Do you dress for fashion/style or for your shape?

[Curryinnohurry]

Hi,

Was just doing a bit of online clothes shopping and realised how safe my wardrobe is. Clothes that I love, just don't suit my body shape (inverted triangle) so if I'm shopping for dresses, they have to be a line or skater style to balance me out. Tops can't be high necked or have any detail on shoulder, as I'm quite broad. Puff sleeves look HIDEOUS on me for example.

I do have a decent figure and am a reasonably slim size 10 with a waist, albeit quite high, but I'm just not built for fasion 😂Would just love to buy clothes I really like rather than the safe option and what's the most flattering. Maybe I'm just playing it too safe though.

Anyway, can anyone relate?

I try to dress for both shape & fashion if possible.

@SommerTen I try to, but most of what suits me isn't particularly in fashion.

I don’t understand body shape. An SA at John Lewis told me I was an inverted triangle but don’t really understand what it means

I wear what makes me feel good. Inevitably if I look like a sack of potatoes I don’t feel great, but at the same time I don’t always stick to ‘rules’ about the most flattering cut of jeans for my shape (for example)

I dress for my shape mostly. I vaguely follow fashion in that I wouldn’t wear something very obviously “dated” but otherwise it’s more about what I like and what I think suits me.

@Niftythrifter well it's basically that your shoulders are wider that your hips. A prefer the term 'strawberry' myself 😁 Sounds much nicer!

I dress in what suits me and what is appropriate for the activities I am doing. I tend to go for the classics based around navy and grey with colourful accents. Natural fibres, so wool, cashmere, cotton, linen, silk. Prefer trousers to skirts or dresses, although I find silk jumpsuits good for certain formal events.

I dress for shape , lots of fashionable cuts don't suit me .
I can't wear high waisted jeans or trousers . I've tried lots of jeans styles but skinny suit me best .
I can't wear oversized styles or midi / long dresses .
I try to keep to classic styles .
Short dresses with tie waist for definition , skinny jeans with T-shirt and blazers . Bootcut jeans , merino tight knit jumper and block heeled boots .
Just got some Spanx fake leather leggings which look ok with chunky boots and a Chunky wool jumper
That's as fashionable as I'm going to get 🤣

I relate op. I used to be a big believer in dressing for your shape but now I find it as tyrannical as fashion policing but not as much fun.

I will concede that a basic understanding of your shape, and the ground rules are still useful, plus it's given me an insight into why some things don't look as good on me as I'd hoped, for which I will always be grateful. But you know what, I don't want to spend my life in bootcuts and just below the knee A-line skirts, no matter how flattering they're supposed to be.

Whatever I like, not taking body shape into account. I think I really do dress mostly for myself, so in stuff that makes me happy.

I live abroad and there's a fashion programme that bangs on all the time about dressing for your shape, stuff being flattering, blah blah blah and it's just so rigid and boring. I am quite contrary (not called Mary though), so I don't like being told what I should and shouldn't wear.

I care a lot (too much) about what people think about me in other areas of my life, but not in this for some reason.

Inverted triangle here too, i mainly dress for my shape, as I find things look better, but not all the time, I still wear skinnies with a chunky boot to bring more shape below so I don't look too top heavy, I'm petite too so nothing to big and baggie, no puff shoulders, but in the summer I will wear a off the shoulder dress , boob tube on hoilday, some of the things that aren't supposed to suit us.

I tend to always be looking for flattering things for my inverted triangle body (not just a much bigger upper half but tiny legs too, my knees are under a lot of pressure...). I am seriously out of proportion. But I also do want to be current so it's a challenge. The more looser jeans are quite good for us, doesn't have to be bootcut, just not something hugging the leg.

I'd wear big chunky apres ski jumpers but they'd make my chest look like a sack of potatoes. I'd wear halter necks and high necks. I'd wear knee high boots if they didn't look like wellies (not just too wide, too high on the little legs). The right high neck can be ok as a layering piece and I find them a modern look (and v necks whilst flattering on the bust draws attention to my turkey neck).

I usually do hit the balance between flattering and trend and most days I am very happy with my outfit (despite all my pitfalls), it just takes some work. There are loads of factors really including budget and weather so I guess we all weigh up lots of choices.

It does help to know your body shape imo. I would look at friends and think how does that look so nice when there's no way it would ever look like that on me.

I dress for my shape and what I like. I have no interest in fashion but I do like certain prints and designs. I'm pear shaped and I know what to avoid and what flatters my shape.

I constantly comment on the clothes worn by the weather women, they are all, well most still trussed up in body-con dresses - they aren't fashionable at all!

I can see that they have great figures and the clothes flatter their shape but they look so old fashioned!
Maybe it's so their dresses don't get in the way of the weather maps? 🤷‍♀️

Sophie Raworth had a more fashionable red tiered dress on the other day with a pair of black courts - just looked odd!

What I find I interesting is that, for me, those body con dresses don't even look flattering any more - and I liked them a lot a few years ago.
I think the whole notion of what's flattering is just as subject to trends as... well fashion itself!

I've come to the conclusion that the wh

Soz I thought I'd cut out that last line cos I decided it was just pompous wittering!

I dress for my shape, but don't follow the so-called experts rules.
I know what doesn't do me any favours, and I won't wear what I don't feel good in for fashion.
I get complimented on what I wear and don't feel the need to change.

Shape and what suits me first. Then fashion.

Warmth 😂

Bit of both. I’m hourglass so used to always wear more fitted clothes as otherwise they can just fall from my bust to my hips and make me look bigger. But recently I’ve been embracing the oversized look instead

Interesting about the weather girls and their body con dresses! I also think they look really dated now. I do think they’re flattering though.

I still have a few of those type of dresses which I bought in the early 2010s and sometimes I wear them to work. But I always feel like I travelled in by time machine 😂

I've just sold on ebay 2 body con dresses i used to wear when working in retail 10 years ago, I now would never wear that style now, I did keep trying them on, they did still fit but they felt old fashion on me.

I dress for my shape (slim apple) because otherwise you run the risk of looking a bit of a fashion-victim. It's great if you can do a bit of both, but if in doubt, I believe it's best to err on the side of caution and dress to suit your body type.

The way I see things is I'm pretty cautious about life generally, but when it comes to clothes I can take a risk and, if it doesn't work out, so what? No-one gets hurt, most likely no-one will even notice.