What should you wear? Based on our body shapes and sizes

Shapes and Sizes Women’s bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Five basic body shapes Know your body shape

The five body shapes are The Hourglass The Triangle The Inverted Triangle The Slim Rectangle The Wide Rectangle

The Hour Glass Defined as Balanced figure –wide shoulders –full bust –narrow waist –wide hips Bust and hips almost equal

What to wear for The Hourglass Show off your narrow waist without overemphasizing your hips and bust.

What not to Wear Empire dresses or tops, especially if you have a full bust. Large tops

The Triangle Defined as Narrow shoulders and a small bust extending to significantly wider hips. Also known as pear shape.

What to Wear Choose designs that have detail at the neck and shoulders, drawing the eye up and out. –Accent scarves and boat necklines with contrast rims are good choices –Neckline embroidery –Shoulder yokes or wide collars. –Dark colors on lower body with lighter color above to draw the eye up.

Clothes for Triangle Shape Boat neckline Shoulder yoke

What Not to Wear No tops or shirts with hemlines that fall directly in line on the hips (drop waist) Skirts or pants with patch or inseam pockets, bulky side seams, or pleats draw attention to your hips. (e.g. cargo pants) Avoid short skirts that end well above the knee.

The Inverted Triangle Defined as Broad shoulders, a full bust, heavy upper arms extending to narrow hips

What to Wear Details below the waist, such as pockets, pleats, a dropped waist, peplums, yoked skirts and skirts with border prints. Tops with V-necks, raglan sleeves or diagonal designs pull the eye down. Wear dark colors on the upper body with lighter colors on the lower body.

Styles for Inverted Triangle Dropped waist Peplum jacket Raglan sleeves

What Not to Wear Garments with a lot of upper body detail (wide collars and lapels, yokes, ruffles and shoulder pads) Wear skirts a little shorter, rather than longer, and avoid capris or strongly tapered pants.

The Slim Rectangle Defined as Shoulders and hips are very similar in width with little definition at the waistline. Straight up and down with a lack of curves.

What to Wear Detail on the bust and hips Horizontal lines Wide lapels, wide shoulder Contrast colors on top and bottom

What Not to Wear Wide waistbands or blocks of colors at the waist to draw attention to the proportionally larger waist (large pockets) Large plaids, patterns with vertical stripes should be avoided as well

The Wide Rectangle This body shape is nearly straight up and down. The figure is wider.

What to Wear Muted shades or monochromatic colors Shoulder or neckline details to draw the eye up Princess seams, or center front seam create a vertical line-drawing the line up and down Wear narrow pant-legs, straight skirts, shirts with sleeves that taper toward the wrist and vest jackets that fall below the waistline Think long!

What Not to Wear Blocky, bold, contrasting colors and boxy garments accentuate the width. Don’t draw attention to your waist with large patch pockets, belts and peplums.

When helping customers select clothing, remember the following: Single center vertical line –adds height –slims figures Asymmetrical or off-center vertical line –adds height –cuts the weight of the figure Horizontal line –adds width –good choice for a tall person

More… An arrow line –halter dress or raglan sleeves –adds height and narrows the shoulders –short, broad-shouldered woman Diagonal lines –add interest and eye appeal. –more vertical, the thinner the figure will look –more horizontal, the broader the figure will look

About horizontal lines… Makes any figure appear shorter and heavier Lower the horizontal line, the shorter the woman looks. Long tunic Three-quarter length coat Empire waist

About Prints… Big prints will make a figure appear larger. Large geometric or floral print blouse will call attention to the figure above a woman’s waist.

About clothing accents… Ruffles or large sleeves adds body weight Too much fullness will dwarf a thin person.

About belts… Narrow belts attract less attention For larger women, use belts in the same fabric/color as a garment

About necklines… What is slenderizing? –Deep lapels –Vertical darts –Long V necklines add height Broad V necklines widen the figure.

Colors Warm or bright colors draw attention –Yellows –Oranges –Reds Cool and neutral-colors diminish attention –Black/grey –Navy –Taupe/tan Very dark colors make the figure look slimmer.

Using color and features A shape will appear longer if clothed in one color. Use bright colors to draw attention to best features. –Hot pink collar on a dress will draw attention to the face and away from a bulging tummy. Contrasting colors on yoke, pockets and belts can make a person look shorter.

Can you guess… Bright yellow top with neutral bottom would be best for… A pale peach dress with matching hosiery and shoes will help a ….

Texture Shiny or glossy fabrics –Satin or sequins –Reflect light –Make figure look larger Dull textures –Flannel or jersey –Absorb light –Make figure look smaller Smooth fabrics make a figure appear smaller Coarse or heavily textured fabrics –Corduroy –Illusion of fullness