pads
•Boat or square necklines
•Hip skimming tops or jackets
•Fit & flare or A-line dresses
•High-waisted items
•Strapless dresses
•Vertical stripes
Avoid
•Patterns and detail below the waist
•Figure-hugging skirts
Inverted Triangle
If the widest area is your bust or wide shoulders, you have an inverted triangle/athletic shape. You should be looking at outfits that draw attention and add volume to your lower half and soften your shoulders.
Celebrities Who Share Your Shape
•Renee Zellweger
•Jessica Simpson
•Angelina Jolie
Wear
•A-line skirts or dresses
•V-neck tops
•Asymmetric necklines
•Fitted trousers
•Maxi skirts
•Long sleeves
•Patterns below the waist
•Dark colours above the waist
•Vertical stripes
Avoid
•Boat necklines
•Shoulder pads
•Pattern and detail above the waist
Rectangle/Banana
Your shape is straight with no discernible curves. This is literally a supermodel shape, and there’s little you ‘can’t’ wear, so I’ve tailored these tips to creating the illusion of curves.
Celebrities Who Share Your Shape
•Kate Moss
•Jennifer Garner
•Gwyneth Paltrow
Wear
•Belts to accentuate your waist
•Peplum tops and dresses
•Ruched tops and dresses
•Asymmetric cuts
Avoid
•Anything that will add significantly more volume to the upper or lower body, since your proportions are naturally balanced
•Anything fitted that doesn’t fit you
Oval/Apple
If you carry your weight around your middle and have rounded shoulders, you are an Apple, and if (like me) you don’t love your midsection, here are some tips to help draw attention elsewhere.
Celebrities Who Share Your Shape
•Catherine Zeta Jones
•Reese Witherspoon
•Kate Winslet
Wear
•Peplum tops or dresses
•Fit & flare or A-line dresses
•Cleavage (it’s the best distraction, it just is)
•V-neck tops (see above)
•Shorter skirts
•Sleeveless tops or dresses
•Skinny jeans
Avoid
•Figure-hugging dresses or skirts
•Low rise jeans
Hourglass
If your waist is your smallest measurement and your hips and shoulders are wider and very similar to each other in width, then you are an hourglass (and I’m not at all jealous). Bear in mind that you’re naturally balanced, but adding too much volume to your top or bottom will cause you to lose that shape, which is why figure-hugging choices are so popular for your body type.
Celebrities Who Share Your Shape
•Sophia Vergara
•Scarlett Johansson
•Christina Hendricks
Wear
•Body-con dresses or skirts
•Peplum dresses or skirts
•Fitted T-shirts
•Wrap dresses
•Pencil skirts
•High-waisted jeans
Avoid
•Shapeless or straight cut dresses
•Baggy or boxy clothing
Again, this is just a guide. If I’m looking to put together a wardrobe from scratch, then I would ideally like each item to flatter my shape, but if I see one more pair of mum jeans on Instagram, I may have to finally buy a pair. Sometimes you have to just buy the thing you want to wear regardless of the colour or cut. I live in sweatshirts on my work-from-home days because they’re comfy and nobody can tell if I’m wearing a bra. I’m not ‘styling them out’ or worrying about balancing my proportions; I’m just covering my body to sit at my laptop. The rules are great when it comes to dressing up, but dressing down is lawless.
Also…what she said.
Confidence
