About Dresses
Let's take a minute to learn all about dresses. Contrary to popular belief, women are wearing dresses as much as they did thirty or more years ago. Dresses are being worn for work, special occasions, weddings and everyday living. One of the latest trends in dresses is to wear long, floor length dresses with spaghetti straps. They're cool for summer and have a nice flowing design. Dresses also come in short-short varieties, especially for summer.
One thing you want to know about dresses, especially evening dresses and wedding dresses, is the shape of the gown you want to choose. Different women look better in different shapes of gowns. It is the shape of the neckline and the shape of the dress that best outlines what dress you should pick.
Let's take a look at the shapes of gowns. There is the A-line gown, which has a waistline and a flared out skirt that creates an A-shape. There are vertical seams running from the waistline or shoulders that come down to the bottom of the A-line skirt. It is a good design for women who are petite because it makes them look taller in that style of dress. It is also good for a full-figured woman or women with short-waists. It isn't good if you have a really thick waist because it is intended to accentuate your waist. If your figure is of an hourglass shape, don't choose gowns like this because it makes your bust seem too big.
The Basque waist is one with a low waistline that is generally a V-shape or a U-shape beginning several inches below the actual waistline. It creates a lovely hourglass figure but isn't good for shorter women. It is good for taller women, those with large hips, those with an hourglass figure and those with a pear-shaped figure.
A ball gown shape is very traditional. It has a fitted bodice that is often strapless. At the waist, it flares out into a lovely full skirt that hides full hips. It isn't a good shape to pick if you're short, but works well for thinner figures, full figures and taller heights. Pear-shaped women look nice in this type of dress as well.
The mermaid shape of dress has no waistline but the dress is form-fitted down to about the knees, when the dress then flairs out and flows on the floor like mermaid tails. It is good for short or tall women but, because it is so form fitting, it probably isn't one of the dresses women should wear if they are full-figured.
Latin dresses are lovely dresses to purchase if you are interested in ballroom dancing or Latin dancing. They are popular with salsa dancers, tango dancers and other types of ballroom dancers. Such Latin dresses often have a slit that allows for full leg movement during dancing and many Latin dresses are made with flowing, machine washable stretch fabric and many have heat-fused crystals, rhinestones and beading on them. They are beautiful gowns for special occasions. Color is a big part of these dresses and they often come in bright orange and red hues.
Evening dresses can be short or long and are made from jewel tones, black dresses, white dresses or sometimes pastels. They come in different necklines and sleeve styles that you should know about. There are halter-style evening dresses that tie or fit behind the neck, coming around to enclose the breasts in a V-shape. This is a lovely design, especially if you have the cleavage to show for it. There is also the spaghetti strap, which fits all styles of women. It generally has a straight neckline and is good for women who have small busts.
For winter, evening dresses can have long tight sleeves that stretch over the arm. You need to have a knit fabric for this kind of dress or you will have trouble getting into it and moving your arms while wearing it. Capped sleeves work for all seasons but aren't much in style right now. Sleeveless dresses are always nice for evening dresses, as are strapless dresses. The strapless variety works best if you have a nice bust line.
When choosing wedding dresses, color is an important feature to consider. Wedding dresses no longer come in a stark white color so that you have to think about the color for you. You can get a stark white color, especially if you are tanned or have dark skin. It looks nice in almost any shape and works especially well with sequins.
Silk, diamond or natural white color in wedding dresses look about the same in photos. It isn't as chalky as stark white and should be the color most women should pick in their wedding dresses. Ivory, also known as eggshell can have yellow or creamy undertones that give a nice look for women who are fair skinned. It looks great with pearls as well. Rum or champagne colored wedding dresses look a bit pink in photos but are a darker shade of ivory. They are a lovely alternative for women who don't want to have a stark white dress.
Your skin tone should decide which color dress you should pick. Fair skinned women should have yellow-ivory colors or warm natural colors. Don't choose a stark white dress. If your skin is medium with pink undertones, go for a creamier look in wedding dresses. If you have medium skin with yellow undertones, chose champagne coloring or diamond white dresses. If you have dark skin, you can choose almost any dress except for yellow-ivory dresses. Go with a rum pink or a champagne color instead.
Always ask for a clean swatch of the fabric for the wedding dress because the dress you try on may be dirty or otherwise discolored so that you won't get the actual color of the dress.
Lastly, Chinese dresses aren't just for Chinese women. They are lovely satiny dresses, often filled with lovely embroidery. Some Chinese dresses are just straight up and down - perfect for women with thin figures. They can be for tall and short women. Chinese dresses also come with a waistline and a slight flair to the bottom - also in embroidered styles and bright colors. The dress you choose should depend on your shape and the colors that work well for your skin tone. You can experiment with both long and short dresses that complement your figure.
