Your Fashion Signature: What’s Your Body Shape?

 

Your Fashion Signature…by MaryssaJoy

                     

Dressing for.…(your name here)

What’s your body shape? For Women Only

“Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out!”

“You don’t have to make a fashion statement every day, but you do want to appear put together and look your absolute best.” -philly2philly.com

 

The easiest and most functional way to shop is to pick out your clothing according to body type.

In my “Wardrobe Basics” article I talked about how quickly I was able to find a pair of flattering pair of jeans because I had a checklist of what that pair of jeans had to have before I even tried it on! No more spending hours at the store and still not finding something you’re excited about! Let’s just get to it so you can find out how you can efficiently look good every day!

Many people have a different idea of the few names and shapes that characterize women’s body types. I’ve looked at many but these are the most common and easy to relate to. Try and find out which one most describes you (with the visual it should be easy to remember which you are). You don’t need to read every one; it might be a good idea just to focus on yours. ;D

The Rectangle

“Currently this shape is the “ideal” shape for today’s top models.”-shapeyourstyle.com

~Full neck
~Broad back
~Average bust
~Undefined waist
~A balanced figure
~Great legs and arms

You might be a Rectangle if:

There is little difference between measurements of your waist chest and hips, you have a bust that is between small and medium size, your hips are square, your backside is flat, you are blessed with long arms and lengthy legs, when you gain weight it goes to your tummy and thighs.

Balance is always our goal and since you already have that, all we need to do is create the appearance of a curvier waist and backside to enhance your femininity, and draw our focus to your great legs and thighs.

To Give the Illusion of Curves:

~Surplice/Wrap tops

~Scooped or V- neckline

~Underwire or padded bra

~ Jackets with a waist, or bias cut jackets that flare out from your waist to create instant hips.

~Tops that are fitted and go in at the waist will help give the appearance of a curvier figure.

~A contoured waistband helps create curves

~Skirts that have a dropped waist

~Pencil Skirt

~A-Lined Skirt

~Flared skirt that gathers at the waist

~You have the best body type to pull off stilettos

Stay Away!

X vertical patterns and lines

X clinging and tightly fitted blouses

X short cropped jackets that end at your waist

X loose garments that do not show off your curves

X skirts, jeans, and pants that are high waisted.

X jeans with a straight cut (this will only emphasize your straight figure)

The Apple


~Fuller face and neck
~Broader shoulders
~Fuller chest
~Full and undefined waist
~Narrow hips
~Flat backside
~Shapely legs

You might be an Apple if:

You have a softer fuller middle, full shapely chest, you have broader shoulders and upper arms with an undefined waist, you have thinner hips and thighs, a flatter rear end, a tendency to gain weight in the midsection.

To Elongate Your Torso


~ Wrap Tops

~ Fitted Tops (but nothing too tight)

~ V-Necks

~ A good bra

~ Empire, or raised waist

~ cami, or tank top, with a matching jacket

~ belted jackets

~ tops that are darker around the midsection, and with the pattern at the top to bring the eye up toward your chest and face, while diverting attention away from your middle

~ shirts with a cinched waist

~ A-line skirts

~ Tulip skirts

~ you can go crazy with bolder colors and patterns but keep them on your lower half

Stay Away!

X tops that are too baggy

X tops that have puffy or full sleeves

X bold patterns, light colors or large checks above the waist

X Stay away from tapered pants (including skinny jeans)

X Avoid high waists

The Pear


~A Long or slender neck
~Sloping or narrow shoulders
~Narrow back
~Small to medium bust
~Defined waist
~Curvy hips and backside
~Full thighs and calves

You might be a Pear if:

You have a slender face and neck, small to medium bust, well defined waist, the lower area (buttocks, hips, thighs and calves) are comparatively larger holding most of the weight.

The Pear is the most common shape among women. With the Pear shape we have to think about balance. We want to give the appearance of wider shoulders and bigger bust to help take the attention off the widest part of the body by bringing the eyes up. So in other words what you need to do is to over play your upper body and give your lower body a slimmer sleeker look.

Do this by:

~using color on top

~wide neck lines

~accentuate your waist

~wear dark colors on the bottom.

~tops can be tight or loose!

~Go crazy with pattern prints and light, bright colors. Detailing or texture on top are great to balance out your bottom half.

~Puffy sleeves and tops that hug the shoulders ~wide-set straps will help to visually widen the chest and shoulders.

~Look for necklines that are scooped, draped, v’d, rounded or squared (any neckline that has a lower and wider neckline will look great)

~look for an under-wire or molded bras to help with balance

~A-line and flared skirts

~When choosing a dress, choose a dress with an empire waste or a wrap dress which will flow over your hips.

~Keep the prints on top and darker solid colors on the bottom

Stay Away!

X Body-hugging skirts

X Full Skirts

X A dress with anything tight or bold on the bottom half

XTapered pants (skinny jeans)

X High waisted pants

XJackets that fall at the widest part of your hips

X Flashy belts

The Hourglass

~Symmetrical shoulders and hips
~Full, shapely bust
~Distinctly defined waist
~Medium to broad hips that are in proportion with shoulders
~Shapely legs

You Want to Emphasize:

~Shoulders
~Bust
~Waist
~Hip

Emphasize by wearing:

~Surplice and wrap tops to accentuate your bust and waist
~Wear a bra with good support great fit
~Wear v neck tops to lengthen your upper body
~Wear jeans that have a slightly flared or wide leg
~Wear 3/4 length or longer skirts with a slit to make you look taller
“3/4 length skirts were all over the Fall runways.” -AintNoMomJeans.com

Stay Away!

X anything that hides your beautiful curves and turn you into a shapeless line

X pants and tops that are too baggy; these will only give you a frumpy look

X straight lines in skirts, jackets, and jeans

X tops that have large prints, checks and stripes

X blouses with ruffles and lots of details around the bust area, this will only hide your great curves and make you look larger and out of proportion.

X skirts that are to short, these will only tend to make you look round and shorten your total look

Thank you for reading! More on body shapes next month. Jeans, accessories and swimsuits!

-MaryssaJoy

If you have any questions or comments please send them and your first name to maryssa_joy @ yahoo.com with the words “style blog” contained in the title so I’ll know to read it. I may use these in the blog sometime so write me!

2 Comments

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  1. I am a rectangl with no curves. How can I appear more shapely?

    1. T-shirt’s with V necklines, padded bra, jeans with pockets kind of spread out, flap pocket jeans help.

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