I'm Over Mirrors.

Let's just say it - mirrors lie. They can't tell the whole truth because most of what is seen in the mirror is an image of what your mind wants to present. Guess what? And, that's just not truth most of the time. Thankfully, we don't have to love mirrors, but we do need to love ourselves. And, it all starts with finding the clothes that make sense to our personal body type.

We, as women, were created so beautifully different from one another. Some of us were gifted with hips, others with large chests and others still - with athletically designed bodies. No matter what the body type, each one carries unique traits and cannot be placed into some stylist's box. However, with a little bit of magic (aka: my stylish tips and tricks) the mirror may no longer be enemy no. 1.

Stylists, like myself, usually categorize women's body types into 5 varying shapes/styles. Historically, stylists have used fruit to describe women's bodies. This is where the "pear-shaped" description, for women with smaller chests and larger hips, came into play. Just my opinion, but I believe using fruit to describe women's bodies is a bit old-school. It also never really made sense. No woman is really shaped like an apple. Are they? Not hardly. So, instead of fruit, I prefer to use shapes when describing our beautiful body types. These five types, as mentioned, are: rectangle, circle, two triangles, triangle and upside-down triangle.

As we begin to figure out how to style our shape, let's take a look at the two friends pictured above. Here we have two gorgeous women with starkly different body types. From a stylist's perspective, the red-haired women would be categorized as a triangle. The dark haired women would be categorized as a double triangle.

With both women wearing the same dress, one can see how a person's shape will change the way that style is perceived. In the first look, due to the slimming nature of the dress' material, the hips of the red-haired lady and the waist of the dark-haired lady are accented. In the second, there is less attention on the waist, but the same body parts are accented. The third opens opportunity for anyone wearing it to accentuate and highlight their chest, while still maintaining a pure focus on minimizing the waist. These are great examples of what one dress can do for two different body types. This is just the beginning!

Again, forget what the mirror says. When thinking of purchasing clothing, personal body type should always be considered. If type is unknown, ask. It should be pretty obvious, but sometimes we all need a little direction.

(For further tips on body type - check out our shop - www.liveableme.com. Each item will list whether it is fitting for your personal body type. See body type below pictured item.)

There will be more on styling for your body type and colors that make sense to your skin type to come. Stay tuned!

XOXO-

Jenny W.

LiveableMe