It is hard to keep up with trends as they change so fast. Fashion is never about keeping up with what’s new but rather feeling great with whatever you’re wearing. There are guidelines and not rules no how to dress. Rules are restrictive while guidelines are pointers and you don’t have to follow them religiously. When it comes to choosing a dress, you must first know your body shape. Everybody and every body is different. That dress that looks good on your friend may not have the same effect when you wear it.
The Pear Shape
Yes we know we are likening your body shape to that of a fruit. It might even be offensive if you like pears. A pear-shaped woman can look good in just about any dress or pants. It doesn’t matter which part of the body you want to flaunt, a dress will always make you stand out. You have a pear shape if:
* The waist is wider than the bust
* You have a fuller rear
* You have fuller lips
* The shoulders are narrower than the hips
Dressing a Pear Shape body
Ideally, you should go for proportionality for body elongation. This body type stands out when it comes to accessories like earrings and dramatic necklaces. When it comes to dresses, go for belted styles, open backs, embellished necklines, and dramatic sleeves.
Gingham & Heels Maxi dresses are right up and super comfy. Boxy coats will prove the additional styling to make your look complete when going out for dinner or a date. The dress should emphasis on your slimmer arm, flutter your hips, waist, and legs.
The Rectangle Shape
Having a rectangle shape means there is a straight silhouette with shoulders and hips equal lengths and a minimal waist. With this kind of shape, there is no need to balance out the proportions. You only need to accentuate the middle to part. One of the key tricks in dressing such a body is keeping it clean and asymmetrical. You know you have a rectangular shape when:
* Your bottom tends to be flat
* You don’t have a lot of curves
* You don’t have a defined waist
* The hips have similar with the shoulder
This is a body type associated with models and is often easy to dress. When dressing such a body, you want to create a pleasing silhouette and curves. This is done by defining the waist and creating the curves on the top or bottom. Avoid wearing shapeless dresses as they will make you look awkward. You don’t want to be wearing straight dresses when trying to create curves. It is recommended to use strong blocks of color to define the body shape.
The Oval Shape
The key to dressing such kind of body is by defining the waist. This can be achieved by going for dresses that add fullness and curves to the lower part of the body. With such a shape, you have slimmer ankle, legs, and wrists.
The shoulders also tend to be smaller. The widest part of the body will be the bust and the tummy. This kind of body is often challenging to dress because of proportionality disadvantages. You should never try to hide your body in loose fit dresses.
The perfect dress is that draws away attention from the mid-section of the body. The main focus should be the more shapely part of the body. It could be your beautiful legs or the magnificent decollate. You have an oval body shape when:
* The legs are shapely
* Average to big bust
* Weight is concentrated around the tummy and the upper body
* The shoulders and hips are balanced
* No defined waist
You should try and avoid any kind of dresses that will add bulk to your look. It might be tempting to go for heavy knit dresses as they tend to add inches and they don’t always look good on the body. The dresses should be knee length to take away the attention from your midsection to the more attractive areas of the body.
Strawberry Shape
This is the second time we are making reference to a fruit. With such a shape, the upper body forms the heaviest part of the body. The arms tend to be fuller, and the burst bigger. The waist is also small will slimmer legs. The goal is to accentuate the bottom half of the body since the upper part is already taken care of.
The wrap dress is the perfect clothing for such kind of a body. Also called an optical dress, this kind of clothing is ideal for people with broad shoulders and a fuller upper body. It has an elongating neckline which makes the neck appear longer instead of wider. The lower part of the dress tends to be loose to accentuate the curves.
Dressing this kind of body is all about knowing the proportions. The aim should be bringing the body into perfect alignment and this is achieved when you even out the bottom and the top.
Skater dresses also work well for this kind of figure. It even outs the silhouette while balancing the figure at the same time. Dress necklines that could work with this body shape include the V-necks and scoops. You could also use the cleavage to your advantage.
Hourglass Shape
Most women strive to achieve an hourglass figure because of its appealing nature. It is characterized by an ample bosom, a smaller waist, and big hips. The perfect dress is one that showcases all these assets. Women with such a figure usually look their best when wearing dresses. Figure-hugging dresses and bodycon dresses come highly recommended for such a body shape.
To Sum it Up
You will always get something that fits perfectly regardless of your body shape. These are guidelines and not rules. Ultimately, what you wear should be comfortable and reflect your personality. It is always good to know your body shape so that you can know what to get and what to avoid when you go out shopping.
It i great to have a guide on how to dress for one’s body shape. I think that the problem sometimes is that the woman does not want to recognize her body shape.
Some good pointers on how to shop for clothes that are best for ones body type. I had not thought about how necklines and length can also make a difference in how well a dress looks and fits.
I love this article! Fashion and cooking are passions for me and I can’t get enough about talking and reading about these two topics. Now that I am in my early 50s and still like to dress fashionably, I need all the heIp can get!