I am a firm believer that body shape plays a major role when it comes to picking clothes and outfits not because it matters what shape you have but more to help you put together a visually appealing outfit through creating a balanced look.
Not all bodies are the same and sometimes it is hard to define a certain body or categorize it under a specific shape and that’s why you will find several systems that discuss body shapes and categorize them differently.
Personally, I follow the five basic body shapes and from there see if a person has an area that stands out differently and ads to their uniqueness by making them lean towards another shape and work with them to pick outfits accordingly.
The five basic body shapes include the following:
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Apple:
You have an apple shaped body if you have:
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Pear:
You have a pear shaped body if you have:
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Hourglass:
You have an hourglass shaped body if you have:
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Inverted Triangle:
You have an inverted triangle body shape if you have:
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Rectangle:
You have a rectangle shaped body if you have:
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On a different note, personal preference also plays a role. For example, some people like to emphasize their bust others prefer to camouflage it so picking pieces differ from case to another and the same goes for rounded bottoms where a person can feel more comfortable concealing that area while another person might want to draw attention to it.
To sum up, creating visual balance when putting an outfit together is appealing to the eye and your body shape along with your personal preference play a role in that equation. Take both into consideration when you are building your ideal wardrobe.
If you feel you don’t fit under one body shape, don’t panic. You could have the base of one shape with what I personally call an Oomph or a little extra that plays to your uniqueness. This will be addressed in upcoming blog posts.
Until then, here is a link that can help you find out your exact shape using measurements if you feel that you cannot determine your shape by comparing it to the basic body shapes:
https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/body-shape
