Dressing For Your Body Type

AFTER DRESSING THOUSANDS OF WOMEN, THIS IS WHAT WE FOUND...

LET'S TALK "OVERSIZED"

Alexandra is built around relaxed, oversized silhouettes because they're comfortable, easy to move in and effortlessly cool. But after years of dressing women of every shape and size, one thing has become clear: "oversized" doesn't mean "one approach fits all bodies." The way a loose shirt or a wide leg pant sits on you depends entirely on your proportions, and getting it right is less about hiding your shape and more about balancing it.

The rule of thumb: unless you're quite slim all over, oversized on top and oversized on bottom at the same time tends to swallow your frame rather than skim it. The trick is to identify your smaller part and keep something fitted or defined there, then let the volume live on the larger part. Done well, this doesn't just look more polished, it can genuinely make you look leaner and taller than wearing loose fit head to toe. Our customers have told us again and again that they're not chasing "thin," but they don't want to look bigger than they actually are either, and proportion is exactly how you avoid that.

Here's how that plays out shape by shape.

RULES WE APPLY

Fit matters even in oversized. "Oversized" should mean intentionally relaxed, not simply sized up past what suits your frame, so it's worth checking the fit notes and model measurements on each product page to find your true size before you buy. Rolling or pushing up sleeves and showing a bit of wrist or ankle keeps an outfit from swallowing your hands and feet, which does a lot for proportion. Fabric weight matters too: a heavier, more fluid fabric skims the body, while a stiff, boxy fabric in the wrong size can add bulk. And hemline placement is worth thinking about on shorter frames especially, a cropped or midi length often works harder than a longer, looser one that can make you look shorter and wider at once.

None of this is about disguising your shape. It's about wearing the pieces you already love from us in the way that makes them fall right on your particular body, so the outfit feels as good as it looks.

HOURGLASS

If your bust and hips are roughly balanced with a defined waist, you can wear oversized almost anywhere, as long as your waist stays visible somewhere in the outfit. An oversized shirt looks great belted or knotted at the front rather than worn loose and untouched. A wide leg pant pairs best with something fitted or cropped on top, like a fitted tee or a cropped knit, so your waist still reads through the outfit. The one thing to avoid is a boxy top over a boxy bottom with nothing cinched in between, since that's the one combination that can genuinely hide the waist you've got.

Try it: belt the ROGUE Shirt over the WOLFGANG Pants, or reach for the THIAGO Dress, which has a removable waist tie built in so you can nip in exactly where you need it.

PEAR

Hips wider than shoulders. Let the volume sit up top. A dropped shoulder shirt, a boxy jacket or an oversized knit worn untucked or half-tucked draws the eye upward and balances out the hips beautifully. Keep what's happening below the waist a little more streamlined, a straight leg or slightly relaxed pant rather than something equally wide and voluminous. Doubling up the volume, oversized top with wide leg pants, is the one combination that can make a pear shape look bigger through the middle than it is.

Try it: the MACADAM Blazer, with its power shoulders and oversized fit, worn open over the WOLFGANG Pants, or the MONTE Jumper, an oversized dropped-shoulder knit, over the same tapered pant for an easier everyday version.

APPLE

Fuller through the middle, slimmer arms and legs. This is the shape where the volume needs to stay up top and the bottom needs to stay defined. A loose V-neck tee, or an oversized shirt worn open over a fitted layer, or belted just under the bust rather than at the natural waist, creates shape without clinging anywhere uncomfortable. The V-neck does useful work here too, opening up the neckline so the eye travels down and out rather than across the fullest point. Pair that loose top with a straight leg pant or a fitted skirt rather than anything wide leg, since wide leg pants add width at the bottom that flattens out your proportions and can read as rectangle rather than balancing the middle. A boxy top that ends right at the widest point of the torso is also worth watching, since that's where oversized can add width you don't want.

Try it: the NIX V-Neck T-Shirt, an oversized, V-neck cotton tee, over the RATAN Knit Skirt, a close fit skirt designed to contour the body. Or belt the MEEKA Blouse, an oversized V-neck style, just under the bust over the WOLFGANG Pants.

RECTANGLE

Shoulders, waist and hips similar. You've got the most flexibility here, and oversized on oversized can genuinely work, but it needs one point of definition somewhere or the whole silhouette can read as shapeless. A belt at the waist, a tucked-in front, or an oversized piece cut with some shape at the cuff or hem all do the job. Since your frame doesn't naturally create a waist, accessories are doing that work for you, so don't skip them.

Try it: belt the ROGUE Shirt over the JOJO Pants, a wide leg, loose fit pant, so you get volume on both ends anchored by a defined waist. Or reach for the THIAGO Dress and cinch its adjustable waist tie in to create the shape your frame doesn't hand you naturally.

INVERTED TRIANGLE

Shoulders broader than hips. Keep the volume away from the shoulders and let it sit lower down instead. A simpler, closer-fit top (a V-neck helps too) paired with an oversized or wide leg pant or skirt balances things out well. A boxy jacket with a strong dropped shoulder is the one piece that can work against you here, since it adds width exactly where you already have it.

Try it: the RUBY T-Shirt, a closer, longline tee, with the JOJO Pants or another wide leg style, so the volume sits below the waist rather than at the shoulder. The MACADAM Blazer is one to save for another shape, its power shoulders add exactly the width you're working to balance out.