/winter, but most of what the catwalk has to offer is above my student budget. I’ve found a leather jacket for £100 at Topshop, but where can I buy biker boots on the high street? Also, what would I wear them with, other than spray-on jeans?

A Gap has done a great pair of inexpensive biker boots (£65, available late August). As an alternative to skinny jeans, try wearing the boots with a minidress or a tiny skirt and oversized top. Tights are optional, depending on the state of your legs and the weather.

E-mail your questions to wardrobe.mistress@sunday-times.co.uk

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