We all know that we should be wearing clothes that are right for our body types.  But sometimes we get blindsided by the season’s new trends.  We see these beautiful models with the perfect bodies on the runway.  They look nothing less than amazing and we can’t help thinking if we have that outfit, we can look pretty darn good too.

Well, not so true.  Here are some celebrities who should have consulted with their stylists first before stepping out the door and those who know their bodies and worn the right outfits.

Busty

If you’re a busty girl, I’m jealous of you because you’ve got the sex appeal.  But, you also have a different challenge.  There is such a thing as “too much.”  So, in order to keep the balance, you need to make sure that your clothes highlight you in a flattering way and not the other way around.

Kim Kardashian has the sex goddess, curvalicious body.  Yet in this case, her dress was not doing her body any justice (right picture.)  If you have a busty frame, you should avoid wearing clothes with high necklines.  Contrary to what most people think, the solution is not to hide your busty chest but to accentuate them in an appealing way like Blake Lively on the left.  Similar dress but vastly different result.  The high neckline only made Kim look bigger.  Plus, her long hair hanging on both sides did not help either.  It was framing her big chest.

V-neck is one of the universally flattering necklines because whether you’re small-chested or busty, it will highlight you in the best possible way.  If you’re not comfortable with a deep v-neck, you can always wear a cami underneath to keep it modest.

Curvy

Here is Kim (right) again and she ignored the mirror before she headed out to the red carpet.  With a curvy figure like hers, it should be easy to wear practically any outfits.  But in this case, the dress was all wrong for her!  Just to clarify, a curvy body shape doesn’t necessarily mean a plus size figure.  It means you have noticeable curves in your body (bust and hip.)

So, what was wrong with this dress on Kim?  It was too tight.  Not only were her breasts bursting out, but the skirt was pulling horizontally creating creases at the hip.  It looked like she purchased the dress one size too small!  Ladies, if you have the assets like her, I think you should flaunt them but make sure that you’re only flaunting one asset at a time.  If you want to show your chest, try a skirt that is flowy.  Or wear a loose top if you want to show your legs and hip.  And yes, a belt is a great choice to complete any look.

As you can see, Kristin Cavalleri (left) was wearing the right dress for her body.  The fitted top showed of her figure nicely and the skirt sat comfortably on her hip.

Petites

For petite gals everywhere like Natalie Portman, we have another challenge.  Not only do we need to consider our silhouettes (busty, boyish, curvy, pear, etc.), we also have to put height into consideration.  Most people think that a petite person only has shorter legs, but the torso and arms are shorter proportionally as well.  So, if you’re petite and wear a missy dress, you will feel that the dress doesn’t sit right at your waist and you’ll see extra fabric bunches up at your back.  Shoulder straps and sleeves might also be too long.  Sound familiar?

Well, what is the best way to dress for your petite frame?  If the store carries petite sizes, you should buy the petite version.  But if the dress you like doesn’t come in petites, you can always find a good seamstress to do some nip / tuck.  She might be able to shorten the torso length but it depends on the dress style.  Ask her to shorten the shoulder straps, sleeves, and skirt.  The skirt length should NOT be longer than your knees.  Otherwise, it’ll make you look shorter like Natalie Portman in the left picture.  The best skirt length should be slightly above the knees.

As you can see, if the dress fits you right like Eva Mendez who was wearing the same dress as Natalie Portman, you will look fabulous no matter how tall you are.  It’s all about knowing what works for you and how to fix the problems.

Shapeless Dresses

Alright, shapeless dresses are not one of the body types, but I want to point out how they just don’t work for any body types period.  Kristin Bell and Selma Blair are both beautiful and slender but the dresses made them look dull.  The sheer tube-shape dress looked like a water-proof pillowcase.  I almost mistaken that they were wearing a rain poncho as a dress!  This is a great example of how wearing the wrong dress can create the opposite effect.

If you want to flatter your figure, make sure that the outfit gives you a waist and highlight your curves.  This is also true for the plus size ladies. Don’t hide behind your clothes.  Instead, make sure that your outfit cinches you in at the skinniest part of your torso.  Generally, it’ll be the spot right underneath your bust.  That’s why empire waist or baby doll dresses work for plus sizes figures.  Take it one step further and add a contrasting color belt (red with black, white with navy, etc.) to make your waist look even smaller.  Embrace your shape!

So, what other tricks do you have to flatter your body shape?