Dresses 101: A Comprehensive Guide to the Different Kinds of Dresses ✿
What you wear can change not just the way you look, but also the way you feel about yourself.
Notice how wearing a flouncy summer dress can make you feel all vibrant and cheery. Donning a maxi dress, on the other hand, can make you feel sophisticated without going overboard. On lazy days when dressing up isn’t a priority, you slip into a shift dress and instantly feel more relaxed.
Sometimes, what you wear even has the power to dictate how your day will turn out. A tailored power outfit, for example, can give you the confidence you need to ace an important presentation. Wear a dress in an uncomfortable length, and you might end up feeling agitated from all the tugging that ensued throughout the day.
Ultimately, the right dress transforms your entire aesthetic. An ill-fitting dress that is loose or tight in all the wrong places can drag you all the way down on the hot chick meter, and a shapeless dress can make you look a tad drab. On the other hand, if a dress fits your body type well, it accentuates your best assets and makes you stand out.
While dressing up is fun and exciting for fashion-conscious girls, it can easily get confusing, with the many different styles out there. How, then, do you pick the style that flatters your body?
Here’s a comprehensive guide to various dress types, to help you find the one that will look most flattering on you:
Bodycon Dress
A body conscious or bodycon dress is an extremely tight-fitting dress. It usually has stretch materials like spandex woven into the fabric.
Make sure you are extremely proud of your body shape if you decide to wear a bodycon. If you have cellulite here and there or are bony, then we suggest you stay clear of this style.
Mini Dress
The hemline of a mini dress is 4 inches above the knee. The dress can be loose-fitted, bottom-flared, or tight. It works wonders on petite women as the short length accentuates their legs, giving the illusion of height. If you are heavy-bottomed, however, give this dress a miss.
Midi Dress
A midi dress is mid-calf length; hence, the term ‘midi.’
This dress, too, comes in a number of styles. If your body is hourglass-shaped, opt for a midi dress with a belt, which accentuates your slender waist. If you have a pear-shaped body, then go for an ‘A’ line midi instead, which fits at the top and flows at the bottom.
Wrap Dress
As the name suggests, this dress needs to be wrapped around your body. You have to wrap one side over the other and fasten it with the ties on the dress itself.
This dress creates a deep ‘V’ neck. So if you are busty and want to avoid too much exposure of your “girls,” then don’t even think of this dress. Other than that, the dress works well on most body shapes. Just keep in mind, it doesn’t hide any flaws; it shows your body the way it is.
Sheath Dress
This dress is designed to fit closely to your body. It is usually slightly above the knee but not too short. A classic sheath dress can look very elegant when worn well.
Women of various body shapes can wear it. For an hourglass figure, try and find a dress that draws attention to your waist. For pear shapes, go for a dress with a straight bottom and avoid the tapered ones.
Empire-Waist Dress
This type of dress has a fitted bodice that ends just below the bust line, which gives the wearer a high waisted appearance. From where the bodice ends, a gathered lower part that is loose begins. Today, you’ll find that this dress comes in various lengths.
Because of the lifted waistline, it looks beautiful on people with a non-defined small waist. Also, shorter women can look taller in this dress because of that same feature. And if you have a flabby stomach, this type of dress will hide it.
Peplum Dress
A peplum dress is one where there is a piece of short ruffled and flared fabric around the waist, which gives the dress a tutu-like appearance.
Surprisingly, peplum dresses help to balance the body shape of women who have narrow shoulders and a heavy bottom while they also make a tall, slender woman look curvy and fabulous.
Maxi Dress
This one is a wonder dress. It is either floor-length or ankle-length and looks fab on all body types.
Heavy bottomed ladies go for a loose dress that perfectly hides those thunder thighs and big backside. If you have gorgeous legs that you want to show off, go for a maxi with a long slit across the side.
Heavy-busted girls, opt for a maxi with a bodice that frames the figure beautifully. Ladies with an hourglass figure go for a dress that cinches around the waist, defining it. And lastly, if you want to show off your curves, go for a maxi that gives you a bodycon fit.
Academy Award-winning costume designer Edith Head said, “You can have anything in life if you dress for it,” and I couldn’t agree more. Find the dress that makes you feel like a winner, and conquer life’s challenges in them.
