When it comes to finding the right piece of clothing for yourself, what do you think first? Choose the most good-looking piece in your eye? Or choose the most suitable one? I bet many of you have felt disappointed because you bought something beautiful, but it did not suit you at all. It’s all because of your body shape. Some garments may look good on a rectangle shaped woman, but some just make her look boxy and heavy. One piece can be perfect on an apple shaped lady while it can be a disaster on a pear shaped one. So, you should always be sure of your body shape and what will look good on it, even if it means there will be some gorgeous clothing that you must miss no matter how much you love it!
Now, let’s check out the most common body shapes to see what you are, and the type of clothing that suits you best. There are 5 major ones with characteristics as follows:
Hourglass shape
Hourglass shape has always been the ideal body shape that every woman dreams of, but sadly, less than 8% women possess this kind of body shape. Women with this body shape have almost equal bust and hip measurements, a clearly smaller waist, slightly round shoulders and legs proportioned with the upper body.
So what kind of clothing will look good on an hourglass shaped woman? Almost any style, fit and design! If you are lucky enough to have this figure, you will almost never worry when buying new clothes. You can try on a bodycon dress to attract attention, or a skater dress to downplay your curves a bit when you do not want to see too many eyes on you. Of course, narrow and deep neckline, pencil skirt, straight pants will also flatter your curves and make you look charming all the time.
Rectangle shape
Contrary to the hourglass body shape, the rectangle shape, aka the straight or ruler body shape, has almost no curves. The waist measurement is not clearly smaller than the hip or bust measurements, and the weight is fairly distributed throughout the body.
If you have a rectangle shape and want to look nice, find a way to create curves by:
– looking for scoop or sweetheart neckline
– choosing fit and flare dress design to create the illusion of curves
– using belts
– opting for tops with details, collars or ruffles to flatter the chest
– wearing long jackets
– layering up to add volume to your slender body
– wearing pants – almost any kind of pants will look good on this body shape
– avoiding shapeless clothes, vertical line prints, too much gathering at the bottom.
Triangle shape
Pear shape or triangle shape is defined by remarkably large hips which are wider than the bust, a defined waist, slim arms and shoulders. Weight is distributed more in the bottom and legs rather than the upper body.
For this kind of body shape, the best choices of clothing are:
– Tops in bright colors and prints to draw attention to the upper body and away from your hips and thigh
– Necklines that creates illusion of broader shoulders, such as boat neck, scoop neck, or necklines that make your bust look fuller like sweetheart neckline
– Layering tops to add bulk to the upper body part, with a thin belt to define the waist
– Embellished top or scarf to draw the eye upwards away from the bottom half
– Wide sleeves like bell and kimono sleeves to add volume to the arms and balance the volume of the hip. Rolled or scrunched sleeves can also give the same feeling.
– Dark colored bottom pieces
Pear shaped women should remember to:
– avoid cigarette style pants because they will make you look unproportioned
– stay away from details at the hip or rear
Inverted triangle shape
Women with inverted triangle body shape are generally well-proportioned with broader shoulders and bust and narrowers hips while the waistline is not well defined.
If you have this kind of body shape, try to draw attention away from your middle body part. You should:
– Emphasize your bust with V neck, plunging necklines, scoop neck to draw attention away from your waist
– Opt for A line dress or one with a continuous pattern on it, or with color block along the sides of the dress.
– Choose bias cut skirt, A line skirt or full circle skirt to flatter your figure. Trumpet skirt or asymmetrical hem are also good choices.
– Wear shirts or dresses that flow from under the bust, expanding at the waist. Empire waist tops and dresses are ideal to cover the belly.
– Choose the right fit and length.
– Show off the legs with short shorts, high heels, short skirts, which helps to balance out the bottom half.
– Choose pants with high waist, side zippers, back pockets, which has flared, wide-legs or boot cut.
Also, remember to avoid:
– outfits with different patterns in the belly area
– dresses with embellished waist or built-in waistline
– thick belts
– clingy shirts or dresses
– halter neckline, high neckline, embellished necklines, off-the-shoulder cut or boat neck which make your shoulders broader.
– skinny jeans, leggings, any made of too-tight fabrics which will make your legs look smaller and your waist look bigger.
– avoid big heavy boots, leggings, skinny jeans because they look your legs look smaller.
Round shape
Women with a round shape/oval body shape are those who have large bust, narrow hips and a full midsection. When they gain weight, the weight will be distributed in the stomach, back and upper body. They also have slender legs and fairly flat bottom.
When it comes to choosing clothing for a round shaped, you should:
– wear dresses or skirts that falls below the knees.
– choose simple tops and jackets with clean lines, any details to the tops and jackets should avoid the bust/neckline and below the waist.
– choose draped neckline
– opt for pants with side zippers to avoid adding extra material to the front.
– choose straight legged or wide legged pants to balance the lower body with the upper parts, forget about skinny jeans, tight pencil skirts.
– avoid bodycon clothing or those with fitted midsection
– avoid clothing with extra volume, peplum or high neckline.
– stay away from horizontal stripes and big bold prints, choose vertical stripes and smaller prints.
