Existing body types
Typing people by body type is a great way to almost infallibly choose the right clothes and create your own wardrobe. It is important to remember that each person is unique, and figures of the same type can have their own individual characteristics. With the help of clothes, they can be both highlighted and successfully disguised.
There are five body types:
- hourglass
- pear
- apple
- inverted triangle
- rectangle
Each of these body types has its own characteristics that should be taken into account when choosing clothes. Sometimes even one piece of jewelry of a certain shape or geometric pattern is enough to emphasize a certain “highlight” of the appearance and divert attention from the shortcomings. Stylists actively use the secrets of choosing wardrobe items taking into account the features of the body type, creating both everyday and festive looks for their clients.
How to determine your body type
To determine your body type, it is enough to look closely at yourself in the mirror. You should be wearing something tight and not bulky. You can compare your reflection in the mirror with images of women of different body types.
If this method does not allow you to get a clear answer and accurately determine your body type, you need to take a tape measure and measure the circumference:
- breasts;
- waist;
- hips.
The chest and hips are measured in the most convex and wide area, and the waist – on the contrary, in the narrowest part. The difference between the obtained indicators can be used to determine your body type.
Women with an apple shape will have narrower hips than their bust and waist. Their legs can be either full or slender. The width of their hips and shoulders is about the same.
The “pear” has a smaller bust than the hips, and a weak waist that is usually hard to see under clothing. The hips of women with this figure are large. They are noticeably wider than the waist and shoulders.
The hourglass figure has approximately equal width of the chest and hips. The waist will be smaller by about 20-27 cm. One part of the body may be larger than the others. Most often, this is the chest or buttocks.
The “inverted triangle” has a shoulder that is wider than the hips. The waist is quite narrow, and the legs are slender. The chest is usually small or medium in size.
If a woman has a rectangle body type, her hips, waist, and chest are approximately the same size. When gaining weight, the body usually gains weight evenly. The waist does not have the desired curves on the sides.
Clothes that suit your body type
Each body type has certain types of clothing that will best suit a person’s specific body type. When choosing, you should also pay attention to the shape of the neck, the length of the bottom and top, and decorative elements.
Hourglass
The hourglass figure is considered the most attractive and feminine. With this body type, it is necessary to emphasize the smooth transition from the chest to the waist and hips.
Suitable clothes for an hourglass figure:
- moderately tight-fitting, fitted dresses with a V-shaped or round neckline;
- skirts of such shapes as a-line, sun or pencil;
- trousers that have a mid or high waist.
Almost any clothes suit this type of figure. It is recommended to choose fitted models that have a beautiful neckline. The emphasis should be on the narrow feminine waist. Thin belts can be used as decorative elements. Jewelry can be quite voluminous, attracting attention.
Apple
Women with an apple-shaped figure need to visually stretch their silhouette: therefore, it is recommended to choose items in darker shades – they cope with this task perfectly.
Suitable clothes for an apple shape:
- dresses that flare out at the bottom;
- asymmetrical models;
- shirts, blouses, pullovers with an envelope neckline;
- wrap skirts, straight-cut jeans;
- oversized t-shirts.
Jackets and cardigans are best worn unbuttoned. For the “apple” figure, loose dresses with an open neckline are well suited.
Rectangle
For a rectangle figure, it is recommended to emphasize the waist, slender legs, graceful shoulders and a beautiful collarbone area. It is necessary to choose items with wide belts and geometric patterns. They should be located in the waist area, which is a relatively problematic area for such a figure. Women are suited to rather extravagant striped and checkered models.
Suitable clothes for a rectangle figure:
- blouses, voluminous shirts, sweaters with a belt, decorative elements at the waist;
- voluminous pullovers, oversized models;
- wrap dresses;
- banana jeans, boyfriends;
- flared skirts;
- one-button jackets;
- coats, fur coats with a belt.
Girls with a rectangular body type can wear low-waisted trousers, cropped and classic models, mainly business style. Jackets and blazers should have a straight shoulder line. Skirts can be both long and short. To visually narrow the waist, it is necessary to use belts and straps.
Inverted Triangle
When choosing a wardrobe for a figure that has the shape of an inverted triangle, it is recommended to choose things that can visually reduce the shoulders and increase the volume of the hips. Also, the chosen model should skillfully emphasize the waist. It is recommended to buy things of a straight cut. They visually erase the difference between the width of the hips and shoulders.
Suitable clothes for the inverted triangle figure:
- jackets, tops, dresses with wide frills and peplum;
- trousers, jeans with a low rise and volume in the waist and pockets;
- colorful and light shades of skirts and trousers;
- tank tops, V-neck sweaters;
- shirt dress, models with a fluffy bottom and drapery.
Such a figure is conventionally considered athletic. Ideally, the item should smoothly follow the contours of the body and have a restrained color scheme. The slenderness of the legs can be emphasized with trousers and jeans that flare from the hip, patch pockets and various decorative elements in this area.
Pear
The “pear” figure has characteristic expressive hips, rather narrow shoulders and waist. These advantages of the physique should be emphasized with the help of wardrobe items. The main emphasis is recommended to be placed on things that can balance the bottom and top, make the shoulders visually wider.
Suitable clothes for a pear shape:
- blouses with wide sleeves, off-shoulder sweaters, tops;
- A-line skirts;
- straight cut jeans, flared ones are possible;
- voluminous scarves;
- hats with wide brims.
For this type of figure, it is better to choose a light and fairly voluminous bottom, which will make the shoulders visually wider and balance them in relation to the voluminous hips. Skirts, jeans and trousers should have a high waist. The bottom can be flared, preferably monochromatic.
What clothes are best to avoid?
Women with an hourglass figure should avoid baggy, shapeless styles. They hide a pronounced thin waist and add extra and unnecessary volume to the appearance. Baggy, straight-cut styles make women with an hourglass figure look much fatter. It is also recommended to avoid sharp lines and rough, dense fabrics.
For an apple-shaped figure, it is necessary to avoid tight models, jeans that have a high waist. It is better to refuse decorative elements located in the abdominal area. Women are also advised to avoid too baggy models that make the figure more voluminous.
For a “rectangle” figure, clothes that exactly follow the curves of the body are not suitable. It is better to choose loose-fitting models, but with straps and belts at the waist. Shirts and tops with an open stomach are not suitable. You should not experiment with turtlenecks and clothes that further emphasize a weakly defined waist.
Women with an inverted triangle figure are not recommended to wear models with a voluminous top and emphasizing the width of the shoulders. It is better not to buy jackets and sweaters, and jackets with shoulder pads. It is also worth giving up a boat-shaped neckline and “flashlight” sleeves.
For women with a pear-shaped figure, cropped trousers and jeans, narrow fit clothes, and too tight models are not suitable. It is recommended to avoid belts on the hips. They create unnecessary emphasis on the hips, drawing attention to the difference between the bottom and the top. You should not buy straight-cut clothes. It gives the figure extra volume, makes it shapeless and less attractive. It is necessary to avoid decorative elements located in the waist and pocket area. Also, you should avoid tight sweaters and turtlenecks. They create a pronounced contrast between the upper and lower parts of the body.
General recommendations
The body type is a key, but not the only criterion when choosing suitable items. It is also necessary to consider the woman’s height, weight, length of the upper and lower parts of the body and other features. One should not ignore a person’s taste preferences. In things that she likes, a woman feels more confident and attractive.
Each body type has its own advantages and disadvantages. You can highlight more advantageous areas not only with the help of wardrobe items, but also with the help of correctly selected jewelry, decorative elements, belts.
Problems with growth
To conditionally “stretch” the silhouette along the length, you can use sets in the same color scheme. If you are short, you should give preference to vertical lines, deep necklines, and tapered sleeves. Jewelry should be small in size.
Voluminous and dense fabrics are not suitable for women of short stature. Also, it is not recommended to wear long skirts, hip-length jackets, or bottoms that have a horizontal border. And tall women can safely wear models with bright large patterns. In this case, the emphasis should be on the part of the body that has less volume.
Long body with short legs
A conditionally long torso with shortened legs can be corrected with the help of trousers, shorts or jeans with a high waist. Such things help to visually lengthen the legs and stretch the height of a woman. A horizontal stripe on shirts, blouses, T-shirts also helps to make the top balanced in relation to the bottom.
Vertical striped trousers are suitable for “lengthening” the legs. Shoes should be selected in the same tone as the bottom. This will create a visually continuous line that lengthens the silhouette.
If you have a long torso and short legs, you should tuck the top into jeans, trousers or shorts. Also, don’t neglect high heels. They perfectly harmonize the silhouette, making the legs more slender, longer, and the figure proportional.
Full or too thin legs
The ideal shape of legs is quite rare among women. But you can still achieve the desired effect with the help of the right wardrobe. Too slender legs with protruding knees can be hidden behind elongated skirts of a free cut. But in order to choose a suitable belt for a skirt or any other decorative element, it is important to take into account the features of the entire physique.
Conditionally thin legs can be made more “voluminous” with the help of tights that have light shades, are made of thick fabric or decorated with a pattern.
Too narrow hips, typical for the triangle figure type, can be made visually wider with the help of elongated jackets, flared skirts or pleated skirts. It is not recommended to choose models with decor for those with plump and short legs.
In this case, it is better to focus on the upper part of the body. In this case, it is necessary to choose monochromatic (mostly dark) shades for the bottom. They visually slim and lengthen the legs. With wide hips, it is worth wearing classic skirts and straight trousers with arrows.
Long or short neck
A long neck is not considered a flaw in the beauty industry. But with a shortened upper body, it can bring a certain disharmony to the image. An excessively long neck can be made visually shorter with the help of horizontal patterns and designs on the fabric. It is also recommended to use lush collars with ruffles and waves.
A short neck is visually lengthened with a V-neck. The same effect can be achieved by wearing shirts or blouses with a couple of unbuttoned top buttons.
Another way to visually lengthen the neck is to avoid long, loose hair. It is better to make a high ponytail or wear a short haircut. Long earrings or necklaces will also help to hide this feature.
