Body shape

Body shapes, and what follows from yours

This is your palette

A body shape is not a size. It is how your shoulders, waist and hips compare, and it decides where a cut should sit so that the clothes follow your line instead of fighting it.

HourglassShoulder and hip sit close in width with a marked waist. Most cuts work; the job is not to lose the definition you already have.RectangleShoulder, waist and hip sit close in width. The aim is not to disguise that – it is to introduce one curve or one break and leave the rest clean.Inverted triangleShoulder reads wider than hip. Everything here works by adding weight low and keeping the top clean.PearHip reads wider than shoulder. The work happens above the waist, drawing the eye up and squaring the top line.AppleSoftest through the middle, often with fine shoulders and legs. Long vertical lines and open necklines do most of the work.

How to find your body shape

Stand in front of a mirror and compare three widths: shoulders, waist and hips. The quiz shows four outlines and asks which is closest to yours, then your height and size, so the advice fits your build as well as your line.

Which of two?

• Hourglass or pear?
• Hourglass or inverted triangle?
• Hourglass or rectangle?
• Inverted triangle or rectangle?
• Inverted triangle or pear?

Colour analysis