| Dressing for your body type |
Dressing for your body type
Do you walk into a store and get depressed when you use the row after row of dresses, and outfits which never seem to work for your body type? Shopping for a new wardrobe, or even just a new piece for your wardrobe, can be a real challenge when you perceive yourself to be bothered by bigger hips, flabby arms or a large chest.
It is not time to give up! Believe it or not dress manufacturers do not produce items only for Miss Twiggy. According to today’s fashion styles perfection is a female who is moderately tall with a body that is balanced vertically and has an hourglass figure. For males the current ideal is a balanced body with broad shoulders, chest and tapered to a medium waist and hips. Approximately 2% of the population has this perfect figure, so the goal of dressing is to create the illusion of the perfect body and the perfect proportions.
By choosing clothing that accentuates your strengths and minimizes your weaknesses many men and women are able to create the illusion of a longer, leaner body. The objective is to dress in a manner that makes you feel best about yourself which encourages feelings of self-confidence and power. Once you understand your current shape you are able to accurately choose clothing which will make you look your best.
For this reason all the clothing must be customized to the individual. However, it can be painful to stare at yourself in the mirror and decide where your flaws really lie and what type of clothing would be best for you. This is a necessary step and you should remember that no one has a "perfect" body. Your body shape has nothing to do with your size but rather to do with your proportions. These proportions have to do with where the majority of your weight is carried on your body.
For instance, some women are top-heavy and have large breasts with short waists and long skinny legs or are heavy and square on top with the big stomach and broad back sitting on slender legs. A bell shaped woman has small shoulders and a large bottom or a pear shaped woman may be small on top with a tiny waist and big thighs and calves. In all of these circumstances the proportions that a woman will carry will not change no matter how much weight she loses. She may be smaller in the hips overall but if they are normally larger than her top they will remain larger than her top even if she gets to a size 6.
Here are are some tips to help you identify your body type. Women who are top-heavy have a bust line that is three or more inches larger than their hips. 46% of women have a rectangular body shape where their waist is about the same as their hips and they appear more like cylinder than an hourglass. Pear-shaped women are bottom heavy and approximately 20% of women have this shape. In this instance their hips are significantly larger than their bust line. Only 8% of women have an hourglass shape where their hips and bust lines are equal in measure.
Women who are top-heavy may want to emphasize their smaller legs and draw attention away from the waist and arms by wearing long sleeves and V-neck tops. Women with this body types should also steer clear of tops that have large prints and dress in monochromatic colors.
Women who have a straight or rectangular body can pinch in their waist and exaggerate their curves by using belts and texture in volume. This body type can easily look boyish and so women should steer clear of baggy jeans or sweat clothes. Wearing a straight dress that eliminates the waistline will skim the body and create the illusion of a smaller waist.
Women who have a pear-shaped must use clothing to decrease the size of their hips. Dresses which are fitted at the top and flow away from the body are a great choice, as well as fitted pants with an over blouse that flows away and hits at the hip.
Women who have a smaller bust line can add more volume by looking for dresses or tops that have an embellishment or fullness on the bust line. Things like ruffles or frills can add fullness when the rest of the garment defines the waist and accentuates the upper body.
Women who do not want to show off their legs can use a longer skirt that comes to midcalf. Paired with heels, this can disguise larger calf with thicker ankles. While women who are uncomfortable with their upper arms can choose dresses and tops which are three-quarter length sleeves and have little cutouts in the arm. This element or an embellishment detracts from making the outfit look matronly.
Women who have an hourglass figure are some of the lucky few who have a waistline that can be accentuated and curves which make others envious.
Look carefully and objectively at your own figure. You may be surprised that what you first perceived as a negative trait can easily be used to create your perfect figure.
|
body dysmorphic disorder Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a serious mental disorder in which the person is preoccupied with some ...
read more
body makeover Is it really possible to make over your body in six days? In six weeks? Or does a ...
read more
body types When you are trying to determine your ideal body weight many professionals recommend that you also take into ...
read more
Does the Media Cause Eating Disorders? Psychologists are finding that eating disorders are becoming more and more prevalent in teenagers ...
read more
Dressing during pregnancy Being pregnant can take a huge toll on your self-image. While you are thrilled to be having ...
read more
Dressing for a Heavy Bottom Half Have you ever picked up a pair of pants at the store that you ...
read more
Dressing for a heavy top half Learning how to dress your particular body type puts you at a distinct advantage. ...
read more
Dressing for your body type Do you walk into a store and get depressed when you use the row after ...
read more
More about the Ectomorph, Endomorph, Mesomorph Have you noticed that some people are naturally stronger than others or that some ...
read more
Finding the ideal body weight Over 60% of the adults in the United States today are considered overweight when their ...
read more
Getting your body back after pregnancy You have just spent nine months creating a new life. It is during that ...
read more
how body image is formed Your body image is both real and imagined. Do you like what you see when ...
read more
Learn to have a positive body image Western society has valued thinness since Twiggy burst on the fashion landscape in ...
read more
Social Effects of Eating Disorders Eating disorders affect the lives of the people who suffer from them as well as ...
read more
What Is Body Image Sociologists believe that we are bombarded with over 400 different types of advertising messages on a ...
read more
|
|
|
Disclaimer:
The Publisher has strived to be as accurate and complete as possible in
the creation of this website, notwithstanding the fact that he does not
warrant or represent at any time that the contents within are accurate
due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.
This site
is a common sense guide to Dressing for your body type. In practical advice websites,
like anything else in life, there are no guarantees of income made.
Readers are cautioned to reply on their own judgment about their
individual circumstances to act accordingly.
This site
is not intended for use as a source of legal, business, accounting or
financial advice. All readers are advised to seek services of competent
professionals in legal, business, accounting, and finance field.
Any
perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.
|