Fashion. Beauty. Expert

I always knew that there were different types of women’s body shapes, but I didn’t know exactly how many and I did not know why it was important. It turns out, in fashion, knowing your specific body type will help you to dress better and more comfortably too.

Women are fascinating beings, if you don’t know that yet, chances are you’re a single, balding, fat old man. LOL!

It is a lot easier to shop for clothes when you know your body type, it will save you a lot of time and potentially a lot of money. How many of you have bought a piece of clothing just because you thought it would look great on you? Dozens, I’m sure. And then you try it on and you look terrible, it fits okay but doesn’t flatter you at all, if anything, it makes you look fat or thin or just ugh. It can be frustrating. So, here’s a guide to help you figure out what body type you have and be on the road to dressing more fashionably and less ugh.

There are 6 basic body types, from these there are a lot of other variations but we’ll stick to the basics.

1. The Triangle Shape – It is also known as the Pear Shaped Body Type. What this means is that your bottom is a lot wider than your top. Picture a pear fruit. Got it?

What to Avoid:

• Tops that gather at the waist line, this will make your hips bigger than it really is and who wants that?
• Don’t even think about wearing mini skirts, it will make your legs look like logs and your hips wider than that of a hippo.

Must Haves:

• Empire cut shirts and dresses. It will make your boobs look bigger and will balance your body.
• Long shirts or blouses that end just below the hips.
• Horizontal stripes over the bust area to give the illusion of fuller boobs and will balance out your body.
• Tops, jackets, shirts and blouses with wide collars/lapels
• Only choose dark colors for your bottom, jeans/skirts.

2. The Inverted Triangle Shape – Flip the triangle and you have this body shape. This means that your top is bigger than your bottom. This can either mean you have big boobs or broad shoulders and small hips.

What To Avoid:

• Avoid tops with shoulder pads and tops with too much detail on the front.
• If you have broad shoulders, stay away from tube tops or spaghetti straps as it will make your shoulders look broader, in a bad way.

Must Haves:

• Tube tops, Venus cut tops (tops with only one shoulder) are great for this body type as it will emphasize the shoulders and the collar bone.
• Long tops or blouses that end just below the hips.
• Opt for flared jeans, skirts that have pleats and tulip skirts.

3. The Rectangle Shape – If you belong to this group, chances are you have no curves at all, which means your upper body is in line with your lower body. This isn’t always a bad thing as there are a lot ways you can do to “create” the curves that you need. People with this body shape are usually athletic and have slender bodies.

What to Avoid:

• Avoid pairing a fitted top with a fitted bottom as this will only show off your lack of curves.
• No vertical stripes because this hides the curves and no horizontal stripes as it does the same as well.

Must Haves:

• Invest on belts because they are a great way to create a curve in your middle section and it is an awesome accessory.
• Tiered skirts or pleated skirts and pants are great because these make the waists look smaller.
• Empire cuts and dresses will also help to create an illusion of curves for this specific body type.

4. The Hourglass Shape – If you have this body type, CONGRATULATIONS! You are the envy of all women on Earth! This body shape means that your upper body is proportional to your lower body and you have a small waist. Vavavoom is the word!

What To Avoid:

• Empire cut tops and dresses as well as loose fitting dresses and tops, because these will hide your curves.

Must Haves:

• Pencil skirts or dresses will highlight your curves and make you look awesome.
• Low waist fitting jeans will look great on this body type as well.
• V-necks, plunging necklines will look great as well.

5. The Diamond Shape – If you have this body type it means that your waist is wider than you top or bottom, just like a diamond, thus the name.

What to Avoid:

• No to tops or dresses with big prints as it can draw attention to the middle part of the body.

Must Haves:

• Tops and blouses that are loose around the waist will give the illusion of a smaller waist.
• Empire cut dresses and tops/blouses will look great because it will hide the waist.
• V-necks, plunging necklines will look great as it will draw attention to the upper part of the body and away from the waist.
• Belts, it will make the waist appear smaller.

6. The Round Shape – More commonly known as the Apple Shape or the Oval Shape. A full bust and no waist definition is what characterizes this body shape. Women who have this body shape are not always overweight. Some women just tend to have bigger upper bodies than most people, by upper bodies I mean boobs and when I say some women, I mean like my sister, Joy. LOL. A common problem of people who belong to this group is having a muffin top. A muffin top is when you wear tight bottoms and your belly spills over.

What to Avoid:

• Bottoms that will create a muffin top.
• Tops, blouses or shirts that will expose the muffin top.

Must Haves:

• Long tops, shirts or blouses that end near the hips to avoid a muffin top from coming out.
• V-necks, plunging necklines that will draw the attention away from the muffin top.
• Empire cut tops and dresses.

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