As women, we know we’re all different. It makes us unique and fabulous. One of the reasons we love fashion so much is because we all create individual styles through our choices. However, not everything suits everyone. We’ve heard from Vogue about dressing for your age and dressing for your skin tone from InStyle. But what about your figure? Learning how to dress for your body shape is all about really getting to know your body type and starting to choose pieces that accentuate, flatter and work with your unique shape.
Dressing for your body shape is about buying less and choosing better quality fashion that truly suits your individual shape. Here, we take a look at the five main body types that women’s shapes (generally) tend to fall into. Plus, the fashion picks that most suit each body type and what you should be looking out for.
What Are the Different Body Shapes?
Women’s bodies come in lots of beautiful shapes and sizes. However, we can really simplify our shopping if we decide which of the five main body types we fit into. This is, of course, fairly general and is really about working out the main features of your shape so that you can define what styles will suit you best.
Pear
Women with a pear body type have wider hips and rounded derrieres and thighs but with a small waist, bust and narrow shoulders. When it comes to a pear body shape like this, it’s all about creating balance for the most flattering look.
Apple
Apple shapes tend to be a little heavier up top with a bigger bust and stomach and then slim hips and legs. Many women with apple-shaped body types add lots of layers of fabric, which can often make them look bigger than they really are, which is exactly what we would try to avoid. Apple shapes tend to gain weight at the front and waist of their shapes and maintain slimmer arms and legs.
Rectangle
Rectangle shapes are fairly straight when it comes to the bust, waist and hips ratio. Often slim, this body type might struggle to create an accentuated waistline due to a more rectangular figure with less obvious curves.
Triangle
Triangle shapes, sometimes also referred to as inverted triangle shapes, have broader shoulders and upper body and narrow hips and derriere, often alongside smaller bust and stomach. Triangle shapes can struggle to create a “curvy” shape with their outfit choices and can feel off-balance with a smaller lower body.
Hourglass
An hourglass shape is often known as the most sought-after body type when it comes to waist measurement. With a small waist when compared to bust and hip measurements, an hourglass can sometimes look larger if not dressed to flatter.
What Are Some Key Pieces for My Body Type
Here at Shop It To Me, we believe in shopping for value, which is why we love to bring you designer sale deals on the daily so you can snap up the best quality pieces for the best price on the net. We also believe in careful shopping and capsule wardrobe shopping, where you find key pieces that you’ll wear over and over.
This is a great way to approach dressing for your body type. Let’s look at a few key pieces for each body type to give you inspiration for the types of styles you should be looking out for while you’re browsing Shop It To Me for all those delicious deals! Plus, we’ve included a couple of key items that might be best avoided.
Here, we break it down into each of the female body shapes we've discussed above.
Pear
Pear-shaped ladies need to focus on balance. They have smaller shoulders and bust so suit fitted tops and jackets perfectly. A pear’s best friend is a high-waisted skirt. This cinches the waistline and flatteringly drapes over the larger hip and thigh area, creating a beautiful curve.
An A-line skirt or dress works beautifully and a Bardot neckline accentuates the smaller top half. Blazers and jackets with added detailing at the shoulder will also help to balance your shape. Find designer options perfect for your shape on Shop It To Me.
Best to avoid:
- Dresses with a drop waist
- Low-rise pants and denim
- Oversized tops
Apple
Apple shapes can create an ultra-flattering look by choosing pieces with detail towards the bottom of the garment, helping to create balance. Choosing empire waistlines will ensure the fabric skims the stomach area and a plunging neckline accentuates your great bust measurements and draws attention away from the waist.
Opt for V-necklines and flowing skirts and dresses to create a feminine shape with just the right hint of skin and keep it designer with the help of Shop It To Me.
Best to avoid:
- Thick waist belts
- Statement necklaces and overly embellished tops
- Halter dresses and off-the-shoulder necklines
Rectangle
Creating curves with a rectangle body shape is going to be one of the main focuses. This can be done with the right choice of ruffles, draping, and frills at the neck and hip lines. Tapered dresses subtly add a little extra curve to the hip.
Stripes can be a chic choice to add curves, as well as wrap dresses with ruffles to create more shape. Many supermodels, such as Naomi Campbell have a rectangle shaped figure, yet manage to create curves with just the right fashion choices.
Best to avoid:
- Boxy tops and jackets with no shape
- Straight sheath dresses
Triangle
Like apple-shaped ladies, having a triangle shape is all about creating balance. You want to add a little volume towards the bottom of your outfit and keep your shape fitted and neat up top to counterbalance broad shoulders.
Get one of this season’s hottest pieces on Shop It To Me that is going to be ultra-flattering for a body with a triangle shape and choose a pleated midi skirt for that extra volume. Jackets with a fitted waist will work perfectly too.
Best to avoid:
- Fussy, voluminous detailing at the shoulder
- Pencil skirts that accentuate the triangle silhouette
- Halter and off-the-shoulder straps on tops and dresses
Hourglass
Hourglass body types simply want to cinch and accentuate that waist to create the best shape, meaning anything belted is a must. Plunging and fitted necklines flatter and both voluminous and fitted skirts look chic for every hourglass figure.
High-waist pants or jeans give you the ideal waist cinch and leg elongation, so search Shop It To Me for designer trousers and keep them wide-leg and effortlessly chic. Any waist-cinching top or dress will accentuate in all the right places.
Best to avoid:
- Oversized, slouchy fits
- Hip-length tops and jackets
- Frills and ruffles at the bust
How to Shop for Your Body Shape
Be More Specific
No matter what kind of fashion shopper you are, there have probably been a few times when you’ve bought items that you know aren’t really for you. Shopping for your body shape is learning to know what is for you and getting much more specific on the type of clothing and pieces you’re looking for. This will help you to make much better decisions.
Choose Better Quality
Dressing for your body shape is really all about how garments fit your unique figure. Although there are five body categories that we can generally fall into, this is meant to really help you see which styles might work for your shape but remember, your body is unique and you should be shopping for you.
This is why it comes down to quality. Choosing better quality pieces almost always ensures a better fit. This is because designer labels can work more closely and precisely on the fit of each individual piece, concentrating on arm width and length, waistlines, derriere shaping and more. Harper’s Bazaar’s number two New Year’s style resolution for 2019 was to stop buying clothes that don’t fit, and we agree.
Once you’ve found your perfect-fit items for your shape, you’ll want to hang on to them for a long time. If you’ve selected high-quality pieces, you’ll be able to do just that, which reduces your cost per wear and actually makes your picks better value for money.
Wait, what is cost per wear?
When we talk about cost per wear, we’re talking about the overall cost of an item divided by how many times you wear that piece. Let’s offer a quick example. If you purchase a $30 dress and wear it twice, then it’s either out of style or a little run-down, your cost per wear is $15. If you purchase a high-quality dress for $150 that you wear 6 times the first season and again 6 times the next season, your cost per wear is actually $12.50. A bargain, right?
Shop More Carefully
This very much links to the above point about choosing better quality and shopping more carefully. Shopping more carefully means shopping without following trends and buying key pieces for your own body shape that might be a little more expensive but that really fit you.
This is where dressing for your body shape becomes best friends with the Shop It To Me platform. Finding beautiful quality, often designer pieces might seem above many ladies’ budget but when it comes to Shop It To Me, this is where we’ve really got your back.
Not only can you source pieces you love from your favorite brand at the best price on the internet, but you can also set price alerts for those pieces so that you get notified when the price tag gets dropped. Basically, it’s the best of both worlds, luxury quality at the best prices.
Working out how to dress for your body shape will be the key to unlocking your true shopping talents. Only then will you be able to create a wardrobe for yourself that is beautiful, both on-trend and classic in equal measure, and wearable time and time again. Shopping for your body type is also about embracing your shape and really accentuating and making the most of your figure, which will leave you feeling flawless and effortlessly stylish day in and day out. Decide which body type your shape falls into and hop onto Shop It To Me, where you can start to piece together a new wardrobe that really fits.