Dressing Your Body Type
It’s time to embrace our bodies, curves, flaws, and all. When it comes to beauty and fashion, there is no ideal body shape. All female body types have their own unique attributes, and with style and clothing, knowing how to dress for your body type will let you have fun with your wardrobe so that you can flatter your body shape and bring out your best features.
Whether you’re looking for appropriate clothing for special occasions, workwear, or casual clothes and outdoor clothing, a wide range of women’s clothing options will allow you to find the best clothes when dressing for your body type.
Round or Apple-Shaped
If you have a round or apple-shaped body type you will tend to have heavier breasts, narrower hips, and slimmer legs.
Do
- Show off your legs! Wear an A-line skirt to add emphasis to your waistline
- With tops, choose turtlenecks, boatnecks, or shirts with collars. Knits and woven stretch fabrics are best for your body type
- The best jeans for your body type are ones with front and back pockets. These will help disguise a rounder middle area while defining your curves. But avoid pants with pleats, and choose a flatter front instead
Try to avoid tops with puffy sleeves, or overly baggy clothing. Slim skirts and tight clothes should also be avoided, since they will only emphasize a slimmer lower body half and create the illusion of imbalance.
The Pear Shape
Dressing pear shaped women involves balancing a slender neck, narrow shoulders, and a small bust with a shapely waist, generous hips, and full thighs. Your best assets are your waistline, delicate upper body, shoulders and arms, so try to accentuate these features when dressing for your body type.
Do
- Look for strapless or sleeveless dresses to play up the arms and shoulders. Or look for empire waistlines and dresses that begin to flare at the hips
- Choose flowing fabrics, especially when it comes to pants, and remember that straight skirts are ideal for your body shape
- Wear semi-fitted tops with square or cowl necklines to broaden narrow shoulders
Avoid tops that are too loose or too tight and make you seem out of proportion. When looking for a blazer or jacket, make sure the bottom does not meet the widest part of your hips. Lastly, avoid straight dresses that tend to tighten at the hips; this will only accentuate them.
The Straight Body
The straight body type features an upper and lower body half that are equal in width. If you gained a few pounds, they would most likely be equally distributed throughout the body, instead of going straight to your curves.
Do
- Choose tops with necklines that fall below the collarbone to elongate the upper body and neck
- Look for a longer suit jacket that will help lengthen the torso
- Skirts and pants with details can broaden the lower half of the body, while shirts with pockets on the bustline will emphasize the area
Try to avoid belts or pleated fabrics at the waistline. These can make the area look thick instead of narrowing the waist.
General Tips
For women with lots of curves, shapely legs, and a defined waist, accentuate an hourglass figure by wearing belts or choosing tops and bottoms with defined waistlines.
Petite women should avoid a cropped pant, and choose ones with a long and straight cut that will cover shoes to lengthen the legs.
Remember that these rules are not written in stone, but can provide you with some helpful tips on how to dress different body types. The best rule to stick to is finding what flatters not only your body shape and size, but your personality too. While darker colors tend to be the most slimming, a fun accessory can add life to any outfit, regardless of your body type.
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