Just yesterday I was answering an interview about a new breed of fashionistas called the Fashion Police in India. I think it is high time people who understand fashion helped others understand it too. It is of extreme importance to dress well and look attractive. With so much of fashion in the country in terms of fashion weeks, I’m surprised how people are still lagging far behind in dressing themselves correctly. I’m convinced we need to be helped more closely what to wear and what not to.

Have you ever wondered how the same dress you tired on looked nice on your friend but when you tried it, it completely bombed. Or, a beautiful floral print worked wonders on you but your sister just couldn’t do any justice to it. Well, these and many more such examples are very possible. And these are possible because we all have different body types.

Two of us may be size 10, but the same outfit plays differently on each of us because one of us may have broad shoulders and the other does not.

All I’m trying to say is, invest in an outfit knowing your flaws and plus points. You see, we must wear clothes according to what suits us and adds to our appeal by creating visual balance and hiding the flaws.

One very interesting fact that we hardly realise in our race to lose weight to fit the perfect size is that our “body type” will always remain the same in principal.

Let’s say you have a rectangular or athletic frame. If you notice, your body will have less pronounced curves, hence your first concern should be to buy clothes with focus on creating curves to your otherwise rectangular body type. Bringing attention to a slim waist and creating flair on the lower part works wonderfully. Flared dresses with a skimmed waist is the perfect silhouette. Try cowls. Also, I would imagine, with an athletic frame you have great slender legs that must be accentuated perhaps with peg skirts and tapered pants. Shorter dresses will also look lovely on you.

Some of us have a pear-shaped body. What essentially is a pear-shaped body? When the upper body and face are slim but waist down the body is more rounded and voluptuous, we term it as a pear-shaped body. For such body types it’s a good idea to accentuate the shoulders. Broad shoulders help balance the hips and make the body look more proportionate. Also, try some wide neck tops to give the impression of bigger shoulders. You could even try padded shoulder tops. Straight leg or flared jeans and trousers work better than tapered ones because we want to create a balance with the hips. Low-rise jeans work fabulously.

Talking of the pear-shaped body; sometimes one can be heavier on the top as opposed to having bigger hips. In a situation like this, wrap tops work beautifully. Try out princess tops as they help eye movement. This helps balancing the body visually. Scooped necklines are a great choice for such a body type. Jackets are ideal especially if they are cropped. For this body type, you can choose full circular skirts. Knee-length is ideal.

These and many more body types and combinations make the science of perfect dressing that much more specific and detailed.

Like I have said earlier in my posts, it is important to understand what suits you and what doesn’t.