Body Shape

Lets get on with today’s topic, body shapes. At this point I’d like to emphasize that you probably won’t fit into just one shape group. It is just as possible with body shapes to be a combination, as it is with facial shapes, so don’t panic if you don’t fit only one!

Here are some diagrams with the different shapes.

I’m going to start with the hourglass shape, because it’s probably the most known one. If you’re an hourglass, your bust and hips will have the same measurements, while you’ll have a very pronounced waist. Your shoulders will be around the same measurement as your hips too, and you probably have great legs as well. You are the lucky one, as this is considered the perfect shape, just as the oval face shape is the one to have. You should wear clothes that emphasize your slim waist, like a funky belt over dresses and shirts. You can actually get away with wearing anything, so go for it! A good example of a celeb with this figure is miss Kim K.

Next, the pear / spoon / triangle shape. A pear has larger hips than the bust and shoulders, with a defined waist. You also tend to gain more weight in your bottom and legs, than in the rest of your body. I fall into this group! 🙂 Anyway, the key here is to balance out the upper body, and this can be done by wearing dark colours under and bright colours on top. Wider leg pants that balance out the hips, and (my personal favourite) a-line skirts are a good choice. Bright colours and patterned tops, princess style, v-necks and fitted at the waist tops are great too. A celebrity with this shape is Jennifer Lopez.

The cone / inverted triangle / strawberry shape. If you are a strawberry, you tend to have a large bust and broad shoulders, while your waist isn’t really defined and you’ll have small hips and a flatter bottom. You’ll gain most weight in your upper body, but this shape also tends to have well defined legs. You want to go for darker tops with narrow v-necks, tailored tops and again, fitted at the waist. Your bottoms should add the illusion of curves, wear pants with pocket details to widen your hips, a-line skirts and boot cut or wide leg pants. Lighter colours at the bottom will work here. Pamela Anderson and Demi Moore are examples of this shape.

Next is the ruler / banana / rectangle / straight shape. This is the most common shape! Your hips and shoulders have around the same measurements, and your waist isn’t defined. You gain most weight in your torso, and your bottom tends to be flatter. Women with this shape usually have well defined legs, so that’s great! You want to create the illusion of more curves with this shape, so bottoms are rounded, tops that are flowing around the bust, and again, belts and details on the tops that add the illusion of a well defined waist. Flare leg jeans are a go for you! Nicole Kidman and Keira Knightly are ruler girls!

The apple / oval and diamond / rounded shapes are last on our list. I’m doing these together because they are so similar. You have a fuller waist which is wider than your shoulders or hips. The big difference is that the oval shape tends to have larger breasts, while the diamond shape has a small bust. In both these cases, you want to create the illusion of a smaller waist, and balance it our with the shoulders and hips. Flowing tops with detail on the waist and belts are good here. Pants with wide legs and little detail, as well as skirts that fall from the broadest point at the hips will work. Celebs in this group are Queen Latifah and Drew Barrymore.