
What is my body type/body shape, and how does that affect the clothing I buy? Your body type is a category for your body’s natural build/physique. Knowing your body type tells you what clothing will look good on your particular frame, and how to accentuate your best assets.
There are four main types of body shapes:
Straight: Shoulders, hips, and bust are virtually the same measurement.
Apple: Shoulder measurement is larger than your hip measurement.
Pear: Hip measurement is larger than your shoulder measurement.
Hourglass: Shoulder and hip measurements are virtually the same.
It is important to keep two things in mind when evaluating your body type, a lot of us have a secondary body type that you might be on the cusp of, and therefore could easily wear either body type recommendation. Secondly petite or taller than average is not a body type, it is a feature of your body type.
For more information on measuring your body type, and examples of women that have a similar body type visit Avec L’amour’s Lingerie University What is your body type.
Petite Lingerie and Lingerie for Taller Ladies
Petite in the past has been a clothing category for women that were less than average height. However, when it comes to lingerie, this is not the whole picture.
Some designers do in fact design for a small frame, as well as a smaller bust, and are cut to flatter that body shape The Little Bra Company is a perfect example of a traditional petite lingerie company. However, some lingerie designers see “petite” as a cup size. Pure Lime Sports Bras, are a great example of this. Their bra band widths are cut average, however, they also carry petite cup sizes. Where they have fit the bras specifically for ladies with less breast tissue.
Having designers use different meanings for their sizing can make it difficult to know whether or not you should be shopping in a petite lingerie section or not. With so many questions involved in deciding on the correct lingerie it is important to know how each lingerie line is cut, and for what body type, and shape.
This is why I have developed a Size Chart by Designer section on Avec L’amour. This tells you how every designer interrupts their sizes, and what body types that line will fit best.
Here is an example of how to use the body type by designer page:
I will use myself as the example since I am both petite in cup, and tall. I am 5′8″ tall, 35″ hip, 27″ waist(aka: size 4/6), 35″ bust, and 0-1″ cup(aka: there is an inch to less than an inch of difference between my chest measurement, and the measurement around the fullest part of my breasts), and 35″(longer than average) inseam. My body shape is an hourglass, my second body type would be a apple.
If I was shopping for a new loungewear set on Avec L’amour, I would shop the Sleep & Lounge category, when I found an item I liked, I would read through the product descriptions, find out what body type that product is recommended for, and if I matched up then I would look at the Size Chart by Designer to see what size I needed.
Example:
I am looking at Claire Pettibone Bleu Clair Ocean Yoga Pants, I have read the Fit Notes and know that these pants run long, and are good for all body shapes. I go to the Size Chart by Designer section at the bottom of the page click the link, and find Claire Pettibone’s Size Chart. I see that a size 4/6, is a small. Then I hit the back key, which returns me to the Claire Pettibone pants I wanted to purchase, add them to cart in the correct size, and continue with my purchase. Done!
I have just bought some new loungewear, that I feel confident will fit my body type, and that I ordered the right size. If at any point during this transaction I had a question, I could always use the Help Center link to send an email regarding my fit questions, and be contacted by a customer service person who would find the perfect item and size for me. I could choose to use my own personal shopper from Avec L’amour.
Hope this helps you ladies feel more confident in your purchases, and how to dress for your body.
Happy Shopping!
With Love,
L.Michelle