Happy New Year! 2023 is here and I’m so excited to share everything with you. I want to start the year off by talking about style and helping you find your “pearlfect style.” You may be asking yourself “what is pearlfect style?” Well let me tell you. Pearlfect style is your unique style in its perfect state. That means, your style when you are:
- The most comfortable.
- The most confident.
- You look great.
- What you’re wearing makes you feel great!
- Others notice your style and confidence and recognize it as yours.
In essence, it’s perfect! If you struggle with any of the things I just listed – this series is for you. Over the next few weeks – probably the next couple of months I will be unraveling style and sharing a lot of information with you that will help you get to where you want to be – style wise.
Let’s get started!
In this post, I am going to talk to you about body shape. I think it’s really important to start here because I honestly feel that once you know your body shape and OWN it – things get relatively easier. Let me start by telling you why I think it’s important to know your body shape. I think it’s important because:
- Different silhouettes of clothing look different on different body shapes.
- Most women want to accentuate their curves or the most flattering part of their body.
- When you dress to compliment your shape, you look better.
Now, let’s get into the body shapes!
There are five different body shapes. I have seen more, but there are five main body shapes. The different body shapes are:
Rectangle – The rectangle body type is the most straight-forward shape. This body type is often described as an athletic build, as women who identify with it have features of similar widths. Rectangle bodies are composed of a similar shoulder, bust and hip width. If shorter women have a rectangle body type, it can result in them looking shorter and heavier than they actually are. To determine if you are a rectangle, measure your shoulders, bust and hip width. If your measurements are all similar for every area, you are most likely a rectangle shape. Find clothes that give your body more of an hourglass figure if you’re looking to combat the boxy shape or break up your outfits with layers and different clothing proportions.
Inverted Triangle – When determining body type, an inverted triangle is an upside-down triangle described as any body shape with larger proportions on top than on bottom. This is another athletic shape as the waist and legs have significantly smaller widths than the bust and shoulders. Measure for this body type by taking the full width of your shoulders, bust and hips. If your bust and hips are around the same width, but your waist is a significantly smaller number, you have an inverted triangle body shape. When choosing clothes for this body type, highlight your lower half and elongate your legs with nude shoes.
Pear – Like the way a pear is shaped, a pear body type is slender on top, and wider in the hips and legs. This can be determined with the use of your full-length mirror or with measurements. If your shoulders and bust measurements are significantly smaller than the width of your hips, you are probably a pear-shaped body type. Dress up your shape by highlighting your shoulders, arms and back, and creating a waist for more contour.
Circle/Apple – The circle/apple body shape is identified for its rounder shape that resembles the look of the fruit. Significant signs of an apple shape body include a more circular outline, with no definition in the waist, and similar measurements. To determine if you are an apple shape, measure your shoulders, bust and hip widths. If your measurements are very similar or even identical, you may have an apple body type. When dressing your apple shape, opt for structured clothing that adds sharp lines to your overall appearance, as this often slims the midsection of your body.
Hourglass – The hourglass body is the classic bombshell shape. This body type is named for the contoured shape of your waist compared to your bust and hips. To determine if you have an hourglass shape, study your body in the full-length mirror. If your curves resemble that of a coke bottle, you most likely have an hourglass figure. You can also determine this shape by measuring your shoulders, bust and hips. Like the rectangle shape, your body measurements will all be around the same width, but the hourglass figure is significant because of the defined waist contour. If your waist is significantly indented, this is another indication that you have an hourglass body shape. Dress for your body by highlighting your unique waist and be sure to choose clothes that showcase your figure instead of covering it up.
What is your body shape? Leave it in the comments. You can use a cool calculator online to determine your body shape. All you need to do is input your measurements and it spits out your body shape. This is the calculator that I used.
I am an hourglass. My measurements are:
Shoulders: 44″
Bust: 37″
Waist: 30.5″
Hips: 43.5″
I hope you enjoyed this post! If you are interested in my YouTube video where I shared the same info, but a little more in depth, you can check it out here.
’til next time!
xo, Robyn