Want to learn how to highlight your best features? Every woman’s body is different. Understanding your body shape is the key to achieving a flattering, confident look. Let’s look at the 5 types of body shapes and how to dress for your body type.
As an Image Consultant, I’m here to share some pro tips on making you look your best and feel confident, no matter your shape or size. Here are the pro tips for enhancing your best features and leveraging your wardrobe to make it work for you.
The 5 Beautiful Body Types
Before you learn how to dress for your body type, it’s important to understand the five primary body shapes. Once you understand your features, you’ll be able to dress for your body type with ease. Which beautiful one are you?
1. Hourglass
The hourglass figure is characterized by a well-defined waist. If you are an hourglass shape, your bust and hips are roughly the same width.
2. Pear
The pear-shaped body has a smaller upper body and a wider lower body. Hips are noticeably wider than the bust, creating a curvier look.
3. Apple
Apple-shaped individuals carry most of their weight in the midsection. If you have an apple shape, your waist is the widest part of your body.
4. Rectangular
The rectangular body shape has a straight silhouette, with little difference in width between the bust, waist, and hips. If your body shape is a rectangle, you have little to no waist definition.
5. Inverted Triangle
Inverted triangle figures are characterized by broad shoulders and a narrow waist and hip region. If you are an inverted triangle, your shoulders are the widest part of your body.
How to Dress For Your Body Type
Now that we’ve defined these body shapes, let’s explore how to dress to enhance or minimize features based on your unique silhouette. Once you learn how to dress for your body type, you’ll be able to create a sustainable flattering wardrobe that stands the test of time.
1. Dressing for the Hourglass Shape
An hourglass shape or “figure 8” shape, has a well-defined waist. The waist of these women is the smallest part of their body. Think of Marilyn Monroe and Pamela Anderson.
If you have an hourglass shape, the top half and bottom half of your body are generally the same width. It goes without saying that if you have an hourglass body type, you’ll want to enhance your waist. Here is how to do so:
Enhance the Waist
- Accentuate your well-defined waist by choosing dresses and tops with cinched waistlines or adding belts.
- Wear Fitted Clothing: Wear tailored pieces that follow the natural contours of your body.
- Wear V-Neck Tops: V-necklines draw attention to your bust while elongating your frame.
Things to Avoid
- Avoid Shapeless Garments: Baggy or shapeless clothing can hide your curves and make you appear boxy.
- Avoid Excessive Layers: Too many layers can add bulk and obscure your hourglass figure.
2. Dressing for the Pear Shape
If you have a pear-shaped body, your bottom half is the largest part of your body. You have wide hips and thighs. The goal for pear shapes is to add balance to the top portion of your body. Here are some tips:
Enhance the Upper Body
- Show Off Your Upper Body: Draw attention to your smaller upper body with eye-catching statement tops.
- Wear Necklines That Enhance: Use wider necklines such as a boat neck to create the illusion of wider shoulders.
- Wear A-Line Skirts and Dresses: These create a balanced silhouette, as they flare out from the waist, minimizing the focus on your hips.
- Wear Dark-Colored Bottoms: Dark colors can create a slimming effect on the lower half.
Things to Avoid:
- Tight Bottoms: Avoid overly tight or clingy bottoms that accentuate your hips.
- Excessive Embellishments: Beware of excessive detailing or patterns on the hips or thighs, as they can add visual weight.
3. Dressing for the Apple Shape
Apple-shaped or “round” body types are the widest at their midsection. If you are an apple shape, you lack a defined waistline. The goal when dressing is to create an illusion of a waistline. Here’s how plus size women can create a waist:
Create the Illusion Of A Waist
- Wear Empire Waist Dresses: These styles help create the illusion of a defined waist.
- Wear V-Neck Tops: They elongate your upper body and draw attention to your face.
- Wear A-Line Skirts: They add volume to your lower body, balancing proportions.
- Wear Darker Colors: Wearing darker colors at the waistline will create the illusion of a smaller waist.
Things to Avoid
- Avoid Tight Belts: Avoid tight belts that may draw attention to your midsection.
- Avoid Crop Tops: They can emphasize your midriff; opt for longer tops that provide more coverage.
- Avoid High-Waisted Bottoms: High-waisted pants can make your midsection look bulkier.
- Avoid Bright Colors: Don’t wear bright colors around the waistline which will make the waist look fuller.
4. Dressing for the Rectangular Shape
Rectangular or “athletic” body shapes are straight throughout their body and do not have a defined waist. These women are usually very slim with no defined curves. If you are a rectangle shape, try the below to enhance your feature and create the illusion of a waist:
Enhance The Waist
- Create Curves: Look for clothing that adds volume to your bust and hips, like ruffles or peplum tops.
- Wear Belted and Waist Ruching Styles: Adding a belt to dresses or tops can give the illusion of a defined waist.
- Wear A-Line Dresses and Skirts: These help add curves to your lower half.
- Colorblock: Wear two different colors on the top and bottom half of your body to create an illusion of a waist.
Things to Avoid
- Avoid Shapeless Clothing: Loose, shapeless clothing can make your figure appear boxy.
- Avoid Oversized Tops: Be cautious with oversized tops as they can make you look broader.
- Avoid Monochromatic Outfits: Solid, single-color outfits can sometimes enhance the rectangular appearance.
5. Dressing for the Inverted Triangle Shape
Inverted Triangle body types are widest at the shoulders. To create balance, inverted triangles need to add volume to the lower half of their body. Here’s how you can do so:
Enhance the Lower Part of Body
- Balance the Upper Body: Wear clothing that adds volume to the hips and creates the illusion of a fuller lower body.
- Use horizontal lines on the lower half of the body to create balance.
- Wear V-Neck or Scoop Neck Tops: These draw attention to your face while softening the shoulders.
- Wear Halter Necklines: These draw the eyes in, creating an illusion of a shorter shoulder line.
- Wear A-Line Skirts and Dresses: They help balance the proportions.
Things to Avoid:
- Avoid High-Necklines: High necklines can make your upper body appear broader.
- Avoid strapless which can make your shoulder broader.
- Avoid Puffed Sleeves: Exaggerated shoulder details can further emphasize your broad shoulders.
- Overly Bright or Busy Prints on Top: These can draw attention to your upper body.
Pro Tips For All Body Types
- Invest in quality tailoring: Tailoring your clothes to fit your unique body shape can make a world of difference.
- Know your Best Colors: Dress in the most flattering color palette to enhance your features.
- Undergarments Matter: Proper undergarments, like well-fitting bras and shapewear, can provide the foundation for a flattering look.
- Accessories: Accessories can be used strategically to draw attention to or away from specific areas.
- Shoes Matter: Wearing the right shoe can help elongate your frame and make you look taller. It can also improve posture, regardless of your body shape.
- Experiment: Feel free to experiment with different styles and silhouettes to find what makes you feel most confident.
Dress With Confidence
Learning how to dress for your body type is not about strict rules. It’s about enhancing the features you like and minimizing the ones you don’t. It’s your body, love all of it and be proud to dress it however you like!
Remember that fashion is a form of self-expression, so use these guidelines as a foundation. Feel free to adapt them to suit your personal style. By doing so, you’ll feel confident in every outfit you wear.
