How to dress for your body shape

Photo by Antonius Ferret / Pexels

While fashion provides endless opportunities for self-expression, a lot of the time, we are searching for simple and well-established looks that correspond to our bodies and are easy to achieve. Today, we collaborated with experts from EuroOptica to talk about body shapes and some of the best ways to complement them with clothing.

What are the main body shapes?

When it comes to female body shapes, fashion experts generally distinguish around five or six main types. Most commonly known are the triangle, the heart, the hourglass, the rectangle, and the oval. 

Body types
The triangle	The triangle, or pear shape, is characterized by a waist that is wider than the bust.
The heart	The heart is the inverse of the triangle, with the waist being narrower than the bust.
The hourglass	This shape is characterized by a well-defined waist with roughly even bust and hip measurements.
The rectangle	Also known as the athletic type, this shape is similar to the hourglass except the waist isn’t as well-defined.
The oval	The oval shape is characterized by the torso being wider than the shoulders and hips, which are proportional to each other.

If you aren’t sure which body shape you have, you can always rely on online calculators to help with identifying it. However, these shapes are rather arbitrary — every body is unique, and there is no reason to try to fit everyone into a specific category. 

Secondly, the guidelines we’re about to provide shouldn’t be seen as hard requirements or rules — fashion exists to bring joy to those wearing it, not to make them feel obligated to follow made-up rules. Instead, we’re going to provide some tried and proven advice, and then you will be able to experiment with it further if you wish or stick with it if you feel it suits you best.

Dressing for your body shape

The triangle shape

When it comes to the pear shape, experts generally suggest adding volume to the upper half of the body, using boat necklines, puff sleeves, or even simply choosing brighter colors for the top part. As experts from EuroOptica point out, using glasses can be a good way to draw attention to the top as well. The idea here is to create a different balance between the upper half and the bottom, and this concept will be similar for the heart shape as well. 

The pear body shape is generally well-complemented by shirts that hit at the widest part of the hips, as well as A-line skirts or wide-leg pants. Experts generally recommend avoiding tight lower-body garments since they can draw too much attention and destroy the balance between the upper half and the bottom half of your body.

Photo by Anna Shvets / Pexels

The heart shape

As we’ve mentioned before, the heart shape can also benefit from finding the balance between the top and the bottom, emphasizing the latter — think of tiered dresses, for example. The idea behind an outfit for this body type is to generally avoid adding extra bulk to the upper part and focus on the bottom instead. This can be achieved with colors as well — brighter skirts or printed pants can do a great job.

The hourglass shape

Experts generally recommend that people with an hourglass shape draw attention to the waist and accentuate it when possible. Clothes that don’t help with achieving this effect are generally not recommended as they don’t help with emphasizing the strengths of a figure. Soft fabrics, high-waisted bottoms, structured blazers, and fitted tops are the go-to choice. 

The rectangle shape

When it comes to the rectangle shape, the most common strategy is to define the waist using belts or peplum tops. It is also a good idea to layer your clothes to add an extra dimension to the figure, and opting for different colors and textures might add some variety and help you accentuate what you want in a certain outfit.

The oval shape

The most popular strategy for the oval shape is to aim for a balanced look without accentuating the shoulder part and instead focusing on the legs. Empire waist dresses, monochromatic outfits, scoop necks, and straight-leg jeans are traditionally great for this body shape.

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