Bodycon, Skater,
Peplum, Maxi, Midi and Mini. Dresses come in so many shapes and sizes that shopping
for a dress that fits perfectly can be really time consuming and a real pain.
Frequently
the search for the perfect dress ends in just wasting time, pure frustration or
even worse a poor fit dress that will only walk around in the daylight once.
Meaning that besides the whole frustration of getting that dress, you also
wasted your money on something that doesn’t flatter you. Know the feeling?
Whether you’re
looking in several retail stores or searching online, this task can be really
hard to get done successfully. However, once you figure out your body shape, finding
the perfect dress can be fun and can really take the stress out of your
shoulders.
All women are different. We all have different
tastes, styles, sizes, preferences and of course body shapes. If you still don’t
know your shape, you can use this online body shape calculator and, through
your measurements, you can have an idea on what to look for.
Please keep
in mind that there are no good or bad shapes (we never get tired of mentioning
this). Body shapes are just categories that aim to help women find the best
clothes for them. Every shape is equally beautiful, you just have to figure out
what works or doesn’t work for your figure. Embrace your shape and dress it wisely!
Pear body shape
Pear shapes
are described as having their hips wider than their bust / shoulders with a
really defined waist, which means that this figure naturally carries more
weight in the hip zone.
Though this
is the most common body type, we often see women struggling in finding dresses
for this shape. But, let’s carefully look at this shape again: smaller bust and
shoulders and wider hips. In other words, this means that you have to find a
dress that shows off your smaller half (in this case the shoulders or bust
area) while disguising your lower half, or one that adds volume to your
bust/shoulders area while disguising your hips, but always enhancing your defined
waist. You don’t want to look like you’re wearing a groceries bag.
The trick
is to find a skater dress or
a-line dress that disguises the hips without adding too much volume where you
naturally already have it. Empire waist dresses will also look great on you.
Here are some ideas on what kind of dresses you should be looking for:
Inverted Triangle body shape
This body type
is completely the opposite of the Pear shape, as it carries more weight on the
upper half. This shape has a wider bust / shoulder area and the hips are
generally smaller, meaning that the perfect dress for this shape will have to
have more volume on the bottom half, disguising the upper half to visually create
the right balance.
If you’re
an inverted triangle shape you should be looking for dresses like skater
dresses, full or a-line dresses or with details like flat pockets or
embellishments on the hip zone. The upper halves of the dresses need to draw
the attention away from the bust, defining your waist. To draw the attention
away from that area choose narrow v-necklines, for example and darker colours.
Please keep in mind that by darker and solid colours. Wrap style dresses with narrow v-necks are
perfect for this body type. Here are some examples:
Straight body shape
Straight
shapes are really balanced shapes that have bust and hips practically the same
size. Their waist however, though it’s there, it isn’t as defined as the
hourglass shape and that’s why they are called straight. Of course, though the
name of the shape is straight doesn’t mean that you don’t have a waist… it just
means that is not as defined as the hourglass figure shape.
The best
way to find the perfect dress for the
straight shape is to look for dresses that emphasize your waist, whether with a
belt or dresses with some structure and a defined waist. You can also look for
dresses that add a bit volume to the bust/shoulders area and also in the hip
zone, but always enhancing the waist. Another tip: You can also wear some
shapeless (kind of “boxy”) dresses and pull them off by adding the perfect belt
and accessories to it. Some dress ideas below:
Hourglass body shape
Hourglass
shapes are the lucky curvaceous ones. They are called hourglass because their
shape resembles an hourglass, meaning that the shoulders/bust are as wide as
the hips with a tiny waist. This was the shape of the iconic Marilyn Monroe and
this is often the shape that most women wish they had. But, we never get tired
of saying this, if you’re not an hourglass, don’t worry, there are lots of
gorgeous women that don’t have this shape and they also have gorgeous bodies.
Back to the
tips… well, there aren’t many tips that we can give to this already curvaceous
shape, except that embrace your shape and show it off. Bodycon dresses, wrap style
dresses and dresses with pencil skirts are the perfect choice for showing of
your curves. Other type of dresses will also look great on you, but keep in
mind this tip: when you add volume to your top half, balance it below in your
lower half, as this body shape already has the perfect proportions and doesn’t
need any visual tricks to add or remove volume.
Remember
this: don’t hide your womanly curves behind “baggy” or “boxy” dresses… show
them off! Here are some dresses that will look great on you:
Oval body shape
Also called
“apple” body type, the oval shape has a full tummy and a not so defined waist.
The bust is wider than the hip zone and the legs are really slender.
To look
stunning on a dress, the oval shaped woman should look for dresses that create
a waist and disguise the midsection, while also giving some volume to the hips.
Since your legs are slender, you will look great with mini dresses, but you can
wear whatever length you feel comfortable with… an advice: for your best, shop
for mini or midi dresses.
Aside from the length of the dress and back to
structure: wrap style dresses with a-line skirts or empire waist dresses will
look perfect on this body type and will help in disguising the midsection
(tummy). Here are some examples of what you should be looking for:
Diamond body shape
This shape can
be really hard to dress up and we understand that women with this shape can
have lots of difficulty in finding the perfect dress from them.
The diamond
shape has their hips wider than the bust zone and a full midsection (stomach
area). Regarding the ratio between bust and hips, this body shape is similar to
the pear shape, however the pear shape has a much defined waist and the diamond
shape has a full midsection and doesn’t have a defined waist.
The
challenge for this shape is to disguise the hip zone as well as creating a
waist. The dresses that look best on this body shape are mainly empire waist
dresses, with wide necklines (v or u) and details around the shoulders and bust
area. You can also look for off the shoulder or one shoulder dresses, also with
empire waists or high belted waists. Here are a few ideas on what will look
perfect on the diamond body type:
Please note
that, though these tips can be very important, these are just guidelines.
Sometimes, when a body shape runs near more than one shape (eg: if you’re a
pear tending to be hourglass, for example) it’s often that some tips from other
shapes can also look good on your body type too. However, once you know the
basics, it can really be much easier to find clothes for you.
And finally, remember this: it’s not about the size you wear it’s about
the shape of your body.
But do tell
us your experience on this. What is your shape and what kind of dresses do you
love to wear?