The changes I made in my thinking were fairly dramatic. I had been fairly faithful to trying to follow the guidelines for a pear body shape. For example, every dress I owned was an A-Line, fit and flare. I rarely wore them, and hated dresses, but when I switched to a straighter line, I started to love dresses and I figured out which type of fit and flare I could wear....plus I started wearing pencil sheaths, and straight shift style dresses, which everyone has seen here on the forum.
I made the shift in thinking about my body type by starting with the guidelines for a straight rectangular body type. The more I purchased following these guidelines, the better I felt, and I believe I looked better. It took a while for me to sort out more individual modifications. For example, I am an IT. My shoulders are broader than my hips, but not by much, however it is enough to effect my purchases of certain items. For example most tailored jackets and coats are purchased one size larger than my trousers and have the torso taken in. This is why I love knits. They stretch and are more forgiving of my broader shoulders. My overall frame size is small, so I cannot wear a lot of arty drape like many IT’s, but I can handle some, and so my wardrobe has a mix of more tailored and structured pieces with movement, and then some softer draped pieces as well. I also cannot wear deep v necks or some other tops recommended for people with broad shoulders because my bust is proportionally small, and my neck is long. Angie helped with this when she talked about shoulder neck points, and I found that higher, narrower necklines were more flattering to my long neck. I do wear v necks if they are narrow. My waist is small compared to both my hips and bust. There has always been at least a 10” difference between the two, but hourglass guidelines generally do not work well for me. I think I am too elongated and straight for my curves to work well with that body types dressing guidelines, although a wrap dress with jeans is one of my favorite looks. I have a long rise and proportionally short and muscular legs, my bum is not particularly rounded, and somehow I think these traits work best with the rectangular body type guidelines.
The body type guidelines were most useful when I was trying to learn what worked best for conventional flattery. I am all about finding ways to “break” the rules. I have purchased some wildcard outfits that may not be conventionally flattering, for example my fuscia suit. I have found that I can wear most any silhouette if I find it in the right cut, color, fabric and fit. It’s been eye opening how much small details can make or break the success of any particular item. For example, the thickness of a turtleneck. I love turtlenecks, but not if they ar chunky. Another example might be the length of a top or jacket. If it falls at the wrong place, it will throw off everything. So, body shape is only one piece of what I think about, and I’m not sure I think about Body type guidelines anymore. I have said it before, but the book, “The Triumph of Individual Style” has been remarkably helpful. I find myself thinking in terms used in the book more than about body type.
When I shop online, I typically look first for items that look long, narrow, straight and sleek, but with some gentle curves for softness. Those are the ones that will work best for me. Then I consider color, texture, pattern, fabric content, and of course how it will play with everything else in my closet.
