Today, we live in a plural era. The plural in peoples and customs, plural in culture, plural in genders, plural in diversity among people. And everything is beautiful, everything has its beauty and value.
In fashion, it is no different. It is increasingly democratic and at the same time, it is possible to find references from all past decades, in what we wear dress for your body type today. Trends come and go with voracious speed, so it’s important to know how to choose and know how to use them in your favor, valuing your beauty, disguising what bothers you, and even saving money when buying, not falling into fashion traps anymore.
The first step to this is understanding your body type, or your silhouette. This will help you identify what suits you best and harmonize more with your body, making you more secure and confident when dressing.
We usually work with 5 different body types and to know which one is yours, in a simplified way, just take a tape measure and measure around your shoulders, around your waist, and around your hips. Take note and check:
Hourglass body shape
- Shoulders and hips in the same width and with a slim waist;
- Normally, the bust is medium, the thighs are thick and the curves are smooth and proportionate;
- Objective: it is already a harmonious body, you just need to be careful not to lose that natural balance.
Suggestions: this is a biotype that allows practically everything, so bet on fitted clothes, pants, and skirts with the waist in place, shoulder, and neck exposed, tight skirts, envelope dress, straighter pants. The belt is your best friend!
Avoid very voluminous and square-cut clothes that will hide your shape, prints on the bust and thighs, tight-fitting clothes, tapered pants.
Triangle body shape
- The shoulders are smaller than the hips. The arms and waist are thin;
- The bust is small to medium and the legs are thicker;
- It’s the typical Brazilian body (before silicone! Lol). Also known as pear and guitar;
- Goal: balance shoulder-width with hips and bring attention to the upper body. It is essential to always seek to mark the waist and stretch the body, especially if you are overweight.
Suggestions: here, scarves and necklaces are your best friends! Use anything that can draw attention to your lap. Use necklines and horizontal details, light colors, prints, collars, dropped shoulders, spaghetti straps, discreet shoulder pads, and puffed sleeves (yes, they will come back!). At the bottom, opt for dark colors and straighter, drier pants and skirts. For bags, choose the ones with short handles.
Avoid: light colors and flashy prints on the bottom, voluminous pockets, peplum, pleated pants, and skirts, flared skirts, and belts dropped at the hip.
Inverted triangle body shape
- Shoulders wider than hips and straight waist;
- The bust is fuller, the back is broad, it may have a protruding belly and the legs are usually long and thin;
- Goal: Soften your upper body, making your shoulders look smaller and your hips fuller. One trick is to draw attention to the lower part of the body;
Suggestions: on the top, use narrow and deep necklines, neutral and dark colors, shirts, twin-set, necklaces hanging vertically, raglan sleeves, flared sleeves, flowing fabrics, vests, coats open and ending at the hip line, long scarves. At the bottom, choose more open-leg pants, prints, light colors, pockets, peplum, A-line skirt. Vertical lines are your best friends!
Avoid Printed coats and shirts with pockets, ruffles, shoulder pads, flared skirts and dresses, double-breasted coats, short coats and jackets, puffed sleeves, skinny pants, boat neck, or horizontal.
Rectangle body shape
- Shoulders, hips and waist with practically equal dimensions;
- The legs and arms are usually thin, their forms lean and uncurved;
- Purpose: to create the illusion of false curves, making your appearance more feminine.
Suggestions: Waist is your motto! So abuse blouses, coats, jackets, and even cinched t-shirts, use pence and clippings in your favor, more open V necklines.
blouses and type U, blouses with ruffles, loose blouses, and flowy fabrics. At the bottom, wear a slightly low waist, pants with pleats and details in the pockets, knife pocket, flare pants, pantaloons, flared and flared skirts. Opt for bags with more rounded shapes and flashy shoes
Avoid straight-cut shirts, coats, and jackets, high collars, very thick wool blouses, very tight blouses, wide-banded or high-waisted pants, belts in a very different color from the clothes.
Oval body shape
- The body lines are rounded, with the waist being wider than the shoulders and hips;
- Legs and arms are rounded, following the shape of the body and the neck tends to be thicker;
- This person is usually overweight;
- Objective: to thin and elongate the silhouette, drawing attention to the thinnest points of the body, such as wrists, ankles, chest and face.
Suggestions: create the illusion of many vertical lines, with shirts, jackets with narrow lapels and used open cuts, stitching, detail, all vertically. Deep necklines to enhance the bosom, ¾ sleeves, monochromatic looks, full-bodied fabrics, hip-length blouses, and nothing too cinched. At the bottom, straight skirts and pants. Opt for peep-toe shoes and pumps that show the lap of the foot. Also wear large bracelets and rings.
Avoid: closed blouses with a high collar, voluminous scarf, clothes larger than your size, pleats, ruffles and drapes, short coats and jackets, flared skirt, tapered pants, pleated pants.
Summary
Ready! Now that you have a good summary with the main information about each body type, all that remains is to take your measurements and decide if you want to follow these conventions or simply reinforce and highlight your broad shoulders, your thick thighs, your very Brazilian hips, and your abundant way. It is important to point out that there are no rules for dressing for your body type, there is your desire, your willingness to wear fashion. So trust and don’t let fashion use you!
