This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
All my life I have been labouring under the misconception that I was an apple shape. Wrong! Apparently I am actually an inverted triangle. Who knew? Not me for the last 65 years anyhow! Knowing your shape is pretty important if you want to buy clothes that really suit you, flatter your good bits and disguise those elements of your body you are less happy with. Kettlewell Colours has a marvellous article on how to find out what shape you are – so, if you have ever wondered, or are not sure, read on:
Choosing what to wear isn’t only about getting the colour right. It’s about knowing the shapes and styles that flatter you, that emphasise your good bits and conceal the bits you’re not so keen on.
Knowing your body shape is crucial to understanding which clothes will work on you. While your lifestyle and personality all influence your own unique sense of style, the fact is that what you need to put the clothes on is your physical body, so the shape of that body is rather a linchpin of personal style.
So how can you figure it out? For so many of us, knowing our own body shape can be a surprisingly elusive piece of information. Rather than being able to focus on our overall appearance and shape we get hung up on our boobs, our thighs, or whatever other body part becomes our victim of choice.
However, it is perfectly possible to find out your true body shape. Our flowchart quiz will guide you to your true body shape, regardless of how you view yourself (and I speak as someone who considered themselves curvy of boob and round of thigh for years before discovering that actually an inverted triangle was closer to my true shape).
Although it is perfectly possible to do this quiz alone, I would suggest you get a friend to look at you objectively and help you answer if at all possible, particularly as some parts are more easily viewed from behind than in front – it took someone else to point out to me that my shoulders were broad, straight and angular for me to realise that that was the widest point of my body.
Once you’ve discovered your body shape, click on the links below to be taken to a post which will tell you everything you need to know about your shape and the styles that will work for you.
Thanks to Kettlewell Colours for allowing us to reprint this informative blog post which appears on their website.
If you would like a colour analysis to find your most flattering colours, go to the House of Colour website to find your nearest consultant.
The CW’s have made three body image videos which you may also find useful: