The Shape

Not super sure what’s happening in my life right now—I relate much more to the light; but the macabre has been a recurring theme for me as I’ve fully embraced my love of classical and contemporary gothic-type horror. Currently reading Poe short stories despite inundating myself with vampiric binge reads of the Twilight Saga variety and then some lately… Judge me all you want. I’m ok with it. But, I’ve been reading and watching. What started as my husband suggesting we watch Interview With A Vampire turned into me forcing him to watch the first Twilight then bingeing the rest myself. 


Admittedly the movies leave a lot to be desired. Unless you’re watching Alice’s wardrobe. Her wardrobe is amazing—largely because the clothes perfectly suit her character and body shape. And ironically, the colors work for her too. I can’t say that about all of the characters in the movies…cough, Edward Cullen, cough… But I’ll cover colors another time. 


Body shape is the name of this game. Let’s be honest. There are A LOT of blogs and sites across the inter webs that pertain to body shape and how to dress for them. If you’d like to get into specifics, absolutely drop me a line; until then, I’m just going to cover the five basic body shapes and cover a few suggestions for each one. 


Up to bat first is the hourglass. Basically, shoulders and hips are roughly the same measurement with a defined waist. 36, 24, 36 (if you know, you know ;). Think Marilyn Monroe. Pick styles that accentuate your narrow waist. A tucked in v-neck blouse with high-waisted trousers will be a wardrobe classic. 


Next up is an apple shape. Like an apple, it’s round with a less defined waist. Think Queen Latifah. A wrap dress that draws your eye inward toward the middle and creates a waistline and balances and defines proportions is a great place to start. 


Not only is a wrap dress great on an apple shape, it also works really well on a pear, or triangle, shaped body. Narrower shoulders and waist with larger hips. Kim Kardashian #nailsit. A pencil skirt with a blouse that has pouf sleeves or shoulder detail also works well for this shape. 


Fourth on the lineup is an inverted triangle. Your bust/shoulders are larger than your hips. And your battle is balancing your bottom half with your top half. An a-line dress or fit-and-flare dress will help you achieve this seamlessly as the extra fullness of both bottom halves create the illusion of proportion with your top half. 


Last, but not least, is a rectangle. Also commonly referred to as an “athletic” body shape. It’s simultaneously my favorite shape and arch nemesis. Only because I dress it. Every. Single. Day. Admittedly, this is a pretty versatile shape to clothe. In the pants department, wide legs and skinny work equally well as long as they’re balanced on top. You can create the illusion of an hourglass with a v-neck or scoop neck top either tucked in or worn loose. 


Regardless what shape you have been blessed with. Yes, I very firmly believe my blessed statement. I’ll leave you with this. Above all else, TRY EVERYTHING ON! Even if it’s an item that is “supposed” to work for your body type, you’re going to need to try it on before you commit to it. If the craftsmanship, material, or color aren’t right, scrap it. Because I promise you, there is something better. Something that is perfect. And when you put it on, you’ll know. Because you’ll look at yourself in the mirror and think, this is it. This was made just for me. If ever there’s a doubt, send me a pic. I tell it to you straight. 


Happy shopping! 


P.S. Team Edward. Always and forever. 

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