Finding the right dress for your body shape

Before I stumbled across an article on finding the right dress for your body shape, I thought it all came down to maybe length, color and the shape of your shoulders. But it’s actually a lot more complicated than that. And that’s a good thing. Because more dresses than you can imagine actually do fit you. You just need to figure out a few things about your figure and what will flatter it. One hint, it’s all about proportions.

The neckline

With the neckline you can create balance in your appearance. To make you look more proportional.

The Boat neck – the best choice for a Pear butt
With a Boat neck comes the illusion of wider shoulders. Something that’ll make a big butt look a little more proportional. If that’s what you want. If you’re on the slender side with more narrow hips use the Boat neck with high waisted jeans. Otherwise you’ll look like a stick.

The Ringer neckline – the best choice for small faces and chests
The round neckline also draws the eye to the shoulders bringing proportion to a small face and chest. If you tend to get a double chin wear the Ringer neckline with a long necklace.

The V-neck – the best choice for big busts
The V-neck elongates the neck and doesn’t enlarge the bust. The deeper it goes the more it elongates. If you got a big bust the V-neck i s a good option. If you have a smaller chest but love the V-neck, use a higher cut. This is nice to remember if you get pregnant and are not use to dealing with a bigger set of boobs.

The waist

If you’re not up for a healthier lifestyle there are a lot of things clothes can do for you. Here are some do’s and don’ts.

How to hide the muffin top

• Keep away from short tops and jackets. The edge will draw attention to and enhance any flab.
• Belts are another risky business. In navel height it draws the eye to the area and big belt buckles enhance the impression of a potbelly.
• Make sure the skirt fit and aren’t too tight. That will for sure result in the famous muffin top. Look for skirts and dresses with a higher waist.
• An elastic rubber band skirt with a tucked in top will always bunch up just where you don’t want it to. Choose something else.

Slim or straight waist?
The curvy figure will look nice in a tight waist whereas the straight and heavier shape benefit from a straighter model. Some say. I say this is both a spectrum and a preference. And it depends on the skirt. I got a pretty straight figure, but I really like the slim waist paired with a clock shaped skirt.

The sleeve

The three-quarter sleeve – the sleeve that fits all
When in doubt. Choose the three-quarter sleeve. It fits almost everyone. You can almost never go wrong there. The puff sleeve will make you look wider whereas the trumpet brings the focus to your stomach.

Hide the bingo sleeves
What’s most important to remember is that you don’t want a sleeve that ends up right upon the bingo sleeves. It’s the on the border between sleeve and skin the eye will rest. Of course.

The skirt and length

Skirts and short legs
Short legs and skirts can make you look stumpy even though you’re not. The trick is to not break up the lines with too many colors. Don’t be afraid to match shoes, stockings and skirt. The monochrome look will elongate your look. And avoid skirts that end below the knee. Choose short skirts or one that ends by your ankles. Your legs will actually appear longer if your ankles are bare.

The opposite is true if you’re tall
If you want to appear shorter, “split” your body with different patterns, colors and details. You can experiment with this depending on which part you want shorten or extend.

The skirt illusion – flatter your figure
The more snug the skirt is the more curvy the figure seems. That’s why a straight figure fits in a narrow pencil skirt and a curvy figure in a wider A-line shaped skirt.

The details

The details are that little extra. It can make a basic outfit stand out and make a pretty dress to a must-have. There are tons of accessories available, earrings, shoes, scarfs, necklaces, bracelets, bags, hairbands, rings. belts, brooches, etc. If you try to experiment a little you’ll be surprised with what you can hide (like a pregnancy) or accentuate without people knowing.

Try to combine your accessories in groups of three and let them match in color or in style. This will complete your look and won’t be too much.

If you buy a patterned dress make sure to look at the placement of the buttons, ribbons and other details are placed as they will attract attention. Make sure to highlight your benefits.