Body Shape: A Chic Couleurs approach
Bodies come in various shapes and every body is beautiful in its own uniqueness. That said, you might be very critical when it comes to your own body, and you’re certainly not alone in this. If you find yourself focusing on the areas that you don’t like more often than not, it’s time for you to learn about dressing your body shape, so that you have the tools to help you look and feel your best, no matter your lifestyle or your budget.
When it comes to Personal Style, you might find that some areas of your body are easier to dress than others, and that’s why knowing your body shape can be a real time saver. Once you understand your body shape, you’ll no longer be guessing which types of clothes work best on your body. You’ll know exactly what you’re looking for when you choose an outfit from your wardrobe and you’ll be able to save yourself expensive mistakes when shopping for something new.
First things first, let’s delve into the different Body Shapes.
There are 5 main body shapes:
1. Hourglass
2. Oval / Apple
3. Triangle / Pear
4. Inverted Triangle / Strawberry
5. Rectangle / Athletic / Slender
Each body shape has specific characteristics that are typical for that category. Depending on whether yours is a balanced or unbalanced body shape, you’ll need to know how to dress your body shape to create a balanced, well-proportioned frame and you’ll also need to learn how to wear your clothes so that they work harder for you.
Let’s look at each body shape and the specific characteristics of each of them:
1) Hourglass body shape:
A balanced body shape whereby the shoulders and hips are in alignment with a narrower, defined waist. An hourglass shape is typically curvy with a generous bust and hips, although a narrower slender figure may also share features of an hourglass body shape too.
3 Golden Rules for dressing Hourglass body shapes:
1. Draw attention to your waist e.g. fitted waists for coats & jackets, belting trousers and dresses.
2. Avoid oversized or boxy fitted items that will add volume to your frame.
3. If you wear an item with details on your shoulders, make sure it aligns with your hips.
2) Oval / Apple body shape:
An unbalanced body shape where the hips and legs are narrower than the upper body. Often an oval body shape will have a generous bust and may carry weight around the stomach area, while having shapely slender legs.
3 Golden Rules for dressing Oval / Apple body shapes:
1. Focus on creating balance between your upper body and lower body.
2. Avoid wearing skinny trousers with a voluminous or floaty top.
3. If you wear a shift dress, consider an empire line with a straight or a-line skirt (not a pencil skirt).
3) Triangle / Pear:
An unbalanced body shape where the shoulders are narrower than the hips, although the waist will likely be well-defined and narrower than the hips.
3 Golden Rules for dressing Triangle / Pear body shapes:
1. Draw attention to your shoulders (e.g. wear a lighter coloured top, consider a boat / bardot neckline, details on shoulder area).
2. Avoid wearing lighter coloured trousers or skirts with a darker coloured top. Light colours attract attention and add volume creating imbalance on a triangle / pear body shape.
3. If you wear patterns, keep them on your top half to draw attention and balance out with your lower body keeping the bottom half in block colours.
4) Inverted Triangle / Strawberry:
An unbalanced body shape where the shoulders are wider than the hips, although the waist will likely be well-defined, in line with or narrower than the hips. An inverted triangle or strawberry body shape will often have a generous bust too.
3 Golden Rules for dressing Inverted Triangle / Strawberry body shapes
1. Draw attention to your waist e.g. fitted waists for coats & jackets, belting trousers and dresses.
2. Avoid wearing tops that have detail running across your bust as this creates additional volume and creates further imbalance in your body shape.
3. If you wear an item that is fitted on your top half, consider wearing a wide leg trouser or maxi skirt on the bottom half.
5) Rectangle / Athletic:
A balanced body shape where there is alignment from shoulders to hips, with little waist definition.
3 Golden Rules for dressing Athletic / Slender body shapes:
1. Draw attention to shoulders, waist and hips e.g. wear tops with shoulder details, a belted waist and a wide leg trouser or a-line skirt.
2. Avoid wearing oversized or boxy styles that may overpower a slender body frame and look unbalanced.
3. If you wear a fitted top, add a jacket with defined shoulders, waist definition and layer necklaces in your best metallic.
You might be thinking “that’s great Charlotte but what if my body doesn’t neatly fit into one of these categories”. If that’s the case, I’ve got some alternative methods for you to try:
Body Parts Approach: If you don’t fit neatly into one of these body shapes, don’t worry, it happens more often than you might think. One alternative you might wish to consider is the body parts approach which looks at your silhouette and considers the different parts of your body separately. The body parts approach allows you to take the best pieces of advice for each of your different body parts which is especially helpful if your body has elements of multiple body shapes (e.g. you might have a slender figure with a full bust or narrow shoulders with a full bust or any combination of the other elements of the different body shapes).
Body Lines Approach: You may also wish to consider the body lines approach which looks at whether you have curvy or straight lines and considers that some people might just not easily fit into the body shape boxes. Body lines is a simpler approach than body shapes or body parts as it simply considers whether you might be able to draw a straight line or a curved line around the different parts of your body. If it’s a straight line then you’ll be looking at straighter more structured types of fabric and constructed items in your outfits whereas those with curvy lines will be looking for unstructured fabric with more movement and agility (e.g. elastane).
Straight Lines
Curvy Lines
Now you know your Body Shape (or the shape and lines of your different body parts), it’s key to put that knowledge into practice with some of my favourite tips as a Personal Stylist.
Golden Rules for dressing all body shapes:
- Avoid items that end on the widest areas of your body e.g. depending on your body the widest area(s) could be your hips / calves / thighs / bust etc.
- Wear clothes that make you feel great, no matter what you’re doing.
- Choose your best colours whenever possible, even if it’s just your home or leisure wear: it will make an incredible difference to how you look as well as how you feel if the colour makes your skin glow, your eyes sparkle and makes your hair appear shinier and more healthy.
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Hey there, I’m Charlotte, International Personal Stylist & Colour Consultant based in Geneva, Switzerland. I’m also Mum of 2 boys (3 & 5 yrs old) and a qualified Lawyer too. I specialize in helping busy 30+ women save time and find joy in dressing as you navigate their personal style. I am based in Geneva, Switzerland and offer in-person and online consultations.
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