1. Know Your Body Shape
A Simple Guide to Dressing With Confidence
Style isn’t about changing your body. It’s about understanding your proportions and choosing pieces that make you feel confident, polished, and completely yourself.
Knowing your body shape can make shopping easier and help you understand which silhouettes, cuts, and details may work beautifully for you.
HOURGLASS
Your shape:
Your shoulders and hips are fairly balanced, with a naturally defined waist.
Try:
Wrap dresses, fitted dresses, belted styles, high-waisted pieces, and silhouettes that gently follow your natural curves.
Style Tip:
Let your waist be the star. Pieces that follow your shape without overwhelming it can create a beautiful, balanced look.
PEAR
Your shape:
Your hips are wider than your shoulders, with more volume through the lower half of your body.
Try:
A-line dresses, defined waists, statement necklines, structured shoulders, and pieces that bring a little more attention to the upper body.
Style Tip:
Creating balance is key. A beautiful neckline or interesting detail near the shoulders can naturally draw the eye upward.
INVERTED TRIANGLE
Your shape:
Your shoulders are broader than your hips.
Try:
A-line skirts and dresses, wide-leg bottoms, softer necklines, and styles with movement or volume below the waist.
Style Tip:
Look for pieces that create softness and balance through the lower half of your silhouette.
RECTANGLE
Your shape:
Your shoulders, waist, and hips have similar proportions, with a less defined waistline.
Try:
Wrap styles, belts, peplum details, fit-and-flare dresses, and pieces that create definition through the waist.
Style Tip:
Play with shape. A little structure, movement, or waist definition can beautifully enhance your natural proportions.
APPLE
Your shape:
You tend to carry more fullness through the midsection, often with beautiful legs and a less defined waist.
Try:
V-necklines, flowing fabrics, structured jackets, straight silhouettes, and dresses that skim rather than cling to the midsection.
Style Tip:
Look for clean lines and pieces that create a beautiful vertical flow through your silhouette.
ONE LAST THING…
These are guidelines, not rules.
Every woman’s body is unique, and you may see yourself in more than one shape. The most important thing is how you feel when you put something on.
Use this guide as a starting point, experiment with different silhouettes, and choose the pieces that make you stand a little taller and feel like the best version of yourself.
And remember—you can now use our Virtual Try-On to see how your favorite Elegance By Marislay pieces may look on you before you buy.