Your silhouette can be thought of as your shape or outline. Shadow puppets are a great example, hands and fingers are used to mimic shapes and leave shadows of different objects. Your body, clothing, and hairstyle leave a silhouette in much the same way, just more constant and less extreme.
Look at a recent full body photo of yourself, or stand in front of a full length mirror. Imagine everything in the background as white, and the image of you as black, like a shadow. Your silhouette makes it easier to fit your body into the basic body type shapes. There are some general guidelines for each shape to make the clothing and accessories you choose more flattering to your body, by drawing attention to your best features and away from your problem areas.
Body Shapes
- hourglass - shoulder and hips are equal with a well defined waist
- pear- small shoulders well defined waist larger hips
- apple / round - wider around the mid-section than shoulders and hips
- inverted triangle- wide shoulders and small hips
- rectangular/minimal curves equal width from shoulder to hip
The body shape we want to mimic in our silhouette is the hourglass. This has to do with the way our bones are structured, it keeps the body weight well distributed and proportions in check.
First we need well fitting clothes, and that begins with a good bra. You can look like you've lost 10 or more pounds just by having the right support. So if you haven't been properly fitted by a professional, you should.
Clothing needs to fit the widest part of you first, and then if necessary, can be tailored to fit and flatter your body. Sloppy, ill-fitting clothes will not hide but accentuate the flaws you are trying to take the eye away from.
Cut, draping, and darts can add to areas that need filling out, and can subtract from areas that need to be thinned. Pear shapes can try puffy or fluttery sleeves, triangles can try A-line skirts, rectangles can try jackets that define the waist and flair at the hips. Round and others with ill-defined waists can try clothing with seaming that draws the eye in towards the center, also empire waist seams help to accentuate the smallest area of the torso.
Cropped jackets and shrugs will draw the eye up. Shirt length is important because it will visually separate the top and bottom. Too long can make your legs look stumpy and short, too short and it could cause a separation at an unflattering area. Skirt length should be very close to the knee, ending lower around mid calf makes legs look heavy. Pants look best with a straight cut, or slightly flared out. Shapes with wider hips and thighs should avoid pants that come in at the knee as it will make the legs look out of proportion. Chunky shoes make feet look heavy and not graceful. Try shapes that are comfortable but slenderizing. Thin heels and tapered wedges along with pointed toes make the foot appear a little longer and thinner.
This is a great starting point. We would be finished if we lived in a black and white shadow world, but alas, we do not. Stay tuned for Part 3.
