What Is My Horizontal Body Type?

What Is and What Does Horizontal Body Type Mean?

Your Horizontal Body Type measures the width proportion of your body.
Here you will compare the size of your bust, waist and hips in relation to
each other (not to other women's boobs or bums). Your size is not
important for this exercise it is the proportion that matters.
Your Horizontal Body Type measures your body proportions in 3 sections.
Your bust, waist and hips. It will identify your particular body shape:

• Pear
• Inverted Triangle
• Rectangle
• Hourglass
• Diamond
• Apple

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PEAR BODY SHAPE
Fat or skinny, when it comes to proportion it's all-downstairs for you. Your
top half is hard to fault, small waist, toned arms, great shoulders. It's hard
to get that dress that fits your waist and bum without looking like a sack up
top.

YOUR DEFINING FEATURES ARE:

 Small Boobs
 Long Waisted
 Large Hips or Saddlebags
 Big Thighs
 Flat Tummy

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 Dress for your Pear Body Shape
Your main aim for your Pear Body Shape is to broaden your shoulders to
balance out your saddlebags. This means getting a quality push up bra to
give you lift and balance and having great posture. No shoulder hunching.
Stand to attention and keep your shoulders back.
Your legs are short in comparison to your body length so with rebalancing
you can create longer legs.
Style Icon: Shakira

What To Wear:
• Accessories and designs that draw attention to your upper body

• Puffed sleeved tops

• Medium to high necklines or if you go for a V neck go shallow and

slashed to make your shoulders appear wider

• Low rise pants to avoid gaping at the waist

• Wide- leg trousers that will skim over your saddlebags

• No front side pockets on trousers or skirts. Go for a flat front

• A line skirts or flared skirts

• Jackets that emphasis your waist and allow the bottom half to zoom out
and cover your saddlebags

Platforms, straight chunky heels and knee-high boots under skirts

What Not To Wear:

• Baggy clothes
• Hems or designs that finish at your hip line
• Open pleats on trousers or skirts
• Tapered skirts or trousers like pencil skirts, skinny jeans
• Stilettos with ankle straps will make your legs look shorter than they
already are and so will ankle boots.
• Skirts of dresses cut on the bias. They will just cling to your saddlebags

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INVERTED TRIANGLE BODY SHAPE

You have a proportionally larger upper body and athletic frame. You have
broad shoulders or are wide in the back. You have that boy/girl shape and
have trouble looking feminine.

YOUR DEFINING FEATURES:

• Broad Shoulders
•
• Small Boobs
•
• No Waist
•
• Slim Hips,
•
• Long, Slim Legs

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Dress For Your Inverted Triangle
Body Shape
With an Inverted Triangle Body Shape you are quite angular. You usually
find that you look silly in dresses so you end up wearing sporty gear that
suits your athletic or boyish frame.
You find it difficult to look feminine. Your secret is to play up to your angles
and add curve to your lower body.
Style Icon: Naomi Campbell

What To Wear
• All things asymmetric or angular in shape. This will create dramatic
angles to redraw your body shape
• Dresses with off centre gathers, diagonal lines or asymmetrical lines to
create curves
• Wider collars on shirts and jackets to balance your shoulders
• Full length jackets with big or wide hip pockets
• Flared skirts and fluted skirts
• Flowing fabrics like chiffon or draping jersey will look feminine, fluid and
create curves where you need them
• Skinny jeans or cigarette pants
• Flares that are fitted at your hips and thighs
• Slim healed shoes to show off your slim calves and ankles
• Wide strapped halter necks

What Not To Wear:

• An Inverted Triangle Body Shape should not wear shoulder pads
• Stiff bulky fabrics
• High necklines
• Small collars
• Cut away shoulders
• Shapeless dresses
• Platform or chunky shoes (they will emphasize your slim ankles)
• 3/4 sleeves will just emphasis your V shape
• All one color or a large print dress. It will make you look bigger not
smaller

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RECTANGLE BODY SHAPE
If you are a slim rectangle you resemble a ruler. If you are a fuller
rectangle you resemble a brick. You look powerful and strong and have
trouble looking feminine

YOUR DEFINING FEATURES:

• Shoulder Width the Same as Your Hip Width

• Small to Medium Bust
• No Waist
• Long Shapely Legs
• You may have Chunky Legs and Chunky Calves

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Dress for your Rectangle Body
Shape
With a Rectangle Body Shape you find it difficult to look feminine. If you
wear a jeans and a hoody they make you look like a bloke. You have that
straight up and down look so you will need to use some tricks to conjure up
curves out of nowhere.
Your goal for your rectangle shape is to proportionally dress the top half
and bottom half of your body while enhancing your waist.
Style Icon: Nicole Kidman

What To Wear:
• Jackets or coats with an empire line or wide lapels that fasten with a belt
or sash or that are deep plunging or you can wear open
• Drapey tops with open necklines and small ruffles to create curves and
softness
• Wrap dresses that are A line or high waisted in soft drapey fabrics
• Asymmetric skirts or A-line skirts
• Trousers or pants that flow in drapey fabrics like jersey
• Round neckline tops with horizontal stripes

What Not To Wear:

• Stiff or bulky fabrics like linen
• Vertical stripes
• Boxy jackets or double breasted coats
• Mini skirts will make you look even squarer
• Unstructured or baggy T Shirts
• Chunky wedge shoes
• Narrow skirts

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HOURGLASS BODY SHAPE
You are relatively balanced with your hips and shoulders about the same
width. Your defining feature is your small waist. (Remember that small
does not mean 22". It means that your waist is proportionally small for your
size.) You may even look shorter than you are and you may have a big
tummy.

YOUR DEFINING FEATURES:

• Big Boobs
• Small or Short Waisted
• Big Hips
• Generous Thighs

Dress for your Hourglass Body

Shape
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With an Hourglass Body Shape, every item in your wardrobe should work
to clearly define your curvy silhouette.
Try to hide your curves and you will look bulky and frumpy. So love and
embrace your curves. Make the most of them. You are a painters dream.
Style Icon: Marilyn Monroe
What To Wear:
• Fitted and semi fitted clothes
• Soft clingy, flowing fabrics
• Straight or gently flared trousers in a drapy fabric that won't cling to your
thighs
• Pencil skirts
• Single breasted jackets or coats with a deep V plunging neckline to your
waist with curved lapels
• Dresses that are fitted that elongate your waist
• Three quarter sleeves that stop just before your waistline
• Shirts in a stretch fabric but only button up to the top of your boob so you
show a nice open long neckline
• Fitted T shirts that nip in at your waist and have a wide open neckline
• Cardigans with a deep V neck and fitted
• Peep Toe or Rounded Toe shoes
• A Necklace with a simple chain with a dangly bit that hangs well below
your boobs
What Not To Wear:
• Baggy Styles with your hourglass body shape will make you look like a
frump
• Bulky, stiff or excess fabric that will just add volume where you don't
need it
• Fabrics that are too stretchy they will just accentuate your lumps and
bumps. Supportive fabric is better
• Big or thick belts
• Bat-wing sleeves
• Tapered pants
• Polo neck or chunky jumpers
• Baggy T Shirts
• Frills, bows, flounces or chiffon. Tempting as they may be. You already
look feminine enough
• Smock dresses
• Flat lace up, ankle strap shoes and cowboy boots,
• Big, bulky or decorative jewelry. Your boobs are already eye catching

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DIAMOND BODY SHAPE
Your hips are generally wider than your bust and you have a full
midsection. You could be heavy in your upper thighs but your lower legs
are shapely and one of your best features.

YOUR DEFINING FEATURES:

• Average Boobs
• Your Tummy is Bigger than Your Boobs
• Your Waist is the Widest Part of Your Body
• Big Thighs
• Slim Lower Legs
• Short Waisted

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Dress For Your Diamond Body
Shape
Your goal for your Diamond Body Shape is to draw attention to your top
half, up and away from your belly.
You should wear clothing that will take the eye off your waist and make
your shoulders appear wider
You are very similar to an apple shape except that you will have smaller
shoulders and higher set tummy.
Style Icon: Oprah Winfrey

What To Wear:
• Tops with a wide open neckline that gives a flash of the beginning of a
cleavage
• Tops that are tight just under your boobs and loose enough to skim over
your tummy
• Shoulder pads or tops with horizontal neck lines
• Capped sleeves to broaden your shoulders
• Pants that fasten at the side and have a flat front to avoid any extra
bumps on your belly
• Pants with wider legs, that don't cling to your bum, tum or thighs
• Shirts with open fronts and wider cuffs. This will draw the eye up
• Skirts with side fastenings and flat fronted with a deep waistband
• Skirts with pleats that start below your tummy
• Long coats worn open (try in a contrasting color to your outfit
underneath)
• If you are short make sure the coat ends just above your knee
What Not To Wear:
• Men’s jeans that fit you at your waist, narrow at your legs, with a fleecy
top you will make you look like a builder
• Tight T Shirts, clingy fabrics or fabrics with large patterns
• Big square T Shirts or puffa jackets
• Anything pleated from the waist
• High necklines are not flattering for a Diamond Body Shape
• High waisted trousers
• Tucked in tops
• Narrow or tapered skirts and pants
• Clumpy or chunky shoes

11
APPLE BODY SHAPE
You have an overall appearance of being round, especially in your torso
area. You have an undefined waist and large stomach (which can be high
or low) and your narrower at your hips. You gain weight in your stomach,
back and upper body.

YOUR DEFINING FEATURES:

• Average to Big Boobs

• Your Tummy is Bigger than Your Boobs
• Flat Bum
• Good Legs

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Dress For Your Apple Body Shape
Your goal for your Apple Body Shape is to draw attention to your top half,
up and away from your belly.
Your best investment will be a decent bra that will lift and separate your
boobs from your belly.
Your slimmest part will then be just under your boobs. You will be
surprised how much this will flatten your tummy and streamline your
silhouette.
Learn to love your boobs rather than hide them.
Style Icon: Jennifer Hudson
What To Wear:
• Tops with a wide open neckline that gives a flash of the beginning of a
cleavage
• Tops that are tight just under your boobs and loose enough to skim over
your tummy
• Un-tucked tops
• Capped sleeves to broaden your shoulders
• Pants that fasten at the side and have a flat front to avoid any extra
bumps on your belly
• Pants with wider legs, that don't cling to your bum, tum or thighs
• Shirts with open fronts and wider cuffs. This will draw the eye up
• Skirts with side fastenings and flat fronted with a deep waistband
• Skirts with pleats that start below your tummy
• Long coats worn open (try in a contrasting color to your outfit
underneath)
• If you are short make sure the coat ends just above your knee
What Not To Wear:
• Men’s jeans that fit you at your waist, narrow at your legs, with a fleecy
top you will make you look like a builder
• Tight T Shirts, clingy fabrics or fabrics with large patterns
• Big square T Shirts or puffa jackets
• Anything pleated from the waist
• High necklines
• High waisted trousers
• Tucked in tops
• Narrow or tapered skirts and pants is a sin for an Apple Body Shape
• Clumpy or chunky shoes
• All one color or large print dress. It will make you look bigger not amaller.

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