Types of Body Shapes: The Five Female Body Shapes

Most clothing advice groups bodies into five shapes based on how the bust, waist and hips compare. The names describe proportion only. No shape is better than another, and many people sit between two.

• Hourglass

  An hourglass shape has a bust and hips of similar size with a clearly narrower waist.

  Rule: Bust and hips within 5% of each other, with a waist at 75% or less of the wider of the two.

• Pear

  A pear shape has hips wider than the bust, with a waist that is noticeably narrower than the hips.

  Rule: Hips at least 5% bigger than the bust, with a waist under 85% of the hip measurement.

  Also called: triangle, spoon.

• Inverted triangle

  An inverted triangle has a bust and shoulder line that are wider than the hips.

  Rule: Bust at least 5% bigger than the hips, with a waist under 85% of the bust.

  Also called: funnel, top-heavy.

• Rectangle

  A rectangle shape has a bust, waist and hips that are close in size, so the waist is not sharply defined.

  Rule: Bust and hips within 5% of each other, with a waist between 75% and 85% of the wider measurement.

  Also called: straight, column, banana.

• Apple

  An apple shape carries more width at the midsection, so the waist is close in size to the bust and hips.

  Rule: Waist at 85% or more of the wider of bust and hips.

  Also called: round, oval.