Dress for your Body Shape

by DJ
(Manassas, VA, USA)

QUESTION

How does one dress when not fitting into any of the body shapes? I was analyzed as a "Soft Straight" years ago. Straight body with no bum but oversized bust and thick arms and legs. Nothing fits!!! Any suggestions?

ANSWER

We tend to use 5 generic body shapes which refer to the relation between shoulders and hips. Sometimes it can be difficult to type oneself because we're not made to a mould so therefore all different in reality!

Yes I know the Soft Straight reference, supposed to be straight hips with a curved face. A bit difficult to understand really!

My advice would be to take my Body Type Quiz and see which Body Type you are closest to, it sounds as though you could be a Rectangle or even an Inverted Triangle as you have slim hips. Pick out any suggestions that might help you with styling.

Your proportion will probably depend on how tall you are.

Clothes need to be big enough to fit your largest measurement so fabric is not pulling. So, for example, a firm shoulder line can help to disguise a large bust and thick arms by allowing the fabric to skim over rather than sitting on the bust.

In the section Dress for your Body Shape I address individual figure challenges so that you can focus on any particular area of the body that worries you.

I hope that helps a little,
kind regards
Pamela