No matter what your weight, you deserve to look beautiful in dresses. Sometimes, creating a flattering look is about smoke and mirrors. Dresses should draw attention to the best part of you and cover the parts of you that you like least. Regardless of your body type and the dress you choose, make sure you choose the proper fit and wear undergarments that flatter.
Wrap Dress
Fashionistas and stylists agree that the wrap dress is universally flattering. Introduced by Diane von Furstenberg in 1972, the wrap dress is usually made in a lightweight knit print. It wraps around your waist, highlighting the smallest part of your shape. It also creates an automatic V-neck. A wrap dress with an A-line skirt gives the illusion of an hourglass figure. Select a small print, which is more slimming than a large print.
Dresses With an Empire Waist
An empire waist creates a line right under the bust, an area that is usually a slim part of your torso. Drawing the eye to a small part of your body will make you look slimmer. The empire waist will also draw the eye up toward the bust. Pairing the dress with eye-catching jewelry will draw attention to your neckline, too. You can find a dress with an empire waist with an A-line skirt or a pencil skirt that skims the hips instead of flaring out.
Dresses with Ruching
Ruching is a gather of fabric. You can choose a dress that is ruched from top to bottom, or you can choose ruching for the waist. It may seem counter-intuitive to wear a dress with gathered folds of fabric, but many figures are flattered by ruching that draws the eye toward the center of the body or toward a narrow part of the body. Ruching may also have the effect of concealing figure details behind the fabric.
Sheath Dress
Although you may think that a bigger dress will hide your body, it just makes you look heavier. The sheath dress skims your body and accentuates your curves. The sheath can be paired with a long jacket to camouflage wide hips. Or pair your sheath with a wide belt to further accentuate your waistline. Don’t be afraid to choose color when buying a sheath dress. Instead of basic black, a pastel or jewel tone that flatters your complexion will put the emphasis on your face.
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Writer Bio
Wanda Starr has been writing professionally since 2001. She has years of experience writing marketing and organizational items for companies and nonprofit organizations in the areas of health, fitness, education, business and travel. Starr holds a Bachelor of Science in marketing from the University of Maryland at College Park.