If you’d like to know what suit works for your body shape, this article is for you.
It’s all about finding that one great suit that flatters your specific body shape and works for you.
About Body Shapes
Before we discuss the specifics of finding the ideal suit for your body shape, there are a few things I’d like to make clear.
Your understanding of your body shape is the first thing. You can look at my other articles on the subject, identify your body shape, and then return if you don’t already know that.
The hourglass, the triangle, the inverted triangle, the rectangle, and the round or apple shape are all examples of body shapes.
The first thing to understand about different body shapes is that they have their limitations. They look the human body as a 2D subject. We don’t dress up, go to work, and roam the streets like cartoon characters.
We are three-dimensional. We are proud of the lumps and bumps on our bodies. We must understand how to dress them.
There are limitations to simply knowing that you are a triangle, for instance. You must learn about your vertical proportions as well as your lateral proportions.
That is very significant.
Aside from that, keep in mind that there are roughly four billion women on the earth, and we’re talking about five different body shapes.
How might we all be neatly categorized into one of these five groups?
It simply doesn’t work that way. This system is incredibly simplified.
But we’ll talk about those five body shapes to keep things brief and to the point.
What is Your Goal?
Once you have a broad idea of your body shape, the next thing I want you to consider is what you want to achieve with your clothing.
A stylist will often dress a person to balance out their body shape. We bring balance to the bottom half if they are top heavy. If they are bottom heavy, we take the reverse approach and bring the focus upward.
We experiment with this to come closer to the hourglass-shaped, evenly-balanced body.
This comes across as a little outdated. Not everyone aspires to achieve this. Knowing what you want to accomplish is therefore important.
Where do you want to draw attention to, and where do you want to downplay?
I’m going to focus on the five body shapes and discuss how to bring balance to those body shapes when we buy a suit in an effort to keep things straightforward because otherwise this article will go on forever.
Before we dive into this topic, let me just mention that we can’t simply declare whether a trouser suit has wide legs or skinny legs.
When we choose a suit, there are a lot more things to consider.
The lapels, the length of the jacket, the tailoring of the jacket, the weight of the fabric, the shape of the leg, the movement of the fabric, and other factors all need to be considered.
There are numerous things to consider.
Because of this, it’s important to understand your particular body shape so that you can make these choices.
Triangle or Pear
Let’s begin with the triangle, sometimes referred to as the pear shape, which is the first body type.
Let’s start by discussing the fabric for the pear shape.
A mid-weight fabric is what we need. Avoid anything too thin because it won’t provide the support the pear shape needs at the bottom and in the thighs.
You need something that isn’t overly stiff but has a touch more weight to it. Somewhere in the middle.
The leg of the pants should be as long as possible while considering the lower portion of the suit.
The waist rise should be between mid and high. A cigarette-style trouser that will follow the contours of the body and slim down the leg is what we’re going for.
A straight cut could also be used, but you shouldn’t go much broader than this to avoid making the pear shape appear bottom heavy and grounded.
In order to emphasize the length of the leg that extends to the ankle or the ground, we want to hug the curves of the hips. Another option would be to try for a tiny kick flare in the trouser leg.
In the event that you decide to wear a skirt suit, you should select a pencil skirt that hits just above or at the knee. It will make you look fantastic.
The upper half will be the main area of focus in this case for the pear shape, which is important to keep in mind. We want to bring the detail there.
I’m talking about strong shoulders when I talk about detail. Shoulder pads are what we want in that jacket or blazer.
By bringing more attention on the shoulders, we want to bring balance in the hips.
Don’t be afraid to spread your shoulders a little wider. You’re going to find it works pretty well.
Your lapel choices are also very flexible. You are welcome to opt for a slightly wider lapel as well. A little bit of a wider collar. There might be an intriguing detail on the pockets.
Additionally, you should aim to maintain your jacket four inches or less above your hips’ widest point. You could go lower. I believe that a little bit higher is preferable.
Your jacket should be well-tailored. Make sure the waistline is accommodated by the fit, whether a belt is used or a button is added, and that the shape is nicely curved.
Round or Apple
Now let’s talk about the round shape, also referred to as the oval shape or the apple shape.
Since the weight usually falls entirely on the upper half of the body, what we’re trying to bring here is a slight bit of balance.
In this case, a wide leg is great. To give that broad leg a little bit of movement, we want to go for a mid to light weight in the leg of the pants.
Another option is a pencil skirt. Just get it cut above the knee; it will look great.
For this body shape, the sheer fact that a suit is one color from top to bottom is really beneficial. And for smaller people too, really.
A suit’s single hue and monochromatic look lengthens the body. One of the key things we look to accomplish with the apple shape is that.
You should choose a jacket with a somewhat short fit for the upper half of the suit.
Something with no lapels at all and tailoring.
The front of the body should have very clear, straight lines. You might even think about not closing this suit. Alternatively, use a single button that closes just below the bust.
For the oval shape, a great shoulder pad works perfectly. The shoulders of women who have an oval body shape tend to slope, and they have less definition overall in their bodies as a result. On them, suits could look worn out and ill-fitting.
A little bit of shoulder structure may make a big difference. Whether it’s in the jacket itself or the blouse you’re wearing underneath. But if you add a little bit of structure to the shoulders, it will look great with this body type.
A pinstripe suit is super for the apple shape just in terms of style. Little thin stripes that are hardly visible but make a big difference. Vertical lines are always beneficial.
Hourglass
Let’s move on to our hourglass shape. People often assume that this shape is not difficult to dress for. You can dress whichever you like.
That is just partially accurate.
The shape of the hourglass is balanced. Many other people are attempting to achieve this shape.
The hourglass can, however, be thrown off balance extremely easily. You may very easily make them look bottom-heavy. Very easily, you can make them look top-heavy.
If you choose to go with something with a wide leg on the bottom, you must be careful to have something fitted on the top half, but you must also have that structured shoulder in the jacket. If not, it could look a little bit out of balance.
You should still have lapels with a lot of detail and, possibly, some pocket detailing.
Be careful not to make the bottom half of the leg look excessively heavy by choosing trousers with very wide legs and selecting an item that has a really close fitting top.
Generally speaking, suits are created with balance in mind. You are allowed to choose any skirt and any leg length for your pants.
If the pants are cigarette-style, a slim-fitting jacket on top will look great.
You might go for a jacket that is either a little bit longer or a little bit shorter. But something that draws attention to the waistline will look fantastic.
Avoid choosing a style that is overly stiff or boxy in the fabric. For the hourglass, keep the fabric midweight to lightweight.
Rectangle
Now let’s talk about the rectangle shape. The key for this body shape is movement and softness.
How do we achieve movement? We employ lightweight fabrics.
You don’t want to go too heavy on the fabric here. Keep it very light.
Due to the fabric’s little flow, a pair of culotte-style trousers will look stunning. A wide leg trouser that reaches the floor and moves will also look fantastic.
You might choose something a little bit more tapered. It is fitted at the waist, has some volume in the hips—possibly in the form of pockets or pleats—and then tapers down the leg to add a little more shape there.
You may choose a jacket with a bit of a peplum in terms of the jackets. These things are rare to come across. If you can, that’s great. If not, you should have a jacket that emphasizes the waistline and has great tailoring built into it.
The jacket gives the impression that you have a waist, despite the fact that you don’t.
You may choose a jacket with beautiful, distinct pockets at the waist. You might choose a medium-lapel style. Avoid choosing anything that is excessively big and boxy-looking.
Keep things simple and to the point. The key to using lightweight fabrics is movement. You could also choose a belted jacket.
You might also choose an item like a pleated a-line skirt for the rectangle in terms of skirts. No pencil skirts or any clothing that is overly fitted. You want to give a little bit of movement.
Inverted Triangle
The final shape is an inverted triangle. This person’s shoulders or their bust are their most defining features.
The lower body should receive a little bit more attention, and there should be a little bit more movement there.
A wide leg, a straight leg, and possibly something with a light kick flare are what we’re thinking. Avoid wearing anything on your legs that is too tight since it will highlight the inverted triangle.
This won’t balance out your figure if that’s what you’re attempting to achieve. The better option will be those wider legs. A mid-weight fabric will also function well.
You should also take a-line skirts into consideration, keeping with the lower half. For the lower half of the body, you can choose something with a little bit of movement or a pleat.
We try to keep terms as straightforward as possible when it comes to jackets. We don’t want any pockets under the bust or too strong shoulders.
You might choose a garment with no lapels at all or with very thin lapels. Your jacket can have a longer fit with pockets that extend to your hips. That’s going to give that area a little more weight.
However, the major goal for the inverted triangle is to make the upper half simpler and add some movement and enjoyment to the lower half.
