Guide on How to Dress for Your Body Type
You may have heard it’s important to pick your haircut based on your face shape, or choose your eye shadow based on your eye color, but did you know it is just as important to take into account your body type when putting together your wardrobe?
Women come in all beautiful shapes and sizes, and learning how to harness and enhance your inner beauty by properly framing your unique body measurements in your favor will have you glowing with confidence. Let’s dive into the four main body measurements, the role height plays in dressing well, and of course discuss the various body shapes or silhouettes that exist to determine what you need to put together your best ensemble.
In order to figure out your body type, a useful first step would be to take measurements of these four body parts: shoulders, bust, waist and hips. The relationship among these numbers will reveal the shape of your frame. So grab your cloth measuring tape and let’s get started with the following advice from the Nordstrom Trunk Club:
Shoulders: Loosely wrap the tape around the very tops of your shoulders, at their broadest point above your shoulder blades. It’s easy for the tape to slip off at this spot, so fair warning, a second set of hands could be useful.
Bust: Wrap the tape around the fullest part of your bust. Hold it snugly enough that it stays in place, but not so tight that it’s compressing your chest. It’s OK if you’re measuring over a bra, especially if you typically wear one.
Waist: This can be a little confusing, as your natural waist is different from where the waistband of your pants generally hits. You’re actually looking for the narrowest part of your waist, which is usually above the belly button.
Hips: As with your shoulders and bust, you’re looking for the fullest point. You’ll want to wrap the tape below your hip bones, around your hips and butt. With this, it’s also OK if you’re measuring over underwear.
Once you have determined your measurements in these core four areas, you should be able to decode your body shape. Although all women are different and unique in their own way, most will identify with one of the following body shapes: round/apple, triangle/pear, hourglass, or rectangular/athletic (see examples below). In addition to these, some women also identify as petite, tall or plus size (See Plus-Size Style guide here).
According to fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger Gabrielle Arruda, human body shape is based on genetics and your skeletal structure. While you can adjust your body shape a bit with exercise, for the most part, it is pre-defined by your skeletal structure and your predisposed fat and muscle distribution. With that being said, be sure to work with your body shape instead of against it. Let's now discuss best dressing practices for each body shape.
Are you curvy on top, with less of a defined waist and most of your weight is concentrated above the hips, you may be an apple or round body type.Your shoulders are broader than your hips and you likely have a larger bust. Take advantage of this! Wear printed dresses or patterned jackets that add a layer to shift the focus. Monochrome looks, dark colors, full or 3/4th sleeves dresses, and flowy tops are also great choices for this body type. You could also wear flared bottoms; such as our palazzo pants set to create a balanced look.
If you read the above and did not relate: bottom-heavy, with narrow shoulders and fuller hips, waist and rear, you may be a pear shape. This body type should try to accentuate their bottom half, with wide-legged pants, A-line skirts or dresses with patterned or ruffled tops that add definition to the upper body look great. Try a pair of Skinny jeans with a loose top to help create an hourglass illusion. Crop tops, sweetheart, V or deep-V, scoop or boat necks are all good choices for this body type.
If you are curvy, with a well defined waist and your top and bottom halves are typically proportionate, you may be an hourglass body type. This body type will want to show off their waist- so dresses that cinch at the waist will be your best friend. For these body types, check out our She’s a Flirt dress or Miami Nights dress.
Next, if your shoulders are broader than your hips, you are likely the rectangle or athletic body type. Your arms and shoulders need to be enhanced as much as possible with Sleeveless, strapless and sweetheart necklines. Blazers, long jackets and capes add the much-needed drama here. On the bottom, Choose A-line skirts, ruffled and layered tops. Dresses that add definition to your bottom and necklines that add meat to the upper body.
Equally as important as the above, your height plays a major role in what you should wear. If you are above 5’9, you may want to try a ¾ sleeve and denim that features a longer inseam, whereas if you are shorter, you may want to rock a crop top and/ or a cuffed jean to show off some ankle. Have you ever noticed how beautiful both Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick look, despite the over eight inch difference in height between the two of them?
Finally, everybody is different. No matter what your body shape is, it is important to be self aware during the shopping process to avoid disappointment. Every woman is gorgeous, it is up to you to tap into your inner beauty queen and enhance the features you want to highlight by dressing well. You got this!