Dress to Impress This Holiday Season: How to Choose the Perfect Outfit

If you’ve been struggling to confidently select the perfect assortment of evening dresses for the holidays, it’s in your best interests to utilize the same approach employed by professional fashion advisors:

• Pinpoint your body type and shape classification.
• Ascertain your waist and bust measurements.
• Theorize the ideal outfit to account for your unique silhouette.
• Try on several party dresses and elegant dresses.
• Purchase two or three gowns that account for your distinctive profile and highlight your best features.

However, if you don’t know where to begin, feel free to use this brief article to help focus your train of thought and learn how to select the ideal collection of party dresses for the fast-approaching holiday season.

Regardless of whether you happen to be interested in high-end elegant dresses or something a bit more subdued, you’ll have to identify the parameters of your body type in order to properly channel your dress-shopping efforts. With this notion in mind, use the outline shown below to help isolate the ideal classification for your silhouette:

• Pear Shape: Pear-shaped women have to focus on creating a balance between their slim upper bodies and ample waists because the pear shape is expressed through hips that tend to be noticeably wider than the shoulders.

• Apple Shape or Wedge Shape: In stark contrast to the pear shape, apple-bodied ladies have to focus on elongating and extending the waist while emphasizing those long, luscious legs. It’s all about establishing a proportionate visage to account for shoulders that tend to be slightly broader than the waist, which is why apple-shaped women have to highlight the contrast between a longer lower half and compact upper body.

• Hourglass Shape or Athletic Build: If you’re one of the few who has been blessed with a skinny waist, moderate bust, and proportional hips and shoulders, you’ll be best served by opting for body-hugging cocktail dresses that don’t reveal too much flesh. Your naturally nimble silhouette will do all of the work for you!

After ascertaining your unique body type, you can turn your full attention towards finding the specific evening dresses that showcase your most desirable qualities:

• Empire: Empire-waist dresses tend to flow freely around the waistline and they are usually fitted through the bust area, which is why they are the perfect choice for apple-shaped body types with broad shoulders. Thus, if you opt for an empire style dress with a shorter skirt, you’ll be able to underscore your long, sexy legs while creating a desirable contrast between your shoulders and waist.
• A-Line: The A-line style is fitted to your natural waistline and these dresses tend to gradually flare out towards the stitching, which is why pear-shaped ladies live and die by A-line selections that feature wider hems; they provide a balanced appearance to account for narrow shoulders and wide hips. However, tighter-fitting iterations of the A-line style are usually the prime choice for hourglass shapes, which is why figure-hugging cocktail dresses are ideal for athletic builds with proportionate figures.
• Drop Waist: With a breezier, more carefree look, the drop-waist style can adhere to all body types and silhouettes. The drop waist hangs freely and avoids clinging to your curves but it tends to be less formal so you might want to add a nice jacket and some sexy shoes to tie the outfit together for a party.

Before long, you’ll be able to find a fantastic assortment of dresses that make you feel beautiful without going overboard, so print out this handy guide and keep it with you during your holiday dress shopping excursion!