Body Shapes

Horizontal Measurements

You are beautiful no matter what your body shape is!  There is no one perfect body type, size, or shape.  The purpose of giving you the knowledge of your body shape is so you can spotlight your best features and downplay any that you struggle with.  You will be able to choose and combine items that highlight your best features and make you appear balanced.  

These are the 5 most common body shapes:  

• Circle or oval (also known as apple) – 12% have this shape.
• Triangle (also known as pear) – 20% of women have this body shape, 
• Inverted Triangle – 14% of women have this body shape,
• Rectangle – 46% of women have this body shape,
• Hourglass – 8% of women have this shape, 

These shapes are determined by the horizontal measurements of your shoulders, bust, waist, and hips.  

Many designers are designing clothes for hourglass shapes even though only 8% of women have hourglass shapes.  Finding designers that design for your body shape makes it easier for you to look and feel beautiful.  When something fits poorly, it’s not you – it’s the clothes.  Trying to put a pant designed for an hourglass shape on a rectangle shape will create a muffin top which will be frustrating!  When you realize that is why some styles do not fit you correctly, you understand that it is not your body or your weight that is the problem – it is that you are trying on something designed for a body shape other than yours!

Knowing the “rules” of style gives you the tools for dressing to balance your body shape.  Once you know them, you can choose which ones you want to follow.  You may choose to break some of the rules because they don’t suit your lifestyle, or your personal preferences.  The goals are to accentuate and highlight specific parts of your body by drawing attention to the areas you want people to look at (just like a spotlight on a theatre stage), and to know what styles are best for your body shape to create balance.  Buying clothes that are meant for your shape will fit and suit your body well – they will not only look great, but they will also feel great.