This blog series explores the difference between making and buying your own clothes, taking a deeper look at the thoughts, choices, and creative decisions that go into handmade garments. Each post focuses on a different aspect of the dressmaking journey — from understanding your personal style to choosing fabrics, finding flattering shapes, and building a wardrobe that truly feels like you.
This is the second post in my series about making clothing rather than buying them.
Last week, I introduced the idea and started where many people often find themselves — wondering what fabric goes with what design!
However, I actually recommend starting even further back than that — by getting to know your personal style and body shape.
This might be something you’ve never really stopped to think about, you may feel you instinctively know what suits you. When you shop for clothes, you can often judge quickly what feels right and what doesn’t. If something doesn’t look great, you might simply put it back without really analysing why it didn’t work.
Over the years, I’ve read books and taken courses on styling techniques, thinking they might be useful tools to help my customers on their dressmaking journeys. I’ve dabbled with using some of this information in classes, but I’ve always held back a little — because one thing that’s true about style is that it’s deeply subjective, and one thing that’s true about dressmaking is that it’s hugely personal.
In this series, I want to explore some of these ideas — not as strict rules to follow, but as gentle prompts to think about if you would like to.
Focusing on Body Shape
Stylists often use the concept of body shapes to help people understand their proportions and choose clothing that balances, flatters, or enhances their natural figure. The idea isn’t about size or weight — it’s about proportion, and where your body naturally carries volume (shoulders, waist, hips, etc.).
Creating an Hourglass Silhouette
Creating an hourglass silhouette is a classic styling approach used by stylists and designers to achieve balance and harmony in an outfit. The idea is to highlight — or create the illusion of — a defined waist, while keeping the proportions of the upper and lower body in balance.
The aim is to:
- Emphasise the waistline as the narrowest point of the body.
- Balance the shoulders and hips so they appear roughly equal in width.
- Achieve a curved, proportionate silhouette that feels natural and flattering.
Even if your natural shape isn’t an hourglass, clothing can create the illusion of this balanced proportion.
That said, this is where I think the subjective side of style really comes in. Personally, I don’t always want every outfit to create an hourglass shape — I often enjoy oversized silhouettes that have no waist definition at all.
Understanding body shape has simply helped me work out why certain styles I expect to look good sometimes don’t. It’s all about balance, not about rules.
Finding Your Body Shape
Most ways to discover your body shape involve looking in the mirror and assessing your proportions, which is a great starting point. However, I found a brilliant blog post that helped me understand my shape more clearly. This method uses measurements — and as a bit of a measurement nerd, it suited me perfectly!
I’d always assumed I was an apple shape since I don’t have a defined waist and have a fuller bust and rounder tummy. However, after using this method, it turns out I’m actually an inverted triangle! Although it is possible I am a bit of both.
The Main Body Shapes
1. Hourglass
Characteristics: Bust and hips roughly the same width, defined waist, balanced upper and lower body.
2. Inverted Triangle
Characteristics: Broad shoulders or bust, narrower hips, less defined waist.
3. Pear (Triangle)
Characteristics: Hips wider than shoulders and bust, well-defined waist, narrower upper body.
4. Rectangle (Athletic/Column)
Characteristics: Bust, waist, and hips similar in width, little waist definition, straight silhouette.
5. Apple (Oval/Round)
Characteristics: Fuller midsection, slimmer legs and hips, less defined waist.
Final Thoughts
Understanding body shapes isn’t about boxing ourselves into categories or following strict styling rules — it’s simply another tool that can help us make sense of why certain styles work better than others. For me, discovering that I wasn’t the shape I always assumed gave me a few lightbulb moments about fit and proportion that now guide how I choose and design clothes from myself.
The beauty of making your own clothes is that you have complete control — you can adjust seams, tweak silhouettes, and play with proportions until they feel right for you. Whether you aim to create balance, celebrate curves, or experiment with shape, there are no wrong answers.
Next week, I’ll be diving into the world of colour.
