Body Types: Identify Yours and Dress for It

The same garment looks entirely different on different people, and the reason is body shape rather than size. Identifying your own shape is the step that makes every other clothing decision straightforward, because it tells you what a given cut will actually do.

Why shape rather than size

Body type is a combination of muscle, bone structure and genetics, and it stays essentially constant through life. Your measurements will change. Your fundamental shape will not.

That is the useful part. Once you know your shape, the guidance stays valid regardless of what the tape says in any given year.

The starting principle

Every body type has something worth showing and something worth playing down. Rather than trying to correct your shape, pick the part you want to show, build the outfit around it, and let the rest follow.

Rectangle, also called banana

More or less straight up and down. Shoulders and hips measure roughly the same, and the waist measures close to both the hips and the bust. The shape is similar to an hourglass except that the waist is far less defined, and it reads as boyish. Long legs are common with this shape.

The objective. Create the illusion of a defined waist. Do that and the shape moves toward an hourglass.

Choose

• Jackets and structured tops, which build a waistline.
• Patterns and detailing designed around the waist.
• Low-waist bottoms, with skirts, jeans and trousers falling below the natural waist.
• Gathered skirts falling below the waistline.
• Wrap dresses, which tie at the waist and define it directly.
• Narrow belts.
• Boat necks and sweetheart necklines.
• Frills and ruffles, which add curve.
• Padded seams at the top to enhance the bust.

Avoid

• Vertical or linear prints, which emphasize the straight line.
• Loose tops, whose extra fabric hides what curve there is and adds width.
• High-waisted bottoms, which narrow the hips further.
• Wide belts, which flatten the waist rather than defining it.
• Very tight dresses, which highlight the absence of curve.

Triangle, also called pear

Heavier at the bottom and narrower at the top. The upper half is proportionate with a slim torso and ribcage, the waist is smaller than the hips, and the lower half is fuller through the bottom and legs.

The objective. Draw attention upward to the bust and shoulders, define the waist, and let the hips and thighs read narrower so the whole body appears proportionate.

Choose

• Dark bottoms with light tops.
• Tops and jackets with prints or detail at the shoulders, which balances shoulders against hips.
• Shoulder pads, which extend the shoulder line.
• Cap sleeves, which widen the shoulders.
• Necklines deeper than they are wide, which elongate the upper body.
• V-necks, off-the-shoulder, scoop and square necklines, all of which widen narrow shoulders and draw the eye to the neck and face.
• Tops long enough to reach the waistline, covering the hips only partially.
• Ruffles and frills at the neckline.
• Bold prints on top with a dark bottom.

Avoid

• Close-fitting tops, which make the upper half look slimmer than the lower.
• Eye-catching prints on the bottom half.
• Gathers and ruffles at the bottom, whose extra fabric adds width.
• Blouses with detail at the waistline.
• Light colors on the bottom.
• Skinny jeans.

Inverted triangle, also called apple

Heavier at the top and narrower at the bottom. Thighs and hips are proportionally smaller than the bust and shoulders, the waist is average and less defined, and the bottom is flatter with slim legs.

This shape carries almost every style well. Where the bust is considerably heavier than the waist and hips, the objective is to create the impression of wider hips so the two halves balance.

Choose

• A-line skirts and medium-flared trousers with detail and print, which add dimension to a slim lower body.
• Deep V-necklines, which flatter a heavier bust.
• Tops with detail at the waist.
• Chunky, stylish belts, which draw attention to the waist.
• Dark tops with light bottoms.
• Close-fitting tops and shirts with a V-neckline.
• Cowl necks and mock-wrap necks.
• Empire dresses, which narrow at the top and flare below.

Avoid

• Long, puffed or oversized sleeves, which draw attention upward.
• Tube tops, which accentuate a heavy bust.
• Frills and detail at the neckline.
• Boat, turtle and keyhole necklines.

Hourglass

Curved, with a full bust and broad hips, shoulders in line with the hips, and a well-defined waist. Bust and hip measurements are roughly equal, and the waist may measure ten inches or more less than both.

The hourglass is generally treated as the ideal shape, and almost all clothing suits it. The objective is simply not to obscure it.

Choose

• Well-cut blouses and tops that follow your shape.
• V-necks, scoop necks and cowls.
• Tops and bottoms that fit properly, neither tight nor loose.
• Anything that accentuates the waist. Corsets and wrap-over jumpers work particularly well.
• Pencil skirts, which are the single best skirt for this shape.

Avoid

• Oversized prints and patterns, which overwhelm the shape.
• Tapered trousers narrowing at the ankle, which make the bottom look larger.

Quick reference

Frequently asked questions

Can my body type change?

Measurements change. The underlying shape, which comes from bone structure and genetics, stays essentially constant.

What is the difference between rectangle and hourglass?

The waist. Both have balanced shoulders and hips, but the hourglass has a clearly defined waist and the rectangle does not.

Which shape suits the most clothes?

The hourglass, because most garments are cut on the assumption of a defined waist with balanced proportions.

I have a pear shape. What is the single most useful change?

Dark on the bottom, light or patterned on top. That one move balances the halves more than any individual garment.

See also the necklines guide, the waistlines guide and how to appear taller.