As a personal stylist I learned that determining your body shape is SO important when shopping for clothing because you want to find pieces that will flatter your body shape not pieces that will make you look frumpy.
The Inverted Triangle body shape:
You typically have an inverted triangle body shape if you wear a larger top half than the bottom, and your shoulders are broader than your hips (Demi Moore has this body shape).
Unflattering items can be necklines with big straps, halter-neck, and larger patterns on your top half. Instead, go for items that accentuate your bottom half like an a-line skirt or wide-leg pants.
The best pair of jeans that work with this body shape would be boyfriend jeans or wide-leg jeans with a solid top. The Noel top tucked into wide-leg jeans would look stunning on this body shape.
The Rectangle Body Shape (“athletic” body shape):
With this body shape, you wear the same size in tops and bottoms and have a straight shoulder line and hips (Celebrities like Kate Hudson and Gweneth Paltrow have this body shape).
Creating the illusion of a waist will help with this body shape. Belts around your waist and belted dresses are great!
Unflattering silhouettes for this shape can be anything that is too vertical like a straight jacket with straight trousers which will give no definition.
This body type can wear any pair of pants. You can go looser or fitting. Try to stick with a tucked in look (like the first picture).
The Divine dress with heels would look great on this body shape.
Regular Triangle or “Pear Shape” Body Shape:
A triangle or pear-shaped body has a wider lower half, so you probably have wider hips and thighs and a narrower top half (JLo has this body shape).
For this body shape, you want to draw attention to the upper half. You can do this by choosing prints or bright colors for your top half. Wider necklines like a sweetheart neckline can broaden the shoulders.
You can also layer your tops to add more volume to your upper half like vests, scarfs, or jackets. You want your shirts to hit just at the widest part of your hips, avoid extremely long shirts.
The Agape top with pants would look amazing on this body shape.
Hourglass Body Shape:
An hourglass shape is defined by an equal size in hips and shoulders with a waist that is well defined (Celebrities like Beyonce and Marilyn Monroe are famous for the hourglass shape).
With an hourglass shape, you want to try & stay away from shapeless or baggy clothes that will overwhelm your shape. A boatneck, or scoop neck tops are great and you should also look for pants with pockets, instead of inseam pockets because it will give a unflattering look.
Styles like a midi flowy dress with sneakers are a great look. Peplum tops or Empire waist dresses are also great. The Unconditional dress with a statement belt would look stunning on this body shape.
Round or Pear Shape:
With this body shape your shoulders are usually broad, and your hips are narrow. Dressing in one color will help you create a long line to your shape (shown in picture 2). You can also wear a wrap dress (shown on Eva L in the 1 picture) or top, or ruched side top to create a more defined waist. Celebrities like Eva Longoria, Drew Barrymore, and Melissa McCarthy are this body shape. The Memento Mori top has the ruched bottom that would look great with this body shape.
These are just basic guidelines, not rules - think of these as starting points, but as you learn your body you can evolve and expand your own style for outfits and experiment with items that you love or items you might dislike and want to remove from your closet. Step out of your comfort zone and try pieces you might not have thought to try on... because sometimes those are the pieces we love the most!