The Guide to Body Sizes

Joy of Clothes recognises that everyone is different and needs individual, personalised advice how to dress right. This is not only depending on your body shape, but also on an infinite number of physical features, which gives each person their own unique combination of these - their own DNA. One of the physical features is your body size. If you want you can say your body shape sets the tone, but your body size sets the frame (work) for how to dress right.

We recognise 4 different body sizes

Petite

Short doesn't automatically mean petite. Petite refers more to skinny, very thin and/women with a small scale- bone structure. Scale is the combination of height and bone structure. That means you can be petite whether short or tall.

Body shapes can be

Plus Sizes

In the UK plus sizes are starting from 14 or 16 upwards

Body shapes can be

Tall

Normally women clothing for tall/long women start from 6'0" (182.88 cm) onwards

Body shapes can be

Short

The truly short women clothing is from 5'2" (157.48 cm) downwards.

Body shapes can be

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHEN DRESSING FOR YOU BODY SIZE

Each body size has their own set of rules how to create balance and harmony in their overall appearance. It is all about creating visual balance!

Petite Women

Need to add curves to their body shape

Volume, clutter, layers, colour blocks are all in your repertoire. But make sure you always wear patterns, fabrics and styles right for your scale otherwise they will overpower you. If you are petite opt for smaller patterns when they are repetitive otherwise e.g. one oversized print or image on your shirt is absolutely fine. Opt for petite to normal stripes, belts or heels rather than chunky block heel- unless you have a big calf.

Plus Women

Need to avoid bulk and clutter in their clothing.

Fit, Fit, Fit. You must avoid bulk, clutter and volume in your clothing line. They not only hide the features you want to hide, but also your best ones. It is a misperception and conception that volume will give you the room you need- it makes you look just shapeless. You need to add structure to your shoulder, create a focus point on your neckline and opt for a loose fit in your clothing line.

Tall Women

Need to break their clothing line to appear "shorter".

Exactly to opposite to short women. "Keep attention focused downward" because if you don’t people will feel they need to bend even more backward to meet your eyes or to reach some sort of "eye level". Opt for styles that have colour blocks and layers, because people will find it easier to focus to meet your eyes like "if you offer a virtual ladder". While a tone to tone look or wearing a solid colour will do exactly the opposite- just making it too difficult "to climb up to your eye level".

Short Women

Need to opt for styles and lines to make them look taller.

"Keep attention focused upwards" Try to keep people's eyes focused as high as possible on your body. Otherwise you will be dragging people’s eye level downwards. That means keep focus on a nice hairstyle, make up, hat, neckline or shoulder details rather a brightly mini skirt.

Summary

So, if you fall in any of these 4 categories you need to adjust guide lines for your body shapes and other body features- because they are not all the same.

E.g. your body shape is a pear. The rule for a pear is to balance their bigger lower half with their upper half by defining her waist.

Now if you are...

a petite pear

That means even more clutter, volume on the upper e.g. by adding more layers, combining different prints and/ or colours, wearing styles with clutter e.g. neckties, dropped sleeve lines, batman, puffed sleeves

a plus size pear

has to avoid any type and shape of clutter, by creating a clean upper frame work that balances the lower half with defining the waist e.g. shoulder pads, necklines such as boat, scoop and square, loose fitted elbow or ¾ sleeve line, colour blocks ( not in form of stripes but by wearing a solid colour in two top items such as blouse and jacket)

a tall pear

will make use more of layers and colour blocks on top to shorten her silhouette ( wearing separates are a must) as at the same time creating balance to her top half. Vertical strips are no but horizontal lines are a yes. Also, she will go less for a tone in tone look. A tall pear will never opt for an Empire line style

a short pear

will also avoid clutter and too many layers since it will shorten even more, but opt instead as well for clean shapes that emphasise her shoulders, neckline and waist by balancing out at the same time her lower half. Empire style is a must for short and pear women and tone in tone on her lower half her game play. Never choose for horizontal lines or stripes on your upper or lower body.

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