As an adorable apple, your average to full bust, wide waist and slim legs look best in knee length dresses with straighter lines that elongate and skim over the curves of your upper body. For the most flattering effect, choose dress silhouettes that reinforce your hourglass shape, accentuate your shapely bust and highlight your lower legs.

• Empire lines with straight seams (not gathered) that emphasize the narrowest part of your torso. This will deflect the eye upward and away from your  natural waist.
• Sheath dresses with a bit of stretch for extra comfort. Keep the neckline low ( V or scooped) to lengthen the neck and look for sleeve details for variation.
• Shirtwaister dresses with pencil skirts, front ties and front-buttoning details that give you shape and structure.
• Printed wrap dresses that define your waist while the busyness of the print camouflages the tummy area.
• Draped dresses that deemphasize the midsection through design details like knots, pleats, ruffles and ruching.

Look for:

• Asymmetrical and handkerchief hemlines that deflect the eye away from the widest part of your body.
• Vertical seam details and diagonal lines that help elongate that unbroken line.

Avoid:

• Lengths that are mid-calf or longer. You’ll expose the best part of your body with a skirt that’s at the knee.
• Thin jersey knits that cling across the tummy area.

You won’t go wrong if you keep your dresses structured, stretchy, skimming and short. Sport them during the day and at night to bring out your most feminine side for Spring.

A printed wrap, a bias cut with vertical seaming (created through the ruffle detail) and diagonal lines, an empire cut with a straight seam and a draped dress with ruched waistband and front pleat detail (Nordstrom and Macy’s).

As a racy rectangle, your strong shoulders, narrow hips and slim limbs give you lots of choice when it comes to dresses. While you know that you look superb in jeans, it’s time to break out of that comfort zone and embrace the right dresses for Spring and Summer. You’ll look good in dresses with any skirt styling detail. Be it pencil, A-line, tapered, broomstick-pleated, sarong, bias, asymmetrical, low-waisted or paneled, wear them in plain, printed, flowing or stiff fabrications without a second thought. It’s the top half of the dress that you’ll need to think about.

Rectangular body types can either be well endowed or not. If you are:

• Busty – you’ll want to create a longer looking middle by defining your waist and keeping your necklines low (which lengthens the neck). Look for dresses with V-necks, scooped necks, sweetheart necks or strapless styles.
• Boyish – you’ll want to create curves by accentuating your waist and keeping your necklines high. Look for slash necks, cru-necks, keyhole necklines and high halter tops with neck ruching. Dresses with shirt collars will also work because they won’t reveal too much of your décolleté.

Like the hour-glass, racy rectangles were made for the perfect 60’s sheath dress. You’ll just need to adapt the neckline according to your bust size. The boyish framed rectangle is about the only body type that can sport this seasons’ straight shapeless trapeze mini dress with style. Though my preference would still be to dress this body type in structured waistlines and knee length skirts.

Dresses for busty rectangles from Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Dresses for boyish rectangles from Macy’s and Nordstrom.

All body types can look fab in the right dress. It’s a question of knowing which style is best for you. With Spring’s dress explosion and mid-season sales upon us, it’s an excellent time to buy frocks. Pretty pear body types look wonderful in A-line or what I call “fit-and-flare” dresses (fitted at the top and flared at the bottom). The key is to define the waist and torso and add a bit of volume at the bottom.

Emphasize the upper body:

• Look for necklines with detail that draws attention to your shoulders, face, neck and décolletage. V-necks, halter necks, square necks, shirt necks, sweetheart necks and strapless styles can work wonders. 
• Look for bodices with details such as pleating, ruching, embellishments, embroideries and horizontal trim designs that draw the eye upwards.
• Empire cuts with straight seams (a high-waisted seam that sits directly below the bust line) are good because they accentuate your bosom, emphasize the smallest part of your body and give you the room that you need to smooth over your hip and thigh area. Empire cuts with gathered seams might make you look and feel pregnant.
• Printed wrap dresses with A-line skirt constructions tend to create a visual balance between your upper and lower body. Ones that are in heavy matte jerseys will have enough drape to smooth over your curves flawlessly while their belting detail helps define your waist.

Smoothing over the hips, thighs and bottom area:

• Look for styles that create volume on the bottom in order to deemphasize the hip area (everything A-line). The volume can either be soft and flowing, or structured and architectural. Shirtwaister dresses and strapless styles are good choices.
• Look for vertical seaming through panel and princess lines.
• Keep the length at the knee and add “a leg-lengthening and slimming heel” (even if it’s  just a kitten heel, because height slims down curves). Sometimes, shoes with ankle straps can cut short the longer line that you are trying to create, which makes sling-backs, peep-toe pumps and long boots better options.

Steer clear of sheath styles with pencil skirt bottoms and bias-cuts. They’ll cling to your body and spotlight the areas that you wish to camouflage.

Have fun experimenting. You might be pleasantly surprised because there is nothing quite as pretty and feminine as the perfect dress. Here are some ideal A-line dress silhouettes for pear shaped body types (Nordstrom and Dillards).

Halter and knot detail, ruched and embellished strapless bodice, vertical panel detailing.

 Straight empire cut, empire cut with vertical seaming, pleated wrap bodice.