Your body type is the most important factor in choosing garment styles that will flatter you. Here are the general guidelines for each of the types we identified last week:
An hourglass looks best in styles that repeat your curved shape and defined waist. Best jackets and dresses are shaped with darts, waistline tucks or princess seams. Ideal sweaters and knit tops are either shaped from the side seams or made from ribbed fabrics that skim your body. Best skirts and pants ride at your natural waistline rather than exaggeratedly low.
You generally look best with tops tucked in, and wear belts well. Belting over a straighter shirt or jacket, however, usually creates a bulky, unflattering look.
HOURGLASS RECTANGLE TRIANGLE INVERTED OVAL
A rectangle looks best in straight or semi-fitted styles that enhance your more angular shape. Shaped dress styles will be too snug through the waist and create unflattering horizontal wrinkles. Shaped jackets will spread open at the waistline, pushing the lower edge into an awkward ruffle over the hips.
Pants or skirts with a traditional waistband are difficult to fit since your waist is proportionally larger compared with your hips. Low-rise pants, styles with a waistline facing or drawstring all achieve an easier fit than a traditional waistband. Rectangles generally prefer shirts and sweaters worn out over the waistline of a skirt or pants
A triangle needs to balance your shape by calling attention to your upper body, visually minimizing hips and maintaining waistline definition. Slimmer skirts and pants minimize lower body fullness. The secret is to purchase the garment to fit your hips and have the waistline taken in.
A shaped, waist-length jacket sidesteps the fitting issues created by your smaller shoulders and wider hipline. If the jacket is made in a brighter color, more interesting fabric pattern or texture and with eye-catching details, it commands all the visual attention, allowing those hips to virtually disappear.
An inverted triangle needs to balance your proportions by minimizing upper body while emphasizing trim hips and great legs. Sleek, straighter shirt and jacket shapes and vertical design lines slim your upper body. Wearing a jacket open lets its front edge expose a vertical strip of the blouse color underneath.
Interesting fabrics and eye-catching design details in skirts and pants draw attention to your slim hips and shapely legs.
The goal for an Oval is to strengthen your shoulder line to balance middle body fullness, while skimming through your waist area and creating attention up around your face. Straight styles, without darts or princess seams to shape the waist, work best for your figure. A long jacket or vest, worn open, creates a visually dominant vertical. And a removable foam shoulder pad gives lift and definition to the entire silhouette.
Bottoms sized for your relatively fuller waist measurement may need to have the side seams taken in to avoid the sloppy look of excess fabric. Details close to your face draw attention away from tummy fullness.
Next week we'll explore ways for women of all figure types to look trimmer using some easy color placement secrets.
