Thank you for the refresher, Angie. I think sometimes it’s easy (for me) to forget the basics. Knowing and dressing for my type, secondary type and modifiers has been a huge help within this past year. Thanks!

Hi–I’ve never posted before but read your blog everyday. I’m a college student at UW (go Badgers, lol). This is an interesting topic–I’m not sure what my body type is: I’m pretty thin, not at all busty, lanky, but with a defined waist and narrow-ish shoulders. A boyish figure, you might say. What am I?

My pleasure, Sarah. You are a lass who is completely in tune with how to dress for her body type and an ever slimming one at that. It really comes through in your style and it’s inspirational. Well done! What I like best about your recent taste preference is your slant towards skirts and dresses. Your body type especially rock frocks and skirts and I love how you’ve recently embraced that wardrobe difference.

I am so glad you added the section about body type changes. I was always a pear until recent tendency towards an apple. Not pleased with the change but learning to deal with it with your tips.

Thanks for this, Angie. I’ve always conceptualized myself as a pear, but several readers have deemed me an hourglass. Might just have to send up a photo to the forum for some more opinions …

Thank you for the article Angie, I am looking forward to the refresher. After seeing so many different people post their photos on the forum, I have come to the conclusion that determining your type is not easy and that those modifiers really play an important role too. We are all very different yet we do belong to one of those five types.

For example, take me; I am an hourglass, but with curvy bottom half ( pear tendencies), small chest, long torso ( and arms and and neck) and short legs with skinny calves. So it is this amount of information that is needed for complete description!

yay, refreshers! having only recently learned what my body type really is, i’m trying to relearn dressing for it can’t wait to read the posts!

I also appreciate the modifiers. I have had a tough time determining my body type because I have curvy thighs & bottom, defined waist, but not the narrow shoulders that most pear descriptions talk about. My shoulders are as wide as my hips (possibly a little wider), but the widest part of my body is my thigh. I usually consider myself a pretty pear with a wide shoulder, but sometimes I think of myself as an hourglass with pear tendencies.

I think most people are not going to be the textbook definition of each body type, which ends up making the whole process confusing. I thought of body types as being very scientific when I was trying to figure mine out. I thought if I just put in my standard bust-waist-hip measurements, I would be able to tell what my body type is, which was what lead me to conclude I was a pear (in my defense, I also had very different measurements when I first started).

I can certainly see how having an idea of your body type can be a great starting point for some people, but I personally haven’t found it very helpful. Every last bit of advice for the hourglass is about making the waist a focal point. Everything should be about the waist. This advice doesn’t sit well with me at all. Instead, I actually end up taking cues from the apple for my top half, and the pear for my bottom half, even though I don’t really tend towards either, but it seems to work for me.

I too thought I was just a pear, but after reading the information above, I now know that I am a pear with Inverted Triangle / Rectangle tendencies…???? Maybe I should post a picture and get a general consensus as to what body type I am.

I’m have some surgery soon, so I’ll wait until after that, my stomach will be flatter then!

Sal, you might be an hourglass and tend towards a pretty pear. I’ll look out for your picture on the forum.

Chris, it’s impressive that you recognized your change in body type. Well done. Chritsine B, your analysis sounds accurate. Another well done!

Tanya, you are spot on. The modifiers play a vital role in determining what looks best and you too have that all worked out.

Maya, it’s a shame that you do not find the tips helpful. I’ve dressed you and I found them helpful You are an hourglass with a very short waist and long leg line. A short waist does in fact tend towards an apple body shape which is why you found the guidelines for the adorable apple useful. Defining the waistline is flop proof and instantly flattering which is why body type guidelines reiterate that fact again and again. It’s a safe and gratifying formula for everyone. But again, this is a starting point. As we venture out and try new things, we stumble upon alternative items that work just as well – like the trapeze top from H&M that you thought you couldn’t wear because it did not define your waist. It looks utterly adorable. Hope that makes sense.

I also like using the small dowel rod to measure the length of proportions to see where one is long and short. When we did this exercise I was amazed to see how long my legs are! Which explained why I never in my life look good with things tucked in at the waist.

Angie … You say that defining the waist is flop proof. I am so confused at this. For example, when I try a belted trench coat, I just feel thick. When I wear a princess seamed unbelted (single breasted) coat, I don’t.

BTW, I am a rectangle with curvy behind and thick waistline. (When I posted my photo on the forum, you said I am a rectangle with pear tendencies. )

Cricket, you don’t need to wear a belt to define the waist. Wearing a tailored item with princess lines defines the waist equally well and in some instances even better. That was your experience entirely. Before you give up on belted jackets though, make sure that the belt loops are in the right place. I am constantly suggesting belt loop adjustment to my clients. Remember this post:

http://youlookfab.com/2007/10/.....sitioning/

Carissa, what are you measuring with a dowel rod?

Angie, I think that the most important of the “modifiers” would be the long waist/ short leg, short waist/ long leg issue.
Do you agree?

Anne, I don’t agree. Modifiers weigh in differently on different bodies. It’s all relative. Someone with a large bosom will make that her most important modifier. For someone else it may be her short legs or thick mid section. Hope that makes sense.

Yep makes sense. Perhaps it is more that the waist/ short leg, short waist/ thing does often affect your body type too (as you mentioned with Maya above) – for instance an apple is more likely to be shortwaisted

I tend to find that most rectangles and apples are short waisted (which is why they don’t have a defined waist) and most pears and hourglasses tend to have long waists, which is why they have defined waists.

For average height people I tend to find rectangles and inverted triangles and apples have longer legs than bodies, and most pears and hourglasses have shorter legs and longer bodies.

But of course these are just generalisations, and definitely do not apply to all.

That’s interesting, Imogen. Of all your generalizations, I too have found most apple lasses short-waisted.

I think I must be a rectangle – the kind with a slight waist and a relatively small bust. This is the kind that you (and other stylists) recommend should wear high necklines, such as turtlenecks (that I love) or tops with just a small hole for the neck (that I really don t like – it looks boring, I think:-/). I have several tops with low necklines, though, that I find fit me quite nicely. As medium/small-breasted (not flat), with a good push up bra, you can create a small, discreet cleveage that I personally think is flattering.

I don t see any reason to hide your breasts just because they are not large – but that most be the reason why stylists recommed high necklines for small breasted girls?

Monica, you can’t be a pretty pear and tend towards an inverted triangle at the same time. Perhaps you’re more of an hourglass?

Skirt junkie, wearing a low-cut top when you are not well endowed will work if you have a strong shoulder line and a pretty, un-bony chest. This is probably why you look great in the tops that you have described.

I’m still in the process of losing weight, so my shape is still changing. When I am thin I am an inverted triangle because I have wide shoulders, but right now I am still an apple. Can’t wait for that spare tire to come off!

I’m not sure if your shape can change that much with weight loss. I think you can become a smaller version of that shape. E.g. From a large pear to a smaller pear shape, making the difference between the upper and lower body less obvious.

I think the greatest change is shape is for ruler. When overweight, the become oval shape, because they tend to put most of their fat around their waist.

Anyways, resistance training can balance out any imbalance in the proportions or upper to lower body.

The link below gives examples of vital statistics of the different body shapes. You can use it to figure out what type you are.

http://www.superskinnyme.com/B.....Shape.html

[...] Guidelines that take into account your body type are important though. I believe that you need to master some principles of good style and dressing to flatter your body type before you begin to manipulate these guidelines. As Maya put it in the forum: “you can’t break the rules until you understand them” [...]

I just stumbled in on your blog and I know I will be hooked! It is filled with excellent and useful information.

I’m, at age 36, still having problems dressing for my body type, since there are so many contradictions. You take the possibility of a woman not fitting exactly into one specific body type into account, wich is very helpful.

I’m a tall, slim, short waisted hourglass (secondary body type probably pear) with a sway back. This does provide more challanges than many people seem to think, (especially since sleeves and hems of ready made clothes are almost always short). I’m still not quite sure if I should embrace my long legs and draw attention to my slim waist or if I should try to hide my waist and try to create the illusion of a longer torso… If anyone here has the same body type (or just good ideas on how to handle it), I would greatly appreciate any advise.

I seem like an hourglass (36-26-36) but I don’t have a large bust and my shoulders are very broad (i’m gonna say…38 inches) my butt isn’t big but it isnt flat either.

http://www.facebook.com/home.p.....=783515646

what am I? =[

[...] to your own personal situation and preferences. Remember that these are merely starting points. Body types do not conform perfectly to the five simple stereotypes and you will need to take into account your secondary body type and body shape modifiers. And when [...]

Hi.
I really don’t know my body type. My statistics r 34D 30 41. What’s my body type, plz?