What Is My Body Shape? Style Tips For All Body Shapes
Understanding your body shape is key to dressing for success. Last week we addressed the best way to dress for various body shapes and styles and this week we are talking all about the Oval/Apple, Inverted Triangle, and the Column/Rectangle silhouettes.
To recap from part 1 of the body shape series, catch up quickly by reading the post here.
First and foremost, you have to know how to answer the question, “What is my body shape?” Once you can answer that simple body shape question, you’re that much closer to identifying the shape of your body to build a wardrobe that you love.
What Is My Body Shape? Style Tips For All Body Shapes
Below are even more body shapes to help you learn how to style and dress for success.
Oval/Apple Body Shape
If you’re slimmer on top, widest in the middle with no waist definition, and have smaller hips and thinner legs, then you are an oval body shape.
Visualize Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Hudson. With this body silhouette, there are so many great ways to create the illusion of a waist, and the ability to really enhance your slimmer legs and arms.
Best fashion advice for someone with an oval body shape?
Look for drapey tops and show a little skin on top. Don’t cover up too much.
V-neck, scoop neck, boat neck tops should all work for you. Keep in mind that faux wrap top styles can work sometimes, but drapey tops with rouging, small prints, and interesting details should all work for you best.
Wear skinny or slim pants as these will always be the best pant silhouette for your body shape. Your pants need to fit slimly through the leg, helping create balance.
Use layers, scarves, shawl cardigans, and coats to divert the eye from the midsection.
Stay away from buying big. Just because your middle is larger, your tops need to fit at the shoulders and should skim your midsection. The sleeve length needs to be right as well.
Inverted Triangle Body Shape
The Inverted triangle body shape is where your shoulders are the widest part of your body. This body silhouette is usually slimmer through the hips and thighs.
Like the oval shape, tops are very important for the inverted triangle. To divert attention from the width of your shoulders, pay close attention to your necklines. V-neck, scoop, collared shirts, and sleeveless tops are all good choices to make.
Spaghetti straps and boat necks will only accentuate your shoulder width more. If you want to show off your shoulders opt for a one-shoulder top, or even a strapless top with a fuller pant leg or skirt.
Adding volume at the bottom is important to create more balance in the figure. Inverted triangles have several styles of pants to choose from. Think straight leg, bootleg, flare, and even wide-leg pants. Skinny pants will only accentuate wider shoulders and a less defined hip and thigh area.
Common/Rectangle Body Shape
If your shoulder width and the widest part of your hip area are approximately the same with little to no waist indentation, then you are a column/rectangle. Usually, the rectangle refers to women who are petite to average height and a column refers to taller women, but they mean the same thing.
With this body silhouette, we need to create shape by truly defining a waist like Kate Middleton with the belt and Cameron Diaz with the rouging of the leather dress. The belt accessory and the design detail in the dress both create the illusion of shape effortlessly.
You will need to get creative with trying different belts, using colors and prints, accessories, and layers to help create shape and balance.
Peplum tops and fitted blazers are perfect for this shape. You should stay away from anything that is too voluminous.
If you love a drapey blouse, then tuck it into a straight or flare leg with a belt. Tops with exaggerate shoulders or sleeves are good for this silhouette as long as it’s not paired with a skinny.
To create shape, we need a little volume on top or on the bottom but not both, or the effect will be shapeless. Try to avoid wearing one solid color on top and bottom unless you divert the eye with jewelry, a belt, or a layering jacket.
Now that you know the various body types, it’s time to figure out which body type you are. Compare the above and the prior post and then make a plan on how to dress for your body type moving forward.
