Mature Fashion: Body Shape, Triangle

Styling for any woman begins with truly understanding her body in its entirety, and that usually BEGINS with recognizing her body type.  I emphasized "begins" because all too often much of the styling literature (or video) begin and end with body type being the only criteria as to what silhouettes and lines flatter her body. My crudely drawn picture will (I hope) demonstrate why more information is needed.

In order for a woman to be a "triangle," the shoulders must be more narrow than the width of the hip; it is only a matter of degree (literally, the degree of the angle) that will determine her personal "rules". Because the lower body may appear larger than the upper body, the entire shape may appear somewhat out of balance. The discrepancy in balance may be so little that she can follow the guidelines of an "hourglass", or so extreme she may need to spend a significant amount of time to

find the perfect silhouettes, lines, etc. in garments that will most flatter her particular body.  Often, these are women who need separates or custom designed garments to provide them with the desired effect. Notice the two pictures to your left; we have a slender rather tall long legged woman in the upper left hand corner. The woman to the left is much shorter, has a shorter neck, heavier upper arms, shorter and heavier legs, and a sharper degree of angle to the sides of her triangle. Even though these women have the same "body type" they could not successfully wear many of the same garments.   For purposes of illustration, I have made them about 40 years old and both of the bodies are relatively toned.  Should either factor be significantly different, there would be a larger difference in the most flattering choice of garments.  I cannot stress how important it is for every body to be treated individually; body types can  only, at best, be a generalization.

Using the accepted design principles to balance this body type, the gal in the upper left would treat her body shape as an "hourglass" body type.  The difference between hip and shoulder width is so slight it is insignificant based on her height and weight (the slender gal is six heads high, the heavier, about five high) Additionally, the slender woman has long legs.  

The woman below would want to accentuate the upper part of the body and draw less attention to the lower, unless she WANTS to emphasize the lower body. In general, most women would feel self conscious about their butt, thighs, or legs, (or all). Many women, especially those under 40.  are blessed with small waists; many do not have heavy arms. Today, JLO and Kim Kardashian (sp?) have made big butts almost desirable, but usually only when they are young,the waists are small, legs are long, and the body is toned. 

Just using the bare bones essentials we discussed in design elements you can see how a receding color (dull black, etc.) would fade from awareness the lower body, and the color of a simple white or bright top would draw attention to your upper body.  Let's further balance the figure by drawing attention to the shoulders of the blouse; arms, too if they are nicely shaped.  A novelty arm bracelet worn above the elbow would further draw attention and balance the upper body if the arms are toned and attractive.  If not, they would use illusion to pull of the eye to direct attention where you want it. If your upper body is slim, use color, pattern, details, jewelry, etc. to accentuate every part you like (not all at once, of course.)  If   If one has a smallish waistline, belts can be one of her best friends. As a stylist, a woman wants to plan these details with every outfit she wears. She also wants to make sure the garments in her wardrobe (each and every one of them!!) meets her standards or is rigidly layered to meet her personal guidelines.  This is accomplished by the use of color, inside lines, silhouettes, texture, and pattern. All styling is works of art; designing oneself takes a bit of practice, and at first, a little extra work. Once a woman really understands her body and what she wants to achieve, she can usually just look at the garment and know if it will suit her or not.

She may want to add interest to her face, hairstyle, attractive accessories to the upper body, etc.  She may consider wearing shoes that are in the same color as the hem of the bottom piece of clothing to keep the eye focused on the top.  Remember, every body is different from every other body, so each woman needs to decide what she wishes to accent.

One additional thing about all body types: Each body type is actually multiplied by two because each body type can be divided into three categories; women with long legs, women with average length,(top and bottom of body are equal)  or women with short legs. 

A woman with short legs has the greatest figure challenge for this body type.  She has the additional challenge of adding length to the lower body.  Wearing shoes of the same color as the bottom garment adds length to the bottom, especially if the shoes have a heel.  It is a generalization that at least one inch of heel is necessary if she has short legs.  She can also add length to the hemline of her skirt by use of matching hosiery or hosiery in receding colors, etc.  Again, each body is unique; trial and error in experimenting will get the right look.

One temptation that should be avoided; many women with larger hips make the mistake of wearing too long a jacket to cover her hips; she may also wear full skirts or bulky pants, believing the disguise of the lower body.  Usually, not true; slimmer pants and skirts are usually more flattering.  The challenge is to get the appropriate fit  for both hips and waist.  It usually requires alterations of the waist to get a good fit at the hips or thighs.  Jackets should rest on the curve of the buttocks, not the widest part, nor cover the hips.  (Of course, as always, each person has a unique figure, and I am sure there are some exceptions.)

Now of course, if you are JLO, or Kim, you might want to draw attention to a large lower body.  If so, use the same logic, only in reverse.  The key point is to use the design elements to focus on the points you want to emphasize.  For most triangles, that would be the upper body.  Draw all the attention you want to whatever part you want; use your mirror to see the effects.  Take pictures of yourself and see how different focal points improve or detract from your image.  Make the most of a lovely "pear" shape.