I’m sure we all know the struggle of wearing something that makes our body look, just not right. You have no idea exactly what’s making you look less than your best because you bought everything in the right size, right? Well, as you’re probably already aware, every body is shaped differently and has different needs. In fashion, bodies are classified into the following categories: rectangle, triangle, inverted triangle, hourglass and circle. Knowing your body type is key to dressing in the most flattering way.
What Am I?
To figure out which body shape you would be categorized under, you need to evaluate yourself in the mirror wearing as little clothes as possible (tight clothes work too!) This is only because you want to be able to see the shapes and curves of your natural body without your clothes getting in the way or having them distort your perception of your appearance.
- If your shoulders are broader than your hips and waist, you have an inverted triangle shape.
- If your hips and waist are broader than your shoulders, you have a triangle shape.
- If your hips and shoulders are narrow and inline, and your waist is very subtle, you have a rectangle shape.
- If your hips and shoulders are inline, and your waist is very defined, you have an hourglass shape.
- If your hips and shoulders are inline but very broad, you have a circle shape.
Dressing for Your Shape
Inverted Triangle- You ladies tend to carry your weight more in the chest and shoulder region than in the hips and waist region. To balance out your proportions, it’s best to wear something that focuses on your bottom half. For example, wearing flared skirts can trick the eye into thinking your waist is slightly bigger, being proportionate to your top half. You may want to avoid wearing bandeau tops that emphasize your shoulders, as this may cause the eye to view them as being larger than they really are!
Triangle- Women with triangle body shapes have wider bottom halves than they do top halves. If you want to balance this out, try wearing tops with bold prints or horizontal stripes. This will cause the eye to look back and forth, causing the illusion of an elongated shoulder region. Try to avoid tight bottoms because that will emphasize your hips more.
Rectangle- Being that rectangle-shaped bodies are a little less curvy, these women may want to try to establish an illusion of curves. Wearing a belt that cinches around the waist can help emphasize the hips or wearing a sweetheart style neckline can help add curves to your upper half!
Hourglass- The hourglass body shape tends to be the shape that most women aspire to have. If you’re one of the lucky ones that actually have this shape, you’ll want to accentuate your curves! Bodycon skirts and dresses are a great way to do this because they hug your body in all the right places that really emphasize your shape.
Circle- This body shape is the most flattered by wearing vertical lines and dresses that fit slightly looser but are still well fitted. Try to avoid horizontal lines and large patterns as this will make the body appear larger than it really is.
Disclaimer: This article is not meant to tell you how to dress, only to enhance your style if you are feeling defeated by fashion. Dress how YOU want in whatever makes you feel beautiful!