It’s a beautiful fall afternoon. You walk into H&M feeling confident. Your hair is blown out and you have a fresh nail set. Then, you see it.
It’s a stunning, vivacious, blue-cropped sweater. You aren’t a rash, irresponsible individual, so you try it on. Once it’s on, you discover that you somehow magically transformed into some absolutely unattractive variation of a human being.
What happened? I’ll tell you a secret: it’s not the lighting and it’s not the angle — it’s you.
Don’t worry, I’ll tell you how to fix it. All it takes is making different shopping choices.
Everyone, according to Healthline, can fit roughly into eight different body types: hourglass, triangle, rectangle, top hourglass, spoon, bottom hourglass, inverted triangle, round, athletic and diamond.
Based on personal expertise, I’m going to tell you how to style four of them. Plus, if you make it to the end, I’ll give you three of my non-negotiable fashion rules.
I wouldn’t consider myself Vogue Magazine-eligible, but I always put thought into what I wear.
Also, being a woman myself, I wouldn’t know much about men’s fashion. So, with all due respect, this one is for the girlies, but men, feel free to tag along.
Hourglass
It’s Marilyn Monroe’s signature; the commonly accepted ideal; it’s the hourglass figure.
Characterized by a larger bust and hip-to-waist ratio, even this seemingly perfect figure has its limits with flattering fashion.
Far too often, I see hourglasses wear the big top, little pants combination. Don’t be that girl.
Your waist is the star of the show, so let her have her moment. You can opt for high or low-rise pants, but whatever you do, stay away from skinny jeans. You’ll see me say that a lot throughout this article.
Baggy or bootcut pants are the best option here. Tops that come in or are cut off at the waist are ideal to go along with that.
As for shoes, the world is your oyster. Lucky duck.
Rectangle
A rectangle shape doesn’t necessarily mean strictly parallel. You can still have some curve, but your bust, waist and hips will be similar measurements. As a rectangle myself, I feel this is especially my expertise.
Let me be clear on one thing: put the high-waisted straight-legged jeans down. It’s not a good look.
Instead, opt for some bootcut jeans. Even better, some slightly loose bootcut jeans. A top that cinches the waist and comes out near the bottom is ideal, or one with sleeves on the puffier side.
The goal here is to add some shape through clothing, which is entirely possible.
Flowy outfits usually do great on this shape, and clothing items that add some dimension and shapely contrast will become your best friend.
For us rectangles, big shoes are really not the move. By that I mean platforms and generally chunky-looking shoes. I usually go for shoes with a thinner silhouette to create the illusion of a size difference between my leg and my foot.
Triangle
This is what I like to call the Pixar mom shape. You triangles are blessed, so don’t let that blessing go to waste.
Your signature clothing silhouette should be a long top on the tighter side with looser, low-rise jeans. Really, the jeans can be
baggy, bootcut or skinny, but realistically, who still wears skinny jeans in 2025?
I would avoid high-waisted jeans with crop tops at all costs. Your strength here is in the hips, so accentuating that is key.
Let’s brainstorm; imagine this: Voluminous hair, a long-ish lime green T-shirt and light-washed, low-rise jeans.
Hello, “Sex and the City.”
Apple
Dear apples, befriend the rectangle immediately. This can be a major slay. Hear me out.
Grab any relatively form-fitting top and pair it with some loose mom jeans. The goal here is equality in your silhouette.
Stay away from straight-legged pants that come in toward the ankle. Any pants that have a wider bottom than top receive a yes from me.
Flowy, multi-dimensional tops are the ideal. Mid to low-rise jeans do especially well on you, apples, but high-rise is almost always a terrible, terrible idea.
Notice how it’s always about the contrast. As a rectangle, I can contest this, and let me say, it always works. The big pant, thin shoe combination has never once failed me. Don’t be afraid to bust out those heels or sandals, even in a casual outfit!
A few final notes…
I couldn’t possibly fit all of my fashion rules into one article, so I’ll leave you with three of my favorites.
- The neckline rule
Those who are close to me know the neckline rule all too well. Here, I’m speaking to my fellow shorties, or those of us who can appear “compressed” if we aren’t careful.
By no means, and I really mean none, should we wear a high neckline. And no, I’m not saying to have the girls out with a deep V-cut sweater.
My ideal neckline falls somewhere below the collarbone but above the bust. I feel it accentuates my neck and elongates my figure, and I notice this on others, too. Keep it classy, but let those clavicles breathe.
- The long pants rule
Pant length is rarely talked about, I fear. The way I see it, if we’re speaking about long pants, there’s really only two options: above or below the ankle. However, this can get sticky.
There’s nothing I despise more than pants that end awkwardly right at the ankle. It’s disgusting.
Pants should either be caressing the floor with each step or remain respectfully two to three inches above the ankle. Be careful with this, because you don’t want to look like you’re sporting highwaters. 
- The color rule
I unfortunately don’t have the time or space here to delve into each individual color and hue and assign it to certain skin tones, but I beg of you, learn which colors suit you best. This was a harsh realization for me.
As someone with a lighter olive complexion, dark clothing colors are my best friend. If the colors black, navy blue, purple and red asked me to marry them, I’d say yes in a heartbeat.
For some, these colors wash them out, just like cream colors and olive greens do for me. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the truth.
There you have it. Just remember one thing: Confidence can also make or break an outfit.
You can’t rock an outfit without rocking with yourself.
