sense of style

Mastering the art of dressing to look fabulous

Published On: November 2, 2018 08:53 AM NPT By: The Week Bureau


While no body shape is anything short of beautiful, some people believe that certain clothes and outfits make them feel glamorous and confident as it suits their body type by accentuating or hiding certain parts of their bodies that they are or aren’t comfortable with.

While nothing, especially social beauty constructs, should ever make you refrain from what you want to wear and make you put on what you don’t want to wear, here are some tips on how you can dress to suit your body type. So, if you aren’t happy with the way you dress at the moment here’s how you can do things a bit differently.  

Apple-shaped body structure
An apple body structure is one that is commonly well proportioned. This body type usually consists of shoulders broader than the hips, a waistline with little definition, and slim legs. It can commonly be described as the “top-heavy” structure too, as the upper half of the body such as the shoulders, bust, and stomach are more noticeable than the bottom half of the body. However, the hips are usually not that curvy. 

Tips on how to dress
Wear v-neck tops to draw attention to your neck and bust, and wear long sleeves to draw attention away from your waist, arms and shoulders. 

Avoid belts and dresses that hug your waist too tight. It may accentuate the very curves that people with this body type usually don’t like. 

Wear flared pants to make your legs look thicker, which would make it look proportionate to the upper half of your body, which is bigger than the lower half of your body.

Pear-shaped body structure
A pear body structure is said to consist of fuller hips and rear, a waist wider than the bust, and narrower shoulders in comparison to the hips. It can commonly be described as the “bottom-heavy” structure too, as the bottom half of the body such as the legs, thighs and hips are more noticeable than the upper half of the body. Shoulders are often more narrow and sloping, and not that broad. 

Tips on how to dress
To balance out the top part of your body with the bottom, wear shirts that emphasize your shoulders to make them look broader.

Avoid clothes that make your legs look narrower at the bottom.

Try slightly flared or straight leg pants instead of tight ones, which will make your lower body look proportionate with the rest of your body, whereas tight pants would make your legs look too narrow and flared pants would make your legs look too big.

Straight/rectangular body structure
A straight/rectangular body structure is said to consist of no curves in particular, where the size of the waist is about the same as the size of the bust and hips. This body type is commonly defined by the accentuated rib cage, as a defined waistline does not exist to add curves. A straight body type is where the hips and bust are balanced. 

Tips on how to dress
To exaggerate the curves, wear clothes that are tight around the waist. One example is wearing a belt on a dress to cinch in your waist and make your curves look more prominent.

To add more shape to the rectangular structure of your body, wear short shorts and skirts to show off your great legs.

If looking feminine is important to you, steer away from men’s clothing as it will further make you look even more straight, like men are commonly built to be. As women are typically more curvy, you can benefit by trying to accentuate your curves. 

An hourglass body type
An hourglass body structure is said to consist of a hip and waist that are unusually the same size, with the waist being significantly more defined. This body structure has fat stored proportionately throughout the body, with curves in all the “right” places.  

Tips on how to dress
Since you already have curves and a relatively thin waist, wear clothes that hug the thinnest part of your waist to accentuate your curves even more.

Remember that certain clothes may look more provocative on you than they do on people with a rectangular body shape so, if that’s something that bothers you, stay away from necklines that are too deep.

Loose and shapeless clothing items typically make an hourglass body structure look big in an unflattering way, so make sure you wear snug clothes that show off both the small and large parts of your body, considering how all the fat is in all the right places in those with an hourglass body structure. 


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