The Styles4Work body shape adviser: Type H
Don’t we all know this situation? You see a beautiful dress on the coat hanger, you immediately fall in love and you already imagine yourself wearing it at the next business meeting. But as soon as you try on this amazing piece, the magic passes pretty fast. It hangs on you like a shapeless bag or pinches up or down or both… To avoid such situations as much as possible and to find a perfectly fitting dress, it helps to know your figure type.
The body shape types are about the proportion of shoulders, waist and hips to each other and in how they are distributed on the body. More over, each woman has different and very individual curves, which is why we, in this case, can indeed compare pears, apples and bananas. This proportion is innate. Although it can be optimised through a lot of targeted exercise and healthy nutrition, it cannot be completely changed.
To sum up, this is why you should know your body shape type and put it in the right light, because one thing is for sure: every body shape has chocolate sides! You just have to know them and highlight them smartly with flattering outfits.
Today we present the figure type H, also known as “Spaghetti” or “Banana”.
Blessed are you, almost every model is an H-type. Your body is rather boyish and narrow, hips and shoulders are almost the same width, a waist hardly recognizable. Also bottom, hips and breasts are not very pronounced. Actually, you can eat anything without gaining any weight and look sporty, even if you don’t do any sports at all, what a dream! The silhouette of your body forms a straight line, your physique is balanced and has no centre of gravity. Often you are also tall and delicate. Ideal conditions.
If you are not sure whether you are an H, simply measure your shoulder, hip and chest circumference. In case these measurements do not differ by more than 5%, you are an H-type.
For the H-type, the outfit should create contours and curves. What other body shape types might have too much, you often have too little – that is why your office stylings have to create volume and a waist. A magic key to the H-type is to create a waist line.
Discover here our office styling tips for the body shape type H.
This blue dress by j.jackman has an A-line cut and a tight waist, ideal for body shape H.
Dresses and skirts
Dresses and skirts are essential elements for your office wardrobe because they are versatile and of multiple use. However, this is also true for body shape H. In dresses, the aim of the H-type is to generate a waist line by making the waist appear narrower than hips and shoulders.
In order to create a beautiful business look, straight-cut shirt dresses with a loose waist belt and an accentuated neckline, wide or high-necked, are suitable. Coat dresses and asymmetrical cuts are also a good alternative, emphasising the shoulder area. If you prefer a feminine look, sheath dresses, preferably with decorative seams, are a good choice. Further, you can go for dresses with a trendy peplum or wrapped dresses as well as the ones with knotted overlays.
Equally with skirts, basically any form is allowed for body shape H. From asymmetrical cuts and pleated skirts to A-line and pencil skirts. Multi-layer skirts and wrap skirts also work great. For the office we recommend a narrow and slim cut or A-line skirts.
Trousers
As mentioned before, being an H figure type you should decide which part of the body you would like to highlight. Upper or lower body. If you want to put the lower body in front with trousers, you should use wide trousers, preferably with pleats, or culottes to direct gaze to your legs. Apart from that almost every trouser shape is possible: Chinos for the casual dress code, narrow and straight models, skinny cuts and ¾ length…
With its long, narrow legs, everything suits the H-type, because there are no proportions to balance out. Another tip is jumpsuits, which are simply unbeatable for the H, very trendy and versatile.
Regarding the height of your waistband, a high rise waist with tucked in top shows the best hourglass silhouette. However, you can wear also low and mid waist rise without problems.
In addition not to forget, a special thing about the H-types: Also for shoes the choice is big! For the business wardrobe we recommend anything from small pump up to high heels with 3-7 cm heel, block heel or stiletto. More over, you can go for wedges, ballerinas with flat heel or booties, everything looks good on you!
These classic straight-leg, low-waist pants are perfect for an H-type.
A great business outfit by j.jackman with a peplum top for a whipped waist and exciting sleeves.
Tops and necklines
If you want to emphasize your upper body, choose tops that create volume. As a result, from wrapped and knotted, through simple straight, slightly bulcky cuts to peplum tops – whatever you like and what attracts attention is allowed. Breast pockets, pleats and flounces also work wonderfully with small breasts. The same applies to necklines: except for a deep neckline which would allow too much insight in the office, everything works. Starting with turtlenecks and sloppy blouses on to the classic V-neckline ending with waterfall and submarine necklines.
Trumpet sleeves, raglan sleeves (which really only look good on the H-type), cut sleeves and eye-catching collars are also boosters for the H-type.
For the office, the most beautiful jacket shapes are slightly waisted and shorter blazers that create a waist line. Or you go for the short, angular form, without collar, which creates a great waist instantly. Just add a slim skirt to go with it – ready is your business look!
Fabrics and colours
Fabrics are a great tool to help creating a beautiful feminine look. Soft, noble materials like silk, silk satin and wool bring a beautiful silhouette. The fabrics may also be heavier and stiffer, such as stiffer cotton, which the H-type can tolerate very well with. However, the same applies here: emphasize either the upper or the lower body with heavy fabrics. Then you should choose lighter fabrics such as fine cotton blend or viscose for the other part of the body.
In the same way, the H-type is hardly limited in the the choice of colours. Except for neon and too bright colours, for the office all colours work very well, especially in combination with a more discreet or darker colour. Much appreciated are also patterns – large, small, colourful, graphic, black and white, floral – everything is doable. Another good tip is colour blocking, which creates a beautiful waist and gives the business look a modern touch.
By the way, pinstripes – ideal for the office – don’t look stuffy or boring on you, but very cool, because they fall ideally and stretch your long legs even more.
The waisted pinstriped shirt by byMi generates a waist line and stretches the upper body.
The pencil skirt from ALEXANDRA ZANDERS is a great piece for H-types.
What you should better do without
There are not many No-Go’s for the H-figure type, but you should pay attention to them anyway:
- too tight and too wide clothing
- plain-coloured from head to toe
- tight waist belts
- narrow or wide cuts from head to toe
Prominent H-type body shapes
As already mentioned, the H-figure type is quite common among models, so the list of celebrities can be continued almost endlessly. For us, the most beautiful examples are not only the models, but celebrities like Olivia Palermo, Princess Kate, Kate Moss, Amal Clooney or Queen Letizia of Spain. The outfits below show you how cleverly our tips are used.
Who is, for example, more stylish than Amal Clooney? She is a very typical H-Type, but with her outfits she always generates female forms like here with this amazing suit. She is also great because she works full time and very successfully and is a mother of twins. However, Kate Moss and Queen Letizia show further stylings which work very well for an H-Type. Dark blouse inserted in the shiny 3/4 pleated trousers worn by ever young Kate Moss and an elegant, slim-cut tweed dress (heavy fabric!) with loose waist belt showing at Queen Letizia of Spain.
Be thrilled by our tips for body shape type H and just give it a try. As a result, a good office styling gets you an ego boost and helps you to appear more confident!
Contact us with questions and suggestions about business styles at info@styles4Work.com – we are more than happy to answer your questions and give you personal advice!