I recently did a poll of my followers on Instagram (thank you for answering if you did!) and one of the top things people wanted to learn more about is body shape. There are various terms used to describe body shape - pear, apple, strawberry, banana (seriously!), hourglass, triangle, spoon..... All sorts of shapes and fruit used to describe our bodies! What a confusing minefield. It can be so difficult to determine and understand what our body shape is within all these descriptions.
Now, I'd love to give you a quick and easy way here to tell you exactly what your body shape is. But the truth is, even when I'm with a client I often need to see her in a few outfits to see how her clothes work on her figure. It's a three dimensional thing. Does her waist sit high, are her shoulders strong, is there definition of her waist, does she have a short body in relation to her legs, etc. So apologies, but there isn't a quick fix answer to ascertaining your body shape. There are calculators online where you can input your measurements and it will calculate your shape for you but having tried this myself I didn't completely agree with its results. But feel free to have a go!
So if you're still wanting to work out your body shape here is what I would suggest. Stand in front of the mirror (long full length if possible) in a vest and leggings. Something close fitting so that you can really see your body shape. You're going to be looking at your shoulders, waist and hips and the relate to each other so you need to be wearing clothing where you can properly see your silhouette.
The hourglass refers to the shape whereby the shoulders and hips are in alignment. If you were to measure their width (note, I'm not saying circumference - I'm talking their width straight across) they'd be roughly the same - or in other words, if you were to draw a line from the outer tip of your shoulder straight down, it would skim the edge of your hips. There is also a defined waist - lending itself to an hourglass shape. When we are creating outfits we are ultimately trying to emulate the hourglass shape for clients - as this is what is "pleasing" to the eye. Our brain likes symmetry and that is exactly what the hourglass is.
Dress for this shape by showing off and highlighting your great shape
Wrap dresses and top to really show off your narrow waist
Avoid shapeless styles of dress/coats/tops which will hide your fab silhouette
Belted coats look great
So knowing this, you can now consider your own shape. Looking at your body are your shoulders in line with your hips?
If you tend to wear a larger size on your bottom half then this would suggest your shoulders are narrower than your hips. You may also have a defined waist (which you should make the most of!). Do you sometimes struggle to get trousers to fit around your bum and to fit nicely around your waist? This is a classic problem for a triangle. Your top half may appear small or your shoulders rounded so when dressing you can afford to add some interest here to add balance.
Don't be afraid of shoulder pads in jackets - they can help add balance
Blouses with puffed shoulders will also do the same
Look for trousers with minimal details at the waist but with an elastic section at the back of the waist to help with your fit
You can wear pattern and colour on your top half to add interest and the illusion of proportion
Do you sometimes struggle with your shoulders when trying on blazers and jackets? You might be aware that you have strong or broad shoulders. When assessing your shape, are your shoulders wider than your hips? Another characteristic of the inverted triangle can be a flat bum and/or narrow hips. For this shape a useful trick is to keep it simple on your top half but you can afford to have detail and interest around your hips to give the illusion of more width and proportion of the hips.
Paperbag trousers or other trousers which have detail at the hips will add width and balance
Similarly, pleated skirts will do the same
Depending on how much balance you want to add to the hips an A-line dress or dress works well for the inverted triangle
Keep it simple on your top half if you don't want to draw attention to your shoulders - avoid wide collars on jackets or shirts
You might look at yourself and see that your shoulders and hips are in alignment but there isn't really a defined waist so you don't quite feel you fit into the hourglass shape. If this is the case you might have a more athletic figure and so you need to give the illusion of a waist/shape. The rectangle is often on the tall side too.
Opt for styles which have detail and/or volume at the shoulders and hips to give you shape
Use belts to give the illusion of a waist
Avoid boxy, shapeless cuts
Jackets and dresses with structure are your friend
If your shoulders, waist and hips are in alignment and you are a bit more rounded in the tummy and you have a full bust you might fall into the oval shape. Your waist is not so well defined. You may have cracking legs as this is definitely a feature of the oval shape.
Minimal fussiness around your middle - materials should skim the tummy area.
Wear great accessories above your bustline to draw the eye there - don't forget about earrings and/or lipstick
Bootcut jeans work well as they add balance to your silhouette
Columns of colour work really well in drawing the eye vertically down your frame
So there we have it - the hourglass, triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle and oval. But as with many things in life, many of us don't fit into these categories strictly at all times. But remember, the principles of many of these tips are the same. Consider what parts of your body you are happy drawing attention to - or conversely what you want to steer attention away from - and then dress (and accessorise!) to those strengths. Colour, patterns, shape, structure, fabric, etc. are all things which we can use and play with as we wish. And have fun with too!
Ultimately I want you to dress to your strengths so that you like what you see. I want you to be able to represent yourself as you deserve. I know I'm like a broken record, but life is too short and some of us spend too much time hiding away from the world. So start dressing like it matters - like you matter.
Until next time,
Lou x
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