HELP! I CAN’T
FIND THE RIGHT WEDDING DRESS TO SUIT MY FIGURE
What do you do when you’ve tried on many
wedding dresses, but can’t seem to find
“The One”? If you’re tall
and slim, well you could wear just about anything,
and look great. It’s not so easy though
when you’re a bit shorter, hourglass shaped,
or even pear shaped. Not to mention being over
a size 16, now that’s a challenge.
The way to tackle this is by first establishing
the best silhouette for your figure. I will
outline the best design options for different
figure shapes, with the aim of helping brides
who are not a standard size (in my opinion,
that’s about 90% of us!)
Hourglass
shape:
This is where the bust and hips are in proportion,
and there is a defined waistline. Typically
a girl who is hourglass shaped is a size 14
or over, with a full bust and shapely hips.
Contrary to popular opinion, girls of this shape
are very often paranoid of their bust and would
love to reduce its size! Also of concern are
the shapely hips. Girls, I have great news for
you! The majority of styles look great on hourglass
figures, provided you stick to a few basic rules.
DO
wear strapless gowns, they look fantastic on
shapely girls! You will obviously need extra
support in the bust area, but it is worth the
effort. The best look is strapless at the neckline,
with an A-line skirt. Also a straight-through
gown is best, as opposed to a two-piece gown.
The two-piece will tend to cut you in half,
which can accentuate the hourglass shape.
If you’re not keen on strapless, a V-neckline
is extremely flattering on a full bust. The
V-shape should be fairly low (as low as you’re
comfortable with), as a higher neckline actually
makes the bust appear even bigger. A particularly
flattering look is an off-the-shoulder V-neckline.
A scooped, off-the-shoulder neckline is also
very appealing.
The best silhouette for the skirt of the dress
is A-line, and can be quite full. As for whether
you should have a train at the back or not,
that is a matter of choice.
The current styles which have lots of draping
or ruching on them, are an excellent choice
for an hourglass-shaped bride. Despite what
many may think, draping is very good at disguising
the not-so-good bits, which we all want to hide.
DON’T go for straight
or bias-cut designs! They are strictly for the
tall, slim, or generally size 10 girls. The
only case in which these designs would work
on an hourglass figure is if the girl is reasonably
tall. But on the whole, bias cuts are a no-no
for shapely girls. They are too clingy and will
only accentuate the parts that you would rather
hide.
Also, avoid gathered or pleated skirts, as they
add bulk around the hips.
Pear-shaped
figure:
Similar rules apply as the hourglass shape.
The idea here is to balance the top half with
the bottom half of the body.
DO wear strapless and A-line
gowns, as they are an excellent choice for a
pear-shaped girl. The off-the-shoulder scooped
or V-neckline is also a very good choice, with
an A-line skirt, as it helps to balance the
figure. Two-piece gowns are a good choice for
this figure shape, as the bust is smaller than
the hips. You can have quite an elaborate corset
bodice with an A-line skirt, and it creates
the illusion that the figure is in proportion.
I know this sounds odd, but it really works!
As with the hourglass figure shape, pear-shaped
girls can certainly wear gowns with draping
and ruching, provided it is with an A-line skirt
silhouette. The best draping option here is
diagonal draping as it is the most flattering.
Go for detailing in the bodice, as it will serve
as the focus of the dress.
DON’T choose straight
or bias-cut designs. They look awful on a pear-shaped
girl, no exceptions! Even tall pear-shaped girls
should steer clear of bias-cuts and straight
designs, as they simply cannot hide your hips.
Also, stay away from halter-neck gowns as this
design actually gives the appearance of even
bigger hips. Steer clear of full gathered or
pleated skirts as well, as this look adds bulk
to the hips.
The short,
petite bride:
If you’re shorter than 5’5”,
and quite petite as well, you have a different
set of challenges to deal with. Most people
may think you can look good in just about anything,
and you probably could. Your challenge is to
choose the design silhouette that will look
most flattering, given that you are small-framed.
DO wear off-the-shoulder gowns,
scooped necklines, shoestring straps, and A-line
skirt shapes. The best skirt shape is, in fact,
a slight A-line, not too full. If the skirt
is very full, you can almost look lost in the
dress. The exception to this is the Cinderella
gown, which is extremely full and can look very
romantic and stunning on some girls. But this
look isn’t for every petite bride. Being
petite does mean you may need some padding in
the bodice of the dress, to fill you out a bit.
You do have many design options that would suit
you, but beware of the ones that don’t
work.
DON’T choose slim, straight
gowns as you will disappear in them. If you
prefer a straighter look, a good option is the
mermaid skirt, which is fitted to the mid-thigh,
then flares out.
Bias-cuts may fit you OK, but could have the
effect of being too minimal as a wedding dress.
One option is to have a full cathedral length
veil, which acts as an addition to the dress.
This can serve to make you look more like a
bride! I find that many girls who are petite
and want a slim styled dress don’t want
a veil, but once they try one on, they fall
in love with the look it creates.
The larger
bride, over size 16: Girls
who are a size 16 or over will probably struggle
to find the perfect gown for them. To be quite
frank, most designers put such girls in the
“too hard” basket, and thus avoid
making gowns in larger sizes as much as possible.
It is a bit more challenging to find the right
style for you, but with the right guidelines,
you can truly look fabulous. You do need to
be realistic about what will work for you, and
realise that the size 10 model in the magazine
will look good in anything. So just picking
out a dress from a magazine that you love is
most likely not going to work for you.
The idea is to choose designs that flatter your
good bits, and hide your not-so-good bits. Here
are some suggestions.
DO choose designs with minimal
detailing, the less fuss the better. For example,
a scooped, off-the-shoulder neckline, fitted
to the hips with a slightly A-line skirt with
or without a train is an excellent choice for
a larger girl. You could have a V-neckline,
and sleeves if you prefer (I know larger girls
prefer some sort of sleeve, a small cap sleeve
is a nice look). Two-piece gowns are often a
good choice as well. But beware of the style
if choosing a two-piece.
The best option is to go for a fitted bodice
with some detailing on it, for example, light
beading, or a light all-over lace, and an A-line
skirt. Draped styles also look good, provided
the drapes are diagonal, not horizontal.
DON’T go for full gathered
or pleated skirts as it adds bulk to a larger
girl. Straight styles can look good on a larger
girl, provided she is reasonably tall. A short
size 18 girl would be best advised to avoid
straight styles though. Also strapless gowns
mostly don’t suit large girls as the shoulders
are usually sloped. If you have square-ish shoulders
though, you could select a strapless gown (I
know that most larger girls would never even
consider a strapless gown though!) The main
consideration with a strapless gown is the support
needed to keep it up, which generally means
it needs to be quite tight-fitting.
The best advice for larger girls is to choose
a fabric you love and go for a simple, uncomplicated
design. Choose nice trims or features to enrich
the gown without making it fussy. For example,
light beading on the neckline and hem; piping
trim on the neckline; buttons and loops at the
back; perhaps a contrasting fabric (like lace
or organza) on the train.
In conclusion, I believe that
every bride can and should look her best on
her wedding day. Many, many girls nowadays are
having their wedding gowns made, simply because
they cannot buy a dress off-the-rack to fit
or even suit them. Having your wedding dress
made is certainly the best way to go, if you
are not a standard size. Using these guidelines,
you can certainly make the most of your assets,
to ensure you look your absolute best on the
biggest day of your life, your wedding day.
