Silhouettes

“Fashion is architecture: it is a matter of proportion.” –Coco Chanel

I’m not particularly preoccupied with keeping up with the latest styles; my goal when shopping is to see how little I can spend. I once bought a shirt for 58 cents. So far, that’s my record.

But avoiding high-ticket clothing items doesn’t mean that I don’t care about how I come across. First impressions are hard to change. And a big part of a first impression can be what you’re wearing. To me, “fashion” is all about presentation. And it’s not so much about keeping up with the Guccis as it is about dressing in a way that is becoming.

Guys, you probably don’t care about this. You can put on a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt and it looks sharp. For the most part, you’re shaped similarly. Women, on the other hand, have way more variables. We can’t buy pants based on waist, outsteam, and inseam; we’ve got inseam, outseam, waist, hips, rear end, thighs, calves, varying shoe height… I’m not complaining. I’m just saying: on some women, slacks and a button-down shirt are frumpy. It can take us a little more effort to get that professional, pulled-together look.

So, obviously, this post is not going to help you much if you’re a guy. But you can keep reading if you want. Don’t let me stop you.

Understanding how to flatter different silhouettes goes a long way toward dressing professionally. Silhouette is not about how thin or heavy you are; instead, it is about proportions. Does your waist naturally cinch in? Are your hips narrower than your bust? As this site says: “The most important thing to analyze first is the body shape we currently have: keep in mind that it has nothing to do with size, it's all about proportions. All body types come in a mix of fuller and slimmer shapes.”

There is no set number of body shapes; it varies depending on the source. Here are some visual classifications:

This site has a pretty comprehensive classification system with twelve body types. It also gives some ideas of styles that are flattering (or “solve problems”) for each silhouette.

While most sites have a stereotypical silhouette for each shape, this site offers celebrity examples for each shape—just going to prove that no one shape is necessarily more desirable than another.

This site and this site offer suggestions for evening gown and wedding gown styles based on body type. And to be honest, this is the main reason for this post: through a series of unusual circumstances, I will be attending a Navy ball in Connecticut this April, and am looking for a dress! The other reason is that I was a 4-H girl for ten years, and this is the kind of thing you learn in sewing projects.

Finally, fun fact of the day: the modern nomenclature for "one who sews" is "sewist." Seems like it should probably be "sewer," but that looks like the name for things that drain water and garbage off the street.