Balance your Vertical Body

When you understand your proportions, you can visually balance your vertical body shape to flatter your figure. 

Whatever your Body Type, you might say you have a short or long waist; perhaps long or short legs; or perhaps you're petite all over. Sometimes though it's difficult to understand how this affects the way you wear your clothes. 

Even a slight adjustment...

When you see how body proportions work together you'll see that even a slight adjustment to the length of your tops or hemline will make a big difference to the overall effect.

Although very few women have 'perfect' proportions it's generally accepted that the body is about 8 times the length of your head. So the size of your head signifies how tall you're likely to be.

This is how it works...

• The top of your head to bottom of your chin is considered 1 head

• Chin to peak of your breast is also 1 head

• Breast to natural waist line is 1 head

• Waist to leg break is 1 head

• Leg break to knee bend is 2 heads

• Knee to floor is also 2 heads

Don't get hung up over centimeters but if the distances vary a good bit from your head measurement then you are shorter or longer in that particular area  e.g. you might have a short waist or a long waist. 

Few of us are completely in proportion but it's easy to balance once you know! 

Your leg break is roughly half your height

The position of your Leg Break - where the leg naturally lifts up - is where your body naturally bends. 

Measure from the top of your head to your leg break - then from the leg break down to the floor then you will be able to decide whether you have a:

• BALANCED BODY - both measurements are roughly equal

• LONG BODY with SHORT LEGS - upper measurement is greater 

• SHORT BODY with LONG LEGS - lower measurement is greater

Balance your Vertical body regardless of height!

Regardless of your height, you can learn how to balance your vertical body.

These pictures show how women of the same height can have completely different proportions and these proportions will influence how you choose to wear your clothes.  It's just like wearing the best shapes for your Body Type only this time it's dealing with the vertical.

But whichever way your body is divided up, it's possible to visually lengthen your top half or your bottom half by modifying the lines, styles and shapes of the clothes you wear.

Short or Long Body?

BALANCED BODY

Although a balanced vertical body shape (when the 2 halves are roughly equal) is theoretically 'ideal', you still need to choose carefully. The position of a waist or a hemline can still visually change your shape and shorten your legs.

LONG BODY / SHORT LEGS

Whatever your height, short legs can give the impression of you being shorter than you actually are. However, with a bit of attention you can visually lengthen your legs by choosing your outfits and hem lengths carefully.  

SHORT BODY / LONG LEGS

Long legs are always attractive, making you look taller and slimmer than you probably are. But we still need to visually balance the body to achieve the most attractive proportions.

Want the illusion of longer legs?

Avoid creating horizontal lines across the bottom half of your body... so choose...