The Secret of Dressing Your Body Type

The Secret of Dressing
Your Body Type
By Angela Fiebelkorn
The Secret of Dressing Your Body Type
By Angela Fiebelkorn
This .pdf edition published on www.theweddingexpert.ca, 2009
Republished on www.mydreamwedding.ca 2009
Republished on www.canadianbridal.ca 2009
Republished on www.wedding-favours.ca 2009
A portion of this work was first published in 2008 on www.theweddingexpert.ca
Copyright © Angela Fiebelkorn, 2009.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part
of this publication may be reproduced, stored or introduced into a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Use of this document on a non-commercial, no-charge basis is allowed on internet blogs
as long as full credit is given to the author with a link to www.theweddingexpert.ca. All
other uses must be approved in writing by Angela Fiebelkorn, Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada. Please contact by email at customerservice@theweddingexpert.ca.
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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The Secret of Dressing Your Body Type
You are getting married. You are excited. You dream about looking beautiful as you walk
down the aisle. It’s all about The Dress. But as you inspect your dream to see what you
are wearing, it kind of fades away. What will you wear and how will you choose your
wedding gown?
There are thousands of websites with many wedding dress designs. There are hundreds
of bridal magazines full of thousands of wedding dresses. How do you choose?
Define Your Shape
The first thing to consider is your body shape. Are you an hourglass? A spoon? A ruler?
A cone? Your body shape will not change if you are planning to ‘lose weight’ before
your wedding day. You will only be a size or two smaller in the same body shape.
Consider: What style dresses do you look best in now? What necklines suit you best?
What skirts do you look best in? What style clothing works best with your upper torso
(neck to waist)? or your lower torso (waist to feet)?
Creating Balance
When wearing a gown, you want to have balance
between your upper and lower torso. If the upper torso
is larger than the lower torso, you want to elongate the
upper torso. You do this through the neckline (V as
opposed to box-neck), the bodice style (a vertical
design), and possibly through a drop waist in the skirt.
Your lower torso would best be served through a
fuller skirt, bringing more width to the lower half of
your body.
If your lower torso is larger than the upper torso, you
want to broaden the upper torso through a wider
neckline, or off the shoulder style bodice. The bodice
itself can have a style and embellishments that "fill
up" the space of your upper body. Your skirt should
skim the hips comfortably, and drape straight down to
give your lower half a more slender look.
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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An Hourglass Figure
An hourglass figured woman has a bust, defined waist, curvy hips and shapely legs. Her
bone structure is small, and sometimes she has a big buttock. This type has curves, so it is
best to show them off. Because of the defined waist of this body type, choose a wedding
dress style that draws attention to the waist. Your dress should be semi-fitted (as opposed
to too tight or too baggy). An A-line dress with (or without) a dropped waist would suit
and hourglass figure beautifully. A more dramatic style would be a mermaid or trumpet
style dress. A sweetheart neckline would show off the bust very nicely. DON’T: a ball
gown or empire-waist.
Maggie Sottero Wedding Dress ‘Patience’
•
Strapless bodice
•
Sweetheart neckline
•
Defined waist
•
A-line skirt with train
This dress suits an hourglass figured woman.
Notice the bodice---semi-fitted with ruching to
disguise any imperfections in the body shape.
The defined waist shows off the curves in this
style. The A-line skirt maintains the balance
between the upper and lower torso.
Sottero and Midgley Wedding Dress
VSM7009
•
Spaghetti shoulder straps
•
Fitted bodice
•
Dropped waist
This dress also suits an hourglass figured
woman. Note the dropped waist on this dress
that works to show off the curves—classic
styling for an hourglass figure. The upper and
lower torso is balanced.
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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Maggie Sottero Wedding Dress Ashtyn
•
Sweetheart neckline
•
Fitted waist
•
Trumpet or mermaid skirt
The hourglass figure has curves, and it suits this body
type to show off those curves.
The key thing to remember is that the upper and lower
torso must look balanced. You can also choose to have
sleeves, but ensure they keep the look balanced.
A Spoon (Pear) Shaped Figure
A spoon shape figured woman is small and slender through the neck, shoulders and bust,
has a shapely waist, and is fuller in the lower hips and thighs. When choosing a wedding
gown, you want a full skirt that de-emphasizes your hips, and a semi-fitted or tailored
bodice that shows off your small top-half. The neckline can be wider to help broaden
your shoulders and bring balance to the full skirt. A basque waist, strapless ball gown, or
an empire waist dress style is the best bet for a spoon shaped figure. DON’T: mermaid or
trumpet style dress.
Bonny Essence Bridal Gown 8803
•
Fitted bodice
•
Sweetheart neckline
•
Ball gown skirt
•
Pickup overlay over the ball gown skirt
The pear shaped bride wants to show off the upper
torso and her shapely waist. The full skirt deemphasizes her larger hips.
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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Maggie Sottero Wedding Dress
Benecia
•
Fitted bodice
•
Basque waist
•
Full skirt
The pear-shaped bride has a smaller top
and a larger lower torso. The fitted
bodice shows off the upper torso giving
it a wider look, and the basque waist
flatters the hips. The full skirt takes
emphasis away from the lower torso.
Bonny Bridal Gown 719
•
Fitted bodice
•
Wide neckline
•
Empire waist
•
Full skirt
This dress has the fitted bodice and the bare
shoulders gives a wider look to the upper torso.
The empire waist brings the attention to the upper
torso, and the full skirt flairs out over the hips to
give a smooth balanced look.
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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Ruler (Straight) Shaped Figure
A ruler shaped woman has an upper and lower torso that is equal in width. She has an
average bust, an undefined waist, a flat buttock, and slender legs. When choosing a
wedding gown, you want to aim for lengthening your upper torso. This can be done
through a neckline that falls below your collarbone to help elongate the neck, or by
having a drop waist skirt. Your skirt is best in a straight style, as it will slenderize your
look. Avoid gathered or pleated fabric at the waist. An empire waist gown will give you a
long, lean look. DON’T: Princess line, or basque waist will draw too much attention to
the waist.
Maggie Sottero Wedding Dress Erin
•
V neckline to elongate the upper torso
•
Wrap bodice ending at the drop waist
elongates the upper torso
•
Straight skirt style to accentuate the
slender body shape
This dress works really well to elongate the
upper torso while maintaining slender but
shapely body image.
Destinations by Maggie Sottero Wedding Dress SD3008
•
Plunging neckline elongates the upper torso
•
Empire waist with the straight skirt emphasizes the
long lean look that works beautifully with this body
shape.
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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A Cone (Inverted triangle) Shaped Figure
A cone shaped woman has a broader top and a narrower bottom. Broad shoulders, a
medium bust, an average waist, narrow hips, and shapely long legs are all attributes of the
cone shaped figure. When choosing a wedding gown, you want to aim for balancing out
your top and bottom halves. Choose a full skirt to balance the width of your shoulder.
Your neckline should elongate you, like a deep V-neck. You don’t want a neckline that
makes your shoulders look broader, and you must stay away from off the shoulder style
bodices. The bodice style and neckline should both work to elongate your upper torso,
with a vertical style. A ball gown style, or an A-line silhouette would both look great on
this figure. DON’T: Sheath style dress, spaghetti straps.
Raylia Wedding Dress "Hope" W7429HC
•
Plunging V neckline and bodice elongates the
upper torso
•
Halter style pulls the eye to give the illusion of
narrow shoulders
•
A-line skirt continues the long, lean look
Maggie Sottero Wedding Dress Sinatra Marie
•
Deep V neckline to elongate the upper
torso
•
Ball gown style skirt to balance the wider
upper torso
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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Wedding Veils
Wedding veils comes in many styles and types. There are no hard and fast rules about
the type of wedding veil you should have, just some practical tips. If your wedding gown
is elaborate, have a simple veil so it doesn’t compete. If the back of your wedding dress
is elaborate, you might choose a sheer veil so the details of the dress can be seen. If the
back of your wedding dress is simple in its style, dress it up with a more elaborate
wedding veil.
You can wear your wedding veil with or without a tiara or headpiece. Again, think about
how simple or elaborate your gown is, and choose something that fits in without
competing for the eye. A simple headband would work with an elaborate gown, while a
more dramatic tiara would work with a simple wedding gown style---as long as it isn’t
too over-the-top. The most important thing is to choose something that suits your style,
and expresses your personality.
Conclusion
When you look at bridal magazines, analyze
the wedding gown styles. Using the above
guidelines, look at how the designers use these
techniques to achieve the results they do.
Always strive for a balanced look between
your upper and lower torso in all the clothing
that you wear.
Look at the bridal jewellery the models are
wearing. Are they wearing necklaces, tiaras,
bracelets, or earrings? Do certain styles of
dress tend to have certain kinds of bridal
jewellery? Once you have educated yourself
on dress styles and jewellery, you are ready to
go out and start shopping for your own
wedding dress and bridal jewellery.
If you find you have questions, feel free to
visit www.theweddingexpert.ca or
www.mydreamwedding.ca and I will do my
best to answer them.
---Angela Fiebelkorn
Casablanca Bridal Gown 1756
©2009, Angela Fiebelkorn
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