Let’s admit that each of us at least once faced this problem: you see a beautiful look somewhere on the Internet or someone, try it on yourself, and look completely different and it is not clear whether it’s something wrong with me or it’s all about clothes.
Come on, have you? So why do these clothes look different on another person than they do on you? It’s all about different body types. Understanding your body type and choosing clothes that emphasize your strengths can dramatically change your look.
In this article, you will learn how to determine your body type and get tips on choosing clothes that will favorably emphasize your natural data.
Understanding Body Types
Body type is a peculiarity of bone structure and fat and muscle tissues, which determines the proportions of body parts. There are five main body types based on the ratio of shoulder width, hips, waist, and chest: pear, apple, hourglass, rectangle, and inverted triangle.
How to Determine Your Body Type
Determining your body type is quite easy, you need to take some measurements and analyze your proportions. Here are the steps that will help you do it:
- Measure the circumference of your chest, waist, and hips.
- Compare the results: which part of your body is widest or narrowest?
- Assess your overall shape and proportions.
- Pay attention to such signs as broad shoulders, a pronounced waist, voluminous hips, or even proportions.
It is important to take measurements in a relaxed state and not try to fool yourself: the waist is measured by the narrowest part above the navel, and shoulders, chest, and hips – by the widest part.
So if your shoulders and hips are the same, you are an “hourglass” or “apple” type. If your shoulders are already hips – you have a body type “pear”, otherwise your body type is an “inverted triangle”.
Body types and what to wear
Pear Type
“Triangle”, or ‘pear’ is an example of a body shape in which the hips appear wider than the shoulders, and the shape decreases towards the top. Due to the rounded hips and buttocks, the waist of representatives of these forms looks narrow. They also often have flat stomachs, small breasts, and long necks.
What outfits are suitable for ladies with this type:
1. Dresses
Dresses with an accent on the waist are ideal for this type, for example, with an exaggerated waist or a dress flare. Dresses with A-silhouette will also work well. Often ladies with this type do not have a lush bust, in this case, V-neckline is a good way to emphasize the upper part of the body, as well as interesting decor. For example, pay attention to dresses that are decorated:
- Ruffles on the chest, puffy sleeves, slit on the skirt, deep cleavage.
It is not recommended to use too heavy and dense fabrics. Leather, velvet, brocade, and tweed can increase the volume of your body shape, but are not able to give it lightness, femininity, and grace.
2. Tops
Choose models with jewelry, ruffles, flounces, broad shoulders, or long sleeves. This will increase the volume of the top and make the body shape more proportional. Square or V-necklines will do the trick.
The ideal look with an accent on the shoulders can be structured jackets or jackets with shoulder pads that end just above the hip line.
3. Bottom
A-silhouette skirts that expand from the waist and hide the volume of the hips are ideal. You can also try trapeze skirts and models with an exaggerated waist, which emphasize the waist and lengthen the legs. A trapeze skirt is a great option for a pear, if it is up to the knee or a little lower. An A-silhouette skirt that is too short will make your hips look bigger and your body shape more obese. With a row of vertical buttons on the front of the trapeze skirt pulls out the silhouette. Today, such models are not only relevant, but also perfectly slimming.
Jeans – universal clothing, without which even the most elegant and romantic closet is impossible. The pear body shape is characterized by feminine shapes, and picking the perfect jeans for her is not easy. When choosing jeans should pay attention to straight classic models of full length. An exaggerated waist can make the lower body really heavy, so choose models with a medium fit. A low fit can also play a cruel joke with lush hips. The perfect solution can be mom jeans.
Ladies with a pear figure should favor more fitted and clear styles, so as not to turn the body shape into a monumental one. Pants ideal for the Pear body shape:
- Straight suiting with arrows
- Lose, but not wide, summer pants made of light fabrics
- Wide knee-length culottes
- Pants, slightly tapered to the bottom
4. Accessories
To create a graceful silhouette and draw attention to the narrowest part of the body, wear belts at the waist. Light-colored scarves, necklaces, and earrings will draw attention away from the hips to the upper body. Shoes and boots with a pointed toe elongate the legs. Choose shoes with thicker heels for stability.
General recommendations:
- Colors: Try to use light and bright shades for the upper part and dark, neutral shades for the lower part. This will help balance the proportions of the body shape.
- Fabrics: Avoid dense, heavy fabrics in the hip area. Choose light, flowing materials for skirts and dresses.
- Prints and patterns: Prints and brightly colored details are better on the upper body, and on the lower body prefer monochrome fabrics.
Apple Type
Most of the fat deposits of people with an apple body shape are in the abdominal area, so the upper body, including the breasts and shoulders, is usually more voluminous than the lower body. In addition, women with these shapes usually have slender legs, large breasts, and a relatively small waist.
What outfits are suitable for ladies with this type
The main goal when choosing clothes for this body shape is to create the illusion of a waist, lengthen the silhouette, and emphasize the legs and neckline.
1. Dresses
Models with stockings, A-silhouette, cocoon dresses, and dresses-flats will look great. You can wear models with a corset and clothes that emphasize the chest.
2. Top
Choose tops with a V-neck or U-neck, which elongate the neck and optically lengthen the body shape. Blouses and blouses with flared tops that create the illusion of a waist are ideal. Also, look out for vertical lines, such tops will help to lengthen and level the body shape.
Jackets with a single-breasted cut, straight lines, or with a belt will create the illusion of a waist and elongate the body shape. Choose fitted models that end below the hips.
3. Bottom
To emphasize the waist, choose ballon or trapeze skirts, which can be complemented with a wide belt or corset. Straight-cut models are also good, and mini or midi skirts are ideal. It is also worth paying attention to pencil skirts, which tighten the hips and draw attention to the legs.
Wide pants and jeans look good on this body shape, and narrow models will not emphasize slender legs and will disadvantageously highlight the upper part of the body.
4. Accessories
If you want to emphasize the waist, choose wide belts or belts that can be worn just above the natural waistline, which will create the illusion of a slimmer silhouette. Long earrings and necklaces will draw attention to the face and neck, while large jewelry around the neck and neckline will help balance proportions. Choose shoes with a high heel or platform, models with a pointed toe or open top to visually lengthen your legs.
General recommendations:
- Colors: Dark, solid colors on the upper body and brighter, more saturated shades on the lower body will help to balance proportions and make the body shape slimmer.
- Fabrics: Avoid fabrics that are too dense or bulky around the abdomen and waist. Light and flowing materials, on the contrary, will gently streamline the body shape and will not add unnecessary volume.
- Prints and patterns: Choose vertical stripes that elongate the silhouette. Small patterns and non-contrasting prints on the upper body will also work.
Hourglass Type
The hourglass body shape is considered a symbol of femininity and proportion. This body shape combines broad shoulders and hips with a strong waistline to create a balanced silhouette that many consider ideal. If you have this body shape, your main goal when choosing clothes is to emphasize your natural curves, not to hide your waist.
Distinguishing features:
- High, straight shoulders
- Medium to large breasts
- Slim waist
- Voluminous hips
What to wear
For ladies with an hourglass body shape, the ideal choice is to wear clothes that emphasize their natural proportions and accentuate the waist. Your key to success is to choose clothes that emphasize your natural curves.
1. Dresses
Ladies and women with this body shape are suitable for almost all styles of dresses, they are born for them. It can be dressed with a V-neck, tight or trapezoidal cut, dresses-flats, dresses with a flap, with draping. Also beautiful will look beautiful models with straps and open shoulders. If you have a small height, the ideal option will be a fitted midi with a tight-fitting bodice and an A-line skirt.
2. Bottom
Mini-skirts, but only if the owner of the silhouette “hourglass” still has slim and beautiful legs. Pencil skirt tight or slightly loose in the hips, with a regular or high waist. Midi skirts tight fit. Trapeze, such models are perfect for ladies of high or medium height.
Half-solumn. Stylists recommend wearing them with a shirt, light sweater, or blouse, perhaps with a thin strap. In the closet of owners of the body shape “hourglass” must necessarily be a few fashionable skirts. In this case, the task of the skirt – is to emphasize the waist, but not add volume to the hips.
For the body shape “hourglass” is suitable for almost any clothes, but to emphasize the advantages of the form, it is worth paying attention to these models:
Pants with an exaggerated waist: such models lengthen the legs and emphasize the waist.
Straight jeans: They repeat the curves of the body shape, creating a harmonious look. Flared: They add more beautiful lines Wide pants with a belt: Emphasize the waist and create the effect of long legs.
Be careful with wide options – if you combine such a bottom with a loose top, you will look too voluminous.
3. Top
Blouse or shirt: Women with an “hourglass” body shape should not buy models of really tight silhouettes, but the waist should be emphasized. A loose blouse will look favorably under jeans or tucked into a high-waisted skirt.
Top: A round or V-shaped neckline will perfectly emphasize the neck and pronounced collarbones. But any neckline will not spoil the look.
Sweater: You can’t do without this detail of your closet – it goes with almost everything. Buy a sweater with a natural composition of at least 70%.
Long sleeves: Tight long sleeves with and without a neckline will emphasize the lines of the body and the outlines of the body shape. They can be worn with jeans and pants, although in the same way, this thing will look good and skirt.
4. Accessories
Accessories should emphasize the waist and draw attention to the proportions of the body shape.
- Wide belts: They will emphasize the waist, making it even more pronounced.
- Jewelry: Long necklaces and large earrings will emphasize the upper body.
- Heeled shoes: They will emphasize slender legs and add height.
- Corsets: Perfectly emphasize the shape of the body and bust and give the look a twist.
General recommendations
Colors: Monochrome outfits and contrasting combinations that accentuate the waist are particularly successful. Dark colors are slimming, and bright and light shades draw attention to certain areas.
Prints and patterns: It is better to choose moderate and symmetrical prints that emphasize the proportionality of the body shape. Vertical stripes elongate the silhouette, while diagonal and V-shaped patterns accentuate the waist.
Fabrics: Dense, stretchy fabrics that hold their shape and fit the body are ideal. Silk, satin, jersey, and denim are great options that will accentuate your curves. Avoid fabrics that are too stiff or too thin, which can distort your proportions.
Rectangle Type
Women with the body shape “rectangle” have an undefined waist, beautiful legs, and rather massive shoulders. The silhouette itself looks balanced, so there are no special restrictions on the choice of clothes. But there is a large list of outfits in which such ladies will look especially attractive and sexy. We will tell you how to choose the optimal closet, hide the shortcomings, and emphasize the advantages of a woman with such a body shape.
What to wear
1. Dresses
Shirt dresses will help to make the body shape as balanced as possible. What are good outfits? They have a fitted silhouette, a belt at the waist, and a flared bottom. Do not give up on models that do not emphasize the waist, dresses with A-shaped cuts, and the famous baby doll with an exaggerated waist.
The only model that should be refrained from, will be a classic tight dress. Add to it flounces, folds, or at least something that makes the model more interesting, and the silhouette more voluminous – and you will get a great option.
2. Bottom
Giving volume to the hips and highlighting them against the background of a wide waist will help plants-life and models with folds from the waistband. Skinny “rectangles” will fit tight pants, tapered to the bottom. And full ladies are recommended straight models and flared pants from the knee.
Correct a flat butt can be due to patch pockets at the back, decorated with embroidery or applique.
Shorts can be worn at any length because the legs of H-women are often slender. Give preference to wide models with decorative elements in the thigh area.
Ladies of low height should refuse capri pants and shortened models just above the ankle – they will make the body shape more chunky and unnatural.
Choose models without a belt – do not try to “make” the waist by pulling the body. Wear pants in tandem with a blouse length to mid-thigh. For the bottom of the outfit it is better to choose light colors, and the top – darker.
3. Top
Try to expand the upper part of the torso relative to the waist with the help of voluminous sleeves, breast pockets, collars, collars, shoulder-to-shoulder necklines, jabots, and ruffles on the chest and around the neckline.
Well, slimming body shape triangular neckline or deep oval neckline – the ladies-rectangles usually have a neat small chest.
You will fit a variety of tunic lengths to the middle of the thigh or below, they hide the waist area and make imperceptible its proximity in volume to the hips.
4. Accessories
Bright-colored scarves, large earrings, and necklaces draw attention to the upper part of the body. To elongate your arms, swap bracelets for rings. If you have long arms, you can wear a wide bracelet.
Belts are great for creating a slimmer waist in pleated dresses or trapeze models. Use belts in dark or muted colors without any embellishments so as not to add weight to this area. If you are tall, heavy and wide belts are suitable.
General recommendations
- Colors: For a rectangle body shape, choose contrasting combinations to accentuate the waist, and light or bright shades to add volume in the right places. Complete monochrome looks with a belt, and gradients can help create the illusion of curves.
- Fabrics: Thin, stretchy, and too-coarse fabrics are not suitable for the rectangular type. Choose clothes made of light flowing and quite dense, but plastic materials: chiffon, viscose, silk, starched cotton, corduroy, denim, gabardine, wool, and tweed.
- Print and patterns: Do not be afraid of large prints, on the contrary, undesirable small. Drawings and bright decor should be located closer to the face or at the bottom of the clothes. Play on contrasts or create monochrome sets. The highest class – prints, the shape of which creates the illusion of a waist. The same mission is performed by stitching, draperies, and colored inserts. Use the effect of layering and you will easily become an hourglass.
Inverted Triangle
You can safely attribute your body shape to the “inverted triangle” type if it has such features as straight, fairly broad shoulders and/or lush breasts; wide, strong back; not too active waist; narrow hips and long, slender legs.
What to wear
The elimination of a slight disproportion of top and bottom will help clothes and accessories be selected correctly. It is necessary to be able to combine the color, texture, and silhouette of the coat, dress, pants, and top. Only in this case will you get a harmonious look that successfully emphasizes all the winning sides of the body shape.
1. Dresses
This type of body type is ideally suited to the Greek style. The dress, freely falling, perfectly hides the shortcomings of the body shape and looks chic. The length of models is not so important, because ladies with this shape almost always have slender legs.
Successful is the “princess” style with a corset. With the help of a lush skirt, narrow hips are hidden, and the necessary volume is created at the bottom. A thin waist is emphasized by the corset, and the look becomes proportional as a whole.
Narrow hips can be hidden if you wear a dress of a straight style. The main thing is that it should not be too tight.
2. Bottom
You need to balance the top and bottom, emphasizing the bottom, so as not to draw attention to the top (chest and shoulders).
To increase the volume of the hips, you should choose styles with flared skirts, such as “sun”, “half-sun”, “tulip”, “trapeze” or “pleated”. If you follow this rule, you will look feminine and proportional.
The tasks of pants and jeans are the same – to make the hips wider. Therefore, suitable cargos, with gullies, wide models, and flare. Not the most popular styles, but they will sit on the body shape and emphasize the forms. If you want to be fashionable in straight pants, it is worth competently selecting other elements of the look. Voluminous blouse, with a belt, emphasizing the waist, on the legs – bright shoes on a high heel.
3. Top
The usual rule “white top – black bottom” for ladies with this type of body type does not work. On the contrary, in this case, you need a black top to visually reduce the massiveness of the chest and shoulders. Try to avoid small prints, large bows, ruffles, frills, and ruffles. It is better to choose a geometric style, bright, but strict colors.
The most successful effects in clothing models:
- V-neckline on tops, blouses, and pullovers
- Stock effect on blouses
- Single-breasted jackets up to mid-thigh with classic lapels, one or two buttons
- Masculine style in shirt-style blouses with vertical not wide stripes
Accessories
They help to emphasize the waist and face and distract attention from the shoulders and chest. To create a harmonious look, use:
- Belts;
- Long necklaces, bracelets, rings
- Spectacular shoes;
- Scarves tied at the waist;
- Earrings, or neat hats.
General recommendations
- Colors: Use dark and neutral colors for the top to visually slim your shoulders. Light and bright colors on the lower body will help add volume to the hips and balance proportions.
- Prints and patterns: Choose large prints and horizontal stripes for skirts and pants to visually widen your hips. On tops, avoid large patterns and horizontal lines, favoring solid colors or small patterns.
- Fabrics: Tops should be of light, flowing fabrics to soften the shoulder lines. On the lower body, you can choose denser and more textured materials such as tweed or denim to add volume to the hips and create a harmonious silhouette.
Conclusion
Knowing your body type is very important for making the right closet. By choosing the right clothes, you will be able to emphasize your advantages and create stylish, harmonious looks.
Be confident in yourself and do not be afraid to experiment with fashion to create your unique style.
Stay tuned for more!
By Eva Matul
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