Dress the body
you have.
A short series on body shapes and what to wear, for women and for men. We read the research, say what was tested and what is only habit, and link every source.
- Body shapes, measured: five for women, five for men What the shape names mean, how researchers sort bodies with a tape measure, and why most people are not an hourglass.
- Stripes, dark colours and fit: what vision science says Horizontal stripes don’t widen you the way the old rule says. What experiments found, what depends on the body, and which tips are only habit.
- The best dress for your shape, one shape at a time Wrap, A-line, sheath, empire, shift: which silhouettes suit hourglass, spoon, rectangle, inverted triangle and round bodies, and which measurement to choose the size by.
- Menswear for your shape: jackets, shirts and trousers Trapezoid, inverted triangle, rectangle, triangle and oval: what to wear, how it should fit, and which advice is evidence and which is tailoring habit.
- Fit first: why your size label is the wrong place to start About one in four online clothes orders goes back, and size is the top reason. Labels drift between brands; your measurements don’t. A method that works for every shape.
How we writeEvidence labels
Every tip says how sure we are.
- Tested
Backed by at least one controlled study or measured survey. We name it.
- Mixed results
Studies disagree, or the effect depends on the body.
- Stylist convention
Common advice from stylists, tailors and extension guides that we could not find tested.
See the fit before you buy.
Fitsemble checks every area of an item against your own measurements. Android first, iPhone next.