How to fit a dress to your figure?

Every woman sometimes has problems with finding the right dress. In the fitting room it turns out that only a small part of the model lies as it does on the mannequin. What is it all about? Not all styles are right for you.

5 types of women’s silhouettes

There are 5 basic body types: hourglass, triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle and apple.

The picture above perfectly illustrates their characteristics. Let’s take a look at each type separately, emphasizing what cuts look best on each silhouette.

Hourglass

According to most people, this is the ideal figure. Its owners have practically equal sizes of bust and hips, and a well-defined narrow waist. Although we associate hourglass figure with a shapely, slender figure, full-figured women do not exclude belonging to this category. Hourglass shaped women maintain proportions typical for this type of figure. Fat on their body is deposited evenly, mainly in the breasts and buttocks.

What should hourglass-shaped women wear? Actually everything! But there are some recommendations, so as not to lose the advantages of your figure. If you recognize yourself as an hourglass:

• choose cuts that emphasize your waist. As long as you don’t have too much curves, you can also wear tight-fitting models;
• the best choice is a pencil dress that emphasizes your beautiful waist. You can choose the front cut-out of your choice. If you’re full-figured, go for trapeze-shaped models with a body-hugging top. A loose fit from the waist down will help you conceal small curves;
• slim hourglass women also look great in envelope dresses;
• Shirt dresses also enhance your gracefulness. Choose from straight or flared styles. The most important thing is to emphasize your waistline, which you can do with a narrow belt;
• women with an hourglass figure can experiment with ruffles and creases, only without fanaticism;
• an excellent option for ladies who appreciate lightness and freedom will be dresses with a flared bottom and a close-fitting top.

Triangle

Ladies with a triangle or pear figure have narrow shoulders and a small bust, a large waistline, as well as a wide pelvis and full hips.

When choosing a dress, women with this type of figure should pay special attention to the shoulders and bust. Exposing the upper body will draw attention away from overly wide lower parts. If you are a triangle, you should wear dresses:

• with exposed shoulders – models with thin straps and exposed neckline will work. Such dresses will emphasize breasts and optically broaden your shoulders;
• shirt dresses – choose casual cut and be sure to emphasize the waist with a belt;
• empire style, i.e. models cut off just under the bust – the best are dresses in Greek style reaching the length to the floor and with deep necklines;
• trapeze-shaped, which hide wide hips under folds, accentuating only the bust and shoulders;
• tight and black – as we know, black color slenderizes, so hips will not look too wide in such a dress. And if you choose a model with a sufficiently exposed top, you will also expose the bust and shoulders;
• retro styles, such as those with a corset, wide bottom and a belt;
• with a bell-shaped bottom. Here again, models should be cut just below the bust.

Inverted triangle

Women with this type of figure must be very careful when choosing a dress. Inverted triangles have broad shoulders, narrow hips, slim waist and long legs. This figure type is also characterized by a medium to large bust and a small difference between the waist and hips. What dresses are suitable for an inverted triangle? Women built this way must set themselves the goal of balancing the proportions of the figure. This means the optical enlargement of the hips. To achieve this goal will help dresses, the bottom of which is arranged in the cut of a trapeze, tulip or umbrella, as well as pleated and flounced dresses that will add the desired volume to the hips. Another way to tame the figure will be:

• dresses with a basque slightly below the waist, which will add volume to the hips, balancing the top;
• dresses with long sleeves or ¾ sleeves. Short sleeves should be avoided so as not to further expose the shoulders.

Rectangle

Women with a figure type resembling a rectangle have similar bust, waist and hip circumferences. A rectangle is characterized by a lack of a waistline and fairly narrow hips. If you are a rectangle, you are faced with a large choice of dress styles:

• with an inflated waist – such dresses will lift and emphasize the bust, as well as hide the waist under folds of fabric;
• pencil dresses – except for tight and too-fitted cuts. Opt for a simple cut;
• envelope-shaped – they will give your silhouette softness and femininity, emphasize your waist and give you charm;
• tunic and trapeze dresses – if you choose models with tight tops, you will draw attention away from your waist and emphasize your bust.

Apple

Many believe that the apple shape is very awkward. Nothing could be further from the truth! With the right choice of dress cut, cut, and color you can look as beautiful as a classic hourglass. The apple figure is characterized by a little visible waist and often protruding belly, equal size of bust and hips and slender legs.

This silhouette looks quite hard, so when choosing a dress you should try to hide the imperfections, optically pull out the silhouette and give it a more feminine, refined look. The following styles of dresses will help you do this:

• pencil dresses with a simple, raw cut, without sleeves;
• trapeze styles that will slim you down and hide all your imperfections. Prerequisite: choose dresses with slimmer waist and more flared bottom;
• with an inflated waist (often cut below the bust) – they will camouflage the unnecessary centimeters in the stomach circumference and expose the bust;
• airy shirt dresses combined with a wide belt or thong;
• with a straight cut, hiding the roundness in the stomach area and slimming the silhouette;
• envelope dresses – except for too tight cuts;
• flared corset dresses reaching to the knees – if you dream of an hourglass figure;
• tulip-shaped bottoms-enhance your figure if the top of the dress is fitted at the waist.

As you can see, choosing the perfect dress is a fully achievable goal. You just need to determine your figure type and follow the recommendations. Of course, the cut is not the only thing you should pay attention to when looking for the right dress. You should also be interested in the type of fabric and its color. But that’s already material for another article.

Photo by Christian Vierig/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images