Nairobi News

Continuing from the previous article on wearing fashion for your figure, today let’s talk about the other two body shapes; the evasive hourglass and the athletic banana.

Just as we did with the apple and pear, we will lay out a few trends that are perfectly made for these two body types to rock, and those that should be adopted with caution if at all.

THE EVASIVE HOURGLASS

Probably highest in the ranking of shapes coveted by the ladies as much as they are appreciated by the lads, here comes the incredibly evasive female body shape, the hourglass. In fact apparently, only 8% of women in the world have it. So if you do, you better learn how to flaunt your God-given miracle like it could disappear tomorrow. It won’t, but still… Anyway let’s talk about the hourglass.

This lady’s body is made in almost perfect proportions. Shoulders as wide as the hips, full bust, well defined small waist, well rounded full hips and thighs. If you’re the lady I’m talking to, your fashion goal is to ensure your clothes are a proper fit so you can show off your perfect body, and not overdo things with too much detail and accessories.

Trendy picks

1. Body-con dresses – Just because you can look fabulous in pretty much any dress doesn’t mean you can’t have your go to fashion picks like any other girl. And this is where the body-con dress comes in because it is pretty much the answer to all your “I got nothing to wear today” rants.

Block colors are a better bet; avoid too much patterns and print. If you do wear prints, try to stick to monochrome and preferably distributed vertically. This is because too much print will distract the view of your perfect figure, whereas the goal is to accentuate it. The cut on the neck and shoulders can be anything from long to short sleeved, V-neck to round neck as long everything fits snugly.

2. Pencil skirts –With their high waist characteristic, pencil skirts will look best if midi length, to show off your balanced silhouette. This also ensures your skirt doesn’t ride up your full thighs and totally destroy your put-together look.

3. Crop tops – Obviously because your upper body was made for them. Only ensure it isn’t too short or skimpy because it could end up looking like a sports bra considering your full bust. Crops look perfect paired with a maxi skirt.

4. Slim line one-button blazer – Clearly it is getting a lot colder and as much as we want to showcase your amazing bod, trend advice will not be complete without outerwear. Now I know there is temptation to try all these jacket styles but my advice is keep it simple.

Slim line blazers are cut to follow your figure, from the bust to the waist to the bum. Boxy styles will either cut the flow of the curves or bury your waist down under. Your beautiful body deserves to be seen; only wear jackets that fit you well.

5. Maxi skirts –  I know you already know how good you look in high waist jeans, but for the life of me I’m unable to understand why such a womanly figure wants to be hidden in pants all the time. So for the casual trendy pick I would rather talk about the maxi skirt. The trick here is to find a high waist straight skirt, not flared, if you feel like it will hug your legs too much find one with a side slit. Avoid volume and clutter for instance busy patterns, frills or pleats. Instead opt for a single color or a monochrome pattern and pair it with a crop top.

6. Slim belts – Lucky you curvy girl with your slim waist. You don’t need a hundred guidelines on when and where not to wear belts. The best thing about slim belts is that they are subtle enough not to distract your outfit and bold enough to say look at me my body is super proportional. Enjoy them.

Be wary of…

1. Too much detail – Seriously stop with the big buttons, frills, draping and screaming patterns. You don’t need them. The way you were made is already attention drawing enough.

2. Cigarette pants – I know everyone says “the original hourglass” Marilyn Monroe loved cigarette pants. Well that may be true but she was also skinny compared to most modern day hourglasses. In addition these days most cigarette pants have a low waist with side pockets so they will look best only on a skinny person.

If you have to wear them ensure they have a fitted waistband that will fit your waist properly. Also be wary of the pockets and pleats because your wide hips will end up stretching the pockets and making them hang while the pleats will crumple. Try on cigarette pants and ensure you like the fit before you buy them.

3. Tunics – Or any other baggy clothing for that matter, which only makes you look boxy while you have a well–defined body to show off.

THE ATHLETIC BANANA

Super toned body, great abs, long shapely legs, most of you are models. Hello banana girl. Your body type is like an hourglass without the defined waist and the fear of weight gain. Meaning that your shoulders and hips are pretty much the same width as your waist.

Therefore your fashion mission is to define your waist and create the illusion of curves, so that you have a balanced womanly silhouette. The reason why this is about the easiest body type to dress is because you are not really toning down anything and most styles suit you just fine. The only thing you need to overcome is the temptation to wear your teen sister’s clothes just because they fit you. Seriously, stop.

Trendy picks

1. Peplum dresses and tops – To create the illusion of curves a peplum dress will fit perfectly into the equation.  If you can add a slim belt this will work even better. Of course keep the dresses short to show off your fabulously toned legs.

2. Cigarette pants – Yay finally here is a body type that can perfectly rock cigarette pants. Go for those with detail like pleats and pockets to add volume to your lower body. Because your hips are narrow and your legs toned, this style of pants will fit your body perfectly.

3. Ruched dresses and tops – The ruched design for both dresses and tops has an amazingly genius way of creating shape and curves. It works best for the banana shape because they need not be afraid of adding volume on any parts of their body. So this design is your best style pick because it will give the illusion of curves and add dimension to your waist and bust.

4. Skinny jeans – There is this pretty amazing thing skinny jeans do to a woman’s body. They accentuate all the curves just as God himself intended. Which for you as a banana girl is great news because you can wear them with abandon. Your toned body will look amazing. However avoid high waist jeans.

5. Short A-line skirts – Paired with a statement t-shirt, this is an absolutely stylish pick for the banana shaped lady. Just like an apple shape, A-line skirts define your waist and give your lower body a fuller look.

6. Shirt dresses and shift dresses– Shirt dresses are a super stylish casual pick that will make your long legs look like they just stepped out of Vogue. Pair your shirt dress with strappy heels, strappy flats or fashionable sneakers, a big tote-bag and sunglasses. Shift dresses make good evening wear when form-fitting and worn with strappy high-heels or ankle boots and an envelope clutch.

Be wary of…

1. Crop tops – If you wear an A-line crop top it will make your torso seem wide and the rest of your tall body too tall. If you wear a tight crop top it will emphasize your undefined waist. That’s a tricky trend best left alone. If you have to wear it, pair it with an open jacket.

2. High waist pants – Surprisingly they do nothing for your figure. Which is hard to believe considering how good high waist skater short skirts and pleated maxi skirts look on you. However the pants or shorts don’t have the luxury of flare or detail around the hips so they will just look straight and awkward. Low waist is your best bet for pants.

3. Deep V-neck tops – Come on honey stop embarrassing yourself. There is so much about you to celebrate than drawing attention to your bust. Instead wear tops with chest detail to create waist vs bust dimensions.

So there you have it. A ton of ideas on trends each body shape can comfortably experiment with. However, it is necessary to remember that most female shapes will not fit perfectly into one of the above classifications; sometimes women will be in between shapes and the idea is to figure out your most dominant features and work with those.

Life changes like age and childbearing will also affect your figure. Therefore this is just a guideline not the fashion gospel.

We all know that the most important aspect of good dressing is not what you buy but how you wear it, and at the end of the day women should only wear clothes that make them feel good about themselves. Remember you are beautiful no matter the shape. Wearing the right clothes just helps you show the world what you already are inside.