… and what you can do instead to determine your body type!

One of the first things I was taught when I started working as a stylist was how to determine your body type and dress for it. I learned about pears, apples, and hourglasses, the various flaws that come with each of these different shapes, and how to disguise them. And I clearly remember thinking, why on earth would someone have the idea to compare women’s bodies to fruits or geometric figures (or whatever other categories exist nowadays)? I didn’t find it particularly helpful and the underlying premise was that we should all aim to be an hourglass - with all other body shapes being less desirable.

Many years later, I stumbled upon Stacy London's approach (you might know her from the TV show What Not To Wear). She keeps it really simple and talks about five different body types that are quite simple to remember: bigger on top, bigger on the bottom, bigger in the middle, proportional, and straight up and down. It’s all about where you carry your weight.

At this point, let’s clarify that body types are not the result of good or bad habits. You cannot diet yourself into having any curves or exercise your way out of being bigger at the bottom. Your body type is largely genetic. It depends on your skeleton and where you store fat naturally. That's it.

That being said, I would like to add that body types are about proportion, not size. A woman can be a very proportionated size XL when her waist is significantly smaller than her hips or bust. Just because your waist is bigger than it used to be, that does not mean your body type has changed. If your bust and hips got bigger too, you keep the same proportions. So in most cases, your body type will not change much over the years, no matter your current size or weight.

Oftentimes I hear women say that having kids changed their body type. But what I have found is that having kids usually just makes you more of whatever you were before. If you were bigger in the middle before having children, your middle section gets a little thicker after having kids. If you had wider hips before, your hips usually get a little wider after. The only time body shape truly changes is during menopause, when many women notice that they start storing more fat in the middle section.

How To Take Your Measurements

Before you start measuring yourself, remember that measurements are just numbers. They say nothing about you or your body; they are neither good nor bad. The numbers don't matter. They only matter in terms of helping you dress in a way that makes you feel comfortable and good about yourself.

There are four measurements you’ll need to take to determine your body type. Never take your measurements fully dressed. Instead get dressed in something minimal like a camisole. You can take the measurements yourself or have a spouse or friend help you. As you’re measuring, make sure there is no drooping or slack in the tape to get the most accurate numbers.

Shoulders: Measure around the highest part of your shoulders from tip to tip, drawing the tape measure snuggly across your back. The tape should skim the top of your shoulders so closely, it almost slips off.

Bust: With your arms down, measure around the fullest part of your breast. Don’t pull the tape so taut that your breasts start to get squashed.

Waist: Measure the smallest part of your natural waist, just above the belly button.

Hips: Measure around the widest part of your natural hipline and wrap the tape measure around the largest part of your butt.

You don't want to measure yourself or you do not have a measuring tape? No problem.

Look at yourself straight on in the mirror and begin to observe your proportions. Draw an imaginary line from your shoulders to your hips and make a mental note of where the line hits. If you're having difficulty visualizing, you might find it helpful to take a quick mirror pic for reference. Ask yourself the following questions then read through the body shapes below to see how your answers match up.

• What is the widest part of your body—your bust, waist, or hips?

• What areas of your body do you have the most difficulty getting dressed?

• What area of your body do you first notice changes in your weight?

The Five Body Types

Bigger on the bottom: Commonly referred to as pear or triangle. You carry most of the volume on your bottom (hips, booty, and legs). Looking at the numbers: Your hip measurement is bigger than your shoulder measurement by 5 cm or more, or bigger than your bust measurement by 10 cm or more.

Bigger on top: Commonly referred to as inverted triangle. You carry most of your volume on top (big boobs and/or wide shoulders). Looking at the numbers: Your shoulder measurement is larger than your hips by 5 cm or more or your bust measurement is larger than your hips by 10 cm or more.

Bigger in the middle: Commonly called an apple. You carry more volume in the middle and stomach area. Looking at the numbers: If your waist is larger than your bust, waist, or hips by 5 cm or more.

Straight up and down: Commonly called a rectangle. The volume is evenly distributed, meaning that your hip, shoulder, waist, and bust measurements are all about the same.  Looking at the numbers: Your waist measurement is not 20 cm or less than your bust, shoulders, or hips.

Proportionate: Commonly called hourglass. Your hips, bust, and shoulders are similar, but you have a defined midsection. Looking at the numbers: Your waist measurement is 20 cm or less than your bust, shoulders, or hips.

Dressing For Your Body Type

As a stylist, I want to help you dress in a way that allows you to feel confident about yourself. But I do believe this confidence should come from the fact that you love your outfit because it expresses your personal style and makes you feel good, not because it makes you look slimmer, or taller, or helps you hide some part of your body. The truth is, body-type dressing can be confusing, even for a stylist. Trends come and go and what is considered the ideal body constantly changes.

Also, note that the five body types mentioned above are general categories and you might not fit perfectly into one of these categories. Body type information is not black or white. It's nuanced. There is no one-size-fits-all information, and I dislike giving women advice that they end up seeing as an unbreakable rule and ends up leading them down the wrong path.

So before getting into more detail about how to dress each of the body types in my following posts, I want you to know that the principles I'm about to share are meant to be used as a guide. They are not absolutes and should not stop you from finding and wearing things that you love, just because those items are not supposed to be right for your body type. The concept of dressing for your body type should not give you one more thing to obsess about when getting dressed, leading to even more stress and overwhelm, and limiting your outfit choices to a certain number of cuts or silhouettes.

This being said, I'm ready to share some knowledge with you that could change your life or at least your pants, if you promise to take this information as general guidelines to make your life easier and understand that not every bit of information will apply exactly to your body and situation.