Dress for Your Body Pt.1 - Body Shapes

Lets face it - many clothes in lolita fashion are like the camera, that gives you six extra pounds. Layers of textile, blouses, pettis, lace and ruffles don't do justice for a normal girl, yet alone those on the chubby side. But since we all love them cupcake and a-line dresses, giving up on them isn't an option. So I set myself a goal to try and work out dress up recommendations for different body shapes. But when I started gathering material, I was bummed -  most mainstream fashion advices are based on a bigger variety of colors and silhouettes than LF will ever have. Recommendations about V-necklines and striped pencil skirts barely apply anywhere!

But I don't give up so easily! So, this is the first part of my "mission impossible" article. Let's start with revising of the basic body shapes.

Hourglass Figure

The most proportional figure - the bust-line is almost the same as the hip-line, the waist is well defined. Usually has medium or large bust, rounded bottom.

V-shape or Inverted Triangle

If you have a proportionally large bust, or broad shoulders, or both with narrow hips and a defined waist - this might as well be your shape.

Pear

The bust-line is proportionally narrower than the full hip-line and the waist is well defined. Usually also has narrow or sloping shoulders and full rounded bottom.

Rectangle

If the full bust-line and full hip-line are about the same width and you have little waist definition, then most likely you have a rectangle body shape. Usually the bust is small or medium, legs and arms are proportionally thin and the bottom is commonly flat.

Apple

The waist is undefined, the overall appearance of being round - round stomach and full upper thighs. Hips can be either wide and full or slim with proportionally slim legs. The bust can be full or medium

Each shape has several more defined types, such as diamond, brick, bell, and more, but these basic guidelines should help you  find out your main shape. Though in LF we can almost always cancel out the hips (petti-shape anyone?) we still need to work with proportions and a limited variety of lolita clothes. Tips on each body shape will follow in next parts, so stay tuned!