Have you ever attended a wedding and thought that the bride's dress is absolutely perfect for her? I know I have, so today (or tonight, as it were) I'm going highlight the six basic wedding dress silhouettes and tell you which body types they best flatter.
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1. A-line
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The a-line wedding dress is a very traditional look and, in my opinion, this silhouette flatters essentially every body type. An a-line dress will cinch at your natural waist and create a flattering hourglass shape by flowing away from the body. Girls who are, how to put this delicately, well-endowed upstairs should be cautious when looking at particular a-lines, because some (not all!) of them tend to be more fitted in the bust area. A lot of girls opt for the a-line because it is beautiful, yet simple.
2. Trumpet/Mermaid
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The trumpet silhouette seems to be really popular these days and, if you ask me, it takes a very brave girl to choose it for her wedding day simple because of how fitted it is in the tummy, hips, and butt. This silhouette is very fitted from the bust all the way down to the knees where it flares out dramatically to look like a mermaid (or trumpet). The trumpet silhouette looks best on tall women or women with a defined hourglass shape.
3. Sheath
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Ahh, sheath. My worst enemy. ;) The sheath silhouette is a foxy style, straight-down dress which is fitted from shoulder to ankle. This dress looks best on tall or short women who are fairly straight down or who have a defined hourglass shape.
4. Ball Gown
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The ball gown silhouette - or Disney Princess look, as I call it, is an attention-grabbing, Cinderella-esque sort of dress which can be very hard or very easy to pull off. A ball gown silhouette will be fitted in the bodice and then sort of explode into an array of lace and beans and glass slipper confetti after the waist. It looks good on tall girls who are more bottom heavy than top. Shorter girls with fairly proportional bodies (that is, the top half of their body is somewhat proportional to the bottom half of their body) have the tendency to become lost in this sort of dress.
5. Short
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Short dresses are not quite a silhouette but I really wanted to touch on them because they seem to be gaining more and more popularity as vintage clothing has become a bigger trend recently. Short wedding dresses can be absolutely fitting, but be careful and think about whether or not a short dress will fit your wedding. For instance, if your groom is in a full tux with tails, and the venue is in a swanky country club and your guests were given the option of tilapia or filet mignon, a short dress may not fit your wedding's style. Now, of course, it is your wedding and you get to do whatever you want, but I've found that shorter dresses tend to look best in less formal ceremonies (i.e., outside, small church, summery reception). Short dresses can be flattering to all body shapes and can be as short as the knee or go as long as your calves. Short dresses are sometimes more appealing to the women who really want to show off their shoes.
6. Empire
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The empire waist is a tricky silhouette to pull off. It cinches right below the bust and is then straight the rest of the way down. It looks good on distinctly large or small women, but if you're somewhere in the middle, you risk looking heavier than you actually are. If you happened to be around for the "babydoll" shirts craze and hated the way they made you look as though you were carrying a baby, the empire waist may not be for you.
There you have it. The six basic wedding dress silhouettes. Now, here's my spiel: If you are shopping for a wedding dress, do NOT limit yourself to one type of silhouette simply because you think you don't have the right body shape. A lot of the times, when we analyze what face or body shape we have, we're totally wrong! For the longest time, I though I had a heart-shaped face (because that's what I thought I saw when I looked in the mirror) and I would choose my haircuts and hairstyles based on that. I voiced what I thought my face shape was to my stylist one day and she told me that I actually have an oval-shaped face.
All that to say, don't be afraid to try on different silhouettes because not all bodies are the same and even though you might technically be hourglass shaped, you might could still totally rock a sheath silhouette. You never know until you try!
I hope this little intro to wedding dresses was helpful!
Til next time!
M
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