How to Dress a Spoon Body Shape (With Outfit Ideas)

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Personal wardrobe stylist Yvette Jordan explains the spoon body shape and the best ways to style it

Co-authored by Yvette Jordan and Elaine Heredia, BA

Last Updated: April 21, 2026 Fact Checked

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• What is a spoon body shape?
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• Spoon vs Hourglass
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• Identifying a Spoon Shape
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• Dressing a Spoon Shape
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• Outfit Ideas
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• Is a spoon body type attractive?
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• Video

|Show more |Show less

For some people, knowing your body shape takes a lot of the guesswork out of clothes shopping and styling. In this article, we share what a spoon body shape looks like, how to identify if you have one, and the differences between a spoon and an hourglass shape. We also partnered with fashion experts and stylists to learn how to dress a spoon-shaped body to complement its distinctive curves. You don't want to miss it!

Spoon Body Shape Explained

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Personal wardrobe stylist Yvette Jordan says the spoon body shape is characterized by wide hips, a defined waist, and narrow shoulders. The transition from the waist to the hips is abrupt instead of gradual, making the tops of the hips look shelf-like. To complement this shape, wear prints and lighter colors on top.

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Section 1 of 6:

What is a spoon body shape?

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1. 
   A spoon-shaped body has wide hips, a defined waist, and a narrow bust. According to Jordan, this body shape is characterized by wide hips, with a defined waist and narrow shoulders, mimicking the shape of an upside-down spoon. The hips form the "bowl," and the waist and torso form the "handle." The hips are wider and rounder than the bust, which is noticeably narrow, and the waist is also narrow and defined, giving the tops of the hip area on either side a shelf-like look.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Yvette Jordan is a personal wardrobe stylist based in New York City, with over 15 years of industry experience.

   Kalee Hewlett is a fashion stylist with almost 20 years of experience helping clients build confidence and "dress for success."

   Dina Scherer is a wardrobe stylist with over 10 years of experience. She specializes in color analysis, style development, closet editing, and personal shopping.

   Kathi Burns, CPO®, is a fashion stylist and a board-certified professional organizer. Her mission is to empower people to master their environment and personal image.

   Ashley Kahn is a wardrobe stylist with over 10 years of experience. She's passionate about empowering women through the art of personal style.
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Section 2 of 6:

Difference Between Spoon & Hourglass Body Shape

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1. 
   Spoons have big hips and small busts, while hourglass is more balanced. If you have an hourglass shape, your hips and your bust are probably the same or close to the same width. You have a narrow waist, however, which is what gives you that distinctive hourglass curvature. If you have a spoon body shape, your hips are wider than your waist and your bust. Thus, your waist and bust form the "handle" of the spoon, and your hips and buttocks form the "bowl."

Section 3 of 6:

How to Identify If You Have a Spoon Body Shape

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   Look in a full-length mirror and notice how your weight is distributed. You may be able to determine your body shape without measuring. While wearing only your underwear or tight-fitting clothes, look at yourself in a full-length mirror. Notice your hips, waist, and bust. Which is the widest? If your hips look wider than your waist and bust, that's a good start. Another strong signal that you're a spoon shape is if your hips make a "shelf" below your waist.

   • If your waist gently curves into your hips with no visible "shelf," you might be pear-shaped instead of spoon-shaped. In that case, check out wikiHow's Pear Shaped Body Style Guide!
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   Measure your hips, waist, and bust to find out which is wider. You know you're spoon-shaped if there is a difference of 2 in (5.1 cm) or more between your bust measurement and your hip measurement. Additionally, the difference between your hip and waist measurements should be greater than or equal to 7 in (18 cm).

   • Not sure how to find your measurements? Read our article How to Take Body Measurements for a Woman: Waist, Hips, Bust & More!
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Section 4 of 6:

How to Dress a Spoon Body Shape

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   Wear light-colored tops with wide necklines and interesting details. For body shapes with wide hips and narrow busts, fashion stylist Kalee Hewlett says to "accentuate the shoulders so that they balance out the hip[s]." To do that, opt for tops with boatneck, V-neck, square, scoop, or off-the-shoulder necklines to emphasize your shoulders and collarbone. Jordan also recommends wearing lighter colors or tops with prints and patterns to draw attention to your upper body. Wearing tops with puff sleeves can also complement a spoon-shaped body, she notes.

   • Go for: Boatneck, V-neck, square, scoop, and off-the-shoulder necklines and interesting details like ruffles, puffed or full sleeves, cuffs, and shoulder pads. Don't be afraid of bold colors, like hot pink, banana yellow, jungle red, and cerulean blue, or busy animal or geometric prints!
   • Avoid: Round, turtleneck, or polo necklines that hide your neck, shoulders, and collarbone. Stay away from sleeveless or spaghetti-strap tops, as they do nothing to accentuate your shoulder structure. Additionally, pastel and nude colors might make your torso and shoulders too invisible.
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   Wear wide-leg, straight, or bootcut pants with minimal details. The goal with bottoms for a spoon body shape is to lengthen your legs and create the illusion of narrower hips. With that in mind, stick with straight or wide-leg pants. Boot-cut jeans also look great on spoon shapes! For a better fit, get your pants professionally tailored (or tailor them yourself). Finally, wardrobe stylist Dina Scherer suggests shopping for pants in darker colors, like navy blue or black. She notes that a high-waisted, dark pair of pants or jeans will form a "column of color" and make your legs look longer!

   • Go for: Wide-leg, straight, or bootcut pants or jeans tailored to your curves. Look for dark, slimming colors, like navy blue, charcoal gray, or black.
   • Avoid: Cargo pants or other bulky pant styles, as well as lots of pockets that make your legs look like they're bulging.
   • Wear with caution: Skinny jeans and cigarette pants. These styles emphasize wide hips, which is fine, but some people feel insecure about this area and would prefer to camouflage it. If you do wear skinny or cigarette-shaped bottoms, pair them with a long cardigan, jacket, or coat that comes down below your thighs.
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   Wear flowy or asymmetrical skirts with high waists. A high waist will cling to your natural waistline, while a flowy skirt will balance out your wide hips. Meanwhile, asymmetrical skirts are not only interesting to look at, but they're slimming, too! If that's a bit too bold for you, look for a flowier skirt with some pleating with vertical pleats, which will achieve the same end.

   • Go for: Flowy or asymmetrical skirts with high waists. Vertical pleats are also attractive and slimming details.
   • Wear with caution: Bodycon skirts. On the one hand, these can make your hips look even wider. But on the other hand, if you're proud of your curves, a form-fitting silhouette can look extremely sexy!
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   Wear A-line, empire waist, wrap, and strapless-style dresses with wide collars. A-line, empire waist, and wrap dresses are the best styles for spoon body shapes because they emphasize your narrow waist! Meanwhile, strapless dresses make your shoulders the star of the show (and balance out your hips). Much like with tops, we recommend gravitating toward dresses with wider necklines and collars. Don't forget to look for flattering structural details like shoulder pads, lapels, cuffs, puffed sleeves, and flowy skirts, too!

   • Go for: A-line, empire waist, wrap, and strapless dresses. Look for wide necklines and structural details.
   • Avoid: Drop-waist and bodycon-style dresses.
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   Wear structured blazers, cardigans, or trench coats with defined waists. Besides a defined waist, another key feature to look for in outerwear is a longer hem that ends at or below the widest part of your hips. A cropped style might make your hips look wider than your liking. Just like with tops and dresses, structural elements like lapels, belts, pockets, shoulder pads, and cuffs will bring balance to your upper half.

   • Go for: Blazers, cardigans, trench coats, and other jackets that nip in at the waist and skim the widest part of your hips or thighs. Look for details that add structure and interest, like lapels, belts, pockets, and cuffs. Jordan also recommends wearing tops and jackets with shoulder pads.
   • Avoid: Cropped styles that end above the hips, as well as double-breasted blazers, which can make your torso look extremely wide.
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   Wear nude or dark-colored shoes with pointed toes to elongate your figure. Shoes can make a big difference in lengthening your legs and narrowing your spoon-shaped hips. Fashion stylist Kathi Burns, CPO®, recommends a pointy-toe flat shoe, which she says will "elongate your overall look." Additionally, wardrobe stylist Ashley Kahn advises reaching for shoes in a nude shade. Nude shoes look like skin, "so it's going to make everything appear a little longer," Kahn adds. On the other hand, if you're wearing dark pants, a matching shoe color will continue that "column of color" Scherer recommends.

   • Go for: Pointed-toe flats, heels, and boots, preferably in a nude color or a shade that matches your pants.
   • Avoid: Round-toe shoes, which could emphasize the roundness of your hips. Burns adds that if you're short, round toes can make you look "stumpy."
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Section 5 of 6:

Spoon Shaped Body Outfit Ideas

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   Office-ready Pair black, high-waisted, wide-leg trousers with a matching belt and black, pointed-toe flats. Tuck a red, long-sleeved top with a boatneck into your waistline. Top off your look with a long black blazer.
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   Date night Don a V-neck wrap dress with bell sleeves and a flowy skirt. Complement the dress with chunky heeled, nude-colored sandals. Don't be afraid to put your hair up to expose more of your neck and breastbone!
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   Running errands Slip on a cerulean blue scoop neck t-shirt with a slim fit and a long hemline. Pair it with a black, high-waisted, flowy skirt and pointed-toe ankle boots. If the day is cool, throw on a long, gray cardigan.
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Section 6 of 6:

Is a spoon body type attractive?

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1. 
   A spoon body shape can be very attractive, but it's also subjective. Many people find wide hips and a narrow waist cute or even sexy. But it's important to note that the attractiveness of a person's body shape is subjective. Everyone has their own opinion about what they like and don't like, and no one's opinion is wrong! Just keep in mind, though, that even if you feel insecure about the shape of your body, plenty of others think it's stunning. Try to embrace your spoon body shape and dress to complement it!

   • Remember that not everyone fits into a specific body shape, and that's okay! You can always try different methods, like the Kibbe Body Type Test, to find clothing styles that fit you best. It's also perfectly fine to pick clothes based on whether you like them and not worry about whether they're stylish, trendy, or "ideal" for your body shape.

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