With the seasons changing, so are the trends. Shopping can be stressful when you’re unsure of how to work your figure! Fashion is about feeling good and expressing yourself through the things that we find and love. At StyleYourSelfie our goal is to make sure women from all over and all shapes and sizes feel complete and secure in themselves. We have researched and created this guideline to help you learn how to dress your body shape and play up your best features! Now, we are all different and come from different backgrounds and ethnicities, but did you know that every one of us have general body shape? Have you ever taken the time to research and find out what outfits work best for you? Well now is the time! So let’s start by acknowledging the 4 major body types:
Apple Shaped body (or inverted triangle):
- You are generally well-proportioned
- Your shoulders are broader than your hips
- You are not necessarily as curvy through your hips
- You don’t have a well-defined waistline
Pear Shaped (or Triangle shaped):
- Your waist is wider than your bust
- You consider yourself to have fuller hips
- You have narrower shoulders in comparison to your hips
- You have a fuller rear
Rectangle Shaped (or athletic shape):
- You’re not particularly curvy
- Your shoulders and hip measurements are nearly the same
- Your waist isn’t very small or well-defined, but rather straight up and down
- Your weight is fairly evenly distributed throughout your body
Hourglass Shaped (or curvy shaped):
- You’d describe your body as curvy
- You have a well-defined waist
- Your bust and hip measurements are roughly even
- You may have fuller bust, hips, and thighs
Now that we’ve acknowledge what those body types are, lets discuss how to dress them up!
-
APPLE SHAPED
How to dress your apple shape:
Take care of the top! – Since most of the weight and concentration is above the hips, your midsection appears heavier than the remaining body with a minimal waistline. What we want to do is take some of the attention away from your broad shoulders while also highlighting your strengths. With that noted, show off those legs with shorts and skirts or wear dresses with V or deep V necklines that create an elongated illusion of your torso!
- Fall in love with prints – Patterned jackets and and printed dresses are your best friend! For the fall, monochrome looks, dark colors, full or 3/4th sleeves dresses will help.
- Get Comfortable on the bottom- Flared bottom jeans, palazzo pants and wider “flowy” skirts like this one on our site can help create balance when wearing more fitted tops.
- Wear the right size bra– Now this goes for everyone! However, apple shapes have to be extremely careful with not wearing too big or too small bra sizes as that can create a more imbalanced look.
WHAT TO AVOID?
FIGURE hugging dresses and tight tops with skinny jeans will make your apple shape more visible.
-
Hourglass Shape
How to dress your hourglass shape:
- Since you have a well-balanced figure, your dresses should do the same as well. The dress should sit well at the right curves and follow the outline of these curves. Make the most of it, because not everybody got it like you do!
- Dresses that cinch at the waist like our “Kate” dress, will be your best fit. V or plunge V and sweetheart necklines can help you flaunt your upper body. To flaunt your waistline, go with a belt at your natural waistline or below the belly button—either way it only looks great. A-line dresses or similar cuts take care of working on the lower part of the body.
What to avoid?
While you’re blessed to be perfectly proportioned. Pairing baggy and loose clothing together will cause you to look heavier and more round. Shoot for more fitted clothing to accentuate those curves!
-
Pear Shaped
How to dress your Pear Shape:
The trick to pear shapes is to create an illusion of an hourglass figure. Generally speaking, more fitted or structured tops give you definition around your narrow shoulders and draw attention to your narrow waist. If you tend to be on the curvier side, this is even truer—make sure to show it off!
Your Core pieces should be:
- Plunging V-necks in any silhouette
- Cowl necks
- Bell-sleeves
- Scoop neck
What to avoid?
Stay away from baggy, loose bottoms as they will make your lower body look wider than they are.
-
Rectangle Shaped
How to dress your rectangle shape:
An athletic/slender figure looks best when they’re drawing attention to their muscular arms, defined shoulders and showing off their waist.
Your core pieces would be:
- Halter styles
- Racer back styles
- Scoop & round necklines
- Cropped shirts
- Strapless anything!
Play up your bust line! Lean towards styles with statement collars or embellished necklines. You can also score serious style points with a high neck and an open back.
Accessorize! – If you want to draw attention upward, find some statement earrings, layer some necklaces, or throw on your favorite scarf. To lengthen your arms, swap in some rings instead of bracelets. If you have long arms, you can rock the chunky bangle look better than most.
What to Avoid?
Avoid loose fitting and baggy clothing as they will “swallow” you up. Making you look bigger than you are!
Final Thoughts: Our Goal in reviewing these topics is to make sure that EVERY woman feels there best selves. So now that you’ve figured out where you stand, go out and put your best shape forward!
