How to style skinny jeans for every body shape

Well, almost. We’re going to talk about how to style skinny jeans on the five basic body types, since almost every woman identifies with one of them. Women’s figures have been compared to fruits and architectural features, but for our purposes today we’re going to stick to simple geometrics: circle, triangle, inverted triangle, hourglass (picture two equilateral triangles stacked with points touching), and rectangle. We assume that you know which of these shapes best describes your figure, but if you need help determining your basic body type, there are myriad articles and tutorials available online.

We should address that, philosophically, we encourage you to wear whatever makes you comfortable and happy. At the same time, many women are comfortable and happy when they look and feel their best, and styling your clothing to balance your figure is always flattering and attractive.

How to style skinny jeans on a circle body type

This body type is typified by carrying fullness over the rib cage, with relatively slender arms and legs. To make the most of skinny jeans, choose a slouchy sweater or swingy tunic top, preferably with an open neckline, that hangs no lower than mid-hip. If your goal in selecting tops to go with skinny jeans is to accentuate your legs and downplay a rounder torso, a statement necklace or fashion scarf are great accessory choices to bring attention higher, to your face and add a touch of personality.

How to style skinny jeans on a triangle body type

This body type is sometimes described as “pear shaped” and simply means that one is wider on the bottom, and narrow in the shoulders. Many, many women identify with this body type. If you're looking to support your assets and work with your body shape, make sure you choose skinny jeans with a good bit a stretch, and consider a dark wash.. You can choose a shorter top that accentuates your upper half. You can balance wider hips and thighs with a top that features a scoop neckline, shirred bust area, wrap styling or embellished neck and shoulders.

How to style skinny jeans on an inverted triangle body type

This body type can be described as a swimmer’s body. Strong, defined shoulders and back muscles tapering to slimmer hips and slender legs creates the inverted triangle shape. Skinny jeans may accentuate slim hips and a smaller bottom, so feel free to choose skinny jeans with fading details or “whiskering” at the hips, which provides visual weight to the area. A great way to style skinny jeans on this body type is with a flowing tunic that hits the top of the thigh and creates fullness around the hips to balance strong shoulders - if that's what you're looking for. Another terrific choice is a peplum top, which defines the waist and creates hip curves. Consider a jewel or V neckline that draws the eye in at the shoulder line.

How to style skinny jeans on an hourglass body type

In geometric terms, this figure is two equilateral triangles stacked point-to-point. It’s also widely considered the easiest to style body type, since the hourglass is naturally balanced. When choosing skinny jeans for an hourglass figure, remember that you may need a pair with stretch to accommodate fuller hips and a smaller waist without creating a gap. You can pretty much wear any top you like, but to accentuate your figure, a wrap-style top is always a good choice if you'd like to emphasize a slimmer waist and your natural curves. You can always tuck in a fitted top or a cardigan sweater and accessorize with a belt!

How to style skinny jeans on a rectangle body type

This is a straight up-and-down figure type. For those who like fruit shapes, it is sometimes called a banana! When styling skinny jeans on this body type, you might have a goal to “create” a waist. Now, we know you already have a waist. Bend over, and wherever your trunk creases, that’s your waist. However, conjuring the illusion of either a slimmer waist or a fuller bosom and behind means that you have lots of options. Consider tucking in a voluminous men’s dress shirt and wearing a belt—instant hips! A wrap top with lots of gathering over the bust creates fullness at the bosom. Peplum tops or a plain tee topped with a peplum jacket work well to create balance. The rectangle, along with the inverted triangle body type, may benefit from selecting skinny jeans with distressed fading on the thighs or “whiskering” at the hips, which provide visual weight in those areas.