How to: Dress for your body type

Hello and welcome to part two of the body type series. Previously we introduced the different body types and discussed how to dress the Apple body type. We’ll go into more detail about the other body types but before we dive into the good stuff let’s remind ourselves of some caveats we mentioned in our previous article.

NUMBER ONE: the body types are on a spectrum. If you have the privilege of being born a female, then you like myself know how much your body has changed over the years and thanks to biology we’re in for some more changes. Thus, it is likely that you’ll change from one body type to another or even sit between two body types. Whichever is the case, your body is amazing and deserves to be dressed well.

NUMBER TWO: these style tips for each body type are GUIDELINES to help make better fashion choices that will have us looking our best.

Having said that, let’s look at the next body type: Pear.

Note: To find your body type, you’ll need the following measurements: shoulders, bust, waist and hips. Find out how to take these measurements here (insert the link to the previous article).

The Pear (triangle) Body Type

You are a pear if your hips ÷ shoulders or bust ≥ 1.05.

Characteristics of the body type

• ➔  Hips are wider than shoulders
• ➔  Small torso and bust especially compared to the lower half
• ➔  Defined waist
• ➔  Full thighs and hips
• ➔  Likely to gain weight first around the lower tummy and upper thighs
• ➔  Full/ muscular legs What clothes to avoid This body type tends to be bottom heavy so you may want to skirt around clothes that overemphasise your bottom half and make you look disproportionate. Here are some items to be wary of whilst dressing this body type.

➔ Very baggy/loose-fitting pants e.g., harem pants. These types of clothing can make you look too bottom heavy. When it comes to loose-fitting pants for this body type, try wearing wide- leg pants that are synched at the waist and skim over your curves.

➔ Bottoms with busy prints or heavy detail e.g., horizontal stripes, bell-bottom pants. Try keeping the detail to further down the legs e.g., around the calf or ankles.

Also, opt for bottoms with vertical stripes as these elongate the silhouette and redirect attention from the hips and thighs.

➔ Unstructured tops/jackets that fall past the hips. Instead, opt for structured jackets that stop mid-thigh and tops which stop just above the hips.

Wardrobe must-haves

Note: fitted clothing with a structured top half suits this body type best as it creates a balance between the top and the bottom halves of the body. Also, clothing made from stretchy fabric will follow the natural line of this body type and will create a visually appealing look.

➔ Cropped tops/jackets/sweaters

➔ Statement tops

➔ Bodycon dresses

➔ Blazer dresses

➔ Full/flared skirts that stop mid-thigh or just before the knee.

Key style tips

➔ Show off your curves. If you’ve got it flaunt it. No seriously, flaunt it. Your hips being one of your prominent features means you may not always have to do much to pull an outfit together. Wearing pieces that naturally accentuate your figure such as X-line and wrap dresses can make styling this figure easy.

➔ Wear bright colours and prints on the upper body. As your bottom half is likely to draw attention without you doing much, you can explore different prints and colours on top.

➔ Draw attention to shoulders and bust. By wearing statement tops/ dresses with dramatic sleeves to create visual proportion. Off-shoulder, cowl and square necklines work well with this body type.

➔ Keep it simple at the bottom. Choose bottoms with solid colours made from light fabric and do the opposite for the top. This balances out the silhouette and is one of the easiest ways to style this body type.

So that’s all for the pear body type. What did you think of these tips? If you lean towards this body type which clothes, are you thinking of restyling? Not pear-shaped? Don’t worry there’s still more to come. The next body type we’ll explore is the inverted triangle. Again, thank you for making it to the end of the article. See you soon 😊

Boma