Women around the world come in different shapes and sizes. Whether you have the apple, pear, rectangle, inverted triangle, or hourglass body shape, there’s a beautiful dress for you that will accentuate your figure and draw attention to the most flattering aspects of your body. This detailed guide will help you find the most suitable dresses for your unique body shape.
Apple
Silhouette
For the apple body shape, a clear sign that this refers to you is that you put on a little weight around your midsection as you get older, while you have no clearly defined waistline. for this body type, your silhouette should draw attention away from your tummy so that you can create balance on your body frame.
Therefore, the perfect silhouettes for this body type include the empire waist dress, shift dress and A-line dress. These silhouettes are designed to draw attention to the narrowest part of your body frame, usually under your bust, and make your body curvier. Also, this will lead to a more balanced overall structure which highlights your upper body and draws attention to flattering areas.
Necklines
The major theme with the apple body shape is to wear silhouettes that flare away from the body. Ultimately, the goal is to draw the eyes visually outward rather than inward. Necklines can also help you achieve this goal. For the apple body shape, there’s a wide variety of necklines that work for you, so you don’t have to be limited to a few.
Some amazing necklines for this body type include the v-neck, strapless, u-shape, square, and sweetheart necklines. The v-neck can also be a plunging style. These necklines, all draw the eyes out to your bust and visually make your waistline narrower, giving you a curvier outlook. Fitted or high and narrow necklines do the opposite, as they draw more emphasis to your round shape.
What to look for
Look out for dresses that have a prominent waistline just below your bust. This is typically the narrowest part of your body, and if it’s not, you can easily take a measurement to confirm. Dresses with their waistline at this point will help to give you a curvier silhouette because they skim over your waist. Also, look out for dresses with extra layers or details such as draping and ruching. This minimizes attention on your midsection area.
Meanwhile, dresses with graphic patterns are also a huge plus. As you may have guessed, this is an attention-grabbing design, which is perfect for drawing focus away from your tummy bulge. If you must wear a dress with a tie waist, tie the belt towards the side to avoid drawing attention to your muffin top while also having a flattering effect on your overall silhouette.
What to avoid
For your delicate yet unique apple body shape, there’s a need to wear dresses that don’t draw attention to your muffin top as this will completely throw off your figure. Of course, this will also make you uncomfortable as there’s focus on that little tummy bulge. Therefore, the first order of business is to avoid any style of dress that will do this, and this includes clingy dresses.
Avoid bodycon dresses since this is top on the list of dresses that are overly tight on your figure. Women with an apple body shape should also avoid shapeless dresses. A key characteristic of your figure is that you have no well-defined waistline. Shapeless dresses will make this more obvious and give you a wider outlook.
Pear
Silhouette
The pear body shape benefits from a silhouette that draws attention to your waistline as this is one of the best ways to show off your beautiful curves. While doing this, you would also have to be careful not to throw your body off-balance. Some silhouettes to help you achieve this seamlessly include the fit and flare dress, wrap dress and off-the-shoulder dress.
These are all versatile dress styles that have a natural slimming effect on the pear body shape while keeping you as sophisticated as possible. The wrap dress hugs your curves in all the right places while the off-the-shoulder dress can be paired with a belt to create a more defined waistline. Meanwhile, this works best when you don’t try to conceal your curves with baggy silhouettes.
Necklines
The right necklines will have a visually widening effect on your bust and shoulders. While narrow and long necklines will not help you have this effect, wide necklines are a perfect choice for pear-shaped women. Necklines like the Sabrina, bateau, and square necklines are wide and low enough to add a few inches to your upper body and draw attention upwards.
This extra bulk around your bust and shoulders will help to balance out your wider hips. Some other amazing choices are the cowl and off-shoulder necklines. Basically, any style that shows off your shoulders as much as possible and draws attention upwards is a winner for your pear body shape. It’s also okay to wear necklines with collars or details like ruffles and bows.
What to look for
To ensure you make the right choices, there are a few key features to look out for when shopping for dresses for your pear body shape. First is what I’ve mentioned before dresses that draw attention to your waistline without hiding your lower body. Typically, they should have a waist-cinching effect but be flowy towards your thighs.
Also, look out for styles that skim over your hips easily like A-line dresses which have an A shape that is wider at the bottom in a way that flatters your body figure. Dresses with patterns are also great as they bring the dress to life with colorful details.
What to avoid
Dresses with a dropped waist are a huge no for the pear-shaped woman. This will make you bottom-heavy, similar to the effect of dresses with thick fabrics. This is the opposite of what you would want for your silhouette as a bottom-heavy look will give you an uneven outlook. Apart from this, thick dresses will hide your waistline.
Pear-shaped women should also avoid dresses with a straight cut silhouette as this will give you a box-like look that is not flattering to your body figure. Of course, a straight cut will also hide your curves and that’s not a good look as this is an asset you should emphasize.
Inverted triangle
Silhouette
Women with an inverted triangle body shape usually have shoulders that are wider than their hips, alongside no waist definition. However, a huge plus are the great legs that almost always come with this unique body shape. Therefore, you should focus on creating a balanced silhouette by balancing your narrow lower body with your broader shoulders.
Dresses that would be perfect for the inverted triangle shape include the mermaid dress, and fit and flare dress. A common phenomenon with both styles of dresses is that they flow seamlessly across your body. It starts with a slight hug on your hips before flaring downwards, which is perfect for adding volume to the lower half of your body. The overall silhouette becomes more balanced while you undoubtedly look good.
Necklines
What necklines work for the inverted triangle body shape? An undisputed choice is the U-neckline. This is a slim and long neckline that visually reduces the width of your upper body, playing down your wide shoulders. Another amazing neckline that does this is the V-neckline. If you want to get the best out of your body type, avoid low and wide necklines like Sabrina, square, bateau and off-the-shoulder styles that typically make your shoulders look broader.
Some other interesting necklines for you are the deep and narrow scoop, halter-neck and asymmetric styles. These all break up the visuals of your bust area vertically. The halter-neck style is perfect for women of this body type that have a small bust. It’s great for elongating your silhouette.
What to look for
For women with an inverted triangle shape, your choice of dresses should be those that have that natural balancing effect. Therefore, look out for dresses that give your bottom and hips a curvier outlook. The goal is to de-emphasize your upper body and create more waist definition as your body type lacks this.
You also want to reduce the broad appearance of your shoulders by wearing dresses that play this down as much as possible. When done right, they would be balanced with your narrow hips. Feel free to soften your shoulder line with interesting necklines while wearing bright colors on your lower body to draw attention to your lovely legs.
What to avoid
The first on the list of don’t for the inverted triangle body shape is wide necklines that make your shoulder visually broader. The last thing you want is an uneven body silhouette and your neckline can greatly influence this. This also means avoiding dresses with shoulder pads as they also add more weight upwards.
Meanwhile, adding volume to the lower half of your body is a great idea. Dresses that are fitted at the bottom won’t do this effectively. Instead, they will make you look top-heavy and uncomfortable. Therefore, stay away from dresses like the bodycon that are too figure-hugging on your lower half.
Rectangle
Silhouette
Rectangle-shaped women have little to no waist definition and are not exactly a curvy silhouette. With a straight shoulder line, the bust and hips measure about the same width. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t create a more flattering silhouette and it all starts with the dresses you choose.
Flattering dresses for the rectangle body shape are peplum, ruched waist, x-line and A-line dresses. This goes way beyond aesthetics and encompasses the perfect way to add more waist definition to your silhouette. If you have a muffin top, these dresses will help you hide them perfectly too. While the X-line dress may not be a popular style out there, that takes nothing away from its effectiveness in creating the illusion of a narrow waistline.
Necklines
Would you like to create curves on your rectangle-like silhouette? Shop for dresses with round necklines such as jewel or scoop as these are your best options for achieving this flattering effect on your body structure. However, if your goal is to visually lengthen your bust and shoulders, better neckline choices should be low and wide ones like the sweetheart, scoop, and wide v-neck.
Accentuate your look further with narrow necklines like the halter neck. However, this works when you wear dresses that help to create a proper waist definition on your rectangle body frame. Stay away from squarish necklines completely as they would do absolutely nothing to flatter your silhouette. Instead, they will draw attention to your straight silhouette with little waist definition.
What to look for
Since your upper and lower body has a great and balanced proportion, your focus should be on creating a better waist definition that would break up your rectangle shape and give you a curvier silhouette. To enhance your waist, you can add volume to both halves of your body which automatically creates curves or you can create a slimming effect on your waist.
Therefore, you should look out for strategically placed prints and details that create interest around specific areas of your body. Clothing styles with belts that have a waist-cinching effect are always welcome. If you must wear darker colors, limit this to your waistline using accessories like a belt. With well-structured clothes, this will go a long way in defining your waist and highlighting your assets.
What to avoid
Your rectangle body shape won’t look amazing with oversized or shapeless dresses. No matter how tempted you are to hide your figure, it’s best to emphasize rather than conceal your body. This means avoid dresses with ruffles at only the top half of your body as they add volume around this area while leaving the bottom-half without this effect.
Ruffles around your sleeves are not flattering, so you should completely avoid them as well. Any style of clothing or neckline that adds more squareness to your body is an unflattering idea. This refers to straight and square necklines.
Hourglass
Silhouette
Ready to maintain balanced body proportions and define your waistline? You have to pay attention to the best ways to highlight your slightly round shoulders, big thighs and defined waist. Here’s a look at the best silhouettes for you. It’s important to know that your hourglass silhouette is one of the most balanced naturally with a well-defined waistline.
Therefore, your dress choices should be all about following this natural silhouette and maintaining a proportionate outlook on both halves of your body. Accentuate your waist stylishly to ensure that you don’t create unbalance on any aspect of your body frame. Amazing choices for you are wrap dresses with a belted design, and A-line dresses.
Necklines
Any neckline that adds unnecessary volume to your shoulders or widens this area will have an unbalancing effect on your natural silhouette. Therefore, you should stay away from them. More flattering choices are jewel or rounded necklines that are not extremely narrow or wide. This will complement your shoulders without drawing too much attention to this area.
Sweetheart and scoop necklines are also great because the low and wide view of these necklines help to show off your bust stylishly. If you don’t mind a slimming neckline for your silhouette, the v-neck style will do the trick beautifully.
What to look for
Look out for clothing styles that show off your curvy silhouette without being tight-fitting. In this case, simple can be very class. A clean silhouette is a huge win, so don’t be afraid to wear dresses that are not too busy with prints and patterns.
Avoid boxy and straight-cut styles that draw attention to your shoulders without flattering your curves. Instead, you’ll be better off with clothing styles that have dark belts and accentuate your waistline. This is what you need to balance your body proportions.
What to avoid
You can stand out beautifully in various styles of dresses apart from the bodycon dress. At first glance, it’s easy to think that bodycon dresses are great for the hourglass body shape as they will be tight-fitting on your curves and show them more. However, this also means that they will reveal every bump and muffin top on your body mercilessly. It’s also worth mentioning that this can be uncomfortable to walk around in.
Another dress style that’s not flattering for the hourglass body type is those that are too long. The key is to strike a balance with a moderate length that shows off your legs without impeding your movement.
Found something that appeals to your body type? It’s time to upgrade your wardrobe so you’re ready to stand out beautifully at your next big event. These dresses have all been proven to flatter each unique body type, so you’re in for an amazing ride.
