Once you know the secret to great style, you can never go wrong with any trend. According to experts, the key to pulling off complex silhouettes effortlessly is knowing your BBP (best body part) and using it to highlight your figure. Take the examples of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian, who often appear in fitted body-con dresses to showcase their exquisite behinds. On the other hand, models like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Zendaya love showing off their toned abs and waif-thin figures in crop tops, bralettes and low-rise denims.
Kim Kardashian. (Twitter)
Among Indian trendsetters, actresses like Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt usually flaunt their collar bones and toned arms in strappy necklines or off-shoulder blouses. Others like Sara Ali Khan, Sonam Kapoor and Kiara Advani, who are blessed with curvy bodies, often play them up with plunging necklines, be it in dresses or glamorous saris.
Stylists always ensure that celebrities look trendy and wear what’s new and fresh, says Malvika Poddar, founder of the designer store Carma. She says, “To fix on your best body feature, you need to find out what outfit you can carry off with ease and makes you look and feel great. It can get monotonous to wear styles that you get the most compliments, so to keep experimenting is key to having great fashionable looks on every occasion. Among Indian actresses, a bralette choli is currently trending and the stylist will edit out unsuitable options keeping in mind best fit and style appeal.”
Malvika Poddar. (By Arrangement)
Know thyself
The most important rule in fashion is to look confident and comfortable — this makes or breaks an outfit. To be you is the most natural filter one can get, according to designer Aditi Swain. She says, “A confident woman shines from within, it adds to her attractiveness and aura on any given occasion. A generous smile and strong eye contact with the camera result in the best shots of any celebrity.
If you don’t know what your best body part is, try and experiment with different styles and see what works best. For the summer season, opt for a classic pastel sundress, off-shoulder tops in floral prints, or maxi dresses, and pair them with wide straw hats and sustainable tote bags. Go with minimal makeup and jewellery to keep it simple.”
Body positive
Your body type is the outline of your body structure, and understanding your body helps you in mapping your clothes. You can tweak your style according to your body proportions, to see that the clothes sit beautifully and enhance your silhouette, says designer Anjalee Kapoor. She shares some useful tips: “Short, tall, slender, curvy etc. do not define your body type, your body parts do. Since all of us have a distinct body shape, we should choose clothes intelligently and effectively. There are various body shapes – apple, hourglass, pear, rectangle, and inverted triangle. The apple shape has a heavier upper body compared to the lower half – those of this shape should avoid figure-hugging silhouettes and skinny jeans. An hourglass body type is balanced at the top and bottom, so most dresses would fit beautifully. The advantage of a pear shape (narrow shoulders and wide bottom) is that with correct styling you can appear to have an hourglass figure. Wide-legged pants and ruffle tops look great on such shapes.”
Find your feature
Currently, many designers are supporting the body positive movement and encouraging people with all body types, skin tones and shapes to wear what they like. However, there are always some styles that look better than others on an individual. To repeat those ideas with a fresh approach each time is the way to nail your best body part. Aditi Swarup Jain, co-founder of label Fabnest, says “People should wear something that looks elegant and not just follow trends blindly. For example, a short kurta would look nice on a taller person, while shorter people should avoid it. Your face structure also makes a huge difference; if you have a lean face, you can carry off a lot of trends regardless of your body type. Skin colour plays an important role when you are styling clothes, so look for shades that flatter your natural skin tone.”
Commenting on general rules of fashion, Aditi adds, “People with narrow waists and heavier bottoms can pull off both the sari and dress looks very well. Indian women are bustier and wider on the hips, so A-line silhouettes look nice on them. The trend of the season is boxy silhouettes, which look nice on people with straight body shapes. If you are bustier, wear an open neck like a V-neck or off-shoulder to take away the focus from the bust.”
