The key is to know your proportions, and use fashion to accentuate your best features and hide everything else! Trends change fast, and it’s not always easy to know how to adapt them for our unique (and beautiful!) body type. We believe that fashion is about feeling great in the looks we love and feeling great in who we are.

But first things first, do you know your body type?

Female body type is based mostly genetics and your skeletal structure. While you can adjust your it a bit with exercise and hormone levels, for the most part it is pre-defined by your skeletal structure and your predisposed fat and muscle distribution.  So work WITH you kind of body instead of against it.

If you struggle with figuring out which body type is your shape- you can measure your hips, waist, and shoulders to get an exact placing. Knowing this will help you learn how to best dress for your body.

The female body types include inverted triangle, Rectangle, Regular Triangle also referred to as pear shape, Hourglass, and round or apple shape.

body type

The Inverted Triangle:

You typically have an inverted triangle body shape if you wear a larger top half than bottom, and your shoulders are more broad than your hips.  You also probably don’t have a lot of definition between your waist and hips. If you think that your body type corresponds to the iverted triangle one, you should try and let your neckline and hips steal away the spotlight. Avoid necklines like boat-neck or Bardot, big straps, halter-neck tops, big shawl collars, and larger patterns on your top half. Instead, opt for items that accentuates your bottom half like an a-line skirt or wide leg trousers.

The Apple:

Generally described as “top-heavy”, this is generally about 14 percent of women where the bust is three or more inches bigger than the hips. Slim limbs, specifically the arms, but wide shoulders are usually a strong characteristic of this body type. Weight is concentrated around your midsection and chest, giving the appearance of a bigger bust and protruding stomach, at times. Keep your tops and jackets more streamlined and simple.

You don’t want to have shoulder details or embellishments that draws too much attention. You want to aim for a balanced look, so that means well-fitted, tailored tops and jackets that are not skin tight. The easiest jeans for your body type is a straight leg jean, as it highlights your fantastic legs, while also defining your waist a bit more.

The Hourglass:

If your shoulders and hips are fairly balanced and you have a defined waist, you’re likely an hourglass shape. You may be this body type if you’d describe your body as curvy, if you have a well-defined waist, your bust and hip measurements are roughly even or you may have fuller bust, hips, and thighs.

To dress an hourglass body type, avoid anything that makes you look “boxy”! You have admirable curves, so embrace them. Use your waist as the focal point when dressing. This means to wear snug clothes and accessories around the thinnest part of your waist. Directing attention here will make your curves stand out even more.

The straight or rectangular:

With this body type, you may have a long, thin body that tends to lack curves. It is sometimes referred to as a “boyish” profile. Your aim is to wear clothes that flatter your thin profile, break up, your silhouette, and create curves that move up and down from the waist area. If you have this body type, you can “pinch” in your waist to exaggerate curves.

For example, add a belt to your dress. Go for ruffles and frills to add texture, volume, and femininity to your figure. For instance, a dress with a lot of embellishment at the bust will often give some “weight” there that makes that area look a bit bigger.

The regular triangle or pear:

A triangle or pear shaped body is identified by a wider lower half, so you probably have wider hips and thighs and a narrower top half. For this body shape you want to draw attention to your upper half. You can do this by choosing prints or brighter colors for your top half. Wider necklines like boat necklines and sweetheart necklines broaden the shoulders.

Also, a padded bra or push up bra can help accentuate the top half, if you are comfortable with them. Actually, it is very important to have a bra that fits properly, no matter your shape. Also, you can use dark colors on your bottom half to slim your hips down a bit.