Body shapes & Trends: what you need to know

We're living in a society where we're (finally) told all bodies are beautiful and yet we're still under the spell of trends dictating what we should be wearing whether it suits our body or not!

One of the most important tools in my work as a personal stylist is understanding and recognizing a client’s body shape through a Body Shape Analysis. A lot of people are familiar with the fact that body shapes exist but too often settle for those "basic tricks" to elongate the figure when they could do so much more with their features. When you think about it, it makes so much sense: there are certain clothes that suit different shapes beautifully and others that should be avoided, that's exactly why there are so many beautiful styles around! But the truth is, people don't consider what body shape they actually are, they want to look a certain way, the way trends tell them to look. I’ll be the first to put my hand up and say that I shopped ‘body shape blind’ for a long time; like when I bought those trendy "boyfriend" low rise pants EVERYBODY "needed", when all they did was butcher and shorten even more my short-pear shape legs.

Why do you need to know your body shape?

Unfortunately growing up we have this idea that by losing weight or exercising more, we can fit into anything and look great. That's where a lot of people are wrong! Weight won't change our body shape, even though a healthy lifestyle is always beneficial, it won't make my short legs suddenly appear longer in those boyfriend cut pants. Why? Because a healthy lifestyle and exercise can modify your size, but the bone structure, proportions and muscle distribution are mostly inherited. Body shape is based on those factors, not on the weight.

Understanding and accepting our body type is a lovely step towards self-love.

Dressing in accordance with your shape will help you carrying yourself with confidence, so if you've found yourself getting frequently overwhelmed when you go shopping, not knowing where to start, panicking and feeling sad about the overall experience, then working out your body shape might be just what you need. 

So how can you work out your body shape?

When booking a Body Shape Analysis with NSP we'll cover every aspect of your body shape and you'll be left with the right guidelines to feel yourself again. 

Now, as we know, there are sooo many different body features that make each one of us slightly different from the other, but luckily we all broadly fall into one of five body shape categories.

With different consultancy styles you'll come across different names for each body shape but at the end of the day we're all talking about the same thing! We've got Rectangular (snow pea), Triangle (pear), Hourglass, Oval (apple) and Inverted Triangle (strawberry).

Below I have described each one for you with a bit of advice on how to bring out the best with each shape, and I want you to use this to choose the trends that will enhance and balance your body shape in order for you to feel the most empowered version of yourself!

Hourglass

With curvy proportions and a defined waist, this body type is a rare, hot pearl!

The hourglass body shape is characterised by hip and bust measurements nearly equal in size, with a narrower waist measurements, slightly round shoulders and legs in proportion with the upper body. 

Too many people think they have an hourglass shape body due to a cinched waist, but the truth is that this is one of the rarest shapes! On the other hand though, this is one of the easiest shape to dress in trends, but why is it important to know how to balance it?

- To define your waist: not every style of bottoms will fit your smaller waist, knowing the correct styles can be helpful to not lose this great feature!

- To maintain balanced proportions: too often baggy clothing typical of yk2 fashion trends  will make your very proportionate figure, look unbalanced. 

- The body is too curvy: knowing how to dress your body means knowing which fabrics will be most flattering on you, enhancing your curves without adding any unnecessary bulk.

Perfect trend for this shape : the bandage dress to show off your curves.

Apple Body Type

Shout out to curvy women with breath-taking upper bodies, whose thinner arms and legs want to be shown.

Also called oval body shape, main characteristics are broad shoulders, large bust and smaller hips, with a waistline not clearly defined.

What to balance it in this shape and why?

- A wider midriff: knowing which clothes will make your mid-section narrower will help you achieve a more proportional silhouette.

- Lack of waistline: by choosing the correct garments, you'll be able to highlight your best parts which are usually the bust and/or legs. This will help take attention away from the midsection.

Perfect trend for this shape: pocketed cargo pants to balance your top half.

Pear Body Type

As Shakira says "my hips don’t lie"! The pear shape’s waist/hip ratio will turn the heads of every man and woman.

Also called triangle-shaped body, main features are wider hips and thighs, and smaller shoulders and bust measurements. These bodies usually present narrow waistlines in comparison to the hips, as well as long and slim arms.

Here are the main areas to balance and why you need to know how to dress them:

- Wide hips: with hundreds of different cuts of bottoms, you'll need to know which style will truly help you to de-emphasise the hips and thighs in order to balance them out with the upper body.

- Narrow shoulders: playing with wide necklines to optically widen the shoulder and bust areas is a great trick, and with your personal body shape consultation you'll be able to find out the right ones for you.

- Small bust: to know how to visually adding more weight to the shoulder and bust area to de-emphasises the hips and thighs, and balance out the silhouette, without shortening your figure.

Perfect trend for this shape :The high-waist, wide leg relaxed trousers.

Rectangle Body Type

Anything looks good on this body type!

Also called snow pea body type, a rectangle body shape presents fairly uniform measurements with rather straight waistline, and a quite tall and lean appearance. Women with rectangle shaped bodies can play around with the features they wish to highlight and create the desired balance, and knowing how to do that is fundamental. Here's why you want to know how to balance...

- An undefined waist: too often you feel like clothes just hang on your body and you wish they could sit better, knowing which cuts will help you making the most of your body shape will bring out the most feminine version of yourself.

- Lack of curves:  to make your look appearing more feminine you'll need the right tricks and accessories, all provided in your body shape guidelines.

Perfect trend for this shape : feathers top to create desired highlight.

The inverted triangle

The inverted triangle body shape is characterized by broad shoulders that often lend this body shape an athletic-looking physique, with a bust that narrows down to the hips. 

To balance out your figure you'll need to know how to adjust the following:

- Wide shoulders: to reduce the wide appearance of your shoulders you'll need to know the right tops to playing them down and balancing them out with your narrower hips.

- Big bust: even though this is a great feature, it can too often create unbalance. Knowing which necklines and cuts will take focus off this area will instantly bring balance to your figure.

- Undefined waist: to know how to add volume and interest to your hips and bottom in order to make them look curvier and therefore making your shoulders look smaller.

Perfect trend for this shape : parachute pants to add volume to your bottom half.

And this is why I love image consulting, to show my clients how to use fashion for themselves!

~ Nicole Sarah Pasquale

NSP Image Consultant