So What’s Best For My Shape?

One thing is for sure….we are a multitude of shapes and sizes, and then there is even morphology to add to the mix. I had to look up that word years ago…it means body shape. You know, when the size guide says you should fit size B according to general statistics but actually your into a C because you carry all your weight in your derriere (like me). Anyone who has tried on a pair of Spanx knows what I mean.

I had Gil take a picture of myself and Jocelyn…We are pears…..Jocelyn is just a much younger, slimmer pear…those were the days….sigh.

There are 4 general shapes to be aware of when you’re dressing to look and feel your best…the pear, the apple, the hourglass and the rectangle.

I’m the pear, the most common shape among women. We pears carry our weight in our lower body and when we gain weight…straight to the hips and thighs..not even slowing a little to give us just a little extra in our bust.

Next there is the hourglass…the envy of many, but even the shapely have their challenges. You’re curvy with a clearly defined waist, much smaller than your bust and hips. You’re the one who usually can’t find a pair of pants to fit in the waist if they fit your hips.

Then there is the apple, your upper body is noticeably fuller than your lower body….your advantage is you usually have great legs..the envy of me for sure.

Last but not least is the rectangle shape, straight up and down with no defined waist. When you gain weight it is evenly distributed.

Over the next few days I’ll give you some tips on how to dress to compliment and, if need be, camouflage your shape.

We can start today with the pear…absolutely the one I am most familiar with.

It’s always about balancing our shape, we want to look smaller on the bottom half and bring more attention to the upper half. Colour always works for this….keep the solids and darker colours on the bottom. They will be your pants or skirts colours, use bright colours or patterns on the top…you want to bring attention to your upper body and face. We can wear fitted tops, the cross-overs look great on us but we can wear a looser fit as well. Patterned tops look great and don’t be afraid to use eye popping colours. I’ve got an orange patterned Frank Lyman top that never fails to get me amazing compliments. I feel great when ever I wear it! Necklines are really open to us too; draped, squared, v’d, pretty much anything that will draw attention to our bust line and face and away from our bottoms.

If you are wanting a dress, look for an empire waist line (seamed under the bust line), wrap dresses are great too. Try to get the solid, darker colours on the bottom…remember, more form fitting on the top…flowing or flirty on the bottom will compliment your shape. When you’re dressing up, a shoe with a bit of a heel will help you out too. They will give you some height and a slight change to the way you stand…for the better. Try it , you’ll see that it works. Don’t go for the super high heel but a thinner heel does look fabulous with a flirty skirt or dress on our pear shaped figures. Open toes will take you to the next level.

And of course we can’t forget to talk about our wardrobe staple, our favorite jeans, be they dressy or just hangin’ out ones. Wide legs jeans balance out our wider hips and legs but to say the least they aren’t on the fashion runway so much right now. Straight leg jeans are though and they will definitely give us that slimmer look, but remember you want a darker pair. Pockets are OK too…and although I know this goes against some, a little bling can give the illusion of a narrow caboose (just don’t have it covering the whole pocket), never a bad thing and always great for the ego. Don’t forget the shoes with the bit of a heel, amazing with a pair of jeans.

Fashions you might want to stay away from…tight skirts and dresses, full skirts with elasticized waists. Walk away from large checks and really bold patterns and even though coloured jeans are really hot…keep you brights on top and try not to do tapered legs, they just make our bottoms bigger! And please don’t wear sparkly belts around your hips, yes, I’ve seen this… Hope you enjoyed the tips! Tomorrow will be for the Hourglass.