Body Type Guide

BODY TYPE: pear

Pear-shaped bodies have smaller shoulders, bust, and waist in comparison to larger hips and thighs.

Pear-shaped women typically carry more of their weight on the bottom half of their bodies, and less on top. When considering how to best dress for this body type think about ways to create visual balance with your outfit.

For instance, by adding a bold necklace to a high neckline, A-line dress, you can draw the eyes up to the top half of your body. This will help you balance out the bottom. Or try a strapless dress with big and bold earrings and statement belt at the waist, again giving more balance to your outfit by accentuating your top half.

Women with pear-shape body types should avoid clingy fabrics and bold prints that draw unbalanced attention to their bottom half, instead focusing more on embellishing the top half.

BODY TYPE: inverted triangle

Inverted Triangle bodies have broader shoulders that lead to a narrow waist/thighs.

In contrast to the pear-shaped body type, women with an inverted triangle body shape have broad shoulders that lead to smaller, more narrow hips. They may also have a larger bust, or they may not - the main proportions that are prominent are the shoulders to hip ratio.

When looking at how to dress for this body shape, think about creating visual balance between your shoulders and hips. A v-neck top tucked into a pencil skirt will lengthen your torso and draw the eyes to the waist and hips, creating more visual balance. Add a long necklace and a belt to the skirt, and you can either dress the outfit up or down, still retaining the visual balance.

BODY TYPE: apple

Apple-shaped bodies have rounded shoulders, bust and waist line in comparison to legs and arms.

Ladies with an apple-shaped body type tend to carry more weight in the waist and shoulders, possibly their hips as well, and less on their arms and legs. Like every shape we have discussed, the key to dressing confidently is to think about creating visual balance between your features. For example, a kimono cardigan over a tunic paired with bright leggings and bangles will draw the eyes away from the torso and bring more emphasis to the rest of your body.

Think about ways to lengthen the torso, such as wearing a long statement necklace, and work to draw attention outward.

BODY TYPE: rectangle

Rectangle-shaped bodies have shoulders, waist and hips that line up.

Ladies with a rectangle-shaped body shape have roughly the same width in the shoulders, waist, and hip, resulting in a body shape that is mostly straight up and down. In order to create visual balance, add a little definition by experimenting with embellishments to your tops or bottoms and then pairing with a belt to create a more natural waistline. By using either a belt or wearing clothing such as an A-line dress that naturally hugs the waist, you’ll be able to create more definition in the hip.

BODY TYPE: hourglass

Hourglass-shaped bodies have smaller waists in contrast to both shoulders and hips, while hips and shoulders are proportionately the same or similar in size.

Ladies with an hourglass figure have a natural balance between their hips and shoulders because the waist is smaller in contrast. When thinking about how to dress, consider styles that enhance instead of detract from the natural visual balance. For instance, a wrap dress accentuates the waist and retains the shoulder and hip balance. A midi skirt paired with a fitted blouse can also help keep that balance.