Wearing your best colors has a massive impact on feeling more confident in your clothes, but so does knowing your personal style, and dressing you, not an idealised magazine image.
Knowing your body shape is a part of your personal style and can help you understand the shape, length and style of clothes that will work best for you. Here at Kettlewell we believe that body shape is just a part of the overall picture (things like your lifestyle and personality all have at least as much impact on your personal style). Knowing the basic architecture of your body can help you pick your very best styles.
So how can you figure it out? Learning your own body shape can be a surprisingly tricky affair, particularly for women, who are led to criticise everything from boobs to bottoms to face shape to calf size(!) from an incredibly young age. It can be almost impossible to remove all of that baggage and look objectively at your own body.
Our simple flow chart will help to get you started (asking a friend to help you figure out the answers can be a huge help, in order to prevent your own body hang-ups influencing your answers!). Once you know your body shape, click on the appropriate button to view more information about your body shape and the best clothing styles for you. Remember, like the color quiz, this is intended to get you started on your personal style journey - nothing beats a full personal styling session or a style analysis with a consultant.
Body confidence side note: We at Kettlewell believe that every body is beautiful, and we also don't believe that dressing to 'flatter' yourself (ie look smaller) is in any way a requirement. We do believe that everyone deserves to feel their best every single day, so please do read this article and take the information only insofar as it benefits you - if your unique personal style and confidence has you dressing differently to the classic 'this is what is best for your body shape' advice, we're celebrating that right along with you!
Once you've discovered your body shape, click on the links below to discover more about dressing your body shape, and the best Kettlewell styles for you!
Apple
All About You
You've got great legs, and slim arms. You're reasonably straight through the hips, and your shoulders are more or less the same width as your hips when viewed from behind. Your bottom is probably neat and not particularly curvy. Your shoulders may be more structured, but are probably slightly rounded - if you have very structured, straight shoulders, double check whether you might be a column (many columns diagnose themselves as apples and wonder why the recommended clothing styles don't work for them).
Your bust is very likely one of your best assets, but your biggest strength is your amazing legs. Regardless of your size, your legs will always look good, and emphasising them will give you no end of confidence.
Your tummy is likely to be the bit you struggle with more. Apples generally find that any weight gained goes straight on their tummies, and often prefer clothes with a little bit more movement and flow over their midsection. But don't lose confidence - we're here to show you the styles that fit, flatter, and feel fabulous.
Your Best Styles
- Those that are more forgiving over your tummy. This doesn't have to mean only loose tops - rouching and pleating over your tummy can do wonders to create a waist.
- Styles that highlight your great legs - slim trousers and leggings under longline looser tops flatter without adding bulk.
- Culottes worn with a top that fits and flatters, to create swish and curves.
- If you have a larger bust then v neck or lower scoop styles can flatter and streamline your bust.
- Tops which fit over your shoulders and bust then flare or drape.
- An open cardigan, wrap or jacket will give a slimming, waist enhancing effect.
Avoid
- Anything too obviously clingy over your tummy - it's only going to make you self conscious
- Drop waists will enlarge rather than slim your tummy area.
- One solid color top to toe - a dark colored jacket or wrap over a lighter top and trousers (or vice versa) creates a long and lean silhouette.
- High necklines are almost always unflattering - break them up with a scarf or necklace if you need them for warmth!
Pear
About You
As a pear shape, you likely have a neat waist and bustline, with slim arms. Viewed from behind your shoulders probably have a soft curve to them, although they may be angular - their key defining feature is that they are narrower than your hips. You likely struggle with flattering your bottom and hips, which are curvier than your top half and (I guarantee) look larger to you than they do to other people; we always blow our least favourite body part out of proportion in our minds.
Your biggest strengths are your neat upper body structure, and the way that flowing skirts and trousers flatter your bottom half - balancing fitted styles on top with more flowing and curve-skimming shapes on your lower half is the key to confident dressing for you. Although you might be conscious of your upper legs and hips, your lower legs are also worth celebrating, so don't forget to show them off!
Single-piece clothes like dresses and jumpsuits can be a challenge for you, unless they include that fitted top with more flowing bottom half. Often these styles are either tailored top and bottom, or loose and flowing on both, neither of which will make you feel your best. But don't worry, we're here to show you all the styles that will make you feel amazing!
Your Best Styles
- Clothes that fit and flatter your top half, while keeping the lines around your hips and bottom softer and more flowing. Think of reflecting your body architecture in your clothes - neater and more structured on top, softer and more flowing on the bottom.
- A well cut fit and flare skirt, or a pencil with room to move, is your friend for work and evenings out.
- Trousers which flow over your curves, rather than stiff tailoring which 'sits' on top, will be most comfortable for you, and will follow rather than sitting away from your body.
- Feminine necklines like semi-scoops, bardot, and sweetheart, flatter your neat bust while following your curves.
- Dipped, shirt and asymmetric hems on tops can flatter your curves.
- A cardigan, wrap or jacket which either stops above or flows over your hips can slim this area.
- Tops which sit at hip level are generally the most flattering, although longline tops which extend below your bottom can also flatter your hips.
- Add accessories, color, and print to draw attention upwards and visually balance out your proportions.
Avoid
- Tops with lots of excess drape and fabric, which will drown you.
- Boxy tops - these will hide your neat waist and make you look wide all the way down.
- Straight cut trousers and skirts with no room for your hips - these will feel uncomfortable, and make you look boxier than you are.
- Avoid having all the pattern and detail on the bottom half. This doesn't mean you can't wear a patterned skirt (indeed, pattern and movement can give you more confidence in your curves than a block color), but balance it out with a statement necklace or scarf.
- Tops that stop on your widest point - usually around your bottom.
Hourglass
All About You
You own a beautiful neat waist and in-proportion hips and bust line. Your shoulders and hips are roughly the same width when viewed from behind (if your hips are wider you might be a pear, and if your shoulders are wider remember that inverted triangles can often look like hourglasses due to their small waists). Your shoulders likely have a slightly softness to them, rather than being angular - indeed, yours is a shape made up of curves, rather than sharp corners. Remember that hourglasses can be petite as well as more voluptuous - this is about shape, not size.
Your biggest strength is your neat waist and curves. Regardless of your size, make sure your waist is highlighted - clothes that are baggy all the way down will swamp you. Your cleavage is a great asset too, but generally needs to be balanced by a longer hemline (I mean not-mini, rather than ankle length here!) to keep the look modern and stylish.
You might sometimes feel that dressing your curves is a tricky balance between matronly or mutton dressed as lamb, and flattering your curves in more casual clothes can also be tricky, but we're here to show you the pieces that can form the backbone of your beautiful hourglass wardrobe.
Your Best Styles
- Those which follow your curves!
- Fitted jersey tops paired with bottom halves which follow and honour your curves (flippy skirts, relaxed fit trousers, less masculine tailoring).
- Fitted shirts can work well too - try them buttoned to under-bust with a contrasting camisole for a more casual look.
- Waist and hip ruching can emphasise and maximise your amazing curves.
- A wrap or cardigan can really highlight your curves, as long as it's cut to swish and glide over your curves rather than standing away boxily.
- Dresses can look amazing on your in-proportion body. Look for styles with lower necklines and which follow your natural curves.
Avoid
- Anything boxy, top or bottom half.
- Baggy clothes will drown you.
- Extreme skinny leg styles can be tricky, emphasising your curves without flattering them.
- Styles with really high necklines - break them up with scarves or accessories.
- Hemlines that are too short will throw your proportions out.
Inverted Triangle
All About You
You've got lovely straight structured shoulders, a fairly flat tummy and a small waist. Viewed from behind, your shoulders are straight and structured, and broader than your hips - a vertical line drawn from the point of your shoulder downwards would fall outside the same line drawn from your hips.
Your biggest strength is your slim waist and structured body shape - fitted clothes look amazing on you and really enhance your figure, but clothes in soft draped fabrics can also work well. Boxy clothes need to be worn with care as they can simply hang from your shoulders, lending you a wide, clumpy look. Your bottom half may be angular or curvy, but will still fall inside the line of your shoulders. Well tailored wide leg trousers can beautifully balance out your top half, but slim leg and skinny trousers also work well, enhancing your slim legs.
You may worry that you look un-feminine in clothes, as they hang off your broad shoulders. Your bottom may be flatter than you'd like, and your hips not as curvy as you'd wish. But panic not; we're here to show you the pieces that will help you dress your full potential.
Your Best Styles
- Styles that enhance your shoulders' natural structure, such as boat and slash necks.
- V necks will visually slim your shoulders while honouring your naturally structured body architecture.
- For a more casual look, try draped relaxed tops that will swish to follow your natural body shape.
- An open cardigan, wrap (or buttoned blazer) can give a slimming, waist defining effect.
- Leggings under longline looser tops can emphases your slim legs without adding bulk.
- Culottes worn with a fitted top looks current and balances out your top half.
- A structured skirt or trousers with volume (such as pleats, paper bag waist) can offer balance to your shoulders.
Avoid
- Boxy shapes that hang from your shoulders in stiff fabrics - you will look blocky all the way down.
- Shapeless clothes from top to bottom - keep a part of your outfit fitted.
- Floaty clothes will look insubstantial on your angular body shape.
- This body shape often comes with a smaller bust - if this applies to you avoid deep scoop necklines as it can emphasise the lack of much to show off!
Column
All About You
You've got fantastic legs, slim arms and lovely structured shoulders. When viewed from behind, your shoulders are in line with your hips, and you don't have a strongly defined waist.
It's easy to mistake this body shape for an apple, but the chances are that if you have more angular structured shoulders when viewed from behind, you're a column rather than an apple. Remember that this is about shape, not size, so there's nothing precluding you being a column at a larger size, or a petite apple.
Your biggest strength is your amazing legs. Regardless of your size, your legs will always look good, and emphasising them will give you no end of confidence.
You might feel that you lack a waist or feminine curves, and may feel that you gain wait around your tummy area, but don't let your confidence fall - we're here to show you the very best styles for your body shape!
Your Best Styles
- Those which are more forgiving over your tummy but highlight your great arms and legs.
- Pleating and ruching at the waist, which will help you 'fake' an hourglass figure.
- Layer a looser, boxy top layer over a longline fitted base layer for a modern streamlined look.
- Straight cut casual tshirt and shirt dresses are made for you.
- An open jacket or wrap give a slimming, waist enhancing effect.
- Leggings and slim/skinny trousers will really show off your great legs - you can pair them with longline tops or tunics to keep the silhouette long and lean.
Avoid
- Shapeless droopy styles which hang from your shoulders and make your whole body look blocky.
- Boxy jackets and tops without a longer layer underneath to balance you out visually.
- Dropped waists are usually unflattering on you.
Lean Column
All About You
Your body shape is slender and lean, with fabulous legs,, slim arms and structured shoulders. When viewed from behind, your shoulders are in line with your hips, and you don't have a strongly defined waist.
It's easy to mistake this body shape for an apple, but remember that apples tend to be larger busted, and have a softer shoulder line. Remember, it is possible to be a petite apple, but if you're small busted and have a structured body architecture, you're probably in the right place with lean column.
You might feel that you lack a waist or feminine curves, and may feel that you gain weight around your tummy area, but don't let your confidence fall - we're here to show you the very best styles for your body shape!
Your Best Styles
- Those which highlight your great arms and legs.
- Pleating and ruching at the waist, which will help you 'fake' an hourglass figure.
- Longline, slim fitting layers, which will emphasise your athletic figure.
- Straight cut casual tshirt and shirt dresses are made for you.
- An open jacket or wrap give a waist enhancing effect.
- Leggings and slim trousers will really show off your great legs - you can pair them with longline tops or tunics to keep the silhouette long and lean.
Avoid
- Shapeless droopy styles which hang from your shoulders and make your whole body look blocky.
- Boxy jackets and tops without a longer layer underneath to balance you out visually.
- Dropped waists are usually unflattering on you.
- Clothes designed to show off a fabulous cleavage probably aren't going to fill you with confidence
And remember, almost all of our styles are in jersey, knit or other stretch fabrics, which means that many of them can be styled for almost any body shape. This means that you shouldn't be afraid to experiment with styles outside of the recommendations above; something completely different might be perfect for your unique combination of lifestyle, body shape, face shape, and attitude to life!
If you want some in-person advice from the experts, why not book into our Color Studio and let one of the Kettlewell Stylist team help you find your best styles? Body confidence guaranteed!
How To Dress Your Body Shape
Wearing your best colors has a massive impact on feeling more confident in your clothes, but so does knowing your personal style, and dressing you, not an idealised magazine image.
Knowing your body shape is a part of your personal style and can help you understand the shape, length and style of clothes that will work best for you. Here at Kettlewell we believe that body shape is just a part of the overall picture (things like your lifestyle and personality all have at least as much impact on your personal style). Knowing the basic architecture of your body can help you pick your very best styles.
So how can you figure it out? Learning your own body shape can be a surprisingly tricky affair, particularly for women, who are led to criticise everything from boobs to bottoms to face shape to calf size(!) from an incredibly young age. It can be almost impossible to remove all of that baggage and look objectively at your own body.
Our simple flow chart will help to get you started (asking a friend to help you figure out the answers can be a huge help, in order to prevent your own body hang-ups influencing your answers!). Once you know your body shape, click on the appropriate button to view more information about your body shape and the best clothing styles for you. Remember, like the color quiz, this is intended to get you started on your personal style journey - nothing beats a full personal styling session or a style analysis with a consultant.
Body confidence side note: We at Kettlewell believe that every body is beautiful, and we also don't believe that dressing to 'flatter' yourself (ie look smaller) is in any way a requirement. We do believe that everyone deserves to feel their best every single day, so please do read this article and take the information only insofar as it benefits you - if your unique personal style and confidence has you dressing differently to the classic 'this is what is best for your body shape' advice, we're celebrating that right along with you!
Once you've discovered your body shape, click on the links below to discover more about dressing your body shape, and the best Kettlewell styles for you!
Apple
All About You
You've got great legs, and slim arms. You're reasonably straight through the hips, and your shoulders are more or less the same width as your hips when viewed from behind. Your bottom is probably neat and not particularly curvy. Your shoulders may be more structured, but are probably slightly rounded - if you have very structured, straight shoulders, double check whether you might be a column (many columns diagnose themselves as apples and wonder why the recommended clothing styles don't work for them).
Your bust is very likely one of your best assets, but your biggest strength is your amazing legs. Regardless of your size, your legs will always look good, and emphasising them will give you no end of confidence.
Your tummy is likely to be the bit you struggle with more. Apples generally find that any weight gained goes straight on their tummies, and often prefer clothes with a little bit more movement and flow over their midsection. But don't lose confidence - we're here to show you the styles that fit, flatter, and feel fabulous.
Your Best Styles
Avoid
Pear
About You
As a pear shape, you likely have a neat waist and bustline, with slim arms. Viewed from behind your shoulders probably have a soft curve to them, although they may be angular - their key defining feature is that they are narrower than your hips. You likely struggle with flattering your bottom and hips, which are curvier than your top half and (I guarantee) look larger to you than they do to other people; we always blow our least favourite body part out of proportion in our minds.
Your biggest strengths are your neat upper body structure, and the way that flowing skirts and trousers flatter your bottom half - balancing fitted styles on top with more flowing and curve-skimming shapes on your lower half is the key to confident dressing for you. Although you might be conscious of your upper legs and hips, your lower legs are also worth celebrating, so don't forget to show them off!
Single-piece clothes like dresses and jumpsuits can be a challenge for you, unless they include that fitted top with more flowing bottom half. Often these styles are either tailored top and bottom, or loose and flowing on both, neither of which will make you feel your best. But don't worry, we're here to show you all the styles that will make you feel amazing!
Your Best Styles
Avoid
Hourglass
All About You
You own a beautiful neat waist and in-proportion hips and bust line. Your shoulders and hips are roughly the same width when viewed from behind (if your hips are wider you might be a pear, and if your shoulders are wider remember that inverted triangles can often look like hourglasses due to their small waists). Your shoulders likely have a slightly softness to them, rather than being angular - indeed, yours is a shape made up of curves, rather than sharp corners. Remember that hourglasses can be petite as well as more voluptuous - this is about shape, not size.
Your biggest strength is your neat waist and curves. Regardless of your size, make sure your waist is highlighted - clothes that are baggy all the way down will swamp you. Your cleavage is a great asset too, but generally needs to be balanced by a longer hemline (I mean not-mini, rather than ankle length here!) to keep the look modern and stylish.
You might sometimes feel that dressing your curves is a tricky balance between matronly or mutton dressed as lamb, and flattering your curves in more casual clothes can also be tricky, but we're here to show you the pieces that can form the backbone of your beautiful hourglass wardrobe.
Your Best Styles
Avoid
Inverted Triangle
All About You
You've got lovely straight structured shoulders, a fairly flat tummy and a small waist. Viewed from behind, your shoulders are straight and structured, and broader than your hips - a vertical line drawn from the point of your shoulder downwards would fall outside the same line drawn from your hips.
Your biggest strength is your slim waist and structured body shape - fitted clothes look amazing on you and really enhance your figure, but clothes in soft draped fabrics can also work well. Boxy clothes need to be worn with care as they can simply hang from your shoulders, lending you a wide, clumpy look. Your bottom half may be angular or curvy, but will still fall inside the line of your shoulders. Well tailored wide leg trousers can beautifully balance out your top half, but slim leg and skinny trousers also work well, enhancing your slim legs.
You may worry that you look un-feminine in clothes, as they hang off your broad shoulders. Your bottom may be flatter than you'd like, and your hips not as curvy as you'd wish. But panic not; we're here to show you the pieces that will help you dress your full potential.
Your Best Styles
Avoid
Column
All About You
You've got fantastic legs, slim arms and lovely structured shoulders. When viewed from behind, your shoulders are in line with your hips, and you don't have a strongly defined waist.
It's easy to mistake this body shape for an apple, but the chances are that if you have more angular structured shoulders when viewed from behind, you're a column rather than an apple. Remember that this is about shape, not size, so there's nothing precluding you being a column at a larger size, or a petite apple.
Your biggest strength is your amazing legs. Regardless of your size, your legs will always look good, and emphasising them will give you no end of confidence.
You might feel that you lack a waist or feminine curves, and may feel that you gain wait around your tummy area, but don't let your confidence fall - we're here to show you the very best styles for your body shape!
Your Best Styles
Avoid
Lean Column
All About You
Your body shape is slender and lean, with fabulous legs,, slim arms and structured shoulders. When viewed from behind, your shoulders are in line with your hips, and you don't have a strongly defined waist.
It's easy to mistake this body shape for an apple, but remember that apples tend to be larger busted, and have a softer shoulder line. Remember, it is possible to be a petite apple, but if you're small busted and have a structured body architecture, you're probably in the right place with lean column.
You might feel that you lack a waist or feminine curves, and may feel that you gain weight around your tummy area, but don't let your confidence fall - we're here to show you the very best styles for your body shape!
Your Best Styles
Avoid
And remember, almost all of our styles are in jersey, knit or other stretch fabrics, which means that many of them can be styled for almost any body shape. This means that you shouldn't be afraid to experiment with styles outside of the recommendations above; something completely different might be perfect for your unique combination of lifestyle, body shape, face shape, and attitude to life!
If you want some in-person advice from the experts, why not book into our Color Studio and let one of the Kettlewell Stylist team help you find your best styles? Body confidence guaranteed!