Body Shape | What’s Mine?

This is the first part of a 7-part blog series that focuses on body shape and how to dress it…

If I could share my #1 style tip, it would be to dress your body type.  Accurately identifying and appropriately dressing your body type will dramatically enhance how you look in your clothes (and how you feel).

The ideal body shape is debatable and varies from culture to culture.  Nevertheless, stylish and confident women come in many different shapes and sizes!  Be honest with yourself and consider that your body shape may have changed over the years.

Start:   Look at yourself in the mirror naked.  Try not to focus on any specific area.  If it helps, ask a friend to be honest with you.  Do you carry most of your weight on top, bottom, or middle?  KEY TIP:  It’s all about proportion and how wide or narrow your shoulders, bust, waist, and hips are compared to one another.  It is not important how thin, average, or heavy you are. 

BODY SHAPES:

1. Pear Shaped- If you are pear-shaped, your hips, butt, and thighs are proportionately wider than your top half.  Oprah Winfrey, Katie Holmes, Beyoncé Knowles, and Jennifer Lopez are pear-shaped beauties.  To avoid looking bottom heavy, you want to play down the hips and thighs, cinch the waist, and balance your lower body with garments that broaden your shoulders and chest.  Click here for detailed tips on how to dress your figure.
2. Inverted Triangle- If you are the inverted-triangle, you have broad shoulders, narrow hips, a straight waist, slender limbs, a flat bottom and a varying bust line.  Teri Hatcher, Naomi Campbell, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zellweger, and Demi Moore are sexy “inverted triangles”.  To avoid looking top-heavy, you want to downplay your shoulders, cinch your waist, and balance your body with garments that highlight your hips.  Click here for detailed tips on how to dress your figure.
3. Hourglass – Hourglass figures are defined as having the chest & hips in equal width to each other with a waist about 2-4 inches narrower.  Halle Berry and Jessica Simpson are hourglass beauties.  Your goal is to uphold your hourglass shape by emphasizing your waist and maintaining the shape of your hips and chest.  Click here for detailed tips on how to dress your figure.
4. Apple – Apples have round bodies and carry their weight in their stomach and bust.  They tend to have thinner arms and/or legs.  Celebrities, Baby Spice and Britney Spears are apple shapes.  An apple figure should focus on giving their round body some shape and structure by creating a waistline, downplaying their curves, and showing off their legs.  Click here for detailed tops on how to dress your figure.
5. Lean Rectangle– A rectangle figure is defined as going straight up and down, with bust, waist, and hip measurements about the same.  Shoulders are neither too wide nor too narrow.  Cameron Diaz is a lean rectangle shape.  You want to create curves at the bust and hips, while narrowing the waist.  Click here for detailed tips on how to dress your figure.
6. Plus Sized – As women gain weight, they lose their shape.  Plus sized shapes do not have a defined chest, waist, and hips.  These three sections blend together and you are left with no shape.  Queen Latifa, Christina Schmidt, Johanna Dray, and Crystal Renn are plus sized beauties.   Even though it is harder to find clothes that fit, putting in the extra effort will have great payoffs.  To get your shape back, you need tailored clothes with structure and seeming that also create a waistline.  Click here for detailed tips on how to dress your figure.

ADDITIONAL BODY SHAPES:

1. How to Dress Your Short or Long Torso