What flatters all?
Though many brides are allowing their bridesmaids to choose their own dresses, uniformity still rules in the world of bridal attendants. So I decided to do my part to help brides everywhere choose a dress style that is universally flattering. To that end, I had a look at what dress designers believe is flattering to all.
Aria Bridesmaids says, ” The A-line dresses are more universally flattering for a variety of body types.” I must heartily concur.
Thread Bridesmaid and Simply Chic sing the praises of “the universally flattering Empire waist.” Ooh. Let me disagree here. As a busty gal, I can say without question that empire waists make generously endowed ladies look preggers.
CyberGown calls “the universally flattering halter neck” one of this season’s top trends. Alrighty. But the gown to which this text refers looks like first-stage stripper garb.
Jane Wilson-Marquis states that the bridesmaid dress below has a “universally flattering design” which “features a high waist and almost straight skirt.”
I love that fabric–it’s my favorite!–but am not sure I agree that the cut would flatter everyone. What about those of us who would rather cover our arms? Or those with bums they’d rather camouflage?
Ladies? Would you call this dress (which is available in 90 colors of gorgeous shimmering silk dupioni) universally flattering?
Eh, it wouldn’t be flattering for me–particularly if I had to walk any distance in it. I’m a clutz, and with a skirt that long and narrow, I imagine I’d be eating dirt at some point. I like this one:
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod71426561&catId=cat105180
With a pretty beaded cardigan, perhaps, for those who don’t choose to display their arms?
Um, anything a busty gal can’t wear a bra with is not going to be flattering – and strapless bras don’t exist for many of us. Not to mention the arm thing – Yeah. I couldn’t go near that dress.
On the other hand, I love an Empire waist, because it hides a lot of chubs below the bust, and draws all the attention up to my (still fat, but) pretty face and lovely cleavage. I’d rather look a little preggers than lumpy and sausage-y, but your mileage may vary.
Ooh, that is soooooo pretty, Julia!
Bacon’s Mom: You’ve got a real point there–I’ve encountered many a dress that fit me fine except in the bust area. I’ve had to buy dresses sizes too big and had them altered down in order to get a fit.
I think a lot of designers, when they say ‘universally flattering’ actually mean ‘flattering to the majority of women who are proportioned like fashion models and wear something no larger than a size 12.’ I don’t think there really is one single style that flatters every shape.
An A-line or a dress with a slightly – note the *slightly* – elevated waistline with a slightly to moderately full skirt is good for a broad range of body shapes, whether Reubenesque, extremely slender, tall, short, perfectly proportioned, busty, or hippy. They aren’t ideal for everyone, but most women can wear one or the other without looking horrible, at the very least.
I defniitely agree that women with heavy upper arms or very large bustlines need more coverage on top than others might. Busty gals need to wear bras and speaking as a woman with heavy upper arms I prefer not to show them off to the world. Then again, I tended to prefer to cover up a bit even when I was thin!
Luckily every wedding I’ve been in the bride has preferred a covered-up look, too.
No dress that’s strapless or with spaghetti straps is universally flattering. I’m busty, and although there are a surprising amount of strapless bras out there now, not everyone wants to wear one, or looks good in one. The fact that strapless bras in larger sizes exist doesn’t necessarily mean they’re flattering. I’d be uncomfortable with the amount of cleavage exposed in the dress you illustrate above. What’s wrong with sleeves? Or at least a tank style like the J Crew dress the poster cited above? At least you can get a bra under them. This is a lovely dress, and very flattering:
http://www.jcrew.com/catalog/product.jhtml?id=prod62983561
A friend of mine got married in the long ivory version. A double V-neck is my vote for “universally flattering” neckline.
Universally flattering? No. Classic style? Yes.
That dress would not work on me – I’m pretty sure it would require a lot of padding to keep me from looking like a pancake. No thanks.
Dupioni silk looked a lot better on the hanger than it did on one of my bridesmaids.
One of my bridesmaids, actually, is going with a strapless dress but generally likes to cover her upper arms — she said something during the fitting about getting a shawl but didn’t mention it later, so I went ahead and placed the order without one.
(Lingerie straps)++
I think you’re right, Pencils, about that double V-neck! Provided there is enough space for what you’ve got or enough coverage to cover what you haven’t got.
When my sister got married, she found a dress that some bridal magazine swore was universally flattering. What that meant was “universally okay-looking.” None of us looked truly awful, but it just wasn’t a very pretty dress. I’m getting married next year, and three of my bridesmaids are VERY busty, so I need to find something with straps.
I agree with NtB that A-lines are, in fact, flattering to most figures. I think this one is very pretty:
http://www.jimhjelmoccasions.com/dress_db_occ/display_dress.php?imageno=5671&multimatch=x
wrt the J.Crew dress…I tried on a few of the dresses from their new(ish) formal line and the fit is truly wacky. The styles I tried were cut for someone with a big rib cage and a small chest, and there was no way to wear even a strapless bra under them. Lovely on the hanger, but would have needed a *ton* of alterations.
As a hobby seamstress I object to the horizontal orientation of the weave of the fabric. As subtle as it happens to be in that case (and don’t get me wrong, I LURVE dupioni), pretty much the first rule of flattering style is to limit horizontal lines unless one is specifically looking to *accentuate* a horizontal plane.
Oh, and the boxy neckline looks more like an easter dress for a 7 year old. Scale that down to flower girl size and you have a winner, but I know I would be less then thrilled at how that looked on me.
So not only would the fabric subtly acccentuate any extra weight, but the overall horizontal pattern in concert with the very horizontal bustline and the empire waist detail would chop someone of my prodigious 5’2″ into several very short boxes. On a shapeless mannequin horizontal lines are just dandy, but on a real person with possible concerns about their appearance? Not particularly universal I’d say.
I’m wondering about an extreme pear-shape, too. I’ve always been extremely flat-chested with hefty child-bearing hips (thanks to my hearty pioneer ancestry). I can just see my saddle-bags straining the side-seams, while my push-up bra fails to plausibly fill in the top. I wish they made corsets for your hips…
Here here on the empire waist boob yuk-ed-ness. Preggers indeed. Too true too true
And Eeesh! The halter strippagram! In Jazzercise lime!
AS for Dupion Silk-That’s what my bridemaids are wearing! Yay! The girls tried on a taffeta dress (for look only) and my mum said she thought they all sounded like a heard of elephants when they walked Lol.
Universally flattering though? I can’t say I agree, my girls all have boobs and hips and this straight skirt would look awful. I know, because the biggest girl tried one on and we were SO glad we didn’t go down that road.
As a busty gal, I can’t wear *anything* with spaghetti straps. So I have to go with “no, not flattering” because mine would fall down, and that’s definitely not my best look.
JR: What I liked most about the dress you linked to was the fact that the straps look substantial.
sterlingspider: Good to know, good to know. I wasn’t aware that that level of horizontal-ness would still emphasize the dreaded horizontal plane!
Universally flattering, yes! Screw the flabby arms, screw the padded bra, and screw the sweaters! This dress is beautiful and elegant and would look great on anyone if they wore it correctly and by correctly I mean with an elegant set of pearls. They are beautiful and will compliment any classy dress. I was just looking on pearlsofjoy.com and saw that they had great sets of Black Pearls for a fantastic price! Wear that dress with a great set of pearls and no one will be looking anywhere else but your neck! Wear it with pride ladies and accessorize well!
Why has no one mentioned the flourescent green stripper dress? I clicked on that linky and out of my mouth came “oh my god!” – it’s awful, AWFUL.
Agreed: no one with boobs can wear a straight-cut silk dress with spaghetti straps.