The deal with body shapes

The recent royal wedding was a wonderful display of style and fashion but for me what jumps out are the hits and misses when it comes to style and colour.  The real misses we notice the most are when it comes to body shape, sorry Princess Eugenie and Beatrice but buying a ‘nice dress’ isn’t quite enough!

In a recent study of 45,000 women* more than half would like to have cosmetic surgery.  Almost 60% stated they ‘hated’ the way they look and only 4% said they were happy with their bodies.  These are impactive figures and give a strong message about how we feel about how we look.

When it comes to styling your body a lot of my clients want to know what ‘body shape’ they are – these are the categories (mostly fruit related!) that are primary helpful to identify where your curves are (particularly for pears, apples and strawberries) and whether we need to create more curves i.e. for the athletic build.  It can be helpful to see yourself as a shape but please do not get too hung up on what fruit you are.

Most women are naturally a pear and an hour-glass too.  It is only if you have a significant shape that it is worth looking at these labels.  Dolly Parton is so significantly larger on the top of her body than the bottom half so is a definite ‘’strawberry” and boy does she look amazing embracing her shape.  Kim Kardashian is the opposite but also wears very fitting clothing which shows off her true pear shape.

What we really want to focus on with styling is accentuating what we love.

If you would like to accentuate your new breast shape then detail (embellished neckline, buttoned shirts and lariat style jewellery) as well as fitted tops will do so. Now is the perfect time to try new styles, new colours and a new look as the sun shines, the temperature goes up and we all feel a whole lot better about ourselves.

Dresses are everywhere, in so many styles and it is worth trying on new styles and coming away from your norm.  Asymmetric dresses are a new twist and flatter every shape as they tend to be quite shapely and fitted – Ted Baker’s asymmetric in blue and Reiss’ Camilia Bat Wing.

If you’re a definite trousers wearer culottes are a great alternative and a fantastic summer compromise.  Culottes and wide leg trousers that have a wide waist band and that are also fitted around the hips just need a simple fitted top to look great.

H&M have a wonderful range of stripes and I also love Boden’s Aurelie trousers in vibrant orange. Missoni’s wide leg culottes cover both bases of work and resort.

Unless you are very slim and/or tall the key to wide legs is to buy light & floaty material and calf-length or above the ankle flatter most.

Jumpsuits keep evolving and look great on every figure. Ted Baker have nailed it with their striking Ligita wrap over suit in azure blue. For less holiday and more corporate go to Escada and Maje.

A brand I highly recommend for the more petite figure is Jennifer Anne. She doesn’t just make clothes smaller which is the remit for many ‘petite’ ranges but tailors her clothes for petites under 5’3”. For the taller figure there is a great guide on the glamour website.

As always if you would like help with celebrating your body shape and knowing how to emphasise and flatter then please get in touch to talk about your personal styling session.

Have a great month!
Jo

Useful links

Lariat gold Necklace from Not on the High Street https://www.notonthehighstreet.com/giabelloni/product/nectar-cups-gold-lariat-style-necklace

Camilia Blue Asymmetric Dress from Reiss

https://www.reiss.com/p/asymmetric-dress-womens-camilia-in-indigo-blue/#&gid=1&pid=3

Glamour Magazine Guide – The Best Places to Shop if you’re a Tall Girl

http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/where-to-buy-tall-clothes