Body Shape for Exercise Apparel: Standard Shape Templates

No matter your body type, shape, size and other factors, you should be able to exercise in clothes that are comfortable and beneficial to you. In fact, your specific body type may play a significant role in the kinds of exercise clothes you choose, along with a few other important factors.

At Maven Thread, we're happy to offer not only a wide selection of women's exercise headbands, but also numerous other apparel, from exercise pants and joggers to tops, swimwear, loungewear and many other options. We know our clients may have varying different body shapes and types, and it's our pride to provide products for each and every one of them. In this two part blog series, we'll go over some of the most common specific body shape needs our clients often bring up to us, plus some basic recommendations we can make on active wear for each of them.

Pear Shape

Many women fall into the category of what's known as the pear shape, meaning the widest part of your body is below your waist in the hip area. The pear shape doesn't refer to weight level, necessarily -- rather, it relates to body proportions. Generally, pear shape women have small waists, but thicker hips and thighs.

Many active wear items should work well for the pear shape figure -- leggings, tights, shapewear pants, skirts and exercise shorts are all excellent choices. Leggings may be worn as pants or under other garments to give more coverage and control to the hips and thighs. Tights are perfect for colder weather, and can be worn as pants or under a skirt or dress. Shapewear pants will help to suck in your waist and flatter your curves, while skirts and exercise shorts will provide more freedom of movement.

When it comes to color, ideally pear-shaped women will chose brighter shades and prints for their tops, then plain or darker colors on the bottom. This will help to create a visual balance and draw attention up to the top half of your body. Patterns are also a good choice, as they distract from problem areas.

Rectangular Shape

The rectangular body shape, on the other hand, refers to one where your shoulders, waist and pelvis are all roughly similar in terms of width. Many with this body shape will prefer active wear with rounded seams, which don't accentuate narrow hips or minimize large ones. It's also often a good idea to wear clothes that are looser in the bottom half, with tapered legs and contoured seams down there as well.

For rectangular shape women, color is usually best when it comes to tops -- choose bright colors, prints and patterns. Solid colors can also work, but they may make you look a little too boxy. When it comes to the bottom half of your body, darker colors and slimming patterns are often best.

Hourglass Shape

The hourglass shape is one where your hips and shoulders are about the same width, with a smaller waistline. This body type is considered to be the ideal, since it's naturally slimming. Women with this shape are often able to wear standard sizes or smaller.

For women with hourglass body shapes, plain exercise pants and shorts tend to be best -- they provide much more versatility than tights or leggings. Skirts can also work well, provided they have a high waist and don't flare out. Tops should be fitted, but not too tight, and should preferably have some kind of detail or embellishment around the waist to draw attention to that area.

When it comes to color, Hourglass women often look best in earth tones like black, navy blue, green and khaki. These colors help to create a slimming effect.

In the next blog post in this series, we'll go over active wear for women with different body types. For more on any of our active wear products and how to make the best selection for you, speak to the team at Maven Thread today.