Creating a visually-balanced silhouette is the basic step to dressing well. What exactly is a balanced silhouette? For women, creating a proportional or equally balanced figure between the lower and upper part of the body is said to be more attractive or visually present. As for men, it is usually the ‘athlete’ body shape or men with a defined chest, broad shoulders and bulging biceps are desired. If you visit stores, you will notice that most of the clothes are mass designed to suit the shape of an average model due to which most outfits look amazing on them and look different kinds of wrong when you try them out.
The good news is that visually creating the perfect body illusion is possible for everyone; you just need to know your body shape to do so. Understanding your body shape is important for you to feel good about it, in order to dress well and also for building your personal style. When you truly understand your body shape, you will be able to create outfit looks and styles for achieving an equally proportional shape. People come in different sizes and shapes and you may have body features that you would want to accentuate and those you would prefer not to highlight.
The trick is identifying the features that you would want to conceal through your clothes and then focus on the physical features that you would want to accentuate. What do you need to know for identifying your features? You need to know what body shapes exist and then classify your body accordingly. Some of the top body shapes that can be found are mentioned below:
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Contents
Inverted Triangle
In this body shape, the bust or shoulders are larger than the hips. The key is to check the numbers in order to be sure. Your bust or shoulder measurements will be at least 5 percent bigger as opposed to your hip measurement. For instance, if your shoulders are 36 inches, then your hip size will be 34 ¼ or even smaller.
Rectangle
Your bust, shoulders and hips are of almost the same size and you don’t really have a defined waistline. This is classified as a rectangle body shape. Again, you need to check the numbers in order to be certain. Your bust, shoulder and hip measurements will be within 5 percent of each other. As compared to your bust or shoulder measurements, your waist will be at least 25 percent smaller. For instance, if your shoulders are at least 36 inches, then your waist will measure around 27 inches or more.
Triangle or Pear
This body shape exists when you have wider hips that your shoulders. Checking the measurements can help confirm it. It usually exists when your hip measurement is more than 5 percent bigger than your bust or shoulder measurements. For instance, if your shoulder length is 36 inches, then your hip measurement will be around 37 ¾ inches or larger.
Hourglass
When your hips and shoulders are of the same size and your waist is very well-defined, it is referred to as an hourglass figure. Your hip and shoulder measurements will be within 5 percent of each other. Your wait measurement will be at least 25 percent smaller than your bust, hip and shoulder measurements. For instance, if your hip and shoulder measure 36 inches, your waist will measure around 27 inches or smaller.
Determining your Body Shape with Measurements
Some people will immediately be able to recognize their body shape once they read the details mentioned above. However, you should note that this is just a standard provided as there may be some variations in measurements. They don’t have to be exact in order to figure out your body shape. If you are already familiar with the measurements of your waist, hips and bust, you can just use an online calculator to determine your body shape. Click here to use one and do your calculations.
In the event that you don’t know your measurements, it is time to grab a measuring tape and someone to help you. You will require some assistance because it can be very difficult to measure some parts of yourself if you want to get them right. The more accurate your measurements, the easier it will be to figure out your body shape. How do you measure yourself? Let’s take a look:
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Your shoulders
Measuring your shoulders is the hardest to do on your own, so you really should ask someone to assist you. Put the measuring tape at the tip of one shoulder and then wrap it around yourself like a shawl until it comes back to the same shoulder. The measuring tape needs to skim the top of the shoulders closely enough to slip off. This is your shoulders’ widest circumference.
Your bust
You need to stand straight and wrap the measuring tape across the fullest part of your breasts, which is typically the middle, and around your back. Pull the tape as tightly as possible without changing the shape of your breast.
Your hips
Hold the measuring tape at the fullest part of one of your hip, just below the hip bone. Keep the tape flat and wrap it around the largest part of your hip, the other hip and then bring it back to the original point.
Your waist
The measuring tape should be wrapped around your torso, at the smallest part of the waist. Make sure it is wrapped flat around the back, doesn’t buckle and meets just above the belly button.
In this way, you will have all the necessary measurements you need for categorizing your body shape. Not only is this helpful in creating the perfect wardrobe that makes you feel good, but it can also be immensely useful in figuring out health issues. You will know what areas of your body need attention and where some correction is needed in order to maintain a healthy body.
