Do you know your body type and shape? Knowing your body is key to dressing right. There’s no rule that says which body is right and which is wrong. All are beautiful. However there are some proportions that you might want to look like. That’s when the right clothes come in. You can create an illusion of a certain body shape and type with choosing the right dress, colours, and accessories.
We’ll take a closer look at every shape on its own in upcoming blogs. But for today, lets just take a quick look at what are the most common body shapes, so you can figure out which one is yours.
body Type
There are three main body types (somatotypes).
- Mesomorph
- Ectomorph
- Endomorph
Body types determine how prone we are to loosing or gaining weight, either it’s muscle or fat. That can all be altered with the right diet and exercise. But we’ll talk more about those some other time.
Today we are focusing on different body shapes.
Body shapes
Unlike body type, body shape can’t be altered. At least not as much. Your body proportions will stick with you no matter how much you’re training and dieting. Some may have wider hips and some wider shoulders. And that won’t change. Sure, you can alter your figure by training some of your body parts more than others and what sport you’re doing is also a big factor. However not so much that you’ll be able to mask your proportions fully.
In general, we divide body shapes into five categories.
As per females the five main body type shapes are rectangle, inverted triangle, hourglass, pear, and apple.
Rectangle
The rectangle body type is the most straight-forward shape. It’s often described as an athletic build. Rectangle bodies are composed of a similar shoulder, bust, and hip width.
You might want a dress that will alter your body into looking more like an hourglass figure. For example, a lace decoration or something like so in your waist area or crystal lines that create a more curvy silhouette.
inverted triangle
A body shape with larger proportions on top than on the bottom. Another athletic shape is where the waist and legs have significantly smaller widths than the bust and shoulders.
You might want to get a lot of volume from the waist down. Also, try avoiding much of decorations in the upper body and bring a bit more focus to the lower part of your body.
Hourglass
The hourglass body is the shape considered to be the ideal one. The hourglass figure is significant because of the defined waist contour. Your bust and hips seem to be about the same width and your waist is significantly smaller.
Here you really want to show off your figure. You might not even need as many accessories, or if you do use them, make sure you don’t disfigure your natural shape with them. Go tight on the bodice and sinch in your waist even more- belts and corsets are a great idea for this body shape.
apple
The apple body shape is identified for its rounder shape. Significant signs of an apple shape body include a more circular outline, with no definition in the waist, and similar measurements.
You might want to include some lines here, to really stretch your body. Black or darker colour will be your best friend here.
pear
A pear body type is slender on top, and wider in the hips and legs. You can very quickly make an hourglass shape with these proportions, since your waist is already smaller, just highlight your shoulders and there you go.
Putting decorations over the chest and up your shoulder will help significantly.
As per male we also have five main body type shapes. They are oval, rectangle, inverted triangle, triangle, and trapezoid.
oval
Your torso is wider than your shoulders and hips. Characterized with slim shoulders and chest, along with wider waist and slim hips.
You’ll want to hide the waist area. Some vertical stripes will help you greatly and matt black lycra is a must.
Rectangle
Your shoulders are roughly the same width as your waist and hips.
You can do a lot with this body shape. Maybe use a belt or experiment with different materials like velvet and stretch net. However, avoid straight lines.
triangle
You’re larger around the waist and hips in relation to your chest.
Here you must bring something to your shoulders. Make them stand out and get the attention away from the hips. Shiny decorations might help with that.
trapezoid
You have broad shoulders, wide chest, and a narrow waist. The waist and hips are narrower but not disproportionately.
We recommend you to add a belt and maybe even something to float around your hips. It can also be just plain shirt since this is considered the best shape for a male.
inverted triangle
You have an athletic build body. The upper half of your body is wider than the lower half.
You might want to wear something that gives movement over your hips. Your waist will still look slim, but you’ll get more width around the hips and therefore look more proportional to your chest.
If you are not sure what body shape is yours, stand in front of the mirror in your underwear only. Take a real good look at your chest, waist, and hips. Which is bigger and which smaller.
You can also take a picture and outline your body. Or just measure them; however, we prefer that you really look at yourself.
And remember. Nobody looks the same and everybody is perfect in their own way.
