Whether you’ve got Adele’s curves or Miranda Kerr’s legs, you can maximize what you’ve got if you just dress the part. From tiny to tall, your favorite celebs can show you how to dress for your body type so you can flaunt your most flattering figure.
Petite All Over: Mila Kunis
Fashion may know not of comfort, but few petite fashionistas are willing to wear heels 24/7 to give off a taller appearance. Instead, avoid heavy layers as they will only weigh you down, but don’t shy away from loose-fitting items, which will help fill your small frame out. High-waisted items help elongate the legs and when cinched at the waist, may help give the illusion of curves. Mila Kunis flatters her body type with a billowy top tucked into a pencil skirt, which gives her curves up top and a distinct waist.
Petite and Curvy: Kim Kardashian
You’re petite, but not sans a full figure — your greatest fashion faux pas is, well, a look Snooki would be proud of— that is, an outfit that accentuates your curves in all the wrong places and makes you look several inches shorter. But, according to celebrity stylist Colin McDonald, who has worked with the likes of Joe Zee and Michelle Obama, you shouldn’t be hiding your curves! Cropped jackets à la Kim Kardashian will help elongate your top half. As for bottoms, if you’re going long, go long and if you’re going short, go short (but not too short!). Wear lengthy, flared pants that will lengthen your bottom half or wear above-the-knee skirts that balance out your curvy hips. Try a raised shoulder to proportion out your bust-to-shoulder ratio.
Athletic: Serena Williams
Whether you got over the Freshman 15 by sticking to your gym plan or you were born with more muscles than curves, your athletic build is something to show off! Wearing colors and patterns will add dimension to your figure and since your toned legs are something to see, skinny jeans are a must. Mixing and matching lengths — for example, long sleeves with a short skirt or vice versa — will only draw attention to one toned limb at a time so you can avoid looking stocky. Tennis player and fashionista Serena Williams gets dressed up in a flirty, draped tunic to soften the lines of her body.
Curvy Hourglass: Katy Perry
If you’ve got a curvy hourglass body type, meaning you’ve been blessed with curves on top and bottom, the key to looking good is to accentuate your waist. Cinching and belting, according to McDonald, add structure to the body. Move away from loose-fitting tops, which will rest over your curves and give you a boxy look that will only add pounds to your figure. Katy Perry, who’s a fan of big belts and all things high-waisted, makes the look work by wearing form-fitting (but not skin-tight, even for Friday nights!) clothing.
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Pear-Shaped: Beyoncé
Your hips really don’t lie. The goal is to balance your proportions out, either by accentuating your bust and shoulders or by slightly concealing your hips. Beyoncé makes it work by either wearing low V-necks and high shoulders with a form-fitting skirt or by adding volume with a textured top and using an asymmetrical skirt line to draw attention away from the curvature of the hips.
Inverted Triangle: Audrina Patridge
Save for your broader shoulders and upper body curves, you’re slender all around — which can make shopping for the right tops difficult. The key to an inverted triangle body type, McDonald says, is to balance out the curves. McDonald suggests full skirts and flared bottoms to add volume to your bottom half. Avoid raised shoulders, which will only make you look wider up top. Instead, an open cardigan or blazer will soften the shoulder line so it looks more proportional to the rest of your body. Audrina Patridge is a fan of the long boyfriend blazer, which straightens out the look to draw attention to your leggy legs!
Full and Curvy: Adele
Keep your look sleek with solid colors. Frills, patterns and embellishments may make a full figure look bulky. A streamlined outfit that glides over the body, meaning it flatters the female form without sucking in or hugging curves too tightly, makes the whole look clean. McDonald recommends dark colors and V-shaped necklines for a slimming effect. Adele pulls the look off with a rendition of the Little Black Dress, which has a flowy skirt to tone down curvier hips and adds slight shape to the waist without holding it in too tightly. The all-black look is slimming, and the wider neckline elongates the neck and shoulders for a more elegant look.
Long and Lean: Miranda Kerr
You’ve got supermodel stats, meaning you’re long and lean and without significant curves. To avoid looking too lanky, stay away from anything too baggy or too tight, which will either engulf your frame or be too slimming. The key, then, is to texturize and add shape without overwhelming your body type. Miranda Kerr adds volume up top with an open V-neck top layered under an open blazer for depth. A skirt with pleats adds body to her hips and shows off her legs, but to avoid looking too leggy, she finishes the look with ankle boots.
Confidence makes every outfit, but there are some pieces to pick in order to flatter your body type best, whatever size you are. The key is to accentuate your best assets and balance out your proportions. As Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportions.”