It’s wintertime here in North America and my own Pacific Northwest home has already been hit by snow. I figured with the cold air being what it is, we should probably discuss jackets and coats and which ones would look the best on you. I figure I should start by telling you that I am not one of these stick-figure darlings that grace magazines; I am apple shaped. Meaning I have no hips or butt, though I did get the bust, so at least there is that.
There are four basic body types:
- Banana (very shallow curves of any kind, some people call this boy shape but that’s mean)
- Apple (wide shoulders, narrow hips, gains weight in the midsection and bust)
- Pear (wide hips, narrower shoulders, gains weight in the thighs and arms)
- Hourglass (waist is significantly narrower than hips and shoulders, gains weight in bust and butt)
Banana
If you are a banana, like Allison Scagliotti of Warehouse 13 fame, you want to find fitted jackets that taper a bit at the waist to give you the illusion of having more curves. The more petite you are the higher you want your hem so that it doesn’t cut into your legs and make your legs seem extra short. If there is a bit more body in the shoulders it can also add more of an hourglass shape to your body.
Pear
Pear shapes like (my favorite Doctor Who companion) Catherine Tate can pull off longer jackets that nip in at the waist. You want to stick to a nice A-line so it doesn’t bunch around your hips and instead draws the eyes up to make you look longer and leaner.
Apple
Apple shapes need to keep away from things that cinch too much at the waist. With wide shoulders and no hips it can sometimes be hard to remember that, but you can often make your waist look far wider than your hips without meaning to. Pick a jacket that cinches only a little, or one that falls straight down to the top of your hips, which will make the jacket look a bit more bulky and you look a bit more slim. Don’t pair it with skinny jeans unless you want your legs to suddenly look shorter; stick to boyfriend jeans or bootcut.
Hourglass
Hourglass-shaped gals, like Scarlett Johansson, can wear pretty much any length coat, though if you’re petite you shouldn’t wear one too long. The thing with the hourglass is that you want to cinch in that waist, otherwise you just look round.
Feature image via Small Town, Big Wardrobe
