Determine and Dress for Your Vertical Body Type

Every woman's body is shaped differently and although style rules may seem specific, they can be generic and customized to your specific shape. Women come in different body sizes and shapes. Similar to buying intimate lingerie, learning to dress to flatter your shape is important and the key to dressing well, no matter what the current style is.

Before you start picking out clothes though, you have to determine what type of body shape you have. Evaluate your body (not looking for things you don't like) and pay special attention to your frame and where you carry your weight, these two factors will determine your vertical and horizontal body shape.

Your vertical body type is the proportion of the bottom half of your body compared to the top half of your body. Knowing what your vertical body type is will help you to know the best length of garments (tops and bottoms) you should buy. To find your vertical body type, measure your full height and the height to your hip line. Then evaluate where your hip line comes in relation to your height.

If you have short legs and a long torso you want to dress to create the illusion of longer legs and a shorter torso. Wear short or medium length top or layered tops. You want to draw others eyes to your shoulders and face. Pair pants, socks and shoes in the same color to make your legs seem longer. You can also wear pants with hems that go all the way to the ground. With shorter legs it is good to find straight or bootleg pants.

If your tops half and bottom half are about the same, you want to elongate your mid-torso. To do that, wear tops that are medium length and keep them un-tucked. Find tops and bottoms in the same color. Also, look for tops and dresses that flow through the waist. Wear straight or flared pants and skirts and find low-rise or hipster pants to keep your midsection longer.

If you have a short torso and long legs your goal is to create balance by shortening the legs and elongating your midsection. Find skirts and pants that are lighter in color than your tops. You also want to find tops that are medium or long in length and always keep them un-tucked. Dresses and tops that flow through the waist also keep your midsection looking longer. Just like a balanced body, you want to wear straight or flared skirts and pants that are low-rise or hipster.