Understanding the 6 Body Shapes
Let’s talk today about the 6 Body Shapes. There are some body shapes we share, even if our proportions and scale differ.
Any scale of person (petite, standard, plus) can be any body shape.
I’ve worked with ladies who just recognised three body shapes, straight, curvy and full figure. I prefer to expand on that a little and feel the following covers most of us.
In order, the six body shapes are Triangle (often called a Pear), Inverted Triangle, Rectangle, Hourglass, Diamond and Oval (often called an apple shape).
Typically a Pear/Triangle body shape will have shoulders which are visibly narrower than hips.
An Inverted Triangle body shape will have shoulders which are visibly wider than the hips.
A Rectangle body shape is usually proportionate, in that hips and shoulders are equal width with no obvious waist.
An Hourglass body shape has a defined waist, hips and shoulders are equal in width.
A Diamond body shape tends to carry any weight about their middle but is a more angular shape than an Oval might.
An Oval/Apple body shape tends to carry any weight in the upper body, usually with a higher waist.
Knowing which body shape is closest to your body, will allow you to highlight your bests best and minimize the bits you’d rather no one noticed. There are lots of simple tips you can use.
Many people will be a combination of body types. I’m a pear or triangle shape but have a little belly padding which has raised my waistline so it is similar to an apple or oval shape. I wear tops that are fitted in the back with shaping to show off my waist curve at the back but straight at the front to allow some ease for a curvy tummy. I wear bootcut trousers to balance my wider hips and skim my curves. If I wear a skinny jean that would make my hips and legs look much wider.
The number of items you’ll need in your capsule wardrobe might vary to mine, for example I wear a pair of jeans three times before washing. If I want to do one load of laundry for myself per week, I need at least three pairs of jeans/chinos in my casual capsule. In warmer weather I’ll change my T shirt or top daily. I have four linen blend Ts in a warm stone colour that go with everything in my capsule. I have one purple ‘burnout’ T for layering (in winter this goes under a burgundy lace sweater and looks fabulous), two khaki Ts (one long sleeve, one cap sleeve), one burnt orange V neck T and a burgundy dolman 3/4 sleeve top. Any of these can be dressed up with good shoes/boots, nice accessories and a good handbag. I have a box of scarves, some in neutrals, some multi in neutrals or my best colours, a few plain ones and lots of hand knit shawls in luxury yarns. These are great for dressing up a casual outfit in a hurry and an extra bit of warmth on a cooler day or if you work in an office with air conditioning.
same view with my Aleutian 300 Fleece Jacket from Lowe Alpine, 20 years ago, I wouldn’t have such an amazing warm jacket. At the time I did a lot of hiking/fell walking and this was perfect. It’s in a deep teal colour, I’m a Soft Autumn (Muted and Warm), it’s a colour I wear a lot. Nowadays, in cold weather, it’s worn every day for dog walking and it looks as good now as it did when I bought it. My partner often grabs it when he’s taking the dogs to the beach as it’s also wind resistant.
If you have a capsule wardrobe for work (or any other part of your life, and you can have several), you don’t have think about what to wear each day, you’re sorted. You don’t waste time in front of the mirror or drive everyone else nuts by asking ‘Does this look okay?’