The Best Styles for Your Body Type

Everyone of us is different. From height to weight, and so many other things in between, no two body types are exactly alike. When we dress, different styles can bring out our best features or our worst. Truth be told, when it comes to dressing for your body type it's not your height or weight that'll break the outfit, but your shape. Tall or short, your shapes can still match and that's what will determine what's the best choice of style for you to wear.

For as different as we are though, our body types usually fall into one of five categories, with sometimes a bit of blending into an extra one or two others. These five body types consist of a pear, wedge, rectangle, apple and hourglass. Whatever your shape though, there's always a style that will look fabulous on you and a few that won't. Without further ado let's get into the do's and don'ts of styling for your body type.

Wedge Type Body

Actresses such as Demi Moore and Renee Zellweger fall into this category. Usually someone with this body type has a broad chest and wide shoulders with narrow hips and waist. Your best asset tends to be your legs. With that in mind, your goal should be to accentuate your lower body while softening your shoulders and upper body. You want to draw the eyes downward towards your narrower lower half.

With this body type you'll want to avoid boat neckline and spaghetti-strap tops as it draws attention towards your wider shoulders. Instead, try to wear bright colors on your bottom half, wide-leg pants, or full skirts. Tops that call attention to your waistline are another great choice, as can be experiments with high-waisted styles.

Hourglass Type Body

Salma Hayek, Scarlett Johansson, and Vanessa Minnillo have hourglass figures. This body type has similarly proportioned hips and shoulders that's set off by a tiny waist. The best asset of someone with an hourglass figure is their amazing curves. When you've got these to die for curves that come with an hourglass figure, showing those curves off without going overboard should be your number one goal.

The don'ts for this body type involves avoiding clothes that are either too baggy or too tight. Instead go with skinny or straight leg jeans. High waisted skirts to showcase your hips is another great idea, along with belts worn at the waist that enhance your shape. Fitted dresses and wrap dresses also work, especially if they're thin and lightweight styles and fabrics. Finally, find a great bra to show off your bust.

Rectangle Type Body

If you've got a rectangle body type you're in the same company with Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson, and Cameron Diaz. People with these body types usually have a hip, waist, and should ratio that's pretty similar, and they're likely on the slim side. In most cases they look fairly athletic, with their greatest asset being their arms and legs.

Your fashion goal should be too create curves. You can do this by wearing scoop neck and sweetheart tops, or long jackets that create a lean look. Tops with ruffles, collars, and details will help to bring out your chest, along with a good bra. Wearing layers to create dimensions, and ruched dresses are also a good choice. Cinches on sides are ideal too. Don't be afraid to have fun wearing colorful bottoms either. The one thing you don't want to do though is wear overwhelming styles.

Pear Type Body

A pear body type would consist of those like Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Kim Kardashian, or Katherine Heigl. Usually those with a pear type body have a well defined waist, and their bottoms are wider than their tops. Shoulders, torso and flat stomach tend to be your strongest asset. This will lead to wanting to minimize your hips while emphasizing your waist and arms, and also trying to add volume to your shoulders and upper body.

You'll surely want to avoid wearing clothing that draws attention to your hips and thighs, such as cargo pants or print skirts. You'll want to keep the hems of pants, skirts and dresses wide to balance your hips, or try a-line skirts which camouflage wider hips. Ruffles on tops are another choice. You'll want to look for boat neck tops, square and cowl necklines. If you're looking at gowns or dresses, wear strapless dresses to show off arms and even out your proportions. Be sure to experiment with light-colored tops and dark-colored bottoms for contrast. Jackets that hit right above the waist are another great choice. Finally, go for pointy-toed shoes to elongate and bring attention to your legs.

Apple Type Body

Those with an apple body type are in good company with Jennifer Hudson, Drew Barrymore, and Eva Longoria. These body types tend to have broad shoulders, and broad back and ribs with most of their weight accumulating above narrow hips. The best asset tends to be your legs, which you'll surely want to show off. You'll also want to focus on elongating your waist and creating the illusion of a waist.

Monochromatic looks are a great choice for this body type. V-neck tops that help to create the illusion of a longer torso also help, and it'll help even more so if you wear a bra that offers good lift and support. Try to wear belts around the smallest portion of your waist and conceal tummy bulge by wearing empire tops and dresses. Wearing boot cut and flared jeans will help in creating an even line from the shoulders down too. Finally, show of those legs with shorter skirts to draw attention away from the midsection.