Body Types are Useless (Until You Learn This)

🧪 Entry 07: Discover your dominant features and accommodations.

Body types can feel vague or even limiting until you understand what they’re really describing: your dominant features.

These are the key aspects of your silhouette that your clothes need to accommodate. The part of body typing that’s actually useful.

Without identifying your dominant features (a.k.a. accommodations), body typing is just a label. But when you can pinpoint the shapes and proportions that define your silhouette, you unlock a super power: knowing why certain silhouettes flatter you, how to adapt trends to suit your shape, and how to dress in a way that feels naturally harmonious.

This is where body typing starts to work for you.

• color type

• body type

• core style

• the wardrobe framework

• wardrobe editing

• fit + measurements

• silhouette + proportion

• color story

• texture

• multidimensional style

• conflict + balance

• full outfits

In the last entry, you explored your wardrobe to uncover clues about your body’s dominant features. Now it’s time to take a more objective look by creating your line drawing.

This simple sketching exercise will help you observe your body with fresh eyes and determine the dominant features that characterize your body type.

✏️ What Is a Line Drawing?

A line drawing is a simplified outline of your body, created by tracing a photo of yourself. It filters out distractions and highlights your overall silhouette, helping you see past any preconceptions about your body to spot your dominant features with greater clarity.

Tell me in the comments if you’d like to see my own line drawing in a future post!

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🗝️ Behind the Paywall [UNLOCKED]

This entry is fully unlocked so you can see what’s normally behind the paywall. If you like what you see, come join us.

• Steps to create your own line drawing

• Prompts to help you determine your dominant features & accommodations

• Access to the private thread: ask me anything!

You'll always receive the core lesson content as a free subscriber. Want the exercises, bonus tools, and community access? Become a paid subscriber to get the full experience, or move on to the next free lesson.

← Return to Entry #06

Continue to Entry #08 →

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Exercise 2-3: Your Line Drawing

The best way to observe your own proportions and dominant features objectively is to create a line drawing of yourself. I do this with all of my clients when helping them determine their body types.

Step 1: Take Your Photo

• Wear solid-colored clothing that does not obscure your figure, such as a non-compressive bathing suit or workout gear.

• Stand in a neutral stance, squarely facing the camera, with your arms held a few inches away from your sides.

• Set up your camera at chest-height, approximately 10 feet away. Avoid mirror photos as the mirror will distort your proportions.

• Tip: Use a timer & tripod, or ask a friend to help.

Step 2: Trace Your Silhouette

Now, trace the silhouette.

Starting at the tip of your shoulder, trace the silhouette as if fabric (a dress of weighted silk, for example) were draping from the shoulder down the contours of your body to your knees.

The imaginary fabric should interact with the body as it travels down. For instance, the fabric may cascade from shoulders to knees in one long, relatively straight line. Or, it may curve outwards to accommodate the bust or hips.

Remove or hide the original photo, and now you have your line drawing!

It’s important to remove the original photo so that you are not distracted or influenced by preconceived notions about your body. To achieve the correct result, you must perform an objective analysis of the shapes and proportions shown in your line drawing.

Step 3: Observe

Observe your line drawing and try to answer the following questions:

• Is your silhouette relatively straight, or does your imaginary fabric push out and around your bust and hips?

  • If the silhouette is relatively straight, then Vertical is one of your dominant features.

  • If the silhouette is curved, then Curve or Double-Curve is one of your dominant features.

  • Note: Every body type has either Vertical, Curve, or Double-Curve.

• Are you 5’8” or taller? If so, then Vertical is one of your dominant features and you do not have Balance or Petite.

• Are you under 5’5” and narrow? Then you may have Petite.

• Are your shoulders and upper back significantly wider than your hips? Then you may have Width.

• Does any particular feature stand out when you casually glance at your line drawing? Try squinting to force yourself to defocus and take in the image as a whole. Even while squinting, does any particular feature appear noticeable? This could be prominent elongation or height, a well-defined waist, broad shoulders, or nothing at all.

  • If you see prominent elongation from the shoulder to the knees, then you may have Vertical.

  • If you see elliptical curves that cut in at the waist, then you may have Curve or Double-Curve.

  • If you see a strong shoulder line, then you may have Width.

  • If nothing stands out, then you may have Balance.

Step 5: Identify Your Dominant Features

So, based on what you see in your line drawing, which are your dominant features?

Only one or two of the following can be your dominant features, so choose the top 2 at most!

• Vertical is perceived elongation or height in proportion to the overall bone structure and silhouette.

• Curve is the predominant appearance of rounded contours in individual features and overall silhouette.

• Double-curve is the predominant and uninterrupted appearance of nearly circular contours in individual features and overall silhouette.

• Width is perceived breadth or openness of the shoulder-line, or clavicle, in proportion to the overall bone structure and silhouette.

• Petite is the combination of perceived narrowness and short stature, in proportion to the overall bone structure and silhouette.

• Balance is a nearly equal and blended mix of yin and yang; moderation in all features in proportion to the overall bone structure and silhouette, and in comparison to the general population.

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💬 Discussion Prompt

Let’s talk about your line drawing!

• Which dominant feature (or accommodation) showed up most clearly in your drawing?

• Did seeing your line drawing shift how you think about your shape?

• How did your discoveries from this exercise compare to your wardrobe analysis in Entry #06?

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In the next entry, you will finally determine your body type!

← Return to Entry #06

Continue to Entry #08 →

With Love,

Alyssa