Thought for the week - proportions

Far be it for me to give an art lesson in body proportions, the idealized 8 heads tall and breakdown of the positions from head to chin, chin to nipples etc. However, understanding body proportions can often be more helpful than focusing on body shapes.

Body shapes reveal where you store fat after puberty. Famously labelled Apple, Pear, Celery or Hourglass. I like to think of these shapes as triangle top, triangle bottom, rectangle and opposing triangles. How you understand shape and proportions helps to create an easier approach to dressing yourself.

I'm using an recent photo of myself which does show off using proportions quite well.


If the belt was higher and the shoes didn't have an ankle strap this would all be out of proportion. These factors are the most important. If I was wearing court shoes I would need to lose the belt or have a skinny one. I might need to pull the skirt down or up to keep the legs and body in proportion minus a belt. My hair is up, exposing my neck but if it were down, then all of this look would need adjusting.

Often the first thing we examine is our body shape, the bits we perceive as 'fat' and work to alter our view. But if you change to a proportions based analysis you might see how clothes can construct a head to toe look that creates a different image.