The day one dress decides to fit all; human race would reach the
pinnacle of peace and prosperity. Shopping sprees would become as
peaceful as a procession of monks and shopping bills would reduce to a
fraction. All of us will have one less thing to worry about and
weekends will be free for truly enjoyable activities like partying,
travelling and more partying.
Unfortunately, for now, such a
utopian future seems less likely than a flying car. Until then, let’s
take a moment to sit down and learn about our body shapes and solve the
big mystery of
fitting gone wrong.
For the sake of simplicity, let's split the feminine body into four types: apple, pear, straight and hourglass.
Apple-shaped –
Many
women fall into this category, where torso is heavier than the bottom.
Sometimes it is genetic but mostly due to pregnancy. Either way, the
trick is to balance the top and bottom.
Whether you choose Indian
or western, try to add more flair on the bottom. For e.g. pair kurta
with normal or patiala salwars; blouses with palazzos, and tops with
flared skirts. Besides the obvious you can also take the optical
illusion route. Add more colours and prints to the bottom while keeping
the tops simple. This will shift attention from your upper body to the
lower. Also, avoid wearing tops with closed neck because they make you
look fuller. Instead, shop for V-necks, which will add definition to
your body.
Pear-shaped –
Just like apple-bottoms, pear
shape is genetic but also an unfortunate side-effect of desk-ridden
jobs. Women with pear shape tend to have curvier bottoms and slimmer
torso.
Dress-up tricks for pears are exact opposite of apples.
Redirect all the attention to the top half by adding more shapes,
colours and patterns. Wear scoop and boat necks, drop and off-shoulders,
ruffled necks and puffed sleeves. Keep the bottom half neutral or toned
down.
Straight –
This
body type requires work from top to bottom and the task changes from
balancing to creating a shape. Therefore, complete attention must be
focused on the waistline. Wear dresses, tops and kurtas that are nipped
at the waist so that your top and bottom are highlighted while the waist
gets some definition. In western wear, look for tops with details -
ruched sleeves, empire dresses and boat necks. For options in ethnic
wear you can try flared kurta with distinct bodice. This way you would
be able to highlight your bust area, define your waist and balance the
bottom.
Hourglass –
This is the
“perfect” body type with the idyllic 36-26-36 stats. Most women spend a
good part of their lives trying to achieve this frame but only a few are
successful because hourglass figure is purely genetic. Having said
that, many people assume that women with hourglass frames can wear
whatever they want and get away with it. However, the fashion police beg
to differ. Believe it or not but like all the other body shapes, even
hour-glass body types have to pick their wardrobe carefully because it
only takes one wrong pick to look ‘off’.
If you are blessed with the hourglass frame then follow the following tips to make the most it:
- Shop for form-fitting clothes which trace your frame evenly
- Avoid flares on top or bottom because that might throw your symmetry off
Now
that you know how to dress drop-dead every single day, go get your
things and go shopping. Or, if you’re feeling lazy then log onto
Aaboli.com for pretty, elegant and gorgeous ethnic wear.
