Apples and Oranges and Pears

If you google body types, you will be bombarded by different names, categories, and the like. Here on The Confidante, I will be discussing only four. The four body types that will be discussed today are the apple, the pear, the hourglass, and the rectangle.

 

To be an apple means that your waist is not well defined and that you are busty. What the goals becomes for apples is looking for items that will lengthen the body and minimize the mid section. What you need to look out for are tops that go straight down your torso and have no added details such as ruffles. Ruffles are your worst enemy because they give you added volume which makes you look larger than you are. Jackets also carry the same guidelines. The right jacket will give you a streamlined look that will lengthen you.

Dresses and skirts should usually be knee length with a flare in an effort to give your legs the attention they deserve. Dresses with an A-line skirt or an empire waist will give give your body the length it needs that will minimize your waist as well as flatter your figure.

Celebrity example: Adele

Now, with the pear shaped body type, women should be finding a balance in the top and bottom of their looks since their hips and butt are wider than the top. Women with this shape should look out for items that will draw the eye upward and balance the look of their bodies. Items such as double breasted coats, straight leg jeans, tops with an eye catching print or added embellishments, and, of course, an A-line skirt that hits right at the knees.

For pears, skinny jeans can be really unflattering because it over emphasizes your hips, which is already wider than the top of your body. This means that when you wear skinny jeans, you are making yourself even more unbalanced. The same thing goes with a skirt that clings too closely to your hips. Remember: balance! If done correctly, your clothes will give you the illusion of an hour glass shape.

Celebrity Example: Kim Kardashian

The hour glass shape is perhaps the most envied body type as women belonging in this category have full busts and wide hips which gives them the hour glass shape. Women with this shape should try to find outfits that work with your shape instead of trying to hide or subdue your curves with added embellishments. Some key items to have in your closet would include belts both thick and small, wrap and sheath dresses, fitted tops, and pencil skirts. Anything, really, that cinches at the waist will give you definition and will make you look amazing.

With regard to skirts, a pencil skirts is the way to go in addition to a skirt that simply drapes nicely over your hip without hiding what you are working with. The key is really just to flaunt what you have, which means things such as ruffles prints and other heavy decorative embellishments are completely unnecessary and must be disregarded as they may you look larger than you are.

Celebrity Example: Sofia Vergara

The rectangle, or the slim/slender body type, is the body type that has soft curves which is why defining your frame and adding volume to your shape is key. When shopping, women with this body type must look out for clothing that can give curves to the body such as ruffled skirts and peasant tops. Clothing that is really airy and billowy will give your shape the curves it may be lacking.

When it comes to dresses, belted options can add definition as well as a dress that has a full skirt like a full bodice dress. These items will grant you curves in a way that is flattering to your figure. Skinny jeans and shorts are amazing pieces to have in your closet if you have this body type, but keep in mind that the jeans should have embellishments at the hips and the butt so that it may add to your frame.

Celebrity Example: Gwyneth Paltrow

I hope you all found this post helpful. Like I said before, I will be posting daily and tomorrow I will be discussing accessories that every woman should have in her closet. These options will range in prices so stay tuned for that.

~Renee B.