How to Dress Better According to Your Body Type

Welcome to the era of self-love and self-appreciation, where fashion becomes a powerful tool to showcase our inner beauty to the world!  What better way to embrace ourselves than by wearing clothes that exude confidence and showcase our best features? Imagine strutting down the street, turning heads for all the right reasons, simply because you’re rocking an outfit that flatters your figure like no other!

So, how do you achieve this fashion magic? The secret lies in knowing your unique body type and dressing to emphasise your best features in the most captivating way.

We’re all wonderfully diverse individuals, and our bodies come in various shapes and sizes, each with its own charm. Embracing your body, regardless of its size or shape, is a celebration of your natural beauty! Understanding your body type becomes your superpower in curating a wardrobe that speaks volumes about your self-love journey.

Now, I can already hear you asking, “How do I know my body type?”

Dear Reader, you need not worry for in this article we will explore the broad categories of body types together, to help you unlock the key to your personal style. So get ready to dress for success, flaunting your unique beauty and making heads turn for all the right reasons!

Without further ado, let’s dive right in!

While every body shape is unique, the female figure has been broadly categorized into the following types:

1. Hourglass

2. Triangle or pear

3. Round or apple

4. Rectangle

5. Inverted triangle

Hourglass 

Now my girlie, you have an hourglass body type if the top and bottom parts of your body are equally broad, that is, your bust line and hip line are well-balanced and equally distributed. Also, your waistline is slim and well-defined.

For this body type, wear clothes and accessories that emphasise the curves and accentuate your waist. Such clothes and accessories include bodycon dresses, broad belts worn over gowns or shirts, wrap gowns, tops, and skirts, fitted blouses, pencil skirts, crop tops, blouses with V, sweetheart, scoop and halter necklines, and straight pants. 

Please, avoid wearing baggy tops or bottoms as they make you look formless (giving no shape). Also, avoid clothes with heavy embellishments at the hip and clothes with high necklines. Additionally, avoid low-rise jeans. These are your body type’s worst enemies.

Triangle or Pear

My darlings with the triangle body type, your hip line is wider than your bust line. Meaning you have a slimmer torso and a fuller lower body. And just like the hourglass body type, you also have a defined waist. This body type resembles the shape of a pear which is why aside from it being referred to as a triangle, it is also called a pear body shape.

For this body type, you are to wear clothes that flaunt your waistline and amplifies the upper part of your body, giving you a balanced silhouette. Draw attention to the upper part of your body with tops that have a boat, ruffled, scoop, and V neckline. You can draw further attention to your chest region by wearing a push-up bra underneath your tops.  A-line skirts, dresses, high-waisted trousers and skirts, and wide-leg pants can help balance your body proportions. 

In the name of everything wise and good, avoid baggy tops, low-waisted jeans, pencil skirts, and balloon dresses. They only make you unattractive.

Round or Apple

This is your body type if you have narrow hips, larger bust line, and an undefined waist; there is fullness around the waist area. You also have slim hands and legs, and easily gain weight in your torso area.

For this body type, your goal should be elongating your torso. Create the illusion of a waist and draw attention to your legs. Wear blouses with V, square, and U necklines, empire cut dresses and blouses, wrap dresses that have a flare or have A-line cuts, wide-collared jackets, knee-length A-line skirts, and straight-leg jeans and pants to achieve the aim and illusion. 

My dear slay queen with an apple body shape, avoid high-waisted pants and skirts, wide strips, pleated skirts, fitted or bodycon tops or dresses, ruffled tops, and baggy or boxy clothes.

Rectangle

This body type has a straight silhouette with balanced proportions of the shoulder, bust, waist, and hips – the measurement is the same in all parts of the body. This body type looks straight as the waist is not defined. It is also referred to as the supermodel body.

For this body type, the goal is to create the illusion of curves and a defined waist. You also need clothes that flaunt your slender arms and legs. Wear ruffled shirts, polka dot dresses, peplum tops, blouses with a scoop, off-shoulder and round open necklines, pencil, A-line, and tulip skirts, skinny jeans, hip-length jackets or blazers and dresses that cinch the waist to achieve this.

Avoid square necklines, crop tops, baggy or boxy clothing, straight gown, and skirts. 

Inverted Triangle

Finally, you have this body type if your shoulder and bust line is wider than the bottom half of your body – with a slender hip. You also do not have a well-defined waist.

With this body type, illusions of curves at the bottom half of the body give a balanced body proportion. To do this, wear peplum tops, ruffled tops, tops with V-necklines, A-line dresses and skirts, low-waist jeans, high-waist pants, and satin dresses.

Stay away from baggy or shapeless clothing, tops and dresses with spaghetti straps (just makes your shoulder look broader) and pencil skirts.

Bonus Tip

To discover your fabulous and unique body type, grab a measuring tape. Measure around your bust line (from one breast nipple to another), your waistline (around the navel), and your hip line (around those cute buttocks). Oh, and don’t forget, for accurate measurements, wear that thin camisole with nothing underneath when measuring.

And there you have it. The five broad categories of the female body type. Hopefully, the guidelines and tips given in this article will help get your fashion game on and unleash the inner magic in you of dressing to impress. Oh sorry, I stand corrected, rather than dress to impress, you are dressing to slay. Have fun as you mix and match recommended pieces of clothing that flatter your unique body type.

Remember, You are Beautiful!