Best holiday dresses for your shape

Although the standard LBD shift is the standard go-to dress for every gal’s shape, there were a plethora of beautiful frocks on the catwalk to draw inspiration from. Look to following styles and details to suit your shape:

Apple (slightly fuller through the tummy)

Photo by Anthea Simms

Choose styles that have ruching or gathers through the midsection work to conceal and camouflage the area. Smallish patterns and prints also help to distract the eye from the midsection. Wrap dresses are ideal as they have folds to conceal your tummy and draws focus to the chest whereas a low-slung waist will focus on the hip area.

Boyish (no curves)

Photo by Anthea Simms

Try to create the illusion of curves with details like ruffles, embellishment and extra layers which adds to a fuller shape. Sexy body hugging numbers will work for small to average height frames to create curves, a taller figure should avoid this style. Fuller skirts on taller figures will make the body appear more feminine- make sure they fall below the knee so they don’t look like a tutu.

Curvy (bigger chest and hips and small throughout the waist)

Photo by Anthea Simms

Accentuate your curves- don’t conceal them! Draw attention to your chest and waist with anything that has a plunging or sweetheart neckline, it will make the neck look extra long and enhance the chest area. Wrap bodices work to enhance your curves by lifting and separating the chest. Sexy body hugging scoop neck dresses with snug waistlines are a great choice. Avoid anything that is covered up and baggy- you end up looking like a barrel.

Petite (smallish frame)

Photo by Anthea Simms

The biggest challenge for smaller frames is to find chic dresses that don’t look like Barbie clothes. Look for pieces that have sophisticated patterning and details within a style that draws attention to the waist to create a more womanly silhouette. A longer length will make the body appear tall and lean whereas colour blocking helps create the illusion of a top, middle and half.

Pear (bigger through the hips)

Photo by Anthea Simms

Go for anything that has an A-line skirt, it will conceal the actual width of the hips and make your legs look slim. Look for volume and details in the bodice to balance out the lower half such as dolman sleeves, embellishment, and shoulder baring styles. Avoid sleek form-fitting shapes; they’ll only draw attention to your lower half.

Originally published on FLARE