We all come in varying shapes and sizes – just like beautifully wrapped packages! And there is no one ideal of what a perfect body type is, or a perfect mould which you’ll find a line of women all fitting perfectly into.
We need to first understand and embrace our proportions – are we top heavy? where does most of our weight distribution go to? are we athletic? slim and slender? curvaceous? From there, we then need to dress for our body type and accentuate the areas we love, or that are our best features.
The best thing fashion can do for any of us, is allow us to feel empowered in our own skin and body type, and help us look amazing by dressing for our proportions.
How to define your proportions?
A proportion is really the size of one part in relation to the whole. So it’s how long your legs are in relations to your entire body. And the like… To help you get a better idea of how to understand your proportions, here’s an image that sums it up perfectly!
The best way to do this is to be stripped of clothing (or wear something extremely fitted) and measure your body against this illustration. You could use a measuring tape if you’re into exact numbers – but numbers aren’t what’s important here. It’s the comparison of your body parts in relation other parts – that’s the only way you’d be able to tell if, for example, you have broad shoulders in relations to your hips. Or whether you have a short or long torso.
Study this and take however long you need. Pen your observations down so it helps you keep track.
Dressing for your body type
Now the fun begins! In most instances, we use fashion to create the illusion of a perfectly balanced shape. In most cases, the best looks are those that are equalise proportions – if you have a longer torso, what do you wear to lengthen your legs? If you have longer legs, what do you wear to balance your torso? And the like.
Here’s an example of how the same body type could look ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ just by the clothes she wears.
You instantly see the difference and I’m sure many of you agree that the Right look is much better for her body type. Why is this? Well because the clothes she has chosen accentuates her lines – they lengthen where they need to and help you trace the outline of her outfit seamlessly. In the wrong outfit, things are shortened, there is so much going on and you really have a hard time knowing where to look.
Here are some tips courtesy of lostinaspotlessmind.com…
1.A dark, plain top and a bottom with a busy, colourful print will enlarge the hips.
2. The color gradient that pales towards the top will make the shoulders seem bigger. The wide, shallow neckline widens the shoulders, and the decor draws attention to the widest part of the shoulder.
3. A busy pattern with strong contrasts will make the whole dress (and thus the body) seem larger. This pattern also accentuates the hourglass shape, because it follows the same lines, just in a more exaggerated manner.
Related: Perfecting the Little Black Dress Look
4. A sweetheart neckline with sparkly decoration will draw attention to the bust.
5. A patterned top and plain skirt in a darker colour makes the hips seem smaller.
6. All the lines on the upper body go from up close to the neck and down towards the waist, which will make the shoulders more narrow. The lapels are very narrow, which also makes the upper body more narrow. The gold buttons draw the attention away from the shoulders.
7. The white, slightly unusual collar draws the attention up towards the face and collarbones. The rest of the body becomes more of a background due to the dark colour and the body-skimming shape.
8. A deep v-neck that starts close to the neck will make the bust appear smaller. Lace details draw the attention away from the bust area.
We hope you find this resource as useful as we have!
– Cover Image: stylemakeover-hq.com
