whats your body SHAPE?

So currently, I'm Assistant Stage Managing the show "Big River" at Sundance, and as much as I LOVE wearing black, I've pretty much worn every piece of black clothing I have the past month. In attempt to not ruin all of my black clothes, I bought a $30 blazer that I wear black t-shirts with for each show. Every night feels like a struggle balancing looking professional and being comfortable. TODAY, I was sitting back stage, in 51 degree humid weather, FREEZING COLD, wishing I had worn one of my trench coats, instead of my cute blazer!


Then I got to thinking... How often do we sacrifice style/appropriate dress for practicality/comfort, or vise versa? AND, is there ever a need for it?  I don't think so. Why do we throw on sweat pants to go to work? Naturally because they are comfortable. There's no way it's because sweat pants are appropriate work attire (unless you're a personal trainer, and even THEN there are nicer workout clothes than sweat pants :) OR why do we throw on a big sweater on a cold day? To be warm, regardless of fit, it's what we have so we wear it, right?


I really think it all comes down to what we buy, and if we are buying the right clothes for our bodies in the first place.  If we shop smart, we will never have to compromise style for comfort because, clothes that fit our bodies well, look good!  If we are buying the right things, we shouldn't feel uncomfortable in our clothes EVER! Granted, some days we are "feeling" some outfits more than others, but choosing an outfit should never come down to a piece of clothing being too tight in some areas, or hanging off our bodies in others.


SO what is the first step in learning how to shop for our bodies? Knowing our body type/shape! Once we know what shape we are, we can buy the clothes that will compliment our bodies the best (and also provide us the most comfort!) OR at least we can know how to style our clothes better on our bodies!


There are tons of calculators online, that will accurately help you determine what your shape is! If you have access to a tape measure this site is GREAT! CALCULATE YOUR SHAPE! However, if measuring yourself is too much effort... (which i understand) this picture should help give a general idea of the four most common body shapes.

Its important to find clothes that fit the most shapely parts of our bodies comfortably, even if it means tailoring the other parts to fit us better.  For example, sometimes I have to have the waistband taken in, in pants, because the pants fit my hips well but are too big for my waist. Also be aware not drawing attention to the parts of your body that aren't your favorite, and to make the focus be on the parts that you like the best!  Again sometimes, like other ladies, I'd rather not draw attention to my hips, SO I'll wear a colorful shirt and darker pants. Seems like common sense doesn't it? It's actually something that takes a little while to learn... especially when dressing yourself!


BUT all in good time... lets just learn our body shape for now... even if you already know it, putting a name to the shape will help you remember in future shopping extravaganzas!


NOW, if I can just remember to wear a trench tomorrow...