American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead once said: “If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.”
Truly, this optimal weaving of a “social fabric” can apply to actual fabrics worn by a richly diverse human population of body types—equally beautiful and possessing varying methods of accentuating their “gifts” through clothing styles.
“Ruler”: With body weight evenly distributed, the goal of a tall girl is to preserve the powerful benefits of her height while adding a touch of femininity to her ensembles. To accomplish this, look for tops that have necklines falling below the collarbone which elegantly elongate your neck and upper body. Simple lace or ruffles can also add a feminine quality to tops, and “blousy” shirts help to soften appearance. Playing with height, look for flared pant legs or A-line skirts.
Petite: Shorter girls often have trouble finding the right outfits that (A) do not swallow them whole and (B) create the illusion of height. Petite girls should try to look for straight-leg jeans, or “skinny jeans” that do not flare and add unnecessary emphasis on height. Shorter, or “pencil” skirts, also do well to elongate the body, and shirts that are not too long (thus not shortening the legs) are also great. Petite girls can have fun with a lot of types of clothes, as long as they are not too voluminous or long.
“Apple”: Apple body types have a wide torso including a full bust, waist and upper back, often including broad shoulders and slim arms or legs. The key to dressing an “apple” shape is not over-powering your feminine upper body with large amounts of fabric. Empire waists and other tunics that float away from the body are particularly flattering. “Apple” body types have great legs and hips so they can pull off a hip-hugging jean that will emphasize their curves. Try wide-legged pants or flared Capri pants.
“Pear”: This common body type is the exact opposite of the “apple” – with the top half of the body noticeably smaller than the bottom. “Pears” should try to emphasize the most flattering part of their body: their waists. Look for tops with cinched waists or add a cute belt. Jackets are also perfect for “pears” because of its cinching – as long as they do not fall below the hip-line, creating more volume. Flatter a defined waist with dark-washed jeans that are low to mid rise. A-line cut skirts are also flattering.
This top would be great for a “pear” because it emphasizes the waist and creates volume on the top to balance a larger bottom half.
There are certainly more than four different body types with women, which is perhaps the essential “gift” of the human race itself. For any shape or size, keep this general rule of thumb in mind: emphasize the most flattering part of your body first and mold the rest of your outfit accordingly.
-Taylor
(Photo by Forever21.com)
