In theory, dress shopping is a doddle. You walk into a shop (or go online), pick a dress in a gorgeous colour or pattern that appeals to you, find your size and dance out the door. If only it were the easy. The truth is, finding a dress that was practically made for you is all about embracing your body type and celebrating your favourite features.
And for a lot of us, that’s not always so easy. With this in mind, Style Doctors CEO and stylist Elin Mai set herself the challenge of selecting 3 dresses (online, no trying before she’s buying for this feature) that would suit as many different body shapes as possible.
Shopping online isn’t easy unless you know what you’re doing. Shopping for a dress online is a whole other ball game
Will it fit your top half as well as it does your bottom half? Might the colour look the same in ‘real-life’? Will the fabric work with your body-type?
The key to successful online shopping is that you must understand your body (what does and doesn’t work), what colours best suit you and how fabrics lie on your body. The next thing is to understand brand sizing. These dresses are all from Zara but not in the same size. No, I didn’t order three of each, just one of each as I took into consideration all of the above points (I’m a stylist, so that helps).
The Faux Leather
I was immediately drawn to the colour of this dress. This tangerine colour is a shade we never see yet its such an uplifting and inviting colour. The next thing was the fabric. I have a love affair with anything shiny so this faux leather fabric was a draw. Then, and the most important factors was the silhouette. The deep v neck helps draw the eye down away from my shoulders and create more of a focus on my waist. Next, the puff sleeves make my waist appear smaller (it’s all about proportions). Next, the gathers and waist tie to enhance a non-existent waist.
The gathers on this dress are perfectly placed to enhance curves already there or to add the illusion of curves where they don’t exist
Style it again: This can be styled as it is, with a contrast belt, with a top underneath and even open as a jacket.
Would suit: Rectangle and Hourglass body shapes.
Sizing: True to size.
The Dress Edit Video
The Floral Dress
I’m not a floral person but this subtle Lilly print caught my eye especially on this metallic olive colour. What I like about this dress in particular is the fact that it’s so fuss-free. It has no zip, no button, just some elastic around the waist. It’s in a silk-like fabric and feels easy to wear and could work just as well for a wedding as it would a picnic.
Style it again: It’s very low so I recommend a camisole underneath in summer and in winter, you could even style with a roll neck and some tights.
Would suit: Pear, rectangle, hourglass and apple (inverted triangle) body shapes.
Sizing: True to size.
The Shirt Dress
Again, I’m not a shirt dress type of person but the bell sleeve and high waist on this dress made me want to showcase it. The sleeves are such a great shape that the exaggerated shape makes my waist appear smaller (I have no waist by the way). The great thing I like about this is that even though it’s maxi length, it works with flats as the waist is so high.
When the waist is as high as this, it immediately makes your legs appear longer.
Would suit: Pear, rectangle, hourglass body shapes.
Style it again: Worn open as a jacket with jeans, with a contrast belt.
Sizing: True to size.
The dress is such an impactful item of clothing that can be worn for almost any occasion. From weddings, to work, to summer days and winter nights, this one item is as useful an item of clothing as any. A well-selected dress can help to accentuate your best features and detract away from any features you don’t want to focus on!
Happy dress styling!
