How to dress for your body shape with care: the first vital skill you need

When you’re learning how to dress for your body shape with care there is an often overlooked foundation skill that you need before you can implement any of the tactics. 

We hear things all the time like “define your waist!” and “wear this neckline!” and “don’t wear that!” But before you can make any of those things work for you, you need to learn this vital skill first. Because without it, we do things like blame ourselves for the shape of our skeletal structure. 

Below is an excerpt from Holly’s Guide to Dressing for Your Body Shape with Care and Confidence and it covers the first step we take in distinguishing between the shape of our bodies and the shape of our clothes.

How to dress for your body shape with care:

Distinguishing between the shape of your body and the shape of your clothes is a vital skill when bringing care to dressing for your body shape. Without this skill we blame ourselves for things we can’t change and can’t influence.

If you take away nothing else, I hope you take away this: your body is not a problem to be fixed. You can dress for your body shape without succumbing to a “fix what’s wrong” lens.

Distinguish between layers of shaping: Skeleton vs Tissue vs Clothes

I think about a person’s body shape and silhouette almost like layers.

First you have your skeleton, the literal shape of your bones, which impacts stature, proportion, movement, etc. Then you have your tissue, organs, muscles, fats, etc. – everything from your skeleton to your skin, which adds a layer of shaping over your skeleton. Finally you have your clothes, which add a layer of shaping options on top of both.

Traditionally when we talk about body shapes we focus on “fixing” the tissue layer of our silhouette with the clothing layer. But I find when we think about all three layers working together, we can take a more confident and resourceful view of our bodies and our clothing.

Because the reality is the grass is not always greener. Through the classic lens of “dressing for your body shape” every shape is wrong and has something to be ashamed about.

This notion of “fixing” what’s “wrong” is a boon for the shapewear industry, which we will get into. (I’m not vehemently anti-shapewear. But its marketing has some problems.)

But you can dress for your body shape without succumbing to that “fix what’s wrong” lens.

If you have a short tibia and fibula, you can decide to dress in a way that visually lengthens your leg or not, without cursing your skeletal structure.

So remember your layers. If you’d like, you can choose to change what you can change, influence what you can influence, and accept what you can’t. And when we’re considering dressing for our body shape with care, the easiest thing to change is your clothing.

(Alternatively, you can try to control what you can’t and give yourself a headache in the process. I wouldn’t recommend this, but it’s your style, follow your heart.)

One more styling note:

Your body also changes over time. So your body shape may change. Not only that, but your desired silhouette may also change. Adapt your tactics as things change. You are not stagnant, and neither is your body, your life, or your style.

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Like I said, that was a sample from Holly’s Guide to Dressing for Your Body Shape with Care and Confidence after this section we cover:

• other considerations when distinguishing between body shape and outfit silhouette
• how to find you body shape with care
• building the outfit shape you want to meet the style goals you have
• shaping below the torso
• putting outfit shapes together to create a fully considered silhouette

And so much more!

Keep reading by picking up your copy of Holly’s Guide to Dressing for Your Body Shape with Care and Confidence right here. 

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