Trends change fast, and it’s not always easy to know how to adapt to them for our unique and beautiful body shapes. We believe that fashion is about feeling great in the looks we love and in who we are. But you could say that we follow guidelines, not rules. But first things first, do you know your body shape?
I have to emphasize that everybody is unique and beautiful, and you don’t need to lose weight or change yourself to feel better about yourself. However, knowing your body shape helps you choose clothes that look better on you.
I will start off by talking about the most common body shapes. So, let’s have a look at the five major female body shapes. These include Inverted triangle, Rectangle, Pear, Hourglass, and Apple shape.

Inverted Triangle Body Shape
This is typically when you have a larger top half than the bottom, and your shoulders are broader than your hips. You also probably don’t have a lot of definition between your waist and hips. The focus here is to direct attention away from the upper part of the body while filling up the lower part of the body.

Avoid necklines like boat-neck or Bardot, big straps, halter-neck tops, big shawl collars, and larger patterns on your top half. Instead, opt for items that accentuate your bottom half like A-line skirt or wide-leg trousers.
For sleeves, make them look slimmer, opt for short and tight sleeve to avoid adding weight to your shoulder. For long sleeves opt for soft sleeves that flare such as raglans, kimono, or dolman sleeves. The best pair of jeans would be the boyfriend jeans. The inverted triangular body should not be confused with apple shape because shoulders are broader than hips. In here, the fit and lean legs, toned waist, and bust differ from the latter.
Celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Demi Moore, and Sonam Kapoor have this type of body shape.

Rectangular Body Shape
With the rectangle body shape, you wear the same size in tops and bottoms, you don’t have an overly defined waistline, and have a straight shoulder line and hips. We try to create the illusion of a defined waist with this body type.

This can be done by using belts around your waist, mid-waisted trousers, and belted jackets which are all great options. You should avoid silhouettes that are too vertical- like a vertical striped fabric, straight jacket with straight trousers which will give you little definition. Softer fabrics can help you, as they look great belted and can draw your eye into your “waist”.
You have a great body type for practically any pair of pants. You can go form-fitting, and in fact sometimes body-conscious pants can highlight your curves. Mid-rise jeans are probably your best bet because they will help highlight your waist more, and don’t be afraid to belt your jeans to add a bit more emphasis on your waist.
Celebrities like Kate Hudson, Taylor Swift or as I love to say TayTay and Gweneth Paltrow have this type of body shape.

Pear Body Shape
A pear-shaped body is identified by a wider lower half, so you probably have wider hips and thighs and a narrower top half. For this body shape, you want to draw attention to your upper half. You can do this by choosing prints or brighter colors for your top half. Wider necklines like boat necklines and sweetheart necklines broaden the shoulders.

You can also layer your tops to add more volume to your upper half. You want your shirts to be the right length. You want your shirts to hit just at the widest part of your hips, avoid extremely long shirts and extremely cropped shirts. (again, these are just basic guidelines, not hard and fast rules- think of these as jumping-off points, but as you learn your body you can evolve and expand your own recipes for successful outfits)
Also, a padded bra or push-up bra can help accentuate the top half if you are comfortable with them. It is KEY to have a bra that fits properly, no matter your shape. Also, you can use dark colors on your bottom half to slim your hips down a bit
Celebrities like Osas, Omotola, Kim Kardashian and J-Lo are known to have pear-shaped bodies.

Hourglass
An hourglass shape is defined by an equal size in hips and shoulders with a waist that is well defined. With this body shape, you still want to accentuate your waist, because that is the slimmest part of your body.

With an hourglass shape, you want to avoid shapeless or baggy clothes that will overwhelm your frame and can even look lumpy.
Celebrities like Ini Edo, Beyoncé, Toolz and Dita Von Teese are famous for their hourglass shape. However, Marilyn Monroe is the most well-known hourglass figure out there on media.

Apple Body Shape
An apple body shape is also known as an oval body shape, is known for a larger upper body than lower body with no defined waistline. This body shape has a slim waist and great legs but lacks definition from the hips up.

But for now, keep your tops and jackets more streamlined and simpler. You don’t want to have shoulder details or embellishments that draw too much attention. You want to aim for a balanced look, so that means well-fitted, tailored tops and jackets that are not skin-tight.
For dresses, you want to avoid body-conscious dresses and opt for a slim-fit dress that hits above the knee. Pencil skirts also work nicely with a loose-fit top.
The easiest jeans for your body type is a straight leg jean, as it highlights your fantastic legs, while also defining your waist a bit more. To balance a casual outfit, opt for a looser sweater or top. Because you are missing that waist definition two tight pieces on top and bottom will feel off-balanced and top-heavy. Funke Akindele, Sherri Shepherd are examples of the Apple body shape.

One Last Thought on Body Shapes. Everybody is different. If you’re not one of these shapes—that’s ok! These dressing guidelines are best used as a starting point to understand the basics. And let’s be honest—most women are a combination of several! It’s all about mixing & matching until you find what’s best for you.

Mimi Maza Maza is a fashion illustrator/designer, fashion enthusiasts and engineer who has contributed to the world of STEM in Nigeria as well.

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