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Are you often confused about what to wear with what color? What matches with your lovely printed kurta, how to pair your striped pants with all kurtas and tunics in your wardrobe to create a new ensemble every day. How to decide what suits your body type without waiting for all those feedbacks from your friends and shop them with confidence. Then you are not alone. Let’s solve this puzzle together and forever. You can follow some simple thumb rules while shopping and it will be a lot easier to decide on that winner dress!

“Finding tricks to create flattering body shape is the key to style” -Stacy London

Lets first understand different body types and what suits best to them that makes it easier to understand our body types and what suits us best:

How to dress different body types

The goal is to go for silhouettes that define the waistline.

Tips on what to wear:

• Ankle-length, A-line, or Anarkali kurtis.
• Kurtas with an empire waist.
• Heavy yoke designed or embellished kurtas, collared kurtas to draw attention to the upper torso.
• Salwars or churidars as bottoms.
• Broader necklines such as boat neck, sweetheart neck to highlight and give a broad look to shoulders.
• Lighter shades in tops/ kurtas coordinated with dark-colored bottoms.
• Sarees with heavy border work and detailing on palu, small prints with a high neck, square neck, v- neck, or strapless blouses.
• Flared or A-line lehengas in lighter fabrics like chiffon or georgette with heavy work blouses.

What not to wear:

• Short kurtas/ tunics and tight tops.
• Pants and printed bottoms and bright colored bottoms.
• Mermaid style, fish cut or straight cut lehengas.

Banana-shaped or Rectangle-shaped: If your shoulders and hips are of similar width, the waistline is not defined, then you fall in the category of banana or rectangular body shape.

Tips on what to wear:

• Silhouettes that create more curves and define the waistline. Long Anarkali kurtas– jacket-styles or layered with lots of kalis will help highlight the curves.
• Kurtis with flare or empire waist will also help in creating the impression of curves.
• Heavy embroidered kurtis with salwar.
• High neck styles eg turtle neck, halter neck, and v-neck.
• Fish cut or high ghera lehengas with crop tops.
• Heavy embroidery sarees or big prints with turtle, boat, scoop-neck blouses.

What to avoid:

• Avoid shapeless or straight silhouettes like straight kurtas or A-line kurtas.
• Very loose clothes that highlight the body type.
• Tight churidars, A-line lehengas.

Hourglass body shape: If your hips and shoulders are similar in size and your waist is narrower than both, then you have an hourglass body shape.

Your upper and lower torso are almost proportionate.

Usually, customized or tailored clothing is recommended to this body type.

What to wear:

• Floor-length, ankle-length Anarkali kurtas tighter at the waist to highlight the waistline.
• Short kurtis can be coordinated with salwar, churidar, or leggings.
• Straight cut kurtas, flared kurtas- tighter at the waist.
• Necklines like halter neck, scoop neck, high collared v-neck.
• Sarees with delicate work, in fabrics like crepe, chiffon, net fabrics with scoop neck, v-neck blouses.
• Lehengas in fish-cut, straight cut, or A-line silhouettes with ruched blouses or heavy embroidered long jacket style.

What to avoid:

• Kurtas with empire waist as they hide the curves.
• Loose-fitting kurtas heavily worked salwar kameez or Anarkali suits.
• Heavily embroidered or embellished blouses.
• Lehengas with heavy dupatta.

Top hourglass: Your body shape falls in the category of hourglass however your shoulders or bust measurement are slightly larger than your hips.

• Flared bottoms, A-line skirts are suggested for this body type.

Bottom hourglass: Again the general body shape is hourglass type however hips are slightly broader than bust measurements and shoulders.

Apple or Inverted triangle body shape: You fall in this category if your hips are comparatively narrower than your shoulders.

Suggestive clothing styles are with open necklines, and with some shaping around the waistline.

What to wear:

• Anarkalis with empire waist and wider hemlines.
• A-line kurtas or salwar kameez with churidar or leggings.
• Necklines like a scoop,v- neck, or high collared v-neck.
• Sarees with heavy embroidery border with a scoop neck or sweetheart neckline blouses.
• Full flared lehengas with embellishments at the hem along with jacket style blouse.

What not to wear:

• Heavy embroidered or embellished work around the neckline in kurtas.
• Straight cut kurtas or patiyala bottoms.
• Any kurtas or dresses with heavy embroidery at the waist.

Oval or Round body shape: If your hips are narrow, you have a fuller midsection and your shoulders and bust are larger than the rest of the body then it is a round body shape.

The stylist suggests the tops that flare at the top.

What to wear:

• A-line long dresses with heavy work around the neckline
• Kurtas with heavy embellishment work above the bust line or below the hip line.
• Necklines like scoop, square, broad, or v-shaped.
• Saree with heavy embellishment work on the border with heavy work blouse.

What not to wear:

• Gathered skirt
• Fitted bottoms like churidar, leggings and cigarette pants
• Any style with belt

Diamond body shape: If you have narrow shoulders, a fuller waistline, and comparatively broader hips, then you have a diamond body shape. You usually have slender arms and carry more weight in the upper legs.

Suggestive styles are off-shoulder or open neck styles.

What to wear:

• A-line kurtas and dresses, layered tops.
• Empire waist tops in stiff fabrics, and bold patterns.
• Neckline like boat neck and big shawl.

What not to wear:

• Side slit tops with churidars.
• Bottom wear with pleats.

Athletic body shape: If your body is not curvy and more muscular, with similar measurements of shoulders and hips, then you have the athletic body type.

Stylists suggest halter neck or racker back styles.

What to wear:

The aim is to highlight the waist so that the shoulders and hips look smaller.

• Floor-length Anarkali,full-length gowns, layered floor-length kurtas.
• Off-shoulder kurtas or blouse, highlighting the shoulders.
• Even patterns like stripes will give your body a proportionate look.
• Full sleeve blouse, ruffle sleeves.

What not to wear:

• Loose-fitting- boxy or baggy silhouettes
• Straight kurtas
• High waisted bottoms

Friends, always remember there’s no such thing as an “ideal” body shape. Also, other factors along with the above to pay attention to while shopping is the occasion you are shopping for, the skin tone, and climate.

Now I hope we all are ready with tips and understand how to choose the dress that flatters our body type and be ready to always look fabulous!