Melody Teh
Beauty & Style

10 tips to find the perfect style for your body type

Whether we are 30 or 60, we all want to look like the best version of ourselves by wearing clothing that accentuates our silhouette in a positive manner. Fashion should be fun and a thing which boosts our confidence, not something that causes us stress and hits us with a dose of low self-esteem.

No matter what your body shape is, you can always take your everyday style to an elegant and sophisticated state, that is always timeless but also modern. Here are 10 tips to help you find the perfect style for your body shape.

Hourglass

If your bust and hips are full and your waist is smaller, then you have an hourglass figure. The best way to flatter this body shape to your advantage is by wearing fit and flare dresses which will accentuate your tiny waist and leave room for the fuller areas of your body. Other design silhouettes like peplum tops or body hugging pieces will also help to flatter your body shape.

Apple shape

When your silhouette is fuller throughout, just like the shape of an apple, but your legs are slim, then you need tunic tops to give the upper part of your bodya flowy shape and sheath dresses (which are very much like a T shirt in design but longer) to straighten your apple shaped body. To balance the bottom area of your body, you can wear slim pants, preferably tailored pieces to accentuate the tiniest area on your body.

Heavy bust

When your bust area is quite large and the rest of your body is smaller, then you might want to minimise this feature. One way of balancing your heavy bust and make it appear smaller than it is, is by wearing V-neck tops and knitwear, as well as buttoned up shirts with the top three buttons left open. You can also use the timeless design of a wrap dress with this kind of body shape.

Pear shape

One of the most common body shapes out there, a pear shaped body, with a tiny top part and a larger bottom area needs boxy shaped tops to make the bust area look bigger and A-line dresses to hide the wider hips and thighs. Bootleg pants can also help to balance the wide hips by widening the area around your ankles.

Rectangle shape

When your body is quite straight, with relatively no curves, then you have a rectangle shape and you need clothing to help you create the idea of curves. High neck tops like polo necks and collared blouses, as well as statement jewelry to add more volume to your neck area are all ways you can use clothing to add the suggestion of curves on your body.

Carrot shape

A relatively unknown definition for a body shape, a carrot shape is when you have a broad shoulder area but the rest of your silhouette is quite tiny. There are two ways you can work this body shape. You can either use your bottom area to create volume there by wearing skirts and trousers with pleats or you can accentuate the shoulder area with embellishment and keep the rest of your body tiny by wearing body hugging pieces.

Accessories

Choosing accessories that are not unproportioned to your body is how you will continue to flatter your body shape, so if you have a full bust, don’t wear a dainty necklace that will appear very small in that area.

Use colour

We tend to steer clear of color when we are older but using color to highlight the best areas of your body is another way of playing up your shape.

Be wary of prints

While prints are great to bring that bold touch to your everyday look, try to avoid wearing prints on those areas of your body which you want to minimize.

Shoes always help

You may not like wearing heels as much as you did in earlier decades but even a pair of comfortable shoes with a small heel can really help to elongate your body and help to make you look slimmer.

Image credits: Getty Images

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tips, fashion, style, Beauty and Style, Body type