I do competition ballroom dancing. I am thin, with long toned arms and legs but very short torso, with no waist, narrow hips, and large busted. I tried on a $3000 waltz gown and it looked amazing. I took pictures and showed many and everyone agreed. The seamstress shared the reason it was flattering was because the gentle A-line skirt had a high slit and combined with a deep plunging "V" neckline halter would draw attention up through the leg to the face and create length in the torso. It also had cutouts on the sides which I never thought would be flattering but it really was. I couldn't figure out for awhile because I thought only black or dark color on the sides would slim but I figured out that perhaps it's because the eyes are drawn midline to the fabric by the cutouts rounding inward toward the middle to create the illusion of a waist. Of course, I imagine the cutouts aren't flattering with muffin tops.