How to make the best of your body shape

One of the best things about being a stylist is the satisfaction you get from seeing a client walking away armed with knowledge. A lot of this has to do with re-education on body shapes and less emphasis on size. I find that majority of women I meet don’t understand their shapes and that accounts for 80% of their ‘problems’.
Even the shape we find most attractive or ‘flawless’ has flaws; the sexy hourglass dressed wrongly could look frumpy and dowdy and the athletic-slim-low body fat shape that could look straight and boyish. Search the Internet or read any style book and you will find various different interpretations and names of body shapes. As helpful as they are, they are often better understood when we personalise them. In view of this, I will highlight two body shapes each week for the next six weeks, using Britain-based “What Not To Wear” stylists, “Trinny and Susannah”, Body Shapes Rules.
This week, we will focus on:
*The Hourglass
*The Pear

Hourglass or “Figure Eight”

Celebrity example – Scarlett Johannsen:
Often propagated as the epitome of femininity and sexiness. Nigerians also call this ‘figure 8”.
Defining features
·Full Breasts
·Rounded Hips and thighs
·Smaller waist in proportion to hips and chest

What to Avoid
·Frills, bows, or ruffles
·Anything baggy or loose-fitting
·Skinny Jeans (No! No!)
·Stiletto heels or completely flat shoes
What to Wear
·Anything figure hugging to show off your curves
·V-necks to elongate your torso
·Pencil skirts
·Medium length heels to balance you out

Remember
·The key is to grab hold of your curves instead of trying to hide them – this will only make you look bigger than you really are and very frumpy.
·Also, hourglasses can be any size from an 8 to an 18!

Pear as in English Pear

Celebrity Example – Beyonce Knowles

As the name suggests this shape is small o the top and tapers out at the bottom/thighs. It’s like the hourglass but without the full chest.

Defining features

·Small pert breasts
·Narrow, sometimes sloping shoulders
·Small waist, muscular back
·Small arms
·Full rounded thighs
·Thick calves

What to avoid

·Trousers with
Side pockets
(Oh no, they just make you look wider)
·Tight trousers
·Shiny fabrics on
the bottom half
·Mini skirts

What to Wear

·Delicate strappy tops
·A line belted
shirt dresses
·Wide legged
boxy trousers
·A line skirts that stop
just below the knees
And skim the body

Remember

·The focus is on your gorgeous top half – show this off
·The key is to create the illusion of balance to your body. To balance out your thighs, go for tops with detail at the shoulders.