I’m a Personal Stylist—Here’s What Most Women Get Wrong About Their Body Shape
Photo Credit:@thandimaq
There were days in college—fashion design major, naturally—when I’d spend hours watching vintage films instead of doing my assignments. Not because I was lazy, but because I was learning. Really learning. Mahogany with Diana Ross? Changed me. Carmen Jones with Dorothy Dandridge? Obsessed. And yes, The Seven Year Itch with Marilyn Monroe made me pause and rewind more times than I care to admit.
What struck me then (and still does) was how effortless these women looked. And not in a "I just threw this on" kind of way. They were styled. Tailored. Thoughtful. They understood something we don’t talk about enough today:
Proportion.
Before we had viral TikTok outfit formulas and "What I wore this week" videos, women knew how to dress their bodies with intention. Even in eras when less skin was shown, they used shape, structure, and balance to create visual interest. A shoulder here. A cinched waist there. A skirt that flared in all the right places. It was never about being naked—it was about being noticed.
And sure, part of this was cultural. The food wasn’t as processed, bodies were naturally slimmer, and the average woman weren’t dealing with hormone shifts from every corner of the grocery store. But when I looked closely at women like Dorothy Dandridge and Marilyn Monroe, I didn’t just see beauty. I saw proportion play in action. Marilyn, full-figured and petite. Dorothy, petite but powerful. Each of them knew how to work with their body's natural balance—and they did it without overthinking it.
So Why Are Proportions Still a Thing Now?
Photo Credit:@jastookes
Because trends change, but balance never goes out of style.
In today’s world, proportions have become shorthand for body types: apple, pear, hourglass, inverted triangle, athletic. And while that helps, it only scratches the surface. We’re told to dress for our shape, but no one explains what that actually means.
The average woman isn’t sitting at home thinking, "Let me balance my lower volume with a dropped shoulder." She's thinking, "Why do I hate everything in my closet right now?"
That’s why this matters. Because the real key to getting dressed isn’t dressing your size. It’s dressing your proportions.
What Are Body Proportions, Really?
When we talk about body proportions, we’re talking about how your body is visually divided. It’s not just about your size, weight, or whether you’re curvy or slim—it’s about how different parts of your body relate to each other visually. It’s the relationship between your shoulders and hips, your torso and legs, your waist and bust, your top half and bottom half. Think of it as the natural blueprint your clothes are working with.
Proportions affect everything. They determine whether a tucked-in shirt shortens your torso, whether high-waisted pants make you look taller, or why that cute midi dress feels “off” on you but perfect on your friend. It’s why two women can wear the same outfit and look completely different.
And here's the part no one talks about: you can be petite with long legs. You can have wide hips and still carry your weight in your upper body. You can have slim arms and a round tummy. These combinations don’t cancel each other out—they coexist. Proportions are about the distribution of shape, not a single feature.
Take Marilyn Monroe, for example. She had a fuller bust and hips with a narrow waist—classic hourglass, yes—but her proportions were also balanced top and bottom, which made her look proportionate even when wearing curve-hugging silhouettes. Same with Dorothy Dandridge, whose delicate shoulders and elongated neck made her appear elegant no matter what she wore. She could wear a high neckline or off-the-shoulder dress and still look ethereal—because the clothes were working with her proportions, not against them.
What’s wild is,even back then, tailoring and proportion were everything. Whether it was a pencil skirt that skimmed the hips or a nipped waist that exaggerated curves, the fashion of that era wasn’t random—it was intentional. Less fabric. More precision. A show of ankle or shoulder felt more powerful than a plunging neckline because it played into the balance of coverage and shape. And that’s the root of understanding proportions: it’s not about showing more or hiding more—it’s about balance.
Vertical Proportions: The Half No One Talks About
Most people think of proportions in terms of body shape—top vs. bottom. But your vertical proportions—aka how your body is divided from shoulders to feet—are just as important.
Short torso, long legs: Clothes tend to bunch at the waist, belts feel awkward, and crop tops rise higher than expected.
Long torso, short legs: High-waisted pants may feel like a must, but sometimes exaggerate the length of your torso even more. Pants always feel a little too short.
Balanced proportions: Your waist is roughly halfway between your shoulders and your feet. Clothes tend to fall more evenly.
Knowing this helps you pick styles that don’t throw off your natural rhythm. For example:
Remember these are tools not rule! Use what you need and throw out the rest!
Long torso? Try tucking in your top and opting for high-waisted bottoms to bring your waist visually upward.
Short torso? Let your tops drape slightly and avoid heavy waist details—this lengthens your midsection.
Short legs? Nude shoes, vertical lines, and avoiding cropped hems all help.
Long legs? Try color-blocking your top half or wearing lower waistlines to even things out.
Misconceptions About What "Balanced" Means
Let’s bust a myth right now: Balanced doesn’t mean symmetrical. And it definitely doesn’t mean "perfect."
A lot of women think that being balanced means you don’t have to "dress for your shape." That’s not true. Even if your shoulders and hips are the same width, your vertical proportions might be off. Or your bust-to-waist ratio might make certain styles hard to pull off.
And then there’s this idea that if your body isn’t balanced, something is wrong with you. Again—not true. Balance is something we create visually through styling. That’s the whole point.
Wearing a peplum top to add volume to the hips, or shoulder details to broaden your upper body, is just a styling tool. Not a correction. It’s not about fixing. It’s about framing.
When you understand your proportions, you stop asking, “Why doesn’t this look right on me?” and start saying, “What will make this look feel right for me?”
How Proportion Affects the Way Clothes Fit
You know that weird feeling when something fits your size perfectly—but somehow still looks off? The pants zip. The top fits. The dress technically works. But the whole thing feels...awkward.
That’s usually not a sizing issue. That’s a proportion issue.
Proportions are what actually shape how clothes look on you. It’s not about weight or measurements—it’s about how your body is visually divided, and how that balance shows up in an outfit. Two women can have the same bust, waist, and hip measurements but need completely different silhouettes because their torsos, legs, and shoulders fall in different places.
And it’s not just about how the clothes are made. It’s how you style them.
Let’s say you have a long torso. A belt at your natural waist might make your top half feel even longer—whereas a high-waisted pant and cropped jacket would rebalance everything instantly. Or maybe you have short legs. Wearing flats and a mid-calf dress with no waist definition might make you feel stumpy, but swap in a nude heel and a tucked top and suddenly—elongated.
How you pair, layer, cuff, tuck, crop, and even accessorize can make or break the proportion you create.
This is the part of style that gets overlooked the most. Because we’re taught to focus on the clothing itself—the trend, the brand, the size on the tag. But proportion is about composition. And you’re the one composing the look.
Mastering proportion doesn’t mean overhauling your closet. It means paying attention to what your body is telling you—and learning the little style moves that help it shine.
Short Torso vs. Long Torso: Why It Matters More Than You Think
When we talk about proportion, most people think shoulders vs. hips. But your vertical proportions—how your body is divided from top to bottom—can completely change how an outfit looks (and feels) on you.
Let’s break it down:
If You Have a Short Torso…
Your waistline sits higher on your body, often just below your bust. You might feel like tops are always too long or that belts hit awkwardly. Tucking shirts in can feel bulky. And cropped styles? They sometimes crop too much.
Common signs:
Belts feel like they sit on your ribs
Tucked-in tops look overwhelming
Pants seem to ride up quickly
High-waisted bottoms + fitted tops make you feel “compressed”
Try this instead:
Let your tops drape or blouse slightly over your waist
Skip heavy waist details like thick belts or wrap styles that tie right under the bust
Try mid-rise pants (yes, really!) or longer untucked tops to visually extend the torso
Add vertical lines or V-necklines to elongate your upper body
→ More tips for short torsos and long legs
If You Have a Long Torso…
Your waist sits lower than average, and you might feel like your legs look shorter—even if they’re not. You probably love the idea of high-waisted pants, but sometimes they still feel like they’re cutting you in half. Tops feel too short. And dresses? The waist never seems to hit in the right place.
Common signs:
Tops always feel cropped (even when they’re not)
Your pants fit weirdly high but don’t really elongate your legs
You look longer through the middle than the bottomIt’s hard to find dresses where the waistline hits right
Try this instead:
Tuck in your tops or opt for cropped lengths to raise the eye
Look for high-waisted pants or skirts to visually shorten the torso
Layer with shorter jackets or cardigans that stop at the waist
Try monochrome looks on the bottom half to elongate the legs
→ Our go-to guide for styling long torsos and short legs
Top-Heavy vs. Bottom-Heavy: Understanding Volume and Balance
This one trips a lot of women up—because it’s not about your size, it’s about where the eye goes first. When we say “top-heavy” or “bottom-heavy,” we’re really talking about how your body carries visual volume. Not weight. Not muscle. Just how your proportions show up in clothes.
If You're Top-Heavy...
You carry more volume in your upper half—think broader shoulders, fuller bust, or both. You might notice that tops always feel snug while pants fit fine. Blazers pull across the chest. Button-downs gap at the bust. And sleeveless tops? Sometimes feel more exposed than flattering.
Common signs:
You size up in tops more than bottoms
It’s hard to find jackets or dresses that fit both bust and waist
Necklines feel like a gamble (too low = too much; too high = too blocky)
You feel overwhelmed in high-neck or shapeless tops
Try this instead:
Necklines that open up space (like scoop necks or v-necks) make things feel less cramped
Tops with some drape—not clingy, not bulky—tend to sit better
If your bottom half feels like an afterthought, try adding something a little more eye-catching down there—a cool color, a printed skirt, or a pant with movement
Avoid stiff, high-necked tops that sit too close to the collarbone (they’ll make your upper body feel even fuller)
Here’s a full breakdown if that sounds like you →
If You're Bottom-Heavy...
This is where a lot of pear-shaped women land, but not all bottom-heavy figures are pears—and not all pears are bottom-heavy only. You might have narrow shoulders and a smaller bust, but your hips, thighs, and bottom do the talking.
You’ve probably experienced:
Pants that never fit both the waist and the hips
Dresses that are fine up top but cling below
Shorts that ride up (or just ride off)
Feeling like your lower half looks “bigger” in photos—even if it’s not
What helps:
Tops that pull the eye upward—a soft shoulder detail, a little texture, even a bolder color
Looser-fitting bottoms that glide over your shape instead of squeezing it
Jackets or cardigans that stop above the hips instead of cutting across them
Skip thin, tight fabrics on the bottom—they usually highlight what you’d rather not put front and center
Ready to Style Smarter, Not Harder?
If this article had you nodding your head, thinking “Okay, now this makes sense”—you’re not alone. Most of us were never taught how to actually dress our proportions. But once you do get it? Game changer.
Here’s what to check out next:
The Body Edit Style Guide — 60 outfit ideas for all the “I don’t know what to wear with this belly/torso/arm/leg” moments. Designed for real body struggles, not runway models.
Take the Body Shape Quiz — Not sure what your base shape even is? This quiz breaks it down without the usual “apple or pear” guesswork.
Explore the Body Shape Hub — Deep dives on every shape, outfit strategies, and a whole library of advice that actually makes getting dressed feel easier.
Because the goal isn’t to change your body. It’s to finally understand it—and style it like you love it.
