The DVF Wrap Dress and Apple Tendencies - YouLookFab Forum

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The DVF Wrap Dress and Apple Tendencies

MsLuna

Veteran

I've been in a retro 70's kick as of late, dressing myself up in flared jeans more often than I would like to admit (i owe you WIW's - I just can't find time to duck into a retail store!). I've always liked the styles of the decade, mainly due to the fluidity and ease of many of their outfits. And speaking of ease, the classic DVF style wrap dress has always been a style I've been wanting to try but can't seem to make it work.

I've tried many (non-DVF) wrap dresses in the past, but always got rid of them because it emphasized my larger midsection and made me look matronly. I always feel that the round, large bust/tummy contributes to this, as well as the length (knee length is unflattering on me, for some reason), my short waist, and the skirt flare (I look better in narrower, straight or slightly a-line skirts).

Angie mentioned in her 2014 Apple Body Type guidelines that wrap dresses work on apples. If Angie says that, there MUST be a way! I've made tucked in fluid/semi-fluid shirts with flared pants work for my body type so I'm sure there is a way for Apple types to wear wrap dresses AND not look matronly!

Any suggestions?

Body Type

41 replies

Latest reply was from cciele

catgirl

Veteran

I've never gotten one to work on me. I am a busty IT/apple and they make me look like a chunky rectangle.

MsLuna

Veteran

Noooo! Really? You would think with the V neck and the busty-ness it would work!

I find the kicker for me is always the belt and the skirt flare. I find that I look older and frumpier

Adelfa

Veteran

I have similar features and I can't make it work either.

MsLuna

Veteran

In a way, I feel comfort in knowing that I'm not the only IT/apple that cannot make this style work! Theoretically, the V-neck that the surplice style creates would be flattering but the overall look seems to work against us!

I've been wanting to try this style out for years due to its ease yet still remaining polished.

Deborah

Veteran

I am a busty apple (more hour glass before I had DS) and I cannot make wrap dresses work on me any longer. I have actually gotten rid of three in the last 18 months. With a wrap dress I have always preferred a straight skirt to a flared skirt so that makes a difference (for me) and I like the length to be just on the knee as I would wear them over pants too.

I agree if Angie says it is so, then is probably is, but I am still very challenged by this style of dress, which I actually find very appealing and attractive. But like you, I have felt 'matronly' so have given up.

Will be watching the comments here to see what I might learn.

rae

(website)

Veteran

It's funny, when the SoCal YLFers went to the DVF exhibit, we all sort of independently decided that we disliked more than we liked - and that the style didn't work for most of us.

I had one wrap dress in my life... it was a Target brand from the swap meet. I liked it plenty, but I was also, like... 22 and 20 lbs lighter and a slim hourglass.

Deborah

Veteran

I would love Shannon to chime in here. She wears wrap dresses to perfection. My view on this is she has a very well proportioned figure that creates a beautiful balance and flow. I am not sure of her body type tho. Here's hoping she drops by.

Golden

Veteran

I have never felt great in the wrap dress style either...

MsLuna

Veteran

Wow, it's really interesting to see that the wrap dress doesn't work for many! I noticed that the style works a lot for slimmer, leggier, hourglass women (just as Rae said).

@Deborah: I would LOVE to see what Shannon has to say about this as well. That being said I'm going to have a look at how she makes the wrap dress work!!!

Thanks so much ladies! Wow... I don't feel so alone anymore!

Caro in Oz

Veteran

What alaskagirl said. I just look like a fridge in them; or worse I fall out the top of them - not a good look.

Deborah

Veteran

Lol Caro. I have to always wear a camisole under them otherwise the dress is too revealing.

MsLuna

Veteran

Haha! I wear a camisole whether it's a dress or top. I am prone to spillage lol!

Deborah

Veteran

I wonder if something with a bit more structure and modern twist (the zipper) would work.

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goldenpig

(website)

Veteran

I'm an apple and I have tried and tried to make DVF wrap dresses work, but they look awful on me. I have learned through trial and error that wraps work better on apples if you have:
1. a higher point on the wrap--the tie should sit under the bust or at the natural waist rather than across the navel where the belly is the widest.
2. draping or ruching to help camouflage the pooch
3. faux wrap styles tend to work better than true wraps
4. a cami or tank underneath, because by the time you wrap it around the belly, it can tend to gape at the bust (DVF dresses are tricky because I don't have the real estate to fill out the size my belly needs, and then it also doesn't wrap tight enough to cover the thighs well)

To illustrate the difference, here are a couple of K/R's on DVF wrap dresses that I returned (seeing them again makes me cringe, but it's all for the sake of education...).
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ucket-list
http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ternatives
You can tell the DVF wraps emphasize my midsection in all the wrong places. Contrast that to the other dresses I actually own that work much better for my shape:
1. Ralph Lauren red faux wrap dress, also in the first K/R thread above--higher knot, draping, and faux wrap style
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....ady-in-red
2. Laundry by Shelli Segal pink faux wrap, also in the second K/R thread--follows all 4 rules
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....llet-flats
3. Banana Republic ribbon wrap dress--super oldie (from the 90's!) but goodie. This is a true wrap, but ties higher at my natural waist.
http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....its-a-wrap
4. Maggy London black & white wrap dress--this has a snap to help keep the dress closed. Shannon also has this dress (petite apple). http://goldenpig.lookfab.com/p.....enge-day-1

Interetingly as you can see from the pics, I was able to wear all of these dresses even in my third trimester of pregnancy, so the wrap/faux wraps work well even for "super-apples", as long as you find the right ones!

Lucy

Veteran

I can't help with apples, as I am an hour glass, but I have to chime in! Deborah, where is that dress from??? I'm won over.

Deborah

Veteran

Lucy it's from Australian Target:). Haven't seen it in the flesh but some of their dresses are quite nice.

http://www.target.com.au/p/cit.....l/54913912

harmonica

Veteran

My body type is apple with hourglass tendencies. My experience is that wrap dresses are very tricky, BUT GP has really nailed it! Great pic's.

Deborah - I think that Target dress might work because it looks like a more "solid" fabrics (not clingy jersey). Very nice!

Lucy

Veteran

Oh Deborah! Thank you. I'll be getting me to Target on Thursday night!

Deborah

Veteran

Lucy are you in Australia?

Vix

Veteran

Hi KatieKat --

Rectangle here minus the apple but with the other modifers -- short waist/bust/better in straighter skirts (no hips to fill things out). I don't mind looking straight at time, but looking like a parcel tied with twine isn't my thing.

GP speaks for me on all points, especially re faux-wraps being easier. DVF does have some silk jersey faux wraps every once in a while, but....

However, I will say I scored my first (sale) DVF last year and by tying it higher -- as so many have suggested -- AND being really steely-eyed about the print placement I'm pretty satisfied when I wear it. Plus I posted it as a K/R and got a go vote, so that helped.

I've tried several other prints over the years that *should* have worked (vertical patterns) but didn't. So if you're game, keep trying..."your" wrap may be out there!

LACeleste

Veteran

GP gives excellent advice! I am a busty (32H) rectangle and I find that where the wrap wraps makes all the difference in the flattery. I also find that rucheing more than actual wrap ties allows a much more flexible fit.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

GP's visuals are brilliant! Thanks, Natalie! She's actually showing one of the wrap dresses that Shannon wears so brilliantly (the Maggy London).

Shannon is petite. I am not 100% sure of body type but I would say she is probably a nicely proportioned rectangle with apple tendencies. She does not have a large bust, however.

Another busty rectangle with apple tendencies is Mochi -- she wears a faux wrap surplice dress with higher waist to perfection!

It's interesting to hear others' struggles with wraps. They definitely don't work on me because I can't fill them out.

It may be a question of style preferences, too -- in some cases the look might be okay if your personal style preferences were a bit different. It's a very feminine type of look that won't appeal to all. Sometimes I think our style preferences influence what we see as flattering to us.

abc

Veteran

OMG Deborah I LOVE LOVE LOVE that dress you posted. Super cute. Wish I was in Aus to get it.

I have found traditional wrap dresses don't work on me (pear-ish hourglass with leftover tummy from having kids).

But...(there's always a but, right?!) ... FAUX wraps, do work, though, strangely.

I don't know what the difference is. Maybe that the faux means it has more structure, bc it is sewn down vs the one-piece-of-material-tie-at-your-own-risk of a "normal" wrap dress?

I find that normal wraps usually end up in a very plunging neckline on me, not sure why. Faux wraps don't do this on me.

I do have enough up top to fill out the dress, so I don't think that's it. Could be my proportions.

Very interesting thread. Wish I had more answers, though.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Suz is so right! I am the opposite of you all -- hourglass with pear tendencies and hips that I curse on a daily basis, but I can generally rock a wrap dress. Unfortunately, my casual lifestyle just doesn't warrant the dressiness very much, and it's not so easy to make a wrap dress look rock'n'roll, you know?Darn it. I love my DVF but I just don't have much occasion to wear it. I console myself with the thought that it's a classic and I'll wear it -- infrequently -- for years to come.

Von

Veteran

I am a lover of wrap dresses, though I'm an hourglass. I had to get over feeling like it was showing everything, and started picking up more patterned wraps to disguise my issues. It's all about fabrics and fit, even with a wrap dress.

I have tried on many DVF wrap dresses, and they just do not work on me at all. This dress is my favorite, it's no fuss and has a pattern that hides everything. It was $15 at Target. http://youlookfab.com/upload/i....._image.jpg

Banana Republic has a Gemma wrap dress that is made from really nice heavy, bouncy fabric, it's got some give, but it's heavy enough to skim your curves. I bought mine in a tall, even though I'm only 5'6 because it gives me more fabric on the bottom half.

And count me on the team that absolutely, positively cannot deal with a faux wrap. I need to be able to wrap and cinch that thing all the way through the back and around the front! I also do a high wrap, on the narrow part of my waist, so being able to adjust it on my own makes a big difference.

I was just thinking, perhaps you could find a wrap to ease your way into it..maybe something with a little more happening up top to take away all of the attention on the bottom. Color blocking or possibly dolman sleeves come to mind...

Anonymous

I'm the opposite body type (pear hips with a smaller chest) and I've never found a wrap that I love, either. If it fits in the hips, I rarely fill out the top. On the rare occasion the top part fits, it's still too low-cut for my tastes. A cami helps, but then I'm constantly adjusting and ... I'm getting uncomfortable and frustrated just thinking about it!

MsLuna

Veteran

Hey ladies! Wow ok... So I'm finally catching up with you all...

Thanks for the helpful responses! Goldenpig, I absolutely love how you illustrated how the wraps worked on you! That Maggy London wrap is my favourite on you! I actually tried that wrap dress TODAY! I'm going to keep these tips you shared in mind: and yes I totally agree with you on all 4 points!

So here are a bunch of photos of my wrap dress "experiments" after work. I ducked into a Marshall's and tried on 2 wrap dresses: Calvin Klein (blue) and Maggy London (the same one GP and Shannon have but with a different print). I'm still not 100% happy with the way I look in them. I noticed, though, that I look a lot more IT than I do apple in these wrap dresses.

For photos 1 & 2: Calvin Klein. Thicker fabric (which I like). I liked how it draped a lot better than the Maggy London

3&4: Maggy London. I got one size too small because I didn't see a size 10 around. I need to size up.

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Deborah

Veteran

Wow, I think the wrap works nicely on you. I like both of these. The Maggie London is a stunner of a dress and I love the way there is a drape across the tummy. I think wrap dresses are a definitely possiblity for you. I think you look gorgeous.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yep. Agree with Debs. You can definitely wear a wrap - if it's what you want to wear!

You might need a cami for modesty's sake (if that is a concern, that is).

That Maggie London really does have a fantastic design, doesn't it.

And you might want to compare a size up, just to see. It could end up not working, but since they are jersey, it might work after all and just give you enough ease to give it a more relaxed feel.

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