Dressing With Your Shape in Mind
Accentuating your figure has nothing to do with trying to change the way your body looks; it's all about making you feel like you're at your best and rocking what you've already got! When it comes to highlighting certain aspects of your body, it's all about choosing the right fabrics, colors, proportions, and details that allow your outfit to naturally shine. Here are 20 tips to help you achieve that!
1. Define Your Waist With Well-Placed Seaming
A simple way to create more definition around your waist is to choose clothes with seams that follow the natural curves of that area. It doesn't have to be tight; a better fit there is enough to build a more defined silhouette! Look for dresses, jackets, and tops with shaping through the middle rather than pieces that fall completely straight.
2. Choose High-Waisted Bottoms
High-waisted pants, skirts, and jeans easily emphasize the waist by cinching the waistband there. They look especially nice when paired with a tucked-in blouse, fitted knit, or cropped jacket. You don't need an extremely high rise to get the effect, so always pick something that's comfortable for you instead of restrictive.
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3. Add Structure With a Tailored Blazer
It's amazing what well-fitted clothes can do for the shape of your body overall! A nice tailored blazer doesn't just bring definition to your shoulders and arms, but also to the waist because its refines the outline of your whole outfit. Styles that narrow slightly through the middle tend provide the shape you want without looking overly formal.
4. Use Belts to Highlight Your Natural Waist
A belt is one of the simplest ways to draw attention to the narrowest part of your torso. It's a bonus that it works with basically any kind of outfit; you can add a complementary one over a dress, cardigan, long shirt, or lightweight jacket to create more definition.
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5. Look for Wrap-Style Clothing
Wrap dresses and wrap tops naturally create shape through the waist while also allowing you to adjust the fit so you stay comfortable. Their diagonal neckline brings attention toward the center of the body, further enhancing the shape of your torso and creating that hour glass effect.
6. Pay Attention to Necklines
You might be trying to focus on your waistline, but certain necklines of a garment can actually also influence how your shoulders, chest, and upper body are balanced. Everything from V-necks to scoop necks, square necks, and boat necks all create a different effect, so it's worth trying several shapes to see what's most flattering for your body shape.
7. Tuck Your Tops Strategically
To make your waistline more noticeable, tucking in your shirt can give your outfit greater definition in all the right places. A full tuck will give you the cleanest result, but you can also go for a partial front tuck when you want something more relaxed.
8. Select Fabrics That Drape Well
It's not just about how well your clothes fit, you have to consider the fabric too! Materials with a gentle drape can follow your shape more nicely without appearing overly clingy or stiff. This can highlight your waistline in a more subtle, natural kind of way.
9. Try Dresses With a Fit-and-Flare Shape
When in doubt, go for clothes that are literally built to accentuate your figure. Fit-and-flare dresses are perfect if you want to highlight your waist area because they're designed to fit tightly in the upper body before widening below the waist. This helps give the impression of an hour glass shape!
10. Use Vertical Details to Create a Cleaner Line
For a neat trick of the eye, wearing vertical seams, pinstripes, long lapels, and button plackets can give clothing a more streamlined appearance. When you use these details to your advantage, they can encourage the eye to move up and down the outfit instead of stopping at one area.
11. Balance Loose Pieces With More Fitted Ones
Oversized clothing is definitely comfy, but when you're wearing it head to toe, it can sometimes hide the proportions you want to highlight. That's why, if you choose a loose blouse, consider pairing it with more tailored pants. And vice versa, if you have a fitted top on, a flowier skirt looks nice without making you shapeless. Contrast is key here!
12. Choose Jackets That End at a Flattering Point
The hemline of a jacket is actually a crucial detail that can make you look shorter, taller, or fuller depending on what you want. Cropped jackets can emphasize the waist while longer styles can create a smooth, long look. Try different lengths to see what you prefer for your body!
13. Experiment With Monochromatic Outfits
Fit is incredibly important for accentuating your figure, but did you know the color of your clothes can matter just as much? Dressing in one color family can create a continuous, polished appearance from top to bottom. The pieces don't have to match perfectly, in fact, different shades can help you highlight different areas of your body in a natural way by adding depth.
14. Let Tailoring Improve the Fit
It's hard to find clothes straight off the rack that'll fit you perfectly, which is why a good tailor can adjust hems, waistbands, sleeves, and more so that garments sit more naturally on your body. Those changes might seem small and insignificant, but it can make inexpensive clothing look like a million bucks on your body.
15. Consider Pencil Skirts for Added Definition
Pencil skirts don't have to be considered formal office wear; when styled right, it follows the line of the hips and creates a sleek, defined lower-body silhouette. Look for a version that skims rather than squeezes so that you'll feel more comfortable!
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16. Use Color Blocking Thoughtfully
Color blocking is all about directing attention toward specific areas by placing contrasting shades where you want greater definition. For instance, dresses with darker side panels can help create an hour glass silhouette, while a contrasting top and bottom can bring focus to the waist in an appealing way.
17. Pick Jeans That Support Your Preferred Shape
Jeans come in so many different cuts and styles, which means they'll affect your body shape in different ways too. Straight, bootcut, flare, slim, and wide-leg designs each emphasize proportions differently, so don't assume one style will suit every outfit. It's definitely worth trying each style to see what best suits your body shape.
18. Use Heels to Refine Proportions
Heels definitely aren't the most comfortable of shoes, but if you really want to highlight the shape of an outfit, they're perfect for improving your posture. But don't worry, you don't have to wear particularly high heels to achieve this effect!
19. Make Undergarment Fit a Priority
Women are usually so focused on how their clothes fit and look on the outside, that they forget the foundation beneath your clothes matters just as much. Bras with the right band and cup size, along with underwear that doesn't bunch or dig in, can help clothing fall more naturally to better fit your shape.
20. Wear Clothing That Makes You Feel Comfortable and Confident
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the color, fit, or fabric of your clothes are if they don't make you feel confident and comfortable. Because really, the best way to accentuate your figure is to love what you're wearing! When you choose pieces that don't just look good, but make you feel good too, that's when you'll shine the brightest.
