dressing for your body

When you're shopping in a store, it's hard to know what will fit you best and make your body look banging! In hopes to break down this formula, first, I'll talk about the different body types and then give some suggestions and style ideas to accentuate the best parts of your body.

This picture from SheKnows.com perfectly breaks down the different body types: rectangle, inverted triangle, hourglass, pear, and apple. Alright, let's get into the nitty gritty, so you can determine which one best describes you and how to work with your shape to wow wherever you go!

R e c t a n g l e

Quick Facts:

• This shape is not just for the skinny ladies

• This is you if your shoulders, waist and hips are the same width

• This is often athletic women and those with a small bust (I'm right there with you, ladies!)

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The goal is to give the illusion of curves. You can create an hourglass shape illusion by accentuating the smallness of the waist. Belts, ties, pleats and ruching will do the trick!

What Looks Best:

• Blousy tops

• Tops that gather or tie at the waist

• Jumpers and rompers

• Wrap dresses or shirt dresses

• Cropped or bomber Jackets

• Pants or skirts with pleats

• High-waisted pants

• Skinny, flared or bootcut jeans

p e a R

Quick Facts:

• This shape has larger hips than the shoulders or bust area

• Pear shaped people have an enviable slim waist

Drawing attention above the waist, the body looks elongated and balanced. Ruffles, embellishments and scarves are great details to achieve this. Skirts, pants and dresses with a predetermined shape will bell out and mask any asymmetry.

What Looks Best:

• Embellished or ruffled tops

• Peasant or puffy sleeves

• Off-the-shoulder tops

• Scarves

• Light colored tops

• Fit and flare dresses

• Empire waist dresses

• Full, A-line or circle skirts

• Dark wash denim in boot cut

a p p l e

Quick Facts:

• This shape has comparable shoulders and hips

• This is you if you have a larger bust and hold weight in your middle

Apple shaped people often have beautiful shoulders, arms and legs, so those are the areas to spotlight. Draw attention to your best features!

What Looks Best:

• A really supportive bra

• Cold shoulder tops

• Swing coats, tops or sweaters

• Tailored jacket with shoulder details

• Blousy tops

• Dark colored tops

• Layering button-down shirts with open sweaters

• High-waisted skirts and pants

• Trouser pants or jeans

• Light colored pants

i n v e r t e d t r i a n g l e

Quick Facts:

• This shape has larger shoulders than hips

• This is you if you have a larger bust and broader shoulders

• This may be you if you have an athletic build but not much of a rear

You can play with color in order to draw attention to the bottom half of the body, which will create symmetry with the broad shoulders.

What Looks Best:

• Dark colored tops

• Draping cardigan

• Blousy tops

• One-shoulder dress

• Peplum, tulip or bubble skirt

• Light colored pants or skirts

• Straight leg jeans

h o u r g l a s s

Quick Facts:

• This shape has curves that balance at the shoulders and hips

• You have an enviably slim waist

With curves like that, you'd be silly to not highlight a waist like that!

What Looks Best:

• V-neck tops

• Wrap dresses and cinched waists

• Belted coats

• Rompers and jumpers

• Pencil skirts in soft fabrics

• Crop tops

• High-waisted skirts and pants

• Wide-leg pants

This post was put together with the help of SheKnows.com, Polyvore.com and InStyle.com for research.