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It’s Not the What, It’s The How

How to: Dress for your body type

“No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up”. It’s one of those famous quotes we’ve
seen on motivational social media pages and one that’s supposed to inspire us to face the day
with zest. However, I wonder how we can show up if we have not dressed up. By dressing up I
mean putting on an outfit that makes us feel amazing and confident enough to take on the day.
Although it sounds easy, putting an outfit together can sometimes be a herculean task. Especially
when we’re not sure how best to dress. This is where knowing our body type comes in. When we
know what clothes enhance our features and make us look great, we can get up, dress up and
show up.
Given this, let’s consider some things before we discuss them further.

Firstly, the body types exist on a spectrum, and you may fall into one body type or exist between
two body types. Our bodies are bound to change as we age so our body type may change as well.
It is also possible that you’ll favour style tips from a body type completely different to yours.

Secondly, the tips in this article are merely a guide, style is personal, and you can make anything
work for you. So, take these tips and make them your own😊
Now we’ve gotten all that out the way, let’s look at the hourglass body type.


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

The Hourglass Body Type

You are an hourglass if your waist ÷ shoulders + bust = ≤ 0.75
or your waist ÷ hips = ≤ 0.75.

Characteristics of the body type:

➔ Shoulders and hips are proportionate
➔ Defined waist
➔ Curvy hips and bottom
➔ Round/slanted shoulders
➔ Thick thighs

What clothes to avoid

This body type is quite curvy and balanced on the top and bottom so you may want to style this
figure in a way that doesn’t upset this balance.

➔ Boxy/straight clothing: these types of clothing hide the curves and waist. An easy fix for this
is to define the waist with a belt or wear darker colours around the waist.

➔ Overembellished clothing: this includes clothing with very busy prints, ruffles, and details.
Opt for clothing with minimal details and embellishments or opt for clothing with
embellishments on the top and bottom, to keep the balance of the figure.

➔ Cropped pants: depending on how you style them, these pants can unbalance your silhouette
as they cut off the length of your legs. Pairing high-waisted cropped pants with a fitted top
can work to keep the balance of this figure.

Wardrobe must-haves

➔ Wrap tops, dresses, and jackets: these types of clothing are an ideal pick as they sit nicely on
your figure. You can also play with different colours and prints to spice up your wardrobe.

➔ High-waist skirts & trousers: these garments show off your natural curves and help keep the
balance of your overall figure.

➔ Fitted tops & jackets: these are a perfect addition to your wardrobe as they follow the
natural shape of your figure without making you look too top or bottom-heavy.

Key style tips
➔ Follow the natural silhouette: this is key to styling this figure because excessive detailing on
the top or bottom can unbalance the silhouettes and make them less flattering.

➔ Show off your curves: choose clothing made from soft fabric and clothing that is fitted (not
tight) to pull off this tip.

➔ Keep it simple: choosing simple, clean garments (pattern-wise) is a good way to go. Apply
this tip, especially when picking dresses. You can opt for garments that are simple in the
bodice and have details at the shoulders, cuffs, or calves.

That’s all for now folks! Now that you have these tips are you looking forward to dressing up and
showing up? Have you enjoyed the series so far? What tips have you tried out? We’re nearly at the
end of our body type series, with just one more body type to look at next: the plus-size body
type. Until next time😊

~ Boma

It’s Not the What, It’s The How

How to: Dress for your body type

Dressing up shouldn’t be a chore. If it is, then you’re doing it wrong (kidding). No but seriously,
getting dressed should be fun because there are so many ways, we can present ourselves to the
world. Sadly, this can also make this daily task very daunting. Regardless of how you feel,
dressing up can be fun, exciting, and even easy when you know how to wear what you already
have to flatter your figure.

That said, welcome to the fourth part of the body type series. Before we dive in, some general
caveats to keep in mind are:
1) The body types are on a spectrum, and you may oscillate between one type or another. Your
body type may also change over the years as your body changes, which is perfectly normal.

2) This is a style guide to help make getting dressed easier. You can wear anything you want but
it’s not what you wear, it’s how you wear it.
So, without further ado, let’s get into the Rectangle body type.
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.

The Rectangle Body Type

You are a rectangle if your waist ÷ shoulders or bust = ≥ 0.75
Characteristics of the body type:
➔ Athletic looking just like the inverted triangle
➔ Shoulders and hips are proportionate
➔ No definition of the waist
➔ Straight shoulders
➔ The bust and hips are the same widths
➔ Straight frame overall i.e., lack of curves and straight hips
and bottom

What clothes to avoid:
With this body type, you’ll want to break up the rectangle and add some curves. So, it’s best to steer
clear of clothes that emphasise the straightness of this figure.
➔ Boxy tops/jackets: opt for tops that have a curvy shape to them. This will help add curves to
your silhouette. Belted, button-down and wrap shirts are good for this body type.

➔ Straight cut clothing: as mentioned earlier, this body type is straight all around so wearing
straight cut clothing can emphasize this. However, as you know you’re free to wear whatever
you like. When wearing straight clothing on this body type, choose clothing with
embellishments around the shoulders, bust and hips.

➔ Tops/dresses with straight necklines: square and straight necklines enhance the straightness
of the shoulders. If this is the look, you’re going for then opt for clothing with
embellishments around the neck.

Wardrobe must-haves:
➔ Clothing made from soft and flowy fabrics: these types of clothing soften the figure and add
volume to create gentle curves on this body type.

➔ Tops & dresses with low/wide necklines: off-shoulder, sweetheart, scoop, and V-necks are
flattering necklines for this shape as they soften the straight shoulders.

➔ Full skirts: creating volume at the bottom is a clever way to add curves to this body type and
detailed skirts do this wonderfully. Skirts/dresses with ruffles, ruching, gathers, or pleats are
ideal wardrobe must-haves for this figure.

Key style tips:
➔ Define the waist: do this by wearing darker colours around the waist and keeping detail at
the waist minimal. Wearing belts or clothing cinched at the waist is also a terrific way to
achieve this.

➔ Create curves: you can do this by wearing loose clothing nipped at the waist or wearing
clothing with asymmetrical lines or draping.

➔ Play with different prints and textures: prints and textures can help to balance out the entire
silhouette as they can draw attention away from the shoulders, soften the figure or create a
visual illusion of curves.

So that’s all for the rectangle body type. Did any of these tips inspire you? Not quite sure you fall
under this body type. It’s fine, we’ve already covered style tips for some other body types: e.g.
Apple, Pear and Inverted Triangle. If you’re still not feeling any of these don’t worry, there’s still
more to come. In the next article, we’ll explore tips for the Hourglass body type.

Once again thanks for sticking around till the end of this article.

See you soon

Boma

How to: Dress for your body type

Hello and welcome back to the body type style series. Before we proceed, we need to do some general housekeeping.

Firstly, the body types exist on a spectrum, and it is more likely than not you will fall between two categories.

Secondly, the tips presented here are merely a style guide. You are free to wear whatever you want, but keep in mind it’s not what you wear it’s how you wear it.

Now let’s get started with our body type in focus. Inverted Triangle.

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 Inverted Triangle Body Type

You are an Inverted triangle if your shoulders or bust ÷ hips = ≥ 1.05

Characteristics of the body type

➔ Shoulders/bust are wider than hips
➔ Like apple but with a slight definition in the waist ➔ Broad/sharp shoulders
➔ Athletic-type physique
➔ The bust can range from small to large
➔ May have a small or flat bottom
➔ Toned or shapely legs

What clothes to avoid

The main feature of this body type is the shoulders or bust. So, your main style focus would be to balance this out or flaunt this asset in the most aesthetically pleasing way.

➔ Pencil skirts: this skirt accentuates your narrow hips, which is fine if that’s what you’re going for. However, it will also emphasise your broad shoulders and could make you look disproportionate. To create balance, opt for pencil skirts with hip details or embellishments to balance out the silhouette.

➔ Tops/dresses with heavy neck or shoulder detailing: again, garments like this will draw attention to your shoulders. You can opt for minimal detailing or detailed necklines/shoulders that flatter your shoulders such as V-necks, asymmetrical, scoop and halter necklines.

➔ Structured jackets: this could be tricky as you’re likely to pull off structured jackets effortlessly. However, you don’t want to come off looking like Johnny Bravo in a coat, so you need to add volume to your bottom half and define the waist. A way to do this is to wear a high-waist full-bodied skirt or wide-leg pants/shorts.

Wardrobe must-haves

➔ Wrap dresses: this is a choice pick for your wardrobe as most wrap dresses are designed to define the waist while creating volume in the bottom half. The best wrap dresses for the inverted triangle silhouette are those made from soft flowy fabric.

➔ Full-bodied & layered skirts/dresses: these types of clothing will flatter your frame well because they will define the waist and balance out the unevenness between your shoulders and hips.

➔ Wide leg/ flared bottom trousers & shorts: these will create the same effect of proportion as the full-bodied skirt. Choose bright colours when wearing these as they will help draw attention away from the shoulders.

➔ Tops/dresses with asymmetrical necklines: asymmetrical necklines add a playful and soft quality to your broad shoulders. These necklines are very flattering for your silhouette because they tone down the sharpness of your shoulders and create a balanced silhouette.

Key style tips
➔ Add volume on the bottom half: A-line skirts/dresses, wide-leg pants: because of your broad

shoulders, you’ll want to add volume to your bottom half, to balance out your frame.

➔ Show off your legs and/or shoulders: you can choose to do one or both. For example, you can pair an off-shoulder top with wide-leg trousers or a spaghetti strap top with a full-bodied mini skirt.

➔ Try adding a third layer: throwing on another layer such as a longline or max jacket, can help with creating a well-proportioned silhouette.

Remember: there’s nothing wrong with your body, you just have a little more to love at the top– Rasheena Liberté

That’s all for the inverted triangle, what did you think of these style tips? Do you know anyone with this figure? Still don’t know what body type you are. Don’t worry there’s more to come. Next time we’ll look at the rectangle body type. Till then you can look at our other body type articles here.

See you soon 😊

Boma

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