Based on our body shapes and sizes What should you wear? Based on our body shapes and sizes We all know that some clothes look good on us and others don’t. In this unit we are going to be looking at the right clothes for certain body shapes.

Shapes and Sizes Women’s bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Five basic body shapes Know your body shape It’s obvious that bodies come in different shapes and sizes, but did you know there are 5 basic body shapes? In order to find the best clothes for you, it’s important that you know your own body shape. Let’s look at the different shapes.

The five body shapes are The Hourglass The Triangle The Inverted Triangle The Slim Rectangle The Wide Rectangle

The Hour Glass Defined as Balanced figure Bust and hips almost equal wide shoulders full bust narrow waist wide hips Bust and hips almost equal

What to wear for The Hourglass Show off your narrow waist without overemphasizing your hips and bust. Most noted as the “perfect” shape in Hollywood (especially in the early 20th century), there is still a challenge when dressing this figure. You want to show off the narrow waist, but you don’t want to overemphasize the hips and the bust. Otherwise, you end up looking like a wasp. The Barbie doll is a class example of this shape, which unfortunately, has influenced women that they MUST have this shape in order to be considered attractive. Close-fitting tees, jackets and dresses that show off the waist should be worn. But be careful not to over-accentuate a full bust or too large hips. In these pictures, the jacket is slimming as it cinches in at the waist, and the belt with jeans accentuates the subtle curve of the hip, while the black tee is form-fitting to show off the waist.

What not to Wear Empire dresses or tops, especially if you have a full bust. Large tops Let’s look at some of the styles you should NOT wear with an hourglass figure. The empire waist is high waist, with a seam or ribbon placed under the bust. Because it accentuates a large bust, you should avoid this style if you have a large bust. Also, because of the way it flows, it does not accentuate the smaller waist, which is what you want to do. SHOW NEXT BULLET. You should also NOT wear large tops or over blouses (untucked). Again, these do not accentuate the small waistline.

The Triangle Defined as Narrow shoulders and a small bust extending to significantly wider hips. Also known as pear shape.

What to Wear Choose designs that have detail at the neck and shoulders, drawing the eye up and out. Accent scarves and boat necklines with contrast rims are good choices Neckline embroidery Shoulder yokes or wide collars. Dark colors on lower body with lighter color above to draw the eye up.

Clothes for Triangle Shape The key to a pear shape is to de-emphasize the bottom half and to emphasize the top half. Boat neckline Shoulder yoke

What Not to Wear No tops or shirts with hemlines that fall directly in line on the hips (drop waist) Skirts or pants with patch or inseam pockets, bulky side seams, or pleats draw attention to your hips. (e.g. cargo pants) Avoid short skirts that end well above the knee.

The Inverted Triangle Defined as Broad shoulders, a full bust, heavy upper arms extending to narrow hips

What to Wear Details below the waist, such as pockets, pleats, a dropped waist, peplums, yoked skirts and skirts with border prints. Tops with V-necks, raglan sleeves or diagonal designs pull the eye down. Wear dark colors on the upper body with lighter colors on the lower body. Opposite from the triangle, you want to emphasize your bottom part and not your top part. Let’s look at some styles for the inverted triangle.

Styles for Inverted Triangle Peplum jacket Dropped waist Raglan sleeves

What Not to Wear Garments with a lot of upper body detail (wide collars and lapels, yokes, ruffles and shoulder pads) Wear skirts a little shorter, rather than longer, and avoid capris or strongly tapered pants.

The Slim Rectangle Defined as Shoulders and hips are very similar in width with little definition at the waistline. Straight up and down with a lack of curves.

What to Wear Detail on the bust and hips Horizontal lines Wide lapels, wide shoulder Contrast colors on top and bottom Horizontal lines add dimension to your shape. You could pair this sweater with a dark pair of pants or skirt.

What Not to Wear Wide waistbands or blocks of colors at the waist to draw attention to the proportionally larger waist (large pockets) Large plaids, patterns with vertical stripes should be avoided as well You want to add width to you shape. You don’t need the height.

The Wide Rectangle This body shape is nearly straight up and down. The figure is wider. Similar to the slim rectangle, but wider at the waist.

What to Wear Muted shades or monochromatic colors Shoulder or neckline details to draw the eye up Princess seams, or center front seam create a vertical line-drawing the line up and down Wear narrow pant-legs, straight skirts, shirts with sleeves that taper toward the wrist and vest jackets that fall below the waistline Think long! What does monochromatic mean? One color

What Not to Wear Blocky, bold, contrasting colors and boxy garments accentuate the width. Don’t draw attention to your waist with large patch pockets, belts and peplums.

When helping customers select clothing, remember the following: Single center vertical line adds height slims figures Asymmetrical or off-center vertical line cuts the weight of the figure Horizontal line adds width good choice for a tall person

More… An arrow line Diagonal lines halter dress or raglan sleeves adds height and narrows the shoulders short, broad-shouldered woman Diagonal lines add interest and eye appeal. more vertical, the thinner the figure will look more horizontal, the broader the figure will look

About horizontal lines… Makes any figure appear shorter and heavier Lower the horizontal line, the shorter the woman looks. Long tunic Three-quarter length coat Empire waist A low horizontal line produced by wearing a long tunic or three-quarter length coat, may make a short woman look dumpy. However, a short woman can wear a high horizontal line, such as an empire waist.

About Prints… Big prints will make a figure appear larger. Large geometric or floral print blouse will call attention to the figure above a woman’s waist.

About clothing accents… Ruffles or large sleeves adds body weight Too much fullness will dwarf a thin person.

About belts… Narrow belts attract less attention For larger women, use belts in the same fabric/color as a garment

About necklines… What is slenderizing? Deep lapels Vertical darts Long V necklines add height Broad V necklines widen the figure.

Colors Warm or bright colors draw attention Yellows Oranges Reds Cool and neutral-colors diminish attention Black/grey Navy Taupe/tan Very dark colors make the figure look slimmer. Color is very important. It can help a customer achieve a look they want.

Using color and features A shape will appear longer if clothed in one color. Use bright colors to draw attention to best features. Hot pink collar on a dress will draw attention to the face and away from a bulging tummy. Contrasting colors on yoke, pockets and belts can make a person look shorter.

Can you guess… Bright yellow top with neutral bottom would be best for… A pale peach dress with matching hosiery and shoes will help a …. Triangle shape Wide rectangle

Texture Shiny or glossy fabrics Dull textures Satin or sequins Reflect light Make figure look larger Dull textures Flannel or jersey Absorb light Make figure look smaller Smooth fabrics make a figure appear smaller Coarse or heavily textured fabrics Corduroy Illusion of fullness Shiny or glossy fabrics such as satin or sequins, reflect light and make a figure look larger. Dull textures, such as flannel or jersey, absorb light and make a figure look smaller.