The Perfect Holiday Dress for Every Body Type
Tips to Find the Perfect Holiday Dress!
Holidays are upon us and when it comes to selecting a dress style that looks best on our particular body type, it can be overwhelming and confusing. Don’t worry; I am here to help you! By knowing how to choose the best style of dress for your body type, you can make yourself look 10 pounds thinner! Do I have your attention yet?
Here are some tips on shopping for your body type and recommendations on where to find that perfect dress that will have heads turning!
Apple shape: You have a square torso. In order to make your torso look smaller and more shapely, try looking for dresses that have ruching around the waist or a shirred dress. The gathering effect pulls in the waistline causing it to appear slimmer than your top and bottom halves. Try Ralph Lauren’s Open Sleeve Matte Jersey Sheath Dress. This one is great for plus size apple figures!
Dress it up with some hot red heels and some sparkling Garnet gemstone jewelry! Of course, you can do any color contrast with black! Be creative! For regular size Apple figures, check out this dress by Calvin Klein.
Pear Shape: A halter dress is a great choice for your body type. It shows off your shoulders creating an illusion of a more balanced triangular shape. Your hips seem smaller and in better proportion with a halter neckline and take the eye away from your extremely narrow shoulders. Check out this dress by Laundry by Shelli Segal, high low glitter jersey halter gown. This dress will balance a pear shape body and give it an overall proportioned look. You can find this for $325 at Nordstrom.com:
Petite: A sheath Dress should always be your go-to style! Make sure it hits right above the knee. Don’t ever wear anything that passes the knee. You want to show off the narrowest part of your leg! A Sheath dress that is just above the knee makes you look more elongated and taller! Check out this inset lace sheath dress by Adriana Pappell for $138, it’s sexy and sophisticated!
Small Hourglass: Those blessed with a thin hourglass figure can practically wear anything! Dresses that look best on an hourglass body types are strapless or off the shoulder. Tailored dresses accentuating the narrowest part of your middle looks best on hourglass women. Avoid overly embellished and beaded dresses! It takes away from your figure and makes you look bigger than you actually are! Try this Peplum look by Vince Camuto, which is very popular this year!
Plus Size Hourglass: Women who are plus size hourglass should wear skirts or dresses that cinch in at the waist with a wide waistline and taper out. Choose something that fits you at the hips, taper in, and then flare at the hem to create an overall balance. Find something that hits right at or above the knee. Check out this dress by Collared Fit and Flare dress by Donna Ricco.
Straight Shape: For a figure that is mostly straight, you can create an illusion by wearing the right outfit! Your hips and bust are balanced and your waist is not very defined so you have to be careful in not choosing something that will make you look boxy! The best dressed for your body type are fitted sheaths & classic shifts work well with your shape, while an Empire waist or simple A-line skirt help to create some curves. One-shoulder styles can also ensure a dramatic silhouette. You can also experiment with different textures and colors. Wide belts that are darker in color can be used with your outfits to create an illusion of a smaller waist! Here is a dress by Maggy London that I think would flatter your body type and give it a curvaceous look.
It’s all about the accessories!
Follow the rules for your body type to look your best. Accessorize to dress it up or down with beautiful eye popping jewelry and some cute shoes! Have fun and choose shoes in an eye popping color like Red, Gold or Silver to accentuate your outfit. A black dress with red open toe sandals or pumps and some garnet earrings would look amazing this Holiday season! On top of that add a nice oversize clutch in red or gold.
Have fun with colors! You can also do gold and silver accents with a plain black dress to dress it up or down! You can pair a black dress with practically any color! Think Gemstone colors such as amethyst, peridot, garnet, blue topaz or prasiolite. All go with black and are all colors that are in this season!
